Boss IR-200 Amp & IR Pedal Review | is it what you thought?

The Boss IR-200 is a multi-functional pedal that every guitarist, bassist & keyboard players should have. But is it what you thought? Find out in this genuine review.

Contents:

0:00 Start
0:36 Intro
1:28 Closeup Inside and Out
3:28 Main Processor Board
9:20 Control Knobs
13:11 Input/Output
15:57 More I/O
18:12 General Info
21:12 No Editor!
22:30 The Main Chips
25:31 A Few More Specs
26:49 Downloads
27:37 More Useful Info
29:45 Good and Bad Points
32:39 The Price
33:37 Overall Score
35:26 How I Recorded the Tones
36:01 The Amp Clarification
37:45 Playing the Tones

It's a compact and versatile stomp box that offers a wide range of capabilities, making it a great tool for guitarists and musicians at any level of capability of playing.

The IR-200 features a simulated series of integrated amplifiers and IR (Impulse Response) technology that enables guitar players to recreate the sound of classic guitar amps and cabinets with remarkable accuracy. There is even room for 150 of your own IR's.

By the way there are 8 amplifiers to choose from and not surprisingly, the obvious choices...

This pedal is designed with the needs of guitarists and other musicians in mind, making it an ideal choice for both practice and performance. The Boss IR-200 is reasonably easy to use and comes with a simple IR loader application although sadly there is no Boss IR-200 editor, but you can tweak your sound with those knobs as I show you in this video and make adjustments on the fly. You can choose from a variety of built-in IRs, each with its own unique sound, or you can load your own custom IRs using the built-in USB port. Do remember you do need a PC or Apple Mac to do that.

The IR-200 is a great choice for musicians who are looking for a single, all-in-one solution for their sound. Whether you're practicing at home, rehearsing with your band, or performing in front of a live audience, this pedal will help to give you the sound you need to get the job done. There's less of the carrying heavy gear around, especially if the front of house PA is up to the job. The IR-200 is also ideal for those who are looking to expand their tone palette, as it offers an extensive library of amplifier models that can be easily accessed and loaded with the push of a button.

In terms of sound quality, the IR-200 is good but its not perfect. The built-in simulated amplifiers are designed around well known amplifiers and they try hard to deliver a rich, full-bodied tone that is perfect for both clean and distorted playing. The IR technology also ensures that you get a true-to-life representation of the classic guitar amps and cabinets that you are trying to emulate according to Boss and Roland. The IR-200 is a great choice for those who are looking for a portable, easy-to-use, and high-quality sound solution for their guitar playing.

In conclusion, the Boss IR-200 is a useful tool for every guitarist or musician. Its compact size, versatile capabilities, and good quality sound make it a good choice for players of all levels. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced professional, the IR-200 is sure to become an indispensable part of your gear setup.

The IR-200 though is not really for me and I personally don't dig it as much as say the GT1000CORE that to my ears sounds better, albeit at a higher price point. For the £350.00 in the UK or $399 (approximately) in the USA there might be better devices around. The lack of any editor in my opinion downgrades the device somewhat in the value for money stakes.

This device was purchased by me at full retail price and this video is entirely unsponsored in any way. This is a real and genuine closeup review inside and out of the IR-200.

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[orangeguitarmusik]

Got a good deal on one a few months ago. Made four or five presets and I’m set. It sounds pretty good and pretty easy to setup

[jonthehermit]

Hmm, really love mine, I guess I really love the three or four amps and bass amps I use. I get a lot uses out of it in every situation. As a recording unit, as live rig with or without a cab or jamming at practicing. It’s been worth it, I’ve paid more for my univibe and reverb pedals added together.

[steverhenius]

Much more useful as a review than the magazines which are better called ‘advertorials’ designed to encourage paid adverts rather than help customers. I’d have given it a 7 - more because of the lack of ‘situational awareness’ by Roland. Suspect that may be post Covid affect as they’re usually smarter than that. Good sound but better flexibility for the money. ‘Half assed’ is spot on. Keep up the good work !

[dykeneuk]

I had one of these. I liked that it could be used as an audio device plugged into a PC. It was a bit fiddly I felt to edit. Ended up getting the GX100 instead. That was excellent, but total overkill for my needs. Now I have the two notes Revolt into a TC Plethora. So far so good. At least the Revolt has a real valve. Love watching your videos. So thorough. Look forward to next one….

