BOSS has long had a reputation for great effects, from their Compact pedal line to their Twin pedals and on up the chain, and the BOSS GT-6B Bass effects and amp modeling pedalboard is no exception. Any bassist looking for a HUGE arsenal of fantastic tone and effects would do well to check out the GT-6B.
From the moment I opened the box I couldn’t wait to fire this thing up; just looking at it I could tell it was going to be cool. With its 16 front-panel knobs, six heavy-duty footswitches, and gum-rubber covered expression pedal, this thing looked like a tone monster for the stage and studio right away, and it did not disappoint. Plus, it’s built like a tank with all-steel construction, so you know it can stand up to the abuse of the stage and regular gigging – and you can fit it in your hatchback with room to spare.
The first thing I did when I plugged in my bass was tune up with the GT-6B’s built-in chromatic tuner, which was a snap to use. With triple-redundant tuning readings, I could tell right away that the GT-6B is set up for the serious stage and session player looking for a powerful, easy-to-use unit with all the right fittings. A little while spent scrolling through the preset patches reinforced my initial judgment; the GT-6B comes loaded with 80 different presets that show off the powerful tone shaping and effects capabilities of the unit.
After a quick read through the extremely clear and helpful owner’s manual, I was off and running, tweaking and creating patches and really digging in to the GT-6B’s capabilities. I must say, this thing is amazing; whether you just need to make a quick EQ adjustment or you’re looking to get down into the nitty-gritty of every patch and really tweak every parameter, the GT-6B accommodates beautifully and easily. Remember those 16 front-panel knobs I mentioned? They control the most commonly used parameters for all of the effects and EQ, making quick adjustments a snap to dial in and save; additionally, every effect and amp model comes with several preset templates (BOSS calls them QuickSounds) that get you going right away. Looking to get a little deeper? Have no fear – the GT-6B has more tweakable parameters than any multi-effects unit I have ever used, meaning you can really fine-tune each patch and get exactly the sound you need, on stage and in the studio.
Beyond the programmability of this unit, I must say I was blown away by the quality and selection of amp models and effects that BOSS built in. The six amp and five cabinet models can be combined however you want, and each one is tweakable – from the preamp section of the amp model (including the amp’s natural overdrive) to the position of the mic on the speaker cab, you can squeeze any bass tone you could ever want out of this thing. The GT-6B also comes with a whole slew of effects, including compressors, limiters, distortions and overdrives (including models of some of BOSS’s most popular Compact pedals), chorus, flanging, phasing, reverb, delay, pedal wah, auto-wah, pitch shifting, harmonizer, enhancer, auto-swell, ring modulation, defretter, octaver, sound-on-sound layering, bass synth, and auto-slap (a kind of automatic phrase generator for slap-type effects – my personal favorite). Any sound from a mild chorus to a full-on distorted pitch-shifted wah monster (or anything else you can dream up) is at your disposal, courtesy of the good folks at BOSS.
I highly recommend the GT-6B for any gigging or session bassist looking for a great selection of tones for any style of playing, or anyone who needs a huge palette of great effects and unique sounds to take their music to the next level.
