Boss Pocket GT

The Boss Pocket GT is an ultra-compact guitar amp and effects processor, about the size of a mobile phone, built for headphone practice and jamming along with streamed music¹². It carries the same sound engine as the best-selling GT-1 floor processor, putting over 100 amp models and effects in a pocketable unit with a built-in rechargeable battery¹³. Boss announced it in September 2020 at $249.99, with units expected in stores in late September or October of that year³⁴.

It is part of the Boss GT range, and its 99 user memories hold amp and effects settings compatible with the floor-based GT-1, so tones can move between the two units¹⁵.

What the Pocket GT does: GT-1 sounds in a phone-sized unit

The Pocket GT takes the brains from the GT-1's processor and packs them into a unit MusicRadar described as "about the size of a mobile phone"². The GT-1 itself, released in 2016, is a compact multi-effects unit with a light, portable design and a built-in expression pedal, and Boss says it "provides tone quality and sound-shaping ability that far exceeds typical compact multi-effects"⁷⁸. The Pocket GT inherits that model set: over 100 amp models and effects drawn from the GT-1 processor and Katana amps²³.

Where the GT-1 is a floorboard you stomp on, the Pocket GT is a headphone tool. It has a two-character LED display, Bluetooth and aux mini-jack inputs, and micro USB charging⁵. There is an Aux In jack for connecting a non-Bluetooth music player, drum machine, or other device¹.

On the sounds themselves, MusicRadar's review found the presets "leaning towards stadium rock but hugely varied and generally pretty good," and listed "great amp and effects models" among the unit's strengths².

The controls and the center cancel switch

Navigation is deliberately simple. Guitar.com's review described it as "dead simple, courtesy of a basic LED display and a 'value' wheel for browsing through the presets"⁵. The control set is:

One control that matters for practice is the center cancel switch. Guitar.com's reviewer called it "a semi-effective 'centre cancel' switch that removes selected midrange frequencies from the streaming source" to make extra space for your own playing⁵. It is a practice aid rather than a full karaoke-style vocal remover, and the reviewer's "semi-effective" is the honest verdict.

For comparison, the floor-based GT-1 is controlled with ENTER, EXIT, UP, DOWN and CTL1 buttons and switches, an expression pedal and a phones jack, and pressing its left and center footswitches together activates the tuner⁹¹⁰.

Bluetooth streaming and the BOSS Tone Studio app

The Pocket GT streams audio over Bluetooth from a smartphone or tablet so you can play along with videos⁵. The companion BOSS Tone Studio app runs on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and includes a built-in YouTube browser alongside deep tone editing tools¹. Dedicated hardware buttons on the unit itself control song and video playback, so you do not have to reach for your phone mid-phrase¹.

The app also handles firmware updates, which connect over the included micro USB cable⁶.

Wireless footswitch and expression pedal support

Two optional wireless accessories extend the unit for hands-free use¹:

• The EV-1-WL wireless MIDI expression pedal, supported since firmware version 1.20 in October 2021⁶
• The FS-1-WL wireless footswitch, supported since firmware version 1.30 in November 2022⁶

With firmware 1.30 and BOSS Tone Studio for Pocket GT version 1.3.0 or later, the pedal switches (L, C, R) and CTL1,2 jack on the FS-1-WL can be used to switch patches and turn effects on and off, and the app can set the respective functions of the pedal switches, CTL1,2 jack and EXP jack⁶.

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