I love my ME-50, people who complain about it obviously don't know how effects work together or haven't spent enough time with it, also, if you're using a 10 watt practice amp in your bedroom, nothing is going to make it sound the way you want
@@joaoluizsantos6436 You can pick these up for $75 used. At that price you can get an entire pedal board very cheaply. Everyone needs reverb, delay, compression, a bit of drive and a wah etc.
@@joaoluizsantos6436 The drives are a bit dated but the trick apparently is not to dime them. The MOD effects are great. For this alone I think its worth $75. Even if you use nothing else on it.. :) Its also a tuner too obviously. One less pedal ..
It is very underrated, my first one went in a swap two years ago. I just bought another, as there are a few sounds on there that I really miss, the resonance expression pedal mixed with square wave fuzz. At some point these are going to be highly sought after.
I have two. They work as examples of various fx. But true shoe gazers will be dismayed with the limitations of putting everything in one pedal. They also have a very compressed sounding signal. (Think of the difference between a TS9 and a Boss OD 1. Far more edge on the OD 1. But you'll need a whole pedal board to replace the albeit limited sounds of the ME50. If you want to hear the difference, plug your me50 in, play awhile, and then plug your guitar direct into the amp. You may never be satisfied with a pedal again. That said, plenty for any gig, built like a tank, and enough tones that no one In The crowd will know the difference.
I bought the ME-50 when I started learning the electric guitar. I had bought a couple of pedals and realized I was in trouble and this is going to get expensive! So I started looking at multi effects as a way to try different things that didn't cost a lot. I am not a professional musician or ever likely to be but I do want to have fun trying new things. What I liked about the ME-50 was 22 different variations of drive pedals, delays, modulation, reverb, wah ....... The equivalent of about 30 different pedals in one unit for the cost of about 3 mid range pedals and I can just plug my headphones straight in late at night, I'm very happy
I've owned an ME-50 for around 20 years now. I originally bought it because I was a beginner guitarist at between 12-14 years old and originally started buying individual overdrives, effects, wah pedals etc. I noticed my sound came out so processed due to the cheap connector cables and many pedals not having true bypasses so I decided I should try a multi-effects pedal which I was never a fam of until I want to a show where the guitarist of one of the band's was using a Boss ME-50 and after the show I spoke with him and saw that it was the only pedal in his signal chain. I went and bought one the next day. I still own it and love it. To me it's the best pedal in the Boss ME series. When you look at the overdrive section for instance you get 4 knobs to dial in your tone instead of only 3 and each od/ds comes with the option of a variation. Plus on top of all of that. The blues is is the actual bd-2 circuit, the metal says mt-2, it also has the od-1, od-2, and ds-1. Of course my praise is fully my own opinion but I'm 35 now and own multiple different guitar stacks and guitars. I have individual pedals that I use as well again, but I will never EVER!, get rid of my Boss ME-50 multi-effects pedal!🤘
This past weekend I was booked to fill in with a popular group in a foreign country. I was flown in and only allowed one piece of luggage, so my pedalboard had to stay at home. I grabbed my old ME 50, and yet again I came to the conclusion that this is a really solid-no-bull piece of gear.
I've had mine since 2002 and worked it everyweek for years with only one repair to the middle switch modulation cost $100 dollars. And it scared me so bad I hunted down and brought a used back up. It is a complete old school pedal with all the guitar sound effects of the last 60 years. I can't do without it and don't want to try.
I must say that I've been using the tubescreamer on mine for awhile now and I just discovered the Natural Overdrive setting on mine and wow!! I'm blown away with that setting. I'm running it in front of my 2010 Peavey Bandit 112 on the Classic clean Channel and it's just a match made in heaven! People that diss the sounds of the ME-50 need to learn how to set up their gear for great tone with it. Plus the unit is built like a rock, takes batteries, and even has a power switch! I have a line 6 pod hd500 that to me doesn't even compare to this unit! It's so hard to setup, navigate, and even get a decent tone out of it I cant! Plus wth no power switch on a big unit like that?? How lame.
Another pro and not a con is many pedals hooked together create a hum that will drive you crazy trying to figure out which one it is on a given night. Never had any hum on my ME 50.
A good power plant, isolated outputs (you can buy for cheap today) and you'll don't have any hum problem... A pedalboard needs a knowledge, to be settep up very well. Less easy to use.. but well, the truth is it's way better and ever will be. Even if the me50 is cool. That's right.
Bought mine used yesterday for next to nothing. I'm new to effects pedals and didn't want to spring for expensive new pedals without a clear idea of what I wanted. It's an amazing piece of equipment with so many effects that will allow me to experiment and discover what works for me. Running it through my Boss Katana 50 amp on the Clean setting and it sounds great!
