BOSS ME-90

The Boss ME-90 is an all-in-one guitar processor: a single floor unit holding premium Boss amps and effects, with an onboard expression pedal and footswitches, aimed at players who want a full rig without building a pedalboard¹. Introduced in 2023, it replaced the long-running Boss ME-80². Its amp models and effects are derived from the flagship Boss GT-1000, Boss's top-of-the-line amp/effects processor, arranged in seven categories of selections³⁴.

Boss positions it as a knob-driven unit: the company says the interface "lets you build configurations and tweak tones with the ease of a stompbox-filled pedalboard"¹. It launched in the U.S. at $349.99 in July 2023⁴, with MusicRadar reporting the same launch at $349⁵.

What it does: GT-1000 amps and effects in a floor unit

The ME-90's sound engine draws on the GT-1000, which Boss describes as bringing "a new era of performance in amp/effects processors for guitar and bass" with amps built on its AIRD technology¹⁰¹¹. The ME-90 organizes its selections into seven categories filled with GT-1000-derived models³. In the Overdrive category alone, Boss's own buying guide counts a standard Boss overdrive, a T-Screamer, Centa, and Blues Driver¹².

The unit carries 36 ready-to-play preset patches and 36 user patches for storing custom setups¹. One distinctive function is Freeze mode, which Boss's guide describes as letting you "swell in a held, pitch-accurate note beneath a chord or melody line" using the expression pedal¹².

The controls: knobs, eight footswitches and expression pedal

The panel is built around knobs rather than menu-diving. Eight multi-function footswitches sit across the front, and a newly redesigned expression pedal with an integrated toe switch handles parameter control¹. A Pedal FX knob assigns that expression pedal to parameters including wah, octave, sub-octave, Overdrive amount, delay level, or modulation rate¹².

The layout continues the ME-80's approach. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen noted that the ME-80 offered "eight multifunction footswitches" and battery or adaptor power, and the ME-90 keeps both traits¹³³¹⁴.

Manual mode and Memory mode

The ME-90 operates in two modes. Boss describes Manual mode for pedalboard-style operation and Memory mode for switching complete patch setups¹.

• Memory mode: the unit starts here; pedals 1-4 change preset patches or your own². You can recall any of the 36 user patch slots and activate multiple effects per patch⁹.
• Manual mode: individual switches turn each effect type on and off independently, like a row of stompboxes²⁹.

Power and connections

Power comes from four AA batteries or the optional AC adaptor¹. With a supply, the unit runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 190mA⁸.

For recording, the L (Mono) and R outputs connect to individual channels on an audio interface to play and record ME-90 audio⁹. The USB-C connector handles BOSS Tone Studio communication and audio recording and playback with music production software¹. When connected to a PC via USB, the ME-90 can also receive MIDI data, so a DAW can control patch changes and specified parameters at specific times⁶.

Boss's connection guide covers running it into the front of a guitar amp: set the Gtr. Amp/Line switch to match your connection type so the unit is optimized for the setup, and ensure the ME-90's preamp section is not engaged when you want to use your amp's own preamp and power²⁹.

Where it came from

The ME series has been a favorite of performing guitarists for over three decades, in Boss's words³. The ME-90 updates the ME-80, which MusicRadar called Boss's "evergreen classic" multi-effects processor⁵. Guitar.com reported at launch that the ME-90 is supposedly lighter than its previous generation models¹⁰. A bass version, the ME-90B, shares the format with eight multi-function footswitches and battery power, and adds the ability to load up to three user speaker IRs¹⁵¹⁶.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's launch coverage concluded:

Guitar Interactive Magazine reported the U.S. availability and $349.99 price at launch⁴.

Firmware updates

The ME-90 remains a current product, and Boss recommends staying up to date with its system software and BOSS Tone Studio⁷. The current system program is Ver.1.04, from May 2025¹⁸.

To update:

1. Download the system program from Boss¹⁸.
2. Hold down the EXIT and WRITE buttons and push the power switch; the display shows "UP" and both tuning guides blink slowly to confirm update mode¹⁸.
3. Follow the update procedure from there¹⁸.

To check the installed version, turn the OUTPUT LEVEL knob to minimum and hold WRITE while pushing the power switch; the current system version appears on the panel display¹⁸.

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