[rishmatic]

Thanks a lot Tony!!! I recently bought this pedal. Could to please tell me, in the 'IR Loader' only few Patches show 'Yes' in the used in memory. Why is that??? I haven't been able to upload any response. Are there any samples I can get from somewhere?

[itube]

Great analysis and presentation. Viewers may also want to check out Zoom MS-50G and the Zoom MS-7CDR - at a fraction of the price but may offer more

[mikebush]

Love your videos, Tony... I still watch your mt15 and dual rec videos.

[JocAn-riey]

I love the stock fender tones on mine straight through FRFR speakers or just straight into the board. The reverb is quite usable, but agree its a little expensive.

[danpejril]

Would love to see a review of the Boss IR-2 and the TC Electronic Impulse

[marshallhopper]

Got question, lv been using my ir 200 as an interface into my laptop then into cakewalk. Can I adjust the output level through the USB into cakewalk? You seem to be the man to ask . No one else has dug as deep into the unit. The literature told me nothing pertaining to out put level adjustments thanks for vid .new ir 200 user

[Hellseeker]

I got one, sounds decent, just got in my VH4-2 pedal in as my amp part for it. The on board ones aren’t terrible but the VH4 made a difference to my ears. Just gotta load some different IR’s and I’m golden.

[vexed]

I use mine as a clean preamp for my pedal board to go directly into pa speakers.

[StuBiddyBop]

Great stuff Tony. I’m interested in knowing if it has more processing power dedicated to making the amplifier models more authentic, or if it is merely the amplifier modelling section of their flagship floor unit the GT-1000…

[nedim_guitar]

I was looking for an amp sim for silent recording (of at least demos) and silent practice through headphones. I've had mine for about a year, and I find it a bit difficult to tweak to a tone I'm very satisfied with. I mostly use it for clean tones to use at the end of my pedalboard, and it does have some good tones. The Brit model is basically unusable to me. It has some honky mid frequencies and a fizzy top end, regardless of if I'm using it clean, crunchy or distorted. It's not bad and I use it regularly, but I'm not completely satisfied with it. It takes a lot of tweaking to make it sound good, and I would love to have it easier.

[Gabetorres]

Can you hook up Overdrive pedals pre IR-200 and effect pedals via the effects loop and all the pedal sounds will carry over to the computer?

[richardgarner]

is there an old videotape back from 1983 whereTony takes a yamaha DX7 to bits?

[fongy]

The USB 2 is most definitely a cost cutting decision but in Roland's defense the amount of data and the speed in which it's transferred only requires the usb 2. Their not quite obsolete and this issue will probably persist for a while, at least until the price of usb c format is what usb 2 costs now. Imo.

[jpdenk]

I have to yell at you a bit for this review. I'm an old geezer myself, probably older than you, so this is not some young whippersnapper yelling at grandad, it's one old grandad to another.

I have this pedal and I love it. It's not a complicated device. I simply am dumbfounded by all your concern about wanting editing software. It doesn't need it! Read the manual if you can't understand something about the pedal. ;-)

The little MIDI ports are a bit annoying but they're on tons of stuff nowadays, no big deal. You can pick up generic brand converter cables on Amazon or other sites that are much more affordable than the Boss cables and they work just fine.

This is an amazing piece of kit! Stop obsessing about stuff that essentially doesn't matter. Plug it in and make music with it before giving it a rating! The sound quality that it's capable of is absolutely wonderful! :-)

[Twobarpsi]

Not sure I'd call this a pedal. Couldn't imagine it on the floor at a rehearsal or live show. Seems more at home on a computer desk. Very expensive, and no editing software either. Great informative review Tony 🤘🤘🤘!!

[fongy]

Here in the Ex Ceramics capital of the world, we have no fear of breaking down our expensive accessories. Eh up Tony, another superb deep dive. I haven't got this pedal although Boss pedals have good real estate on my board. It's good to hear Roland being mentioned, it's the upper of the middle tier as far as effects pedals go although I expect this one is upper tier full stop. Last one I bought was a DF2, Distortion and Feedback a Wazacraft edition. I was also reading in Guitarist about the Roland Solid State Amps, I have an old JC-40 now sort after. It's certainly a far cry from the contemporary gear. Thanks Tony, much appreciated.