Had mine since '05 and can't bring myself to get rid of it! The tubescreamer clone is amazing if you set it up right and send it into the front of a Marshall or similarly voiced tube head it straight up KILLS. The choruses and delays are nice too which I use all the time and there's a hidden treble boost function that also sounds great into front of a tube head... like if you use that TB ;-)
Just want to ask a simple question. Is it able to have two outs at once (one to the amp and one into the house mixer of the restaurant I play at. Sort of as a split)?
It’s a sleeper. Had this for years, I started with the ME-30. The 50 is metal/sturdy an durable. If you like Boss pedals, why not the ME-50? . Perhaps the dudes who don’t like it, aren’t using it correctly? Currently use mine in the effects loop of my Katana Artist. For compression/Delay/Mods etc. I use the overdrive/a on the input of the Katana. Works sweet.
thank you so much for this video! I'm not very good at dialing in tones . I have slowly become better at it. I currently play through a Yamaha THR 10 ii and I plugged this Boss ME 50 into it tonight. The different tone modify modes are amazing! i love the tone that makes it sound like a humbucker is turned into a single coil. I think it's called H > S ( It sounds like a single coil to me anyway) Ill be sure to use this to figure out how to get the distortion to sound a better. The RAT and natural modes sound brilliant. I'm sure this will come in handy. Anyway thank you for the video! :) cheers from Australia!
They are sometimes so cheap that you won't get a new Boss tuner for that price.... and even if put aside OD/DS channel - you still have a cool whammy options , reverbs , delays . Also - very solid production compared to the new ME-90 which is lighter but feels less solid . Despite having so many knobs ME series is a lot easier than f.e. GT-100 which has too many options , including speaker emulations that no one needs...
I had one of these about 10-15yrs ago and loved it! Don’t know why I fuckin sold it?? Pretty sure it was when I was skint and on my arse! Think I’m gonna buy a cheap secondhand one soon. You can’t really fault it, if you’re willing to spend a bit of time editing you can some decent drive tones and I need a unit with all the modulation fx, I can’t afford to buy individual modulation pedals again and have an oversized pedalboard anymore. Gotta get an ME50 back in my life.
@@LeonTodd yep hopefully can pick one up this week used for around £50-£70 in UK on eBay if I’m lucky and the current bids don’t increase too much, but they’re still really popular and still gets lots of bids, fingers crossed 🤞 Ideally I want it for the modulation FX and the odd delay, not too fussed about the drives but if you work with them and edit parameters well you can get fairly decent drive tones. Cheers Leon all the best and have a Twangtastic Christmas and New Year thanks Steve.
Actually just remembered I’m sure the bass player in my band still has one sat in a corner of his studio gathering dust and hasn’t been used for years, think I’ll make him a very cheeky offer on it tomorrow.
Hi there, I also bought my ME-50 about 20 years ago, and I´m still using it more or less daily. Whether with of without the extra effects, it remains my basis for all my sounds with it´s great compressor, noise gate and really good reverb. Why buy any external effects for these really good and timeless basics? The delay section gives all that you can wish for, up to really long delays like Queen´s "Brighton Rock" or the like. Ok, there are more modern modulations than there are in here, but who can really tell in a live context? They all cost a load of money. The wah (and volume!) pedal does it´s work well, but an external dunlop Cry Baby isn´t really so expensive if you want more expression. And as for Fuzz/Overdrive: If you aren´t satisfied with the various ME-50 sounds, there are loads of inexpensive pedals out there. This multi-effect is a really good basis for a really great guitar sound. If you buy one, you will never want to part with it again. Like me. 🙂
I sold my ME 50 for $250 and bought a digitech. The digitech had an 8track, amp modeling built in and way more effects but in the end I don’t think it made it better 🤷♂️
I've had one of these forever and was recently going to sell it cos I didn't use it for ages. But after playing with it again it actually a solid bit of kit. True the od and distortions are not great but all the time and modulation effects are very very usable. Expression pedal is really great for wah, pitch, and volume. Compression is good too. If you have one don't ever sell it! They are not actually that cheap used any more so people know their value.
NICE ---BUY WHY DID YOU BYPASS HARMONIST??? ON MODULTION SETTING? YOU WENT FROM FLANGER TO TREMELO --AND OMITTED THE FX I BADLY WANTED TO HEAR ? WHY ---IS HARMONIST THAT BAD (SIMILAR TO PITCH SHIFTER)
what are you running this into? I like multi effects, but seems that often some lose a bit when you run them into certain amps and especially if you want to use the distortion in the amp. I know about putting these in the effects loop, but really prefer to put them in front of my amp
I've had this pedal since i was a teenager.. very good pedal! Only trouble I have is I lost my battery cover... anyone know where I might be able to buy one??
