Advice On Using A Boss-me 80

[Rolltide78]

So what do you all use to practice day to day? I've been learning from Stich Method online. Always open to more ideas to get better.

 

[Rolltide78]

I liked the Carvin Legacy model OK but no MIDI and just one effect per patch pretty well killed it. I later bought an RP355 for a Whammy/Wah situation, but toggling between the two was tedious as well as the interface across the line. I had already gotten the M9 which is a better unit in just about every way.

Does the m9 allow you to do send/return on the loop or just reserve that for the tbe?

 

[gregr]

You can’t do 4CM with it, no. You can with the HX Effects and I think that TC unit does as well. I hadn’t seen it before and now I’m curious. They make top-notch gear.

So yeah, I’d use it it in the loop. It works good in the front too and I bought a second to do just that. I never ended up using it, so sold it to a friend.

 

[december]

Thanks so much! This help is much appreciated. Interesting..so yeah I'm confused what to do no now. Doesn't seem right bypassing the dsl amp classic/ultra by going guitar -- me-80 -- return. I'm really focused on just trying to get the best sounding tones for the stuff I like to play (hendrix/grateful dead/phish/zeppelin/gnr).

I also have it hooked up to my PC so am aware of how that works. I'm just ignorant to this me80 I bought last year and really how to dial in good tones. I kept reading all about not using the preamp yesterday and definitely don't want to screw up the great sound from the marshall unless I'm improving with effects.

Now I have a loop station and a big muff pedal as well. I guess that's another question... Where should those go in the path?

Put the ME-80 in the amp's FX loop and keep the amp section of the ME-80 off.
There's just no routing customization possible with it. The FX are in a fixed order.
The Line 6 Pod Go has the ability to reorder FX. It's ~$500. It didn't work for me because it had excessive ground loop noise that bypassed the noise gate, for some reason. Disappointing, because the FX are far more complex and versatile than ME-80. I was getting digital artifacts on clean patches, too, though.
I just ordered a Hotone Ampero MP-100. $360 currently on Amazon. It's got stereo XLR outs and a ground lift switch, customizable FX routing, but no FX loop. A touch screen but also a PC editing program. I don't use any other pedals, so no FX loop works for me. My amp is Katana 50. I'll let you know when I get it how the Ampero compares to the ME-80. Price wise, they're only $40 difference for new.

 

[Rolltide78]

Put the ME-80 in the amp's FX loop and keep the amp section of the ME-80 off.
There's just no routing customization possible with it. The FX are in a fixed order.
The Line 6 Pod Go has the ability to reorder FX. It's ~$500. It didn't work for me because it had excessive ground loop noise that bypassed the noise gate, for some reason. Disappointing, because the FX are far more complex and versatile than ME-80. I was getting digital artifacts on clean patches, too, though.
I just ordered a Hotone Ampero MP-100. $360 currently on Amazon. It's got stereo XLR outs and a ground lift switch, customizable FX routing, but no FX loop. A touch screen but also a PC editing program. I don't use any other pedals, so no FX loop works for me. My amp is Katana 50. I'll let you know when I get it how the Ampero compares to the ME-80. Price wise, they're only $40 difference for new.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Just put the 80 in the loop and use the amp along with the big muff on the other end. Maybe get a couple of other pedals. Just would love to get a good Gilmour, Hendrix, Page tone but I think I can achieve with what I have.

I honestly need to focus on just playing and getting better.

 

[Chris Barnes]

I flogged my ME-80 recently. I found that I spent more time faffing with it looking for a good sound than actually playing my guitar!! I've now got a pretty simple board with Line 6 M5 through the FX loop and a SD1, compressor, boost and chorus through the front. I'm nearly there with the tone I am happy with. The Spark amp went as well for the same reason!!

 

[Rolltide78]

You are describing me. The caveat is that as I'm playing ...something does seem missing with the tone. I think it's been that I've been using the preamp on the me80 in front. Now I just put it on the loop and the big muff on the front. The amp itself makes an incredible sound as it is. Now just need to play.

Well I did learn how to fix the tremolo rising up by adjust it and ordered some new strings yesterday.

To your point I really don't want to be fiddling with stuff all the time. I need to stay disciplined.

 

[end user]

So what do you all use to practice day to day? I've been learning from Stich Method online. Always open to more ideas to get better.

Me I typically use Helix Native running in my DAW. I leave it on at all times so I can just pick up my guitar when sitting at the computer. I have to do lots of homework typically so it works out good to just pick it up and have it ready to rock.

