Boss ME-25

The Boss ME-25 is a floor-based digital multi-effects pedal announced by Boss at NAMM in January 2010, positioned as an affordable entry into the company's ME line of floor multi-effects units¹. It is stocked with Boss effects including distortions, overdrives, modulation effects, delay, reverb, and a harmonist¹, and Boss says it inherits its high-quality sounds from the flagship ME-70².

What set the ME-25 apart from a typical budget multi-effects unit was its Sound Library approach: instead of deep menu editing, players pick a ready-made patch and then shape it with three knobs. It also carries a built-in expression pedal and a USB connection for computer use³².

A multi-effects pedal with a Sound Library

The core idea of the ME-25 is the built-in Sound Library, which RockBoard's PedalPedia describes as giving "instant access to dozens of classic and modern effects"³. The onboard Sound Library comes loaded with 60 effects combinations suitable for a wide range of playing styles². Rather than building a sound from scratch, you select a stored combination and then customize it with simple twists of the Drive, Tone, and Volume knobs³.

Three heavy-duty footswitches allow the user to select sounds and perform other functions¹. The built-in expression pedal controls a number of pedal effects, including wah, octave up and down, and a unique freeze effect².

The unit also includes a Super Stack function that gets big amp tone from a small practice amp², and its effect list covers the familiar Boss categories:

• Distortions and overdrives
• Modulation effects
• Delay
• Reverb
• Harmonist, and many more¹

The compact and durable ME-25 inherits its high-quality sounds from the flagship ME-70², and its metallic black finish brings it in line with its bigger brother⁴.

USB and computer connection

The ME-25 includes USB connectivity, allowing users to stream audio and other data back and forth with their computer². Boss supports this with driver downloads covering a range of operating systems:

Connecting the ME-25 to a computer requires the dedicated BOSS driver software, and editing tones from a desktop requires BOSS TONE STUDIO for ME-25, Ver.1.1.2 or later⁵⁶. The driver download and the current BOSS TONE STUDIO version are both available from Boss's updates and drivers page for the ME-25⁶. Once connected, BOSS TONE STUDIO gives you on-screen access to the same effect categories built into the unit, including distortions, overdrives, modulation effects, delay, reverb, and a harmonist¹².

Boss notes that even if the ME-25 is connected to a USB 3.0 port, the performance of the product will not change⁷. Mac computers running Microsoft Windows are not supported⁷.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar reviewed the ME-25 in 2010 and found it exceeded expectations for its price, writing⁴:

MusicRadar's reviewer, Stuart, 2010⁴

The review was published when the ME-25 carried a UK price of £169, and the reviewer judged that the unit exceeded what you could get for that money in 2010⁴. The metallic black finish was noted as bringing it in line with the ME-70⁴.

Where it sits in the Boss line

The ME-25 was announced alongside the TU-3 chromatic tuner as part of Boss's floor-based multi-effects line², with a retail price of $276.50 and shipping in January 2010². Its metallic black finish brought it in line with its bigger brother, the ME-70, and it shared that flagship's sound set in a more compact and affordable format². Players comparing Boss floor multi-effects today can also look at the later ME-80 and ME-90, or the compact GT-1 and EX-4 Effects Expander, on the multi-effects type page.

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