Yay, finally someone that could play and demo without a word and picked tasteful sound. No chugging and not telling me this jack goes to the amp. Thanks, I’m buyin the ME50 now because you! Cheers from Oz!
say Leon i got a question for you about the Boss ME 50, i noticed that there is like a ground loop hum in it, now what i am running amp wise is a Marshall half stack , when i run direct it is not there, i have changed cables nothing still there , but when i run thru teh ME, there is that hum in fact you can hear it big time in one of my videos, at any rate, any ideas?
Have you tried using it with batteries instead of your power supply/trying another power supply? I had an issue like that (with a different pedal) and it was a crappy power supply causing all the trouble.
Had this for many years... I didn't use it for a long time and recently plugged it in and remembered how much I liked it! The compressor is fantastic. Also really like the univibe setting, no one on YT ever touches that one but it's great!
I have two, I have gigged with them. Here is the very bottom line on this pedal. Since it is digital, everything is limited by the 20-20k range of digital. You will get a wider range of tones, but none of them will sound as rich or full as the overdrive on your amp.Same with all the fx. It is very much like the difference between a light bulb and florescent tube lighting. The shoe-gazer's crazy confab of pedals is always going to sound better if his effects are analog. And so is your amp. Built like a tank and the layout is pro level. But sonically, very limited.
Can someone tell me if the boss me50 was built better and sounds better than the me80? I've had an me 80 for years and I can't get a good sound out of it. I've played it through the headphone out and also through my blackstar 20w amp. My blackstar amp sounds amazing on its own then as soon as I run the me80 into it I get a really awful tone and sound no matter what settings or presets I use. I've seen people play the me50 and it never sounded bad to me. Is the me50 really better?
For a hard rock sound in the OD section, hit the variation button and try the Modern Distortion. So fat into a hotrod deluxe. My favorite dirt sound in the ME-50 by far. Dial in the bottom and tone knobs to taste.
aww i miss this thing. the distortions are better than the later MEs or the GTs of the time in my opinion. My friend had a tan GT and we could never get a usuable distortion sound out of it. Also just some great modulation/delay/reverb. Once we moved to tube amps I had to put the ME50 in the loop though and toggle on/off because it would color the sound. The only other complaint would be there’s no stacking of drive sounds. You could just zone out with all the delays. The pitch bender was whacky but hilarious as wel. Sadly lost it and now I don’t think I’ll repurchase it ever because I’ve got a katana at home but good memories. Thanks for the vid!
I HATE amps with presets, you have to pass through too many sounds to get where you're going, and if you turn the knobs on a Katana, same thing, you get these weird pass thru sounds, if you're leaving preset's levels. Plus, the lcd displays with tiny characters are worthless on a darkened stage. ??
Leon... Like your style... Enjoy your videos- they actually give me info I want to know on the gear, and entertain me all the while. Now, if i just played as good as you....
My update: I now own some real nice Tube amps and my ME-50 shines moreso through a tube amp over solid state. The thing to know is that the ME50 isAnalog for most part and not like today's guitar processors with all the preamps and and csb models that are put there today. This is a no holds bar solid pedal board that when adjusted to your ears will sound great. I do own the Boss GT1 in which I do love as ND I do have some other processors like the Digitech RP500 that I also like, but for some reason I'm always drawn back to using my ME-50 for our gigs. 20 years and still we orks perfectly. Will we be able to say that in 20 years down the road for all the Helix's, Kempers, and all the other computer chip processors out there today.
The ME-50 effects are actually all digital, so it actually has a lot in common with the modern DSP based products you mentioned. Since it still works great the future probably bodes well for more modern iterations of this idea.
Newb question but does that master volume being at full make a big difference? I’ve only always kept mine at 12 o clock. I feel like maybe this is why I haven’t been getting what I want out of this pedal….
@@LeonTodd appreciate the reply. I legitimately think that’s something I’ve been doing wrong. Your blues driver and tube screamer sounded much much much different than mine. I’m playing through a DSL40. Cheers.
Did you use any external pedals with it or 4cm? I used to plug it straight into a clean Marshall JCM 800 for jam sessions. Before I picked up the AX8, I considered re-buying the ME 50 or picking up a ME 80.
@@jone5256 don't go for the ME 80 ! The ME 50 it's 10 time beter and natural, i sold my Me 80 and by another ME 50 !! It's amazing and i use with other external pedal's too (Boss ).
It is a discontinued model so you will need to buy a pre-owned model on ebay. It is the predecessor to the ME-80 but it is an excellent effects pedal that has all the basic features you need.
@@n0cturnalsurfer The 4 cable method means: Cable 1: Guitar to pre-amp pedal input (Wah, Any Distortion/ OD/ Fuzz, etc) | Cable 2: Pre-amp pedal Output to Amp Input | Cable 3: FX Loop out (send) to ME-50 Input | Cable 4: ME-50 Output to FX Loop In (return).
