Any GT1000 CORE Users?

monquixote

My music space is currently very restricted to just my work desk. (which has some decent B&W speakers on it)

I haven't really got the space to have my Helix LT out, but I could probably fit something more compact like a Helix Stomp on the desktop.

That seems like a bit of a downgrade and money spent without any new shiny so I was wondering if something like the GT1000CORE would be a good option.

I don't hear about many people using them on here.

Any opinions?

digitalscream

Why not just run Helix Native in a VST host on your PC?

monquixote

digitalscream said:

Why not just run Helix Native in a VST host on your PC?

I don't have a PC!

I have a work Mac, but they are very hot on not letting you run anything on it that isn't work related.

Strangefan

I use the gt 001 desktop and I have t say its bloody brillaint 

longi

I would have bought one if I didn't already have an HX Stomp. I like the Boss effects and from the videos or sounds that I've heard from it, admittedly not in the flesh I like the amp modelling too.

Chuffola

monquixote said:

digitalscream said:

Why not just run Helix Native in a VST host on your PC?

I don't have a PC!

I have a work Mac, but they are very hot on not letting you run anything on it that isn't work related.

Buy a decent used PC/ Laptop. Probably cheaper than the GT Core and at least you know you like the Helix stuff.

vasselmeyer

I have the full fat GT-1000 and the Core has exactly the same sounds. It's typically idiosyncratic Boss in terms of its workflow and isn't as user friendly as the Helix family. It doesn't have as many amps and stomps as the Helix either, but what it does have are exceptional to my ears. It makes you concentrate on getting the sound you want rather then suffer choice paralysis.

If I was going for a smaller box then the Core would be right up there with the Stomp.

thomasw88

I would quite like one.  Love the Boss DD500 I have and liked the MD500.  Appreciate the GT1000 doens't have all the algorithms but I'm sure it would be fine for what I want.

 However.. I have a stomp and a Mornigstar MC3.   I can't justify buying one as I don't believe it'll be  that much better than the stomp to justify buying new. Also, the lack of footswitches on the core would mean I'd have to  keep the MC3 anyway.

 Also  they  don't seem to pop up at good prices second hand yet.  

What about the headrush gigboard?  meant to be easier to edit without pc and has an extra footswitch

vasselmeyer

vasselmeyer said:

I have the full fat GT-1000 and the Core has exactly the same sounds. It's typically idiosyncratic Boss in terms of its workflow and isn't as user friendly as the Helix family. It doesn't have as many amps and stomps as the Helix either, but what it does have are exceptional to my ears. It makes you concentrate on getting the sound you want rather then suffer choice paralysis.

If I was going for a smaller box then the Core would be right up there with the Stomp.

Quoting myself here, but just to expand. The Boss has got your standard Fender, Vox, Marchall, Recto-type amp sims and a bunch of cabs and mics plus the ability to position the mics etc etc. They're pretty good, especially the "DIamond" which is the Vox. However, for me they also have unique amps which are not based on existing amps, they're just meant to sound good. Boss call them the "X amps". Generally, instead of using the "Brit Stack" amp, I'll use the Boss "X-Crunch" or the "X-Modded" for high-gain stuff. If you use your ears rather than just trying to get the best Twin or JTM-45 sound then the Boss amps are excellent.

Also, the Tonestudio software for the GT-1000 is excellent.

guitarmangler

Could you not just put the helix on a high shelf and use a long lead? For patch changing get an external midi controller. 

monquixote

guitarmangler said:

Could you not just put the helix on a high shelf and use a long lead? For patch changing get an external midi controller. 

It's a tiny space, there is pretty much no room to put it anywhere unfortunately.

TTBZ

I'm revisiting GT1000 demos now (on a bit of a digital quest!) and the amp models actually sound really good to me when run through IRs! The built in cabs sound rubbish to me still. Leon Todd has done some videos with it where he uses his usual IRs and it sounds awesome. 

Tbh I like the simplified approach for amps, I've been trying out Helix Native again and there's just too much choice for me. The X Crunch and High Gain seem like where I'd spend most of my time and lack of choice would probably stop me from going "I fancy trying a different amp brand today"! A lot of people say the Boss feels good as well, I can't say the same for Helix which doesn't have the same "bounce" and response under your picking hand like a real amp - I've felt this with the Stomp and with Native. The Boss effects to use it 4CM make this a big selling point over HX as well - just looking for excuses to buy it haha

vasselmeyer

TTBZ said:

Tbh I like the simplified approach for amps, I've been trying out Helix Native again and there's just too much choice for me. The X Crunch and High Gain seem like where I'd spend most of my time and lack of choice would probably stop me from going "I fancy trying a different amp brand today"! A lot of people say the Boss feels good as well, I can't say the same for Helix which doesn't have the same "bounce" and response under your picking hand like a real amp - I've felt this with the Stomp and with Native.

This is absolutely the case when using the GT-1000 in an ampless gig situation. There, I'm on in-ears and I can't tell the difference between it and my amp with pedals, also on in ears. The only difference is feeling with my amp is my trousers flapping from a 2x12.

ennspek

monquixote said:

guitarmangler said:

Could you not just put the helix on a high shelf and use a long lead? For patch changing get an external midi controller. 

It's a tiny space, there is pretty much no room to put it anywhere unfortunately.

Hang it on a wall somehow? You could invent the Helix Hammock!

thomasw88

Just bought one..

I have no self control.

monquixote

thomasw88 said:

Just bought one..

I have no self control.

Let me know how you get on with it!

Handsome_Chris

If it's any sort of recommendation I would buy another GT-1000 if something were to happen to mine.  Having coming from Axe-FX land I find the GT-1000 compact and easy to use.  If I were after something with a smaller footprint, or if we're primarily a bass player, I would definitely get the GT-1000 core.

