There’s no question that the Boss GT-10 can be a beast to program. With so much control over your tonal options, where do you even start? Here are a few tips to get you going. I’ve purposely kept the settings a bit vague, as your guitar and playback system will ultimately determine the exact gain and equalization structure. All the tones are direct from the GT-10 and no outside processing has been performed. Have fun!

Case 1- Cranked VOX AC30TB

When I first dialed up the VOX emulations on the GT-10, I was much underwhelmed. The tones were gain heavy and didn’t have the spank and jangle I normally associate with an AC30TB. I was about to write off the models until I began to really reflect on what I believed an AC30TB tone was all about: a slightly compressed “saggy” tone with extended highs, a prominent low midrange, and slightly attenuated lows. Breaking the tone down to its basic components made it sound a bit more attainable, so I began twisting the dials.

1. I started with the clean AC30 model with the gain moderately cranked, the bass cut back into the 30’s and the mid and treble levels between 70 and 90. This provides a nice, edgy overdrive, yet keeps the high end nice and sparkly. I also chose the CND87 mic emulation with a position of 8.
2. Next up, I added a compressor with a slight boost to force the model to break up just a touch more; Sustain 40, Attack 45, Level 50, and Tone +30.
3. Then, I added the Top Boost from the OD section with just a touch of gain and the level cranked to around 80, Bottom slightly attenuated and Tone to +21.
4. At this point, the tone was still just a touch bass heavy, so I used the EQ to cut back some of the lows below 250.
5. Finally, I placed the Rack 160D limiter last in the chain to smooth out the overall tone and keep the highs from being piercing.

The end result…a very nice tone, extremely reminiscent of an AC30TB, which is very sensitive to picking dynamics and cleans up very well when backing down your guitar’s volume knob. Here’s a clip featuring the tones possible from this preset simply using the guitars volume knob to cut back the gain.

Case 2 - Uber-Gain Minus the “Cocked Wah”

The GT-10 has received much criticism for the higher gain tones exhibiting a midrange frequency peak which many have dubbed the “cocked wah” tone. Dialing through many of the high gain models and cranking the gain and EQ, it’s definitely a real phenomenon, which renders more than a few models almost unusable. However, uber-gain is easily achievable with the GT-10 minus the “cocked wah” by taking advantage of the GT-10’s dual signal chain and combining two complementary preamps.

1. Find a preamp which exhibits the high-end characteristic you are looking for. Personally, I like the Triple-Rectifier Vintage model as there is plenty of sizzle and slice, yet still retains a good deal of smoothness. Dial it in to taste concerning the high end only and cut back the lows.
2. Next, find a preamp which exhibits the low end appeal you are looking for. My favorite is the Boss drive which has a thunderous low end, with the gain near 90 and the mids and highs attenuated. Select the dual mono preamp configuration, then balance the levels of the preamps accordingly.
3. Now add the Tone Modify effect after signal chain split to RESO2, with a subtle boost to the lows.

Voila! A hard hitting heavy tone without the dreaded cocked wah. As a solo boost, consider setting up the EQ with a boost between 2K to 3K and an overall level boost 2-3 DB. Here’s a clip of my preset in action.

Case 3 - Ultimate Control

All those switches and buttons…could you ever use them all? Here’s a single preset setup which allows enough variation and control to get you through a whole set. The following patch will allow a simulated acoustic (or clean) tone. Use the volume pedal to control the level of preamp 2 to get both channels at once, and the ability to toggle off the clean tone.

1. Set up Preamp 1 for a simulated acoustic tone by moving FX1 into the Preamp 1 signal chain. Dial in a setting which works well with your guitar (I find setting the body relatively high results in more realistic tones). If you don’t use acoustic tones, set it up for a nice, clean tone; I like the Twin preamp.
2. Now, set up Preamp 2 with a nive overdriven tone. Again, depending on your setting, the amp will vary, but I like the Deluxe model with the gain moderately cranked.
3. Set the preamps to dual stereo mode.
4. Next move the OD module within the Preamp 2 signal chain and set it to a complementary OD for the amp you selected. I tend to get the best results with one of the boosts, the Natural OD, or the Distortion +.
5. In the global assign settings, disable the volume pedal.
6. Now, on the specific assign page, set the volume pedal to control the volume of Preamp 2 and assign the OD to Control Pedal 1. Assign it to bypass Preamp 1.
7. Finally, set the unit to manual mode to control individual effect toggling.

Play around with it. You can have an acoustic-only tone and use the volume pedal to slowly mix in an overdriven tone. To get full overdrive, simply press Ctrl1, which bypasses the acoustic tone and also enables the OD, giving you a big overdrive which you can clean up by backing off your volume knob. Here’s a clip of the preset to demonstrate its versatility.