With the amount of technology surrounding the music industry today, is it even “worth it” to own a pedal like Boss ME-50 in the first place?
The Boss ME-50 is a digital device that emulates a ton of the Boss pedals for electric guitar. It is designed as an all in one solution. However, it seems to be falling out of favor with a lot of guitarists. And I get it! There are a ton of options from dozens of companies for plugins and sound modeling that we use on the computer when we are mixing. Not to mention the latest and great pedals that are on the bleeding edge of technology (shout out to Line 6, you guys are killing it!).
The electric guitar sound is constantly evolving. However, for me, an all in one pedal like the Boss ME-50 makes a lot of sense. I am not a guitarist. I can play guitar, but I am not a guitarist. I am a bassist. I am a producer. I am a mix engineer. And for my purposes, am older multi-FX pedal like the Boss ME-50 works great. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to invest a whole lot of money on guitar modeling software that I will only occasionally use. Or to buy a new pedal that, while amazing, has limited sounds and will sit around and collect dust more often than not.
Do these older multi-FX pedals sound as good as some of the newer emulated stuff? No. Does it sound as good the original effects pedals that Boss is trying to copy? No. What it does offer is simplicity, affordability, and reliability. It is a good unit to have around in a studio setting for guitarists to use if they forget, or do not want to lug around, their pedals. It also makes sense for a beginner guitar player. It’s super easy to plug and play and experiment without committing to a higher-end, more expensive pedal while you discover your tone. And if it turns out that you absolutely hate playing guitar, you will not be out a ton of money. All this said an older multi-FX pedal like the Boss ME-50 is the PERFECT solution for ME and what I need it to do.