Go for the cleanest amp channel and have it go before the amp, not the effects loop. It has a full signal chain within itself so the compressor, ns and wah wont sound right if it's in the fx loop post gain. 👍
I love my ME-50, I'm using now in the loop effect of my Marshall Valvestate, mixed with the distortion of my amp and a pedalboard with other distortion pedals. I'm very Happy with this combination.
A lot of similar stories here - And I'm another one who bought the ME 50 about 20 years ago when I started playing guitar and it was my first experience with guitar effects! A good friend of mine who I also played in a band with later on also bought it 😊
This was my second unit (the first one was the Zoom 9000), and i still have it. Many pedals i have bought and then have sold, but this baby will be with me forever! Great video!
I love boss but the ME-50 is has some real weak points. Most of the overdrives and distortions sound incredibly tinny and digital; they are unusable. The other stuff isnt so bad. The other issue is when you switch patch, there is a half second cutout which can be jarring when using multiple patches in one song.
I think it's much stronger as a replacement for a traditional pedal setup, to avoid the switching lag. Some of the drives are good and some suck. The time based effects are generally pretty decent.
If the distortions are sounding "tinny" to you you're doing something wrong. Step one - DO NOT USE THIS IN THE EFFECTS LOOP. It sounds best, by far, in front of your amp. Step two - USE THE TONE MODIFY. This is how you get your tone sounding as close as possible to your guitar straight into your amp. Gotta use your ear. Step three - DON'T CRANK THE KNOBS. It's commonly known that when you crank digital gear, especially older stuff, you can get that buzzy/tinny sound. Go around 12 o'clock with the master volume and be conservative with the distortion controls, then let your amp do the heavy lifting. Can't go wrong following those steps, unless your amp just sucks. Can't help you if that's the case.
Also don't use the pathes. They suck and are setup way too loud. You can customize them of course, but I use it basically as 4 separate pedals - Distortion/OD, Chorus/Flange, Delay, Volume pedal.
I love my ME-50, people who complain about it obviously don't know how effects work together or haven't spent enough time with it, also, if you're using a 10 watt practice amp in your bedroom, nothing is going to make it sound the way you want
do you think it's still worth it now a days?
@@joaoluizsantos6436 You can pick these up for $75 used. At that price you can get an entire pedal board very cheaply. Everyone needs reverb, delay, compression, a bit of drive and a wah etc.
@@cgavin1 thanks man!
@@joaoluizsantos6436 The drives are a bit dated but the trick apparently is not to dime them. The MOD effects are great. For this alone I think its worth $75. Even if you use nothing else on it.. :) Its also a tuner too obviously. One less pedal ..
@@cgavin1 and volume pedal. Once you try you can’t leave it alone.
Am I crazy or is this one of the most underrated things going ?? This unit sounds incredible!
It is very underrated, my first one went in a swap two years ago. I just bought another, as there are a few sounds on there that I really miss, the resonance expression pedal mixed with square wave fuzz.
At some point these are going to be highly sought after.
I have two. They work as examples of various fx. But true shoe gazers will be dismayed with the limitations of putting everything in one pedal. They also have a very compressed sounding signal. (Think of the difference between a TS9 and a Boss OD 1. Far more edge on the OD 1. But you'll need a whole pedal board to replace the albeit limited sounds of the ME50. If you want to hear the difference, plug your me50 in, play awhile, and then plug your guitar direct into the amp. You may never be satisfied with a pedal again. That said, plenty for any gig, built like a tank, and enough tones that no one In The crowd will know the difference.
I bought the ME-50 when I started learning the electric guitar. I had bought a couple of pedals and realized I was in trouble and this is going to get expensive! So I started looking at multi effects as a way to try different things that didn't cost a lot. I am not a professional musician or ever likely to be but I do want to have fun trying new things. What I liked about the ME-50 was 22 different variations of drive pedals, delays, modulation, reverb, wah ....... The equivalent of about 30 different pedals in one unit for the cost of about 3 mid range pedals and I can just plug my headphones straight in late at night, I'm very happy
How to activate pedal mode sw
@@arzeldelacruz4383 press down on it hard
I've owned an ME-50 for around 20 years now. I originally bought it because I was a beginner guitarist at between 12-14 years old and originally started buying individual overdrives, effects, wah pedals etc. I noticed my sound came out so processed due to the cheap connector cables and many pedals not having true bypasses so I decided I should try a multi-effects pedal which I was never a fam of until I want to a show where the guitarist of one of the band's was using a Boss ME-50 and after the show I spoke with him and saw that it was the only pedal in his signal chain. I went and bought one the next day. I still own it and love it. To me it's the best pedal in the Boss ME series. When you look at the overdrive section for instance you get 4 knobs to dial in your tone instead of only 3 and each od/ds comes with the option of a variation. Plus on top of all of that. The blues is is the actual bd-2 circuit, the metal says mt-2, it also has the od-1, od-2, and ds-1. Of course my praise is fully my own opinion but I'm 35 now and own multiple different guitar stacks and guitars. I have individual pedals that I use as well again, but I will never EVER!, get rid of my Boss ME-50 multi-effects pedal!🤘
ME-50 fans unite! I really like this thing.
