Boss ME-25 guitar multiple effects pedal
| Posted in Music Technology
The Boss ME-25 multiple effect unit for guitar has launched at NAMM 2010, joining the ranks of one of the world’s most popular floor-based effects ranges and inheriting a wealth of high quality sounds from Boss’ flagship ME-70.
Described by Boss as “compact and durable”, the ME-25 reportedly features a comprehensive collection of COSM amplifier models – a first for a Boss multi-effects processor that’s aimed at the more affordable end of the price range. The inclusion of COSM modelling opens the technology up to a potential new audience and could be an indication of things to come.
According to the manufacturer, the COSM models encompass a wide breadth of tones from clean combos through to heavy stacks, while a Super Stack function has been included that can reportedly achieve a “big amp sound” from a small practice amp – no doubt striking fear into the hearts of long-suffering neighbours everywhere.
The manufacturer has also built in a 38-second loop function which will prove popular in live situations, alongside 60 effects combinations designed to cater for a wide range of playing styles. With Boss having sat atop the effects stomp-box tree for years, it’s no surprise that the pedal offers precisely the choice of distortions, overdrives, modulation effects, delays, reverbs, and harmonist effects that fans would expect. A onboard expression pedal is also included to control the wah and octave up/down operation, plus a new and rather enigmatic freeze effect.
As is the norm with Boss multi-effect pedals, the ME-25 appears to have been designed for players wanting immediate results in the rehearsal room or on stage, and as such the design incorporates three heavy-duty footswitches just begging to be stomped on in a satisfying manner.
Players can use the footswitches to access functions such as the built-in tuner, tapping in delay times, and enabling the SOLO feature. The entire unit operates on six AA batteries or AC power, and boasts USB connectivity allowing players to stream audio and other data back and forth with their computer. ME-25 user wanting to play with the onboard sound can download librarian software from the Boss website, while a bundled copy of Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 LE comes with the pedal to introduce guitarists to the joys of multitrack and MIDI recording.
Due to arrive on these shores later in the month, this pedal’s launch sees Boss once again moving to dominate the stomp-box and multi-effects sector by throwing an impressive array of features at a section of the market that’s particularly sensitive to price. Thanks to its association with the ME-70, the sounds found onboard the new pedal will be striking, but we’ll find out whether the rest of the package lives up to expectations when we review the Boss ME-25 in the coming weeks.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: Boss ME-70, Boss stompboxes, guitar multieffects pedal