 

[Chris Barnes]

You are describing me. The caveat is that as I'm playing ...something does seem missing with the tone. I think it's been that I've been using the preamp on the me80 in front. Now I just put it on the loop and the big muff on the front. The amp itself makes an incredible sound as it is. Now just need to play.

Well I did learn how to fix the tremolo rising up by adjust it and ordered some new strings yesterday.

To your point I really don't want to be fiddling with stuff all the time. I need to stay disciplined.

I never bothered with the preamp. If the amp has a good tone then the preamp becomes redundant. I think I had mine for two years before I realised that it was a great bit of kit but not what I wanted. I have a DSL40C and the advice given on here has helped me to understand the amp better. My guitar tutor has helped me with the pedal board set up and when to use and importantly why. I have a friend who gigs in a covers band and he's been a great help too. There are so many gimmicks and gadgets that I am guilty of falling for (the spark amp!!) but have now gone to simplicity which has helped my playing because I now focus on that.

 

[Rolltide78]

I really like the idea of this. Thanks. Now I'll just look around for some pedals on discount. For the front. I can use the me80 on fx loop for now.

 

[fitz]

I really like the idea of this. Thanks. Now I'll just look around for some pedals on discount. For the front. I can use the me80 on fx loop for now.

That's exactly what I did.
Use the amp gain, or clean with a dirt pedal out front, and the ME-80 in the loop for TBE.
The ME-80 is great for trying out lots of different things, and not needing a computer interface to make adjustments.
And after I figured out what I like in the loop, I traded the ME-80 for some loop pedals with better control & tone.

 

[Rolltide78]

Since I don't have front end pedals but the muff, I went ahead and put the me in front. As I get better pedals I'll move it. Then did a get 2 hours of exercises and actual playing. Felt good.

 

[Chris Barnes]

Since I don't have front end pedals but the muff, I went ahead and put the me in front. As I get better pedals I'll move it. Then did a get 2 hours of exercises and actual playing. Felt good.

I used the ME80 and spark amp to fund my pedal board. I did a lot of testing at the shop with different pedals then looked to see what came up on EBAY, FB market place and even cash converters. I also looked at the reviews on the pedals at the cheaper end and some of those were really good value. I've got the Caline Pressure Tank compressor which is a good pedal at a good price. They got some really good reviews on the overdrives and EQ pedal.

 

[AdrianDSL]

Since I don't have front end pedals but the muff, I went ahead and put the me in front. As I get better pedals I'll move it. Then did a get 2 hours of exercises and actual playing. Felt good.

Whatever works, your ears will tell you I'm a DSL40CR user myself and this is my 4CM setup using a Boss MS-3 which comes with 3 effect loops, I'm trying to keep it basic for the same reasons, more playing and less faffing around:
Guitar -> MS-3 / L1 Send -> NS-2 -> od pedals (flicking between Maxon OD-9, OD-808x and the Boss SD-1, yeehah GAINNN FTW!!!1!11!1!) -> GE-7 -> MS-3 L1 Ret, then I have the DSL hooked up to L3 of the MS-3. Via MIDI I can change the patches, including here the amp channels and activating / deactivating the existing 3 loops, for example I deactivate L1 for clean tones. The only limitation, which I can live with no problems, is that the 3 loops are immutable in the effects chain, you can't move then around. The MS-3 is used as MIDI and channel switcher, even if some of the drives and time based effects sound VERY good I just don't use them.

 

[Rolltide78]

Nice. On my way to feeling good about the setup. Picked up a used phase 90 and fulltone ocd 1.4.

 

[december]

Update: I got a Hotone Ampero and I like it. No noise, and I didn't even have to flip the ground lift. I wonder why the Line 6 Pod Go was so bad with that.
I think I like the distortions on the ME-80 better, but the FX on the Ampero much better. It's a lot easier to get a truly clean tone. I use distortion, but I often want CLEAN with chorus/delay/etc, and it's really hard with a lot of modelers because even the clean amps turn to overdrive if the gain is over 25% up. There isn't one fully clean option on the ME-80 or Katana 50. And the digital artifacts often ruin a clean tone as well.
I gotta play with it more, but it's definitely worth $360, especially if a Pod Go is $500. Ampero is solid and metal, the Pod is very light and plastic. Ampero has XLR outs and ground lift, Pod Go and ME-80 do not.

 

[Rolltide78]

Very nice. Ya know I have been thinking of selling the 80 for something else just for fx. As Greg mentioned I'm considering the m9 or maybe the m13. I dunno.