I’m playing an acoustic gig tonight with mine. Bought one second hand in Brooklyn back in 06. Never felt the need to buy any other pedals.
Just got one today! It's a second hand ME50 swapped to 2 of my old blackstar HT Guitar Pedals. I do not regret losing my 2 pedals for this ME50!
This past weekend I was booked to fill in with a popular group in a foreign country. I was flown in and only allowed one piece of luggage, so my pedalboard had to stay at home. I grabbed my old ME 50, and yet again I came to the conclusion that this is a really solid-no-bull piece of gear.
That's so awesome
The clean amp setting is not doing this demo any justice....it's making the ME 50 sound weak and tinny..
I've had mine since 2002 and worked it everyweek for years with only one repair to the middle switch modulation cost $100 dollars. And it scared me so bad I hunted down and brought a used back up. It is a complete old school pedal with all the guitar sound effects of the last 60 years. I can't do without it and don't want to try.
I must say that I've been using the tubescreamer on mine for awhile now and I just discovered the Natural Overdrive setting on mine and wow!! I'm blown away with that setting. I'm running it in front of my 2010 Peavey Bandit 112 on the Classic clean Channel and it's just a match made in heaven! People that diss the sounds of the ME-50 need to learn how to set up their gear for great tone with it. Plus the unit is built like a rock, takes batteries, and even has a power switch! I have a line 6 pod hd500 that to me doesn't even compare to this unit! It's so hard to setup, navigate, and even get a decent tone out of it I cant! Plus wth no power switch on a big unit like that?? How lame.
Another pro and not a con is many pedals hooked together create a hum that will drive you crazy trying to figure out which one it is on a given night. Never had any hum on my ME 50.
A good power plant, isolated outputs (you can buy for cheap today) and you'll don't have any hum problem... A pedalboard needs a knowledge, to be settep up very well. Less easy to use.. but well, the truth is it's way better and ever will be. Even if the me50 is cool. That's right.
I love my Boss ME-50
Any particular favourite settings you'd like to share?
@@LeonTodd I set the tone modify to enhance, and the overdrive I use is the natural setting. I use stereo chorus and analog delay and wah
Bought mine used yesterday for next to nothing. I'm new to effects pedals and didn't want to spring for expensive new pedals without a clear idea of what I wanted. It's an amazing piece of equipment with so many effects that will allow me to experiment and discover what works for me. Running it through my Boss Katana 50 amp on the Clean setting and it sounds great!
Had mine since '05 and can't bring myself to get rid of it! The tubescreamer clone is amazing if you set it up right and send it into the front of a Marshall or similarly voiced tube head it straight up KILLS. The choruses and delays are nice too which I use all the time and there's a hidden treble boost function that also sounds great into front of a tube head... like if you use that TB ;-)
I'm right there with you
This hidden Treble boost function.....where did you say it was again? 😊
What treble boost?
i got one and use it , love it and woudl not want to get rid of it
Just want to ask a simple question. Is it able to have two outs at once (one to the amp and one into the house mixer of the restaurant I play at. Sort of as a split)?
@@alvinfung5684 if that’s to me I really don’t know but I would and I hate to say it Google it
Love BOSS.
Solid stuff.
It’s a sleeper. Had this for years, I started with the ME-30. The 50 is metal/sturdy an durable. If you like Boss pedals, why not the ME-50? . Perhaps the dudes who don’t like it, aren’t using it correctly? Currently use mine in the effects loop of my Katana Artist. For compression/Delay/Mods etc. I use the overdrive/a on the input of the Katana. Works sweet.
thank you so much for this video!
I'm not very good at dialing in tones . I have slowly become better at it. I currently play through a Yamaha THR 10 ii and I plugged this Boss ME 50 into it tonight. The different tone modify modes are amazing! i love the tone that makes it sound like a humbucker is turned into a single coil. I think it's called H > S ( It sounds like a single coil to me anyway)
Ill be sure to use this to figure out how to get the distortion to sound a better. The RAT and natural modes sound brilliant. I'm sure this will come in handy.
Anyway thank you for the video! :) cheers from Australia!
This is super helpful for the distortion and overdrive modes . I wasn't able to get a decent tone with those will make it much more usable for me :) !
Amp and guitar? I have a ac30 and gibson sg. and sound´s great.
