Boss eBand JS-8

I've owned a lot of Boss guitar products over the years. Before getting the JS-8, I was using a Boss ME-30 and a Korg Pandora PX4D. I never thought anything could replace my ME-30 until now. Simply put... The JS-8 is an amazing device! The jam tracks installed at the factory are top notch and you can add your own. If you run out of storage space on the included SD card, buy a high capacity SD card and store your entire music or backtrack library on the machine. Personally, the included jam tracks will keep me occupied for months.

The other impressive feature(s) are the guitar effects, which are based on the GT-10 effect engine. The designers included dozens of preset effects, but you can also make up your own. Now if you're a tone junkie like me, the JS-8 will allow you to dial in just about any guitar sound. The amp modeling is simply amazing! The first distortion patch I made included a Peavey 5150 amp model as the foundation. It took me about 40 minutes to set up my first patch because you can tweak so many sound parameters. After learning the interface real well, I could probably design an effect patch in under 15 minutes. The buttons and knobs make everything associated with the unit a cinch to use.

The only negative thing I could say about this device is the speakers. A lot of reviewers have also commented about them. But don't let this turn you away. The speakers are really a positive thing because you can take it on the road and play quietly in a motel or dorm room. You can also attach headphones and achieve satisfying results. The unit also comes with a USB cable that will allow you to use it as an interface with your computer. After setting the driver parameters, I was playing it through my Mixcraft software. And Boss, (unlike other companies out there), provide 64 bit drivers for both Vista and Windows 7. They also have firmware updates and add-on jam tracks. This was a very big selling point because I use Windows 7 x64. I should also mention that I saw several Mac OS drivers on their website.

Furthermore, the unit has RCA jacks on the side which allow you to play it through a regular stereo or boom box. That worked fine for me, but I had to try it with my Crate 4x12 amp. I simply ran a mini-stereo cable out of the unit's headphone jack, and added a 1/4" guitar adapter on the other end, which I plugged into the amp. With a little sound tweaking, I got VERY impressive results. So much that I dumped the ME-30 and just use the JS-8 with my main amp. I've even read about players running this thing directly into a PA system at gigs. From what I've experienced, I think that would work well because the JS-8 really shines when plugged into higher-end speaker systems.

So who would really benefit from this device?

1) Players who like to play along and improvise with good jam and rhythm tracks

2) Players who use computer software to write music and need a solid, versatile digital interface

3) Players who are real fanatical about their tone and don't mind digital/solid state devices

4) Players who need something relatively portable and easy to use

5) Players who will only buy things that are sturdy and well constructed

6) Players who need a new toy and can afford 300-400 bucks

The JS-8 has many other features such as a nice tuner and the ability to record. I suggest you check out some of the videos on YouTube and read the spec's on the Roland/Boss website. My personal favorites are Jack Thammarat's YouTube videos.

***Update January 2012:

I'm still using the JS-8 and couldn't be happier with it. I continue to run the device directly into my Crate amp head, but instead of using the JS-8's headphone output, I purchased a 3.5mm stereo to RCA stereo Y-cable adapter and connected the device to the amp head via the RCA outputs. This gives me more stable volume control.

Now that I've owned the JS-8 for over a year and a half, I can say that the original factory jam-tracks have become old and stale. I haven't seen Roland/Boss provide any new updates via their website since I purchased the product. Although Boss has given us a fantastic product, there doesn't seem to be any effort on their part to keep things interesting. For example, there's only been one release of additional jam tracks that you can download from their website and those tracks aren't as good as the factory installed tracks.

Secondly, if Boss has chosen not to provide any additional software downloads, I think it would be in their best interest to release some software that would allow others to create jam-tracks in the JS-8's audio format. Boss's proprietary audio format allows their jam-tracks to repeat endlessly without any skips or delays. Tracks I've installed using the MP3 format tend to have momentary delays when repeated over and over. I think others who own the JS-8 would agree that it would be nice to see some effort on Boss's part to keep their product fresh and intriguing.

I bought the eBand as a tool for practice. It is easy to use, small and packs a ton of features into a compact package. The double foot pedal from my Behringer amp plugged right in and I can use it to toggle between lead and rhythmn with one pedal and turn on the tuner with the other pedal. You can customize the pedals to do different things like turn on the record feature. It packs a lot of Boss effects in and it picks the appropriate effect with the loaded jam tracks. You can go online and find newer jam tracks and load them as well. I haven't even scratched the surface of all the things you can do but I find it is already making me a better player just with the play I've had in the last month or so. It has a very handy feature that allows you to slow down tracks so you can practice with them before playing full speed. You can also go faster than full speed if you really want a challenge. I recommend this to pretty much everybody, from novice to pro. Fender makes something very similar with jam tracks by various pros but I haven't tried it yet. I'm sure it is great as well, but what sold me is the size of the eBand. It fits on my coffee table, but I can run it through my amp if I want a lot of volume.

Buy Boss eBand JS-8 Now

Well got the Eband this week and well from a teachers aspect it's everything I need.

1. speakers are not loud but work in a studio room without an amp.

2. Loading songs on a USB stick and just put it in the machine and dial them up.

3. Metronome and tuner are excellent

4. Sounds are great, I have not gotten in to create my own patches yet but on my to do list.

5. Can record sound on sound, You can also record your own jams and then play them back, Love that feature, helps with creativity not only for me but for my students as well.

I really love this product, it's not very big and very easy to tote around. Would recommend this to anyone, price is up there but hey it's a BOSS.

Can't comment right now on how it works with a foot switch I don't get my switch until tomorrow but looks like it will work great, you can use the foot switch to go between 2 patches, start and stop your a/b points when looping through tough solo's from songs.

All-in-all Excellent product.

Read Best Reviews of Boss eBand JS-8 Here

Total Dream box Practice tool. I don't write a lot of reviews but this product is very clever! Loaded with cool presets and progressions to play along with. Very easy to use out of the box. Never read anything yet just played. Speakers are ok they could have some more juice, but for indoor in house practice very good. At half way up you won't bother anyone while you jam. It is expensive but it has a lot of functions. I think this will enhance anyones playing level with scales licks and progressions and is just tons of plain fun! I have been playing pro level for a very very long time and this eBand is a great tool! Highly recommended for all Guitar players Jazz Cats, Metal Dudes, Rock and Country players! Great job Boss.

Now the BOSS Br 80 is out pocket size with eBand on board!!

Ps Check out my 8 min eBand jam on you Tube: Bluegraf

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If you're intending to start playing the guitar, and will be a bedroom player, does not have time to jam with real people, wants to play along with your favorite songs, and does not want to spend thousands of dollars in search of that magic combination of perfect amp, with perfect guitar and perfect pedal boards, this is the solution.

Take one guitar, one guitar cable, and the BOSS JS-8. You're ready to rock. This produtc surpassed all my expectations, since I was always suspicious about processor units. I have an Rebel 20 Egnater, a Gibson Les Paul Custom, a Stratocaster 1996 and a PRS Tremondi, and also a pedal board with 6 pedals (four of them are Boss).

But I was getting tired of having to turn all of it and not being capable of putting it into a reasonable volume. Also, I wanted a easier way to practice, with an output that allows head phones.

The JS-8 was a blessing. Its speakers are fine (there's no use compairing them to real speakers), but they product should have at least some kind of treble and bass control, and it does not. The operation is easy, the options included are numerous (metronomo, tuner, pitch alteration, hundreds of pre-recorded loops, dozens of pre-recorded rhythms, you can record waht you're playing, download MP3 or WAV songs via computer, connect direct to USB, extremely light to carry around.... Well, as you can see, I just loved it.

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