Boss MS-3 Multi Effects Switcher

Build:
very light and small factor yet very sturdy built design.

Sound:
Lots of boss (~100 of compressors, limiters, overdrives, delays, reverbs, modulations...) effects available in this unit which mostly sound great and with high fidelity also in terms of its A2D converters.
great accurate tuner.

Connectivity:
it has 3 loop for send/return of external effects which is helpful if you want to keep your loved effects in this small setup.

Controls:
it has preset mode and manual stomp mode.
for those working with presets it is very convenient but
IMO the manual mode lacks more flat/parallel controls as it basically has only 4 foot switches.
Although two more external control stomp switches can be connected and some controls can be multifunctional still as I mentioned for manual mode when no big display is available more stomp switches could be helpful.

Configuration:
the configuration is done basically using 3 rotating knobs and is quite simple yet not the most comfortable user interface comparing to other available units (Line6 for example...)
In this sense a BT connectivity for mobile app configuration could be very handy in real life scenarios also as the display is not huge.

Conclusion:
Small, high quality and durable build, HD sound quality, control and UI is more preset/scenario oriented, lacks some modern connectivity like BT and mobile app.

I wanted to limit number of my pedals and also a weight of my pedalboard. I also wanted a good looper with good MIDi implementation to control my Strymon Timeline and Marshall JVM205H.
I already have a G-Lab GSC-3 but: it is very heavy, big and MIDI implementation is so so.

Initially I wanted to buy Boss ES-5 but after reading good reviews of MS-3 I pulled a trigger. Basically I replaced my 4 Boss pedals: EQ-7, CS-3, BD-2, CE-5 with this unit and I'm more than happy! No noise, quite good noise gate, easy programming (even easier with computer editor), low power consumption (using mooer micro power to power MS-3 and 9 other pedals!).

I'm long time Line 6 user (POD XT, X3, HD300, FX100, HD500X) and drive pedals was always a weakest point of this products. This is not true with Boss!. I'm really shocked how good drives sound! I can easily replace my Mesa Flux Drive and Ibanez TS. Boss, well done!

Great product which can be used as stand alone pedal board, or a brain of more complicated setup.

I ordered this to replace a complicated pedal board set up, because I was sick of tap dancing. The concept of being able to use Boss effects, plus switch in loops containing my other pedals and programming it so one touch of a pedal could select all manner of different sounds appealed.
Problem 1: The loops are 'joined' in the signal path, so you can't have loop1 (a POG) at one end of the signal path and then a few of the MS3 effects and then loop2 (a delay) at the end... the loops had to be together, so its not very flexible. Problem 2: Its really not very nice to program. I'm sure plugging it into a PC and using the editor makes it easier but trying to set this up in a rehearsal room with the band was an utter pain, and was too long winded. I got massively frustrated and gave up with it.

Its nicely built, and the effects inside are very good - although the rotary sounds are nowhere near as nice as the Boss RT-20 which is ironic. Its quiet in operation and the switches feel robust yet positive.

To be honest, I've sent mine back - it didn't do what I wanted it to do and the operating system was a deal breaker for me.

To sum up - some great sounds, some great ideas but just not quite flexible enough.

The connectivity the MS-3 provides is incredible, allowing for just about any setup you can imagine. Three loops, stereo outs, midi out, amp channel switching, use it as an external foot controller for other pedals (e.g. tap tempo), send program changes to a synth or sequencer over midi, it also has some pretty good internal effects as well, and all of this can be recalled instantly by pressing a single foot switch. Just don?t imagine changing the location of your loops in the signal chain. ?Cause you can?t do that. It hasn?t been a problem for my setup though running OD, fuzz, and an analog delay in loops 1, 2, and 3, respectively.