From memory this was a Les Paul and a JTM 45
It does not suck and ur playing is hella good. Whatever you play it will sound great
They are sometimes so cheap that you won't get a new Boss tuner for that price.... and even if put aside OD/DS channel - you still have a cool whammy options , reverbs , delays . Also - very solid production compared to the new ME-90 which is lighter but feels less solid . Despite having so many knobs ME series is a lot easier than f.e. GT-100 which has too many options , including speaker emulations that no one needs...
I had one of these about 10-15yrs ago and loved it! Don’t know why I fuckin sold it?? Pretty sure it was when I was skint and on my arse! Think I’m gonna buy a cheap secondhand one soon. You can’t really fault it, if you’re willing to spend a bit of time editing you can some decent drive tones and I need a unit with all the modulation fx, I can’t afford to buy individual modulation pedals again and have an oversized pedalboard anymore. Gotta get an ME50 back in my life.
You could probably buy one and a backup for less than a new one back in the day now
@@LeonTodd yep hopefully can pick one up this week used for around £50-£70 in UK on eBay if I’m lucky and the current bids don’t increase too much, but they’re still really popular and still gets lots of bids, fingers crossed 🤞
Ideally I want it for the modulation FX and the odd delay, not too fussed about the drives but if you work with them and edit parameters well you can get fairly decent drive tones. Cheers Leon all the best and have a Twangtastic Christmas and New Year thanks Steve.
Actually just remembered I’m sure the bass player in my band still has one sat in a corner of his studio gathering dust and hasn’t been used for years, think I’ll make him a very cheeky offer on it tomorrow.
Hi there, I also bought my ME-50 about 20 years ago, and I´m still using it more or less daily. Whether with of without the extra effects, it remains my basis for all my sounds with it´s great compressor, noise gate and really good reverb. Why buy any external effects for these really good and timeless basics? The delay section gives all that you can wish for, up to really long delays like Queen´s "Brighton Rock" or the like. Ok, there are more modern modulations than there are in here, but who can really tell in a live context? They all cost a load of money. The wah (and volume!) pedal does it´s work well, but an external dunlop Cry Baby isn´t really so expensive if you want more expression. And as for Fuzz/Overdrive: If you aren´t satisfied with the various ME-50 sounds, there are loads of inexpensive pedals out there. This multi-effect is a really good basis for a really great guitar sound. If you buy one, you will never want to part with it again. Like me. 🙂
First demo with decent sounds... Thanks for that.
"PROGRESS"?? LOL! Pawn shops are "Gods' Gifts to those MUSICIANS who THINK!!
I sold my ME 50 for $250 and bought a digitech. The digitech had an 8track, amp modeling built in and way more effects but in the end I don’t think it made it better 🤷♂️
I've had one of these forever and was recently going to sell it cos I didn't use it for ages. But after playing with it again it actually a solid bit of kit. True the od and distortions are not great but all the time and modulation effects are very very usable. Expression pedal is really great for wah, pitch, and volume. Compression is good too. If you have one don't ever sell it! They are not actually that cheap used any more so people know their value.
sounds thin and digital to me
No shit sherlock
sounds ok to me
Sounds awesome with a good amp.
NICE ---BUY WHY DID YOU BYPASS HARMONIST??? ON MODULTION SETTING? YOU WENT FROM FLANGER TO TREMELO --AND OMITTED THE FX I BADLY WANTED TO HEAR ? WHY ---IS HARMONIST THAT BAD (SIMILAR TO PITCH SHIFTER)
How have I not seen this video before, love the new stuff.
Wow, bright guitar or amp!
Nice playing!
what are you running this into? I like multi effects, but seems that often some lose a bit when you run them into certain amps and especially if you want to use the distortion in the amp. I know about putting these in the effects loop, but really prefer to put them in front of my amp
I've had this pedal since i was a teenager.. very good pedal! Only trouble I have is I lost my battery cover... anyone know where I might be able to buy one??
Sellotape and cardboard will do in a pinch.
Yay, finally someone that could play and demo without a word and picked tasteful sound. No chugging and not telling me this jack goes to the amp. Thanks, I’m buyin the ME50 now because you! Cheers from Oz!
P.S don't forget the output jack goes to the amp :p
@@LeonTodd Great thanks! Where would I be without you!!
say Leon i got a question for you about the Boss ME 50, i noticed that there is like a ground loop hum in it, now what i am running amp wise is a Marshall half stack , when i run direct it is not there, i have changed cables nothing still there , but when i run thru teh ME, there is that hum in fact you can hear it big time in one of my videos, at any rate, any ideas?
Have you tried using it with batteries instead of your power supply/trying another power supply? I had an issue like that (with a different pedal) and it was a crappy power supply causing all the trouble.
