Looking at the Boss AD-10 & T-Rex Soulmate

[Marshall]

Any opinions? I've only read reviews and seen videos. I want EQ, light FX of Delay and reverb. Tuner also.

They seem similar. I like the "Ambience" FX of the AD-10 (I hear in videos). I like the simpler buttons of the T-Rex. I have no interest in Looping at all.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Any opinions? I've only read reviews and seen videos. I want EQ, light FX of Delay and reverb. Tuner also.

They seem similar. I like the "Ambience" FX of the AD-10 (I hear in videos). I like the simpler buttons of the T-Rex. I have no interest in Looping at all.

I've been using the AD10 for several years and I think it's great. It's one of the better sounding acoustic preamps and the effects are very nice. The acoustic resonance helps improve piezos, the boost is clean, and I do use the looper and it's great. I also like that you have two separate inputs with two independent eqs. One thing that has really come in handy is that your settings are stored so if the knobs get turned between gigs in whatever bag you take it in, your sound isn't messed up. That probably happened to me a lot over the years with numerous pedals.

[DavidE]

I should add that I was curious about the Soul Mate, mainly because the footswitches are built in. I found several used ones under $400 in the last couple of weeks, but ultimately I decided the AD10 is really a fantastic unit and there's probably a reason I see more Soulmates for sale than AD10s.

[Marshall]

Yeah. The foot switches are tempting. But I don't do much messing around. Once I find a sound I like I don't change much.

I don't use a piezo pickup. Mine is a Skysonic Pro-1 which is a Mag with a SBT and volume control for each on the unit. But I really liked the "Ambience" sound in the review videos (with a piezo) . A very light reverbie thing without being really noticeable. And I want a good subtle delay and EQ features.

[waterlooz]

Hi Marshall,

Here are my thoughts on the T-Rex.

The T-Rex is precise sounding. (no negative connotation intended.) For playing live, it cuts through quite well and requires less adjusting than my old pedalboard (Polytune to Mini Ego compressor to Vapor Trail Delay to TC Electronic 3rd Dimension Chorus to Fire Eye-Red Eye (DI) out to a Schertler Jam 150).

I had been worried it might be too metallic sounding after watching the youtube demos but it is not. