BOSS MS-3 Multi-Effects Switcher

I just got the ms-3 thinking that I will mostly use it for conveniently switching between different effects. What I did not expect it that the effects built into the MS-3 sounds so incredible and the functionalities are so powerful. Build quality also feels super solid. 10/10 purchase

The modeled effects sound excellent, and the compressors sound pretty much identical to my analog pedal, but I decided to keep the analog one in a loop to free up an effect slot, and to be able to use two compressors together for extreme compression, like studio units and Knopfler type sounds. The unit is really solidly built and easy to use. It really sounds great too.

I admire what Boss set out to do with this product; grab the old-school guys like me with their well-loved individual stomp boxes and guide us gently into the modeling age with an easy to use tool. They came pretty close to getting all the way the way there with the MS-3. It does so many things right, it's highly worth checking out. It's small, so it fits easily on your board considering how many pedals it could replace. The sounds are pretty amazing, it can go toe to toe with any other multi-fx unit I've ever used. I bought this pedal because I had a couple drive pedals and a looper and reverb I really liked but just couldn't bear the thought of test-driving all kinds of modulation and delay pedals over and over again. I've had a loop switcher on my board for the longest time so the idea of being able to combine loop switching capability with a built-in bank of all the modulation and delay effects I could ever want seemed ideal. But what I simply can't understand is the lack of flexibility in HOW you can use the 3 loops. It blows my mind that they have to be in the effects chain, in Series operation, in the order they're laid out, 1-2-3, that's your only option. It's not possible to change the order of the loops, or stagger the loops throughout the chain with other effects in between them. I'm dumbfounded that nobody at Boss thought it might be nice to have the option to put another effect BETWEEN the overdrive and phaser pedals you already own, or to be able to change the order of one dirt pedal into the other, or to run your pedals in either series or parallel operation. This thing is pretty useful and the effects sound great, but despite all the flexibility I think Boss kinda shot itself in the foot by missing some very basic options that should have been no-brainers to include.

I had the Helix Effects unit -- but it was too large to fit on a small pedalboard along with 3-4 of my own pedals. Not so with this tiny Boss unit! NOTE: If you're used to Line6 products, the Boss until can be confusing to use at first, With most Line6 units, you select a foot switch -- and then attach an effect to it. With this Boss unit, you select an effect - and then assign it to a foot switch. After I got over that little hurdle, I was surprised at how warm and natural the effects sounded - much more like discreet analog pedals than typical multi-effects units.

I've owned this for about 3 weeks and like the over all sound. My main goal was to have a master switch to control my EVH 5153 with midi and still use some of my pedals which it does. what I don't like is the how the banking feature works. If you have a midi channel programed to switch when you press the 2 switches to bank up or down it will change that midi program also unless you hit both switches perfect which is almost impossible. I've been lucky once or twice. I ordered the FS7 to bank with hoping it would disable the banking function of the other switches but it doesn't. So if you have a clumsy foot and how close and sensitive the switch are you can channel to the wrong bank and patch. They should have made the unit an inch or so bigger and add dedicated banking switches. also with the FS7 banking it goes right to the next patch up/down from there instantly where with the banking from the MS3 it goes to the next bank of patches and then you select what patch. Navigating through the menus is fairly easy and there is tons of videos on Bosses site and Youtube to help with getting to know the MS3. Over all I'm happy with the purchase but the banking function is its weak point for myself.

This thing is amazing. I had a pedal board with excellent modulation, reverb and delay effects but hated the lack of flexibility for those - one setting on the pedal that's it. But I also have distortion and speciality pedals I want to use (Mel 9, Mooer 002 UK Gold, Tube Screamer, etc). This lets you combine the best of both worlds. Use the awesome and flexible Boss modulation, reverb and delay effects with parameter changes per patch AND use three separate effects loops for speciality pedals. It's compact and the USB software is easy to use. The amount of control you have with MIDI and control in and out is truly awesome. I'll be controlling a looper with the control out to stop recording when I change patches. This would be PERFECT if they allowed you to move the three different loops to different locations in the effects chain. Right now they have to be moved separately. I'd like to have my looper in the chain before the reverb so I'm not looping reverb but I want my distortion pedals in front of the chain. Can't do that. :( Hopefully we'll see a software update to this.