@@gfan9999 oh it was a amp I no longer have lol but thanks for the advice! Keep rocking!
Had this for many years... I didn't use it for a long time and recently plugged it in and remembered how much I liked it! The compressor is fantastic. Also really like the univibe setting, no one on YT ever touches that one but it's great!
I'm loaning this to a friend at the moment, when i get it back i need to try the vibe
Um, this Univibe setting....where did you say it was again? 😊😅😊
I have two, I have gigged with them. Here is the very bottom line on this pedal. Since it is digital, everything is limited by the 20-20k range of digital. You will get a wider range of tones, but none of them will sound as rich or full as the overdrive on your amp.Same with all the fx. It is very much like the difference between a light bulb and florescent tube lighting. The shoe-gazer's crazy confab of pedals is always going to sound better if his effects are analog. And so is your amp. Built like a tank and the layout is pro level. But sonically, very limited.
Can someone tell me if the boss me50 was built better and sounds better than the me80? I've had an me 80 for years and I can't get a good sound out of it. I've played it through the headphone out and also through my blackstar 20w amp. My blackstar amp sounds amazing on its own then as soon as I run the me80 into it I get a really awful tone and sound no matter what settings or presets I use. I've seen people play the me50 and it never sounded bad to me. Is the me50 really better?
Hi will it be a good idea to combine it with an amp sim like Helix stomp ir. Will the expression pedal still work?
For a hard rock sound in the OD section, hit the variation button and try the Modern Distortion. So fat into a hotrod deluxe. My favorite dirt sound in the ME-50 by far. Dial in the bottom and tone knobs to taste.
Awesome video, thanks
I just got this Boss Me50 today, used one because I watched this video.
Thanks for sharing it.
(Very) subtle vibrato can, by and large, enhance Delay and Reverb fx (specially Verb)
Perfect demonstration. Thank you.
Can do very short loops in the Hold mode delay? Like in the Boss DD-5
How many effects can be used at once? I see them being tested individually.
Nice one,just don,'t overdo it,I use it all the time
aww i miss this thing. the distortions are better than the later MEs or the GTs of the time in my opinion. My friend had a tan GT and we could never get a usuable distortion sound out of it. Also just some great modulation/delay/reverb. Once we moved to tube amps I had to put the ME50 in the loop though and toggle on/off because it would color the sound. The only other complaint would be there’s no stacking of drive sounds. You could just zone out with all the delays. The pitch bender was whacky but hilarious as wel. Sadly lost it and now I don’t think I’ll repurchase it ever because I’ve got a katana at home but good memories. Thanks for the vid!
I HATE amps with presets, you have to pass through too many sounds to get where you're going, and if you turn the knobs on a Katana, same thing, you get these weird pass thru sounds, if you're leaving preset's levels. Plus, the lcd displays with tiny characters are worthless on a darkened stage. ??
Leon... Like your style... Enjoy your videos- they actually give me info I want to know on the gear, and entertain me all the while. Now, if i just played as good as you....
I appreciate that!
i don't use the drive section, but i have had this thing on my board for frickin years now
Is it a good for beginner to practice with? since I don't want to spend a lot of money on different stompboxes for now
Definitely
Superb demo man!!
Thanks so much!
It sucks for the sole fact you cant switch between banks in the presets easily if you are wearing shoes/on stage.
who wears shoes onstage these days?
What's your amp?
How yours signal path?
Are you using cabinet simulator in this video?
I honestly can't remember. It was guitar - ME50 - some kind of clean amp
@@LeonTodd ok thx for kindly information
My update:
I now own some real nice Tube amps and my ME-50 shines moreso through a tube amp over solid state. The thing to know is that the ME50 isAnalog for most part and not like today's guitar processors with all the preamps and and csb models that are put there today. This is a no holds bar solid pedal board that when adjusted to your ears will sound great. I do own the Boss GT1 in which I do love as ND I do have some other processors like the Digitech RP500 that I also like, but for some reason I'm always drawn back to using my ME-50 for our gigs. 20 years and still we orks perfectly. Will we be able to say that in 20 years down the road for all the Helix's, Kempers, and all the other computer chip processors out there today.
The ME-50 effects are actually all digital, so it actually has a lot in common with the modern DSP based products you mentioned. Since it still works great the future probably bodes well for more modern iterations of this idea.
@@LeonTodd ooh ok. I did not know that.
Newb question but does that master volume being at full make a big difference? I’ve only always kept mine at 12 o clock. I feel like maybe this is why I haven’t been getting what I want out of this pedal….
Set it so that you get the same volume/gain with it in and out of the signal chain
@@LeonTodd appreciate the reply. I legitimately think that’s something I’ve been doing wrong. Your blues driver and tube screamer sounded much much much different than mine. I’m playing through a DSL40. Cheers.
keep me posted with how you like it!
