Condition:
4.84.8 out of 5 stars
122 product ratings
  • 5stars

    102ratings
  • 4stars

    16ratings
  • 3stars

    3ratings
  • 2stars

    0rating
  • 1star

    1rating

Would recommend97% agree

Good value99% agree

Enjoyable98% agree

93 reviews

by Top favourable review

Nice multi-effects pedal for the money

I own a lot of different multi-effects pedals, from the humble Zoom G1on up through the bleeding-edge Kemper Stage Profiler. The Boss ME-80 is a "middle-end" offering that has some compelling features - and some non-trivial drawbacks - to offer.

First the good: the pedal itself is sturdily built, with whole bunch of high-quality footswtiches, plus an assortment of dials and buttons for you to physically tweak parameters on the variety of effects on offer. However, there's a free, downloadable editor/librarian that makes it easy to do that stuff without having to bend over, plus it gives you access to a wide variety of community-generated patches and tweaks online that you can download directly into any of the user-modifiable slots in the ME-80's non-volatile memory. When in "manual" mode, you have SEVEN footswitches available to toggle effects on and off, plus an expression pedal. Egg in your beer? No - but this pedal can be powered by any 9-volt adapter or by 6 AA batteries, whiich makes it perfect for sidewalk buskers or jams in the park (assuming you also have a battery-powered amp, of course).

The bad news is that all of the effects and most of the "pre-amps" (what Boss calls their amp models) are based on Boss or Roland gear, so, if you're going to buy this pedal, you'd better be a Boss devotee. Also, the tape echo model has a maximum 500-millisecond delay, which I don't like at all. Nor is that effect anywhere near as failthful to the tonal characteristics of the Maestro Echoplex II I loved so well in the 19980's and 90's as is even the Digitech RP-1000 - or the Zoom G1onX, for that matter. Nor are most of the ME-80's effects of modern studio quality (although they're probably fine for most bar or small club gigs). And, although Boss includes a set of batteries with the pedal, you'll have to buy a 9-volt AC power supply separately.

I bought it to give myself more flexibility for switching effects on and off than my Zoom G1Xon (which can also be battery-powered) gives me in jamming or performing al fresco, where there're no AC outlets available. It's very nice for that.

Oh, and while it's been hard to find a new ME-80 at less than the $299 "street price," with the holidays coming up, look for significant discounts from all the big online retailers as Black Friday sales start kicking in ...
Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: darbypawn

by Top critical review

Works well with only one major flaw!

The pedal in general works well. It is the 3rd one in the series I have owned. The last one, the ME-70 worked well also. The ME-80 was changed in the activation of the tuner. You now have to hold the pedal down for about 5 seconds before the tuner appears. That is bad enough to have to wait that long, but during that time it emits a horrible sound which comes out of the amp even when the volume pedal is off! So much for a quick tune during a song! Bad design there! I would not purchase it again due to that flaw. The ME-70 did not do that.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: altomusicpro

by

Old School Boss Tone

IMO the Boss ME series has always had a Mojo about them, fat warm sounding modulations, great fuzz and distortions , as well great Fenderish amp tones. Easy and quick hands on tweaking and being battery powered is plus just in case you forget power cord or no convenient access to power. I own the Boss GX100, a Helix Stomp XL and a Mooer GE300 all great but I still like the ease of the ME 80. A fun multi Fx pedal.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: starlitepawn1812

by

ME-80. Best yet from Boss!

Been playing 30 years professionally. Hate numerous pedals, esp when they unplug!). I read manual 15 minutes. I don't use 300 different guitar sound. In manual mode, it's like having 5-7 pedals (which many incredible) I don't use 300 guitar settings/Sounds. I run it through a Mesa Boogie V through a 1x2, though it also sounds great through a 300$ Blackstar. VERY intuitive. Like it way better than me-50 and ME-70. Bought used (actually bought 2 I liked it so much) for around 200-230 % ebay. HIGHLY recommend for great simple intuitive pedal. Cheers.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Sold by: ydsale

by

Not a pro device, but still a lot of fun and packed with options

So, it's about $200 used...give or take. And you get what you pay for, right? So don't buy one if you're attached to a fantastic tone. That said, many of the effects are pretty good and very usable. The reverb blows, as do some of the distortion settings. The tube screamer is very good, imo. But don't expect a transparent compressor effect...it is digital after all. Most of the mod effects are pretty good. And compared to the ME 70, which isn't much less to buy used, there are 3 more foot switchable sections available. I find that to be a huge plus over the ME 70, which I used to have.

It's got a lot of high gain amp and distortion options...not something I play so can't comment on that. I keep this in my effects loop for diversity.
Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: 1midtennpawn

by

Best multi-effects for any price

All the same great features as the ME-70 in an easy to use format. More options on how to set the effects, easier to use, better sound overall for the same price. I have only just begun the process of learning all the new controls. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: altomusicpro

by

Nice guitar effects pedal.

Used product that was in Great shape. The power supply was not original and did not work. I ordered the correct one and it worked both with AC and DC. Gave as a gift to my son and he loved it. Did not realize though is it mfg discontinued. ME-90 is newest version. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: pontiac-exchange

by

Marvelous Pedal Board

The ME-80 is exactly what I was hoping it would be -- and I had high expectations. It has great sounds, great flexibility, and great options. I've programmed sounds with other devices before, but being able to do so with real knobs is so intuitive and efficient. It's much, much easier. I use it in the recoding studio and for live performances, and it delivers professional results for both. I am extremely pleased with the ME-80, and I don't see a need for any other pedals in my future. Highly recommended.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: cjprymtime

by

BOSS ME-80 Multi Effects Pedal

Excellent multi-effects platform at this price point. It was a great solution for me looking for top-grade quality sounds with a multi foot pedal solution to switch between my main tones of my style and all the other goodies that are offered. I would highly recommend it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: smooooothie

by

Great multi effects pedal.

An excellent multi effects pedal. Arrived within the week. Came with a power source when advertised as not having one.
Very happy with your service.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kj-japan

Why is this review inappropriate?