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FLOORBOARD
MULTI-EFFECTS ROUNDUP:
FENDER MUSTANG FLOOR,
BOSS GT- 100, AND ZOOM G5
BY JORDAN WAGNER
For most guitarists, multi-effect units are a mixed bag. While the benefits
are obvious and the idea sound, a lot of
affordable multi-effectors end up jack of all
trades and master of none. More than a few
readers have probably gone the affordable
multi-effector unit thrilled that it could
move from Dimebag Darrell tones to some
crazy ring modulator with the flick of a
switch—only to grow tired of the shrieking,
icepick tones, cold tonality and inability to
cut in a band setting.
But floorboard multi-effects units have
come a long way since you found that
cheap, $100 plastic box of bees beneath
your Christmas tree. More processing
power, ever-shrinking digital circuitry, and
economical production make today’s floor
board multi effects units more compact,
capable and affordable than ever. And the
new generation of multi-effectors overflow
with accurate vintage amps and effects
models, simple and streamlined recording
options and musical possibility.
We wanted to take a good look at just
how far these devices have come in recent
years, so we decided to have a go with three
popular floorboard multi-effectors—the
Fender Mustang Floor, Boss GT- 100 and
ZOOM G5. We heard drastic improvements
in modeling technology and encountered
some digital limitations. But while there’s
room for evolution, each of these floorboard
multi-effectors is a capable tool for guitarists
that need a little bit of everything, whether
on stage or in a recording situation.
BOSS
GT- 100
Boss has been a major player in the multi-effects game for decades. So they’ve had a
lot of time to research and deduce how to
design a floorboard that combines versatility, tone, and ease of use. The GT- 100
is the follow up to their popular GT- 10
processor, but it’s much more than just a
simple update from its previous model. All
of Boss’s COSM amp and effect models
have been completely redesigned and reen-gineered from the ground up—along with
new amp models—and the rig is driven by
a new, higher-horsepower DSP chip that’s
designed to replicate the nuances and
tonal intricacies of the amps and effects
that it models.
Simply put, there’s a lot going on
underneath the GT- 100’s hood. Each
patch begins with one of 25 different amp
models that range from the cleans of a
vintage Fender Twin Reverb to warm leads
DR7 PREMIER GUITAR AUGUST 2012
influenced by the Mesa/Boogie Mark series
and late ’60s Marshall Super Lead, and
the raging drive of a Mesa/Boogie Dual
Rectifier, Peavey EVH 5150, and Soldano
SLO- 100. Eight of the amp models are
custom models built by the engineers at
Boss, and serve up tones that the company
claims are either difficult or impossible to
achieve from standard tube amps—such as
a high-gain stack model that smoothes out
common uneven frequency response and a
Marshall-influenced overdrive that’s been
remodeled for more punch and smooth-
ness. Each model can be combined with
a chain of 51 effects, ranging from delays,
reverbs, distortions and overdrives, modu-
lators, and some pretty zany-sounding
pitch shifters. What’s more, you can set up
to 12 of these effects to run in any order
before or after the amp model, and also
split the signal into two separate feeds for
thickening up the tone—essentially build-
ing a virtual dual-amp rig. Top this off
with an easily accessible looper, dual-mode
switching for both amps and effects, an
assignable expression pedal, and a plethora
of connection options—including USB
in and out for direct recording and patch
configuration—and the GT- 100 adds up
to a formidable recording and perfor-
mance unit.