I figured out the user interface in less than five mins.  I have since learned how to game the system to make it do the stuff that isn't immediately obvious.  Roland/Boss are good at making this kind of tweakabillity available.


I think that those who may have not had experience of the ways various companies implement menus on their multi-fx/modellers are more likely to react badly to the change.  I think that having been through Digitech, Fractal Audio Systems, and Boss, I understand that they have their own way of doing a lot of the same thing. 

vasselmeyer

Handsome_Chris said:

If it's any sort of recommendation I would buy another GT-1000 if something were to happen to mine.  Having coming from Axe-FX land I find the GT-1000 compact and easy to use.  If I were after something with a smaller footprint, or if we're primarily a bass player, I would definitely get the GT-1000 core.

I figured out the user interface in less than five mins.  I have since learned how to game the system to make it do the stuff that isn't immediately obvious.  Roland/Boss are good at making this kind of tweakabillity available.


I think that those who may have not had experience of the ways various companies implement menus on their multi-fx/modellers are more likely to react badly to the change.  I think that having been through Digitech, Fractal Audio Systems, and Boss, I understand that they have their own way of doing a lot of the same thing. 

100% this. In these complex multifx units it's totally about workflow and how you build patches. I had a Boss ES-8 loop switcher before I got the GT-1000 and the same designers were clearly involved or the GT-1000 designers stuck to the script in terms of UX. However, the GT-1000 is much better with its larger graphical display, but  the way things work, such as the ASSIGN settings are intuitive if you've used earlier Boss interfaces.

For the GT-1000 I essentially create one loop, bypass it and then dump all the unused blocks into that loop. If I need one, I can just drag it out and put it in the chain I'm editing. I know how I'm setting up my outputs and they are completely consistent for every patch so I leave those alone. Therefore I've got a simple view with all of the stuff I want, none of the stuff I don't and a pool of blocks I can just drag in if I need them.

thomasw88

monquixote said:

thomasw88 said:

Just bought one..

I have no self control.

Let me know how you get on with it!

Yeah I will do. 

I will have this week a Stomp, Mobius, GT1000 core and a wampler terraform to do a comparison with.  At least 2 of them will have to go - I think I'll keep the Mobius.

Handsome_Chris

@thomasw88 , how did you get on?

thomasw88

Handsome_Chris said:

@thomasw88 , how did you get on?

I'm liking the GT1000 core alot.    The interface is definitely not as slick as the Line 6 side..
I haven't AB'd it against the stomp or the terraform yet though.   
The UI actually makes sense but you have to not think of it like the Line 6 stuff. 

There's a few random points below - not exhaustive by any means. I'm very early on in using the boss unit.

1. I like the 2 external footswitches/fx loops.   Means I can have a double footswitch and an expression pedal, whereas the stomp is only 1 footswitch/fx loop.

2. There are 5 knobs on the front of the unit - you can set  them to do pretty much anything.  So for example, I have one knob set to reverb on/off, one for setting BPM for tap tempo ie so I can quickly goto 128bpm if I want to,  and then three for setting different parameters of specific effects or turning them on or off or whatever you want to do there.  That's actually incredibly useful for gigs where I might want to switch off reverb at some points but don't want to use a footswitch for it.

3. You get 2 distortion blocks.  I really like the softer drives on this unit, and prefer them to the Line 6 equivalents.  There aren't 2000 choices like Line 6 but what is there is definitely usable.  Both the distortion blocks has a boost switch/level setting so you can boost each separately , but  would need a footswitch assigned to each.   I do find with the Line 6 drives that a lot of them sound very similar.

4. I don't understand why there are 4 blocks for EQ on the Boss GT.  I can't ever envisage needing that many.

5.The reverbs are much nice on the Boss than the line 6 side for simpler reverb.  I don't use a lot of reverb personally but like it as a subtle effect, and the Boss is much better in that regards to line 6 which really is a weak point of the Line 6 products imho.  You do only get 1 reverb block though, so if you're a verb junkie then the stomp is probably going to be better for you.

6. Having preassigned blocks is actually quite useful.  I took a tip from @vasselmeyer and put all the unused blocks to the end in their own divider (like a internal loop), but then pulling them in as and when you need them is a good idea.

7. The app on the PC is really good.  I have the Boss DD500 delay unit on my main pedalboard, and whilst I love it I must confess having no idea what half the parameters on it are for.  There are less parameters on the GT and the app works well.  The Delays are great.

8. The effects generally sound good straight out the box - whereas with the Stomp, I was always having to turn everything down straight away and fiddle around more with the settings.

9. I would like it to be easier to switch off the speaker sim.  It seems to be set on if you change the output to anything that isn't an amp.  To me this unit is part of a pedal board and I want it more for its effects than the amp modelling side.  It's much easier to do that with the Stomp.

10. I don't like the stereo options on this.  I generally play in mono but the boss always seems to push you down the stereo side.  It might not actually matter as it sounds good, but I don't want to find out mid gig that an effect isn't working properly as half the signal isn't going where it should do.

11.  It feels slightly better made than the HX stomp.    Though the screen on the stomp and graphics are easier to look at and are more modern looking.

12. Effects - most of the modulations/delays/eq's/compressors are equal imo.  Not tried all of them but the staple ones ie chorus/trem/phaser/flanger are generally what I use and they're good on both.   There's probably a bit of a difference between the two but both systems are perfectly good enough for gigs/recording imo.

I'm going to try and fiddle around with the midi side and see what the Morningstar MC3 can do with it.  Then going to setup a few patches for specific songs and see how it all fits together!