 

[Rolltide78]

Update: I got a Hotone Ampero and I like it. No noise, and I didn't even have to flip the ground lift. I wonder why the Line 6 Pod Go was so bad with that.
I think I like the distortions on the ME-80 better, but the FX on the Ampero much better. It's a lot easier to get a truly clean tone. I use distortion, but I often want CLEAN with chorus/delay/etc, and it's really hard with a lot of modelers because even the clean amps turn to overdrive if the gain is over 25% up. There isn't one fully clean option on the ME-80 or Katana 50. And the digital artifacts often ruin a clean tone as well.
I gotta play with it more, but it's definitely worth $360, especially if a Pod Go is $500. Ampero is solid and metal, the Pod is very light and plastic. Ampero has XLR outs and ground lift, Pod Go and ME-80 do not.

So you are putting this in front and just don't care that it doesn't do 4cm? Also, curious why you didn't go with the m9 or m13? I've listed my me80 on reverb so we shall see if I get any bites.

 

[december]

So you are putting this in front and just don't care that it doesn't do 4cm? Also, curious why you didn't go with the m9 or m13? I've listed my me80 on reverb so we shall see if I get any bites.

My amp doesn't have an FX loop so I can't do 4cm. I also don't have any other pedals, just Ampero and ME-80. So I have no use for FX loops, anyway. I'm dirt poor so the multi-FX is truly an all-in-one deal for me.
I can run FX in Ableton Live, too. I'm mainly a recording artist, I've never played gigs.
DECEMBERmusic.org
This is the first I've heard of M9 & M13, so I looked em up. Neither have XLR, ground lift, or USB. I tried a $500 Line 6 Pod Go before Ampero and it had severe ground loop noise, plus computer noise if it was on. This noise was very low frequency and audible while playing the guitar. It also bypassed the noise gate. This noise was present in the interface and amp as long as the outs were connected to the interface, even if the interface's power strip was off. GC insited I try another, but it was the same. I tried TRS cable, a TRS->XLR cable, no difference. Not a defect, but clearly some design flaw. If it was only connected to the amp it was fine, but what's the point of having a $500 stereo FX box if I can't use the stereo outs to the interface? The Boss, Digitech, & Hotone don't have noise issues, but the Pod Go was unusable. I also got a lot of digital artifacts with it; like the Boss gear, it was hard to get a pure, clean tone with it.
Having a program for PC to edit/create/store patches is also very important to me. I really don't like navigating submenus on tiny screens. That's why I like the ME-80, all FX + parameters are accessible on the unit, and it has Boss Tone Studio. The Pod Go had a program, but the M9 M13 don't have USB. The Headrush doesn't have a program, either, or I might have gotten that, but I don't think it had XLR, either.
Basically, I need a USB->PC program for editing, XLR outs, and no noise, so, the presence of a ground lift switch in case there is. So Line 6 is out of the question for me. $500 for Pod Go and it's flimsy plastic. The only brand of 4 I've tried that had that noise. You gotta spend close to $1,000 to get these options with a Line 6.
What are you asking for your ME-80? I got mine for $190 thru Musician's Friend, plus $25 shipping. That was the lowest price I've ever seen one for. I tried to bid on 2 of em on eBay; I was highest bidder at under $200 both times until the last 5 seconds, then they both got bid to over $200.
I still have time to return mine, but I think I still want it. It has a few things I can't get on anything else I have, like TeraEcho, and the freeze and osc delay functions of the expression pedal. And I have a song in progress that I use those expression pedal settings in. And, with 2 units, I could set up complex multi-delays.

 

[gregr]

I’m not going to comment on gear I’ve never tried so I won’t comment on the Pod Go.

The M5/M9/M13 doesn’t model amps. It isn’t an audio interface. It’s just a multi-effects unit and looper. It is MIDI capable, over which I have updated firmware, though they finished with updates ages ago. I suppose XLR would be beneficial for use with a mixer, but it’s wholly unnecessary if you’re going to use it with a guitar/bass and an amp, which is what it was designed for.

The M13 does 4CM and I can see how I might use it as such. Some of the drives are passable. Many of the other things you might put out in front are nice, but I don't know the configuration in terms of how many out front vs in the loop. I’ve never read the manual for it.

If you’re having noise issues you can use an isolation transformer. I’ve only had problems when the unit is near my amp’s transformer, but no more so than I have with other pedals. Otherwise I haven’t had any issues.