Boss AD-8

Started by Brak(E)man, February 17, 2017, 07:33:34 AM

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Brak(E)man

I have the option of buying a secondhand Boss AD-8 but no possibility to try it first hand.
Any reviews from the VG community ?
Would be much appreciated !
Should I get one ?
swimming with a hole in my body

I play Country music too, I'm just not sure which country it's from...

"The only thing worse than a guitar is a guitarist!"
- Lydia Lunch

sixeight

#1
I have had one of these. In my opinion the sound is very bright. It sound like an acoustic guitar amps does and not like a proper miked up acoustic guitar.

I used it to improve the acoustic sound of a Godin XTSA. I though it was OK when I had one, but I wouldn't buy one now.

Maybe the Tone Dexter will deliver on good acoustic sound:
http://audiosprockets.com

BBach

#2
I like mine. I mostly use it with a Gibson Chet Atkin piezo acoustic electric, an original Variax 700, or a Moog guitars Ghost system. The AD-8 has quite a bit of tonal flexibility. The unit is specifically designed for piezo. The sound is convincing to my ears and a whole lot easier than making up a real acoustic with a couple of good (expensive) small condenser mics. It won't make a single coil or a humbucker sound like a Martin D45. The AD-8 also improves the sound of the Antares ATG-1 acoustic models.

arkieboy

I have one.  I find it quite useful for all sorts of things

       
  • Used between my Yamaha LL11E (and its external electronics box) and my computer I can get a usable recorded acoustic guitar sound, particularly if the guitar is not exposed in the mix.  If you listen to the clip of 'Borderland' in the link below you can hear the result
  • It does a good job of taking the piezo output of my Brian Moore iGuitar and making it sound more like an acoustic guitar
  • It gives me more control on my acoustic/electric guitars on stage, avoids needing DI boxes, has reverb and a tuner
If you have the cash available its a nice thing to have lying around


Steve


https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sleepless/id884125073

Main rig: Barden Hexacaster and Brian Moore i2.13 controllers
Boss SY1000/Boss GKC-AD/Boss GM-800/Laney LFR112

Other relevant gear: Line 6 Helix LT, Roland GR-33, Axon AX100 MkII
Oberheim Matrix 6R, Supernova IIR, EMu E5000, Apple Mainstage, Apple Logic, MOTU M4

Brak(E)man

Is it ok for both chords and fast single lines ?
I my case both played with a pick
The demos I can find online are mostly strumming
or fingerpicking , both which I won't use ever.
swimming with a hole in my body

I play Country music too, I'm just not sure which country it's from...

"The only thing worse than a guitar is a guitarist!"
- Lydia Lunch

Brak(E)man

swimming with a hole in my body

I play Country music too, I'm just not sure which country it's from...

"The only thing worse than a guitar is a guitarist!"
- Lydia Lunch

BBach

Yeah, it's good. You obviously have to match your technique to your settings, just like any guitar setup.

BackDAWman

Quote from: arkieboy on February 19, 2017, 06:18:50 AM
I have one.  I find it quite useful for all sorts of things

       
  • Used between my Yamaha LL11E (and its external electronics box) and my computer I can get a usable recorded acoustic guitar sound, particularly if the guitar is not exposed in the mix.  If you listen to the clip of 'Borderland' in the link below you can hear the result
  • It does a good job of taking the piezo output of my Brian Moore iGuitar and making it sound more like an acoustic guitar
  • It gives me more control on my acoustic/electric guitars on stage, avoids needing DI boxes, has reverb and a tuner
If you have the cash available its a nice thing to have lying around


Steve


https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/sleepless/id884125073

Sounds great! Quite convincing.

stratrat

I play nylon, steel and electrics with piezo saddles and I had high hopes for the AD-8. However, I was greatly disappointed when I tried it. The body didn't add anything usable (unless you like muddy low midrange resonance), the "string enhance" basically adds presence - the last thing you need with quacky piezo. The reverbs were lacklustre. The EQ is OK (at least it's parametric, but I find the EQs on the Baggs DIs are far more powerful and usable), and it can't be phantom powered - which I find essential with active DIs. Also strangely enough, it doesn't have the chorus or anti-feedback found on the lower AD-series pedals.

I ended up buying the Fishman Aura spectrum DI which while it doesn't have any effects aside from a very transparent compressor, actually adds a lot of realism - convincing enough for solo guitar. In a pinch, I'll use a Baggs Paracoustic DI. If I were on a tight budget, I'd probably look at the Zoom A3 or look around for an old Yamaha AG Stomp.

Elantric