I used to have one. Loved it. Super convenient and had some good tones in it.
I gigged with mine for ages, it never let me down.
Did you use any external pedals with it or 4cm? I used to plug it straight into a clean Marshall JCM 800 for jam sessions. Before I picked up the AX8, I considered re-buying the ME 50 or picking up a ME 80.
@@jone5256 don't go for the ME 80 !
The ME 50 it's 10 time beter and natural, i sold my Me 80 and by another ME 50 !!
It's amazing and i use with other external pedal's too (Boss ).
@@LeonTodd I gig with mine too. It's a champ!
Helpful vid, thanks!
Where i can buy this boss me 50??
It is a discontinued model so you will need to buy a pre-owned model on ebay. It is the predecessor to the ME-80 but it is an excellent effects pedal that has all the basic features you need.
Are you using the 4 cable method? Are you going through an effects loop? Or front of amp?
kornelious1 whats the 4 cable method?
@@n0cturnalsurfer The 4 cable method means: Cable 1: Guitar to pre-amp pedal input (Wah, Any Distortion/ OD/ Fuzz, etc) | Cable 2: Pre-amp pedal Output to Amp Input | Cable 3: FX Loop out (send) to ME-50 Input | Cable 4: ME-50 Output to FX Loop In (return).
Does it work with bass guitar
Yes but from memory there was a version made specifically for bass
dude your blues drive is so good! can u share the amp settings man? wow!
1 year later still no amp settings
@@PanCake-uu7he 1 year and 2 months later..... still no settings.
1 year and 2 months and 2 days later and still no amp settings....hang on!
Can you please tell me how to solve my Boss me 50 problem as all indicators light up when the power is on
Contact BOSS support and see if they can help
throw it off the wall mate , the lights should all go off 👍
boss has an online site with manual , shows how to factory reset it..
was it recorded direct or through an amp?
From memory it's in the loop of my AX8
@@LeonToddoh.. it's not fair then! :D
50th like for the boss me 50
BOOM!
Very nice review Leon.
Much appreciated, it's a fun unit.
i have one of these and I'm wondering how i should hook this up, should I go in front of amp? or do the "4 cable method"
Go for the cleanest amp channel and have it go before the amp, not the effects loop. It has a full signal chain within itself so the compressor, ns and wah wont sound right if it's in the fx loop post gain. 👍
I love my ME-50, I'm using now in the loop effect of my Marshall Valvestate, mixed with the distortion of my amp and a pedalboard with other distortion pedals. I'm very Happy with this combination.
@ihate names mi amp is a valestate 8080, it's one of the better valvestates from Marshall, made in the 90's.
A lot of similar stories here - And I'm another one who bought the ME 50 about 20 years ago when I started playing guitar and it was my first experience with guitar effects!
A good friend of mine who I also played in a band with later on also bought it 😊
The distortion and overdrive really lacks, most of the other effects are good
Chris Greenwood doesn’t lake threw my fender m-80 amp tho
This was my second unit (the first one was the Zoom 9000), and i still have it. Many pedals i have bought and then have sold, but this baby will be with me forever! Great video!
Good choice!
I love boss but the ME-50 is has some real weak points. Most of the overdrives and distortions sound incredibly tinny and digital; they are unusable. The other stuff isnt so bad. The other issue is when you switch patch, there is a half second cutout which can be jarring when using multiple patches in one song.
I think it's much stronger as a replacement for a traditional pedal setup, to avoid the switching lag. Some of the drives are good and some suck. The time based effects are generally pretty decent.
If the distortions are sounding "tinny" to you you're doing something wrong. Step one - DO NOT USE THIS IN THE EFFECTS LOOP. It sounds best, by far, in front of your amp. Step two - USE THE TONE MODIFY. This is how you get your tone sounding as close as possible to your guitar straight into your amp. Gotta use your ear. Step three - DON'T CRANK THE KNOBS. It's commonly known that when you crank digital gear, especially older stuff, you can get that buzzy/tinny sound. Go around 12 o'clock with the master volume and be conservative with the distortion controls, then let your amp do the heavy lifting. Can't go wrong following those steps, unless your amp just sucks. Can't help you if that's the case.
Also don't use the pathes. They suck and are setup way too loud. You can customize them of course, but I use it basically as 4 separate pedals - Distortion/OD, Chorus/Flange, Delay, Volume pedal.
@@doncorleone36 what are pathes?
@@Subilon He meant 'patches'. I believe
good man....is this in2017 still ok?
Yeah I recorded it a few months ago. Still rocks.
I can get such a effect,me70,for 150€, like new with ext.bossplugs and a case....before I had a m20 what had good sounds,quality....boss
It’s great
Do it!
Guitar sounds bad