BOSS GL-100 aficionado thread

[John]

All credit due to rfurtkamp, the OG of this type steez. I finally took a chance since it comes up in every HM-2 thread, so I got one and it is quite an animal. It definitely has buzzsaw tones on tap but I don't know if the circuitry of the EQ is the same, i.e if it has gyrators. As far as dialing in the right frequencies, HM-2 EQ is supposed to be Low:86.79hz and Hi:958.47hz ganged with 1278.6hz. Without an oscilloscope I don't know how someone would dial that in on the parametric EQ since the numbers on the knob are pretty goofy- is it a logarithmic taper? It ain't scientific. But you can use your ears to find the right frequencies, and we should be listening with our ears and not our eyes anyway. I don't have an HM-2 to compare it to, but I know what buzzy sleazy nasty metal sounds like. The power of the EQ section is no joke! It will fuzz out at almost any frequency if you crank it. All the sounds are a bit dry and compressed, but it really opens up when you run it into a tube preamp. All in all, worth the $125 I paid, and I think these are going up in price.

I'm looking into whether it can be modded to run each channel simultaneously and give them their own outputs. Both channels have their sweet spots and would be complementary in a stereo mix, and I'd rather mod it to be true stereo than buy a second one. Based on the diagram in the manual it looks like there may be enough dual components to do this, as it splits the signal right after the input, and doesn't combine them again until the channel selector module which directs the selected channel to the FX loop Send. Send comes back stereo and goes to the L/R outputs, so I think I just need to take the selector out of the signal chain and make a second Send.

Any thoughts? I know rack stuff isn't cool, but here we are.

[qersty]

The EQ is definetly gyrator based. But it has headroom so it hasnt got really that HM-2 magic where it distorts when you push +15dB of gain. all the "modes" are discrete so if you wanna mod you can sure get both at the same time https://www.synthxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Boss-GL-100-Service-Notes.pdf

vidret is the proud owner of one

I liked it when i got to play with it but i mostly just used the final (metal zone?) mode so i dont think i would use up a whole rack space

[Gone Fission]

The Service Notes keep crashing on me before I can look at the detailed schematic and board layout, but per the block diagram the channel selection switch is after all the tone shaping and upstream of the loop and the stereo outputs. Sacrifice the loop and it’s likely possible to send one channel left and one right by disabling the switch and running some wires to the effects returns.

(You might have issues with phase cancellation between channels—again, haven’t gotten far enough to see whether all modes are phase coherent.)

[John]

The Service Notes keep crashing on me before I can look at the detailed schematic and board layout, but per the block diagram the channel selection switch is after all the tone shaping and upstream of the loop and the stereo outputs. Sacrifice the loop and it’s likely possible to send one channel left and one right by disabling the switch and running some wires to the effects returns.

(You might have issues with phase cancellation between channels—again, haven’t gotten far enough to see whether all modes are phase coherent.)

Thanks! I think I can keep the loop as it's after the channel switcher and is basically just an open connection between the switcher and the outputs.

Is rfurtkamp still here? Surprised he hasn't chimed in yet.

[goroth]

Rfurt is speeding his wheelchair on the hamsterwheel to make the forum run faster.

[Gone Fission]

I’ll tell you, I flipped the half rack predecessor, the ROD-10, because I wasn’t that fond of having to re-tweak the knobs for each drive mode in a multi-mode single-channel device. At least you have an alternate channel with its own eq on the GL-100. Something like the Elektron Analog Drive with its encoders and presets is a much more satisfying use experience IMO, though the ROD-10 didn’t sound bad. Though nothing so killer enough I felt much regret over flipping it. (The OD II mode was almost great—I did have the thought to try to do a DIY pedal on just that mode, either with a more advanced eq like the GL-100 or a better matched one.)

So, take that experience for whatever it’s worth for the pedal idea. If that’s worth doing, I would say pick one mode you adore with the full eq or you risk living in a “but it could be better” malaise. With good PCB layout that probably wouldn’t need to be a huge DIY. I gather some fab places will even populate surface-mount components if size is critical.

[fcknoise]

Let boss know that they should make a new distortion twin pedal that is exactly like this. Second footswitch for presets or something

[rfurtkamp]

I went with the easy solution.

I have two of them and run them in stereo.

[John]

RACK GOAT

How many U is your biggest rack rfurtkamp? like 69U?

[rfurtkamp]

I have a 24U in the main recording area, my desktop usual rig for mastering and screwing around is 16U.

I have another 40ish spaces of stuff in storage I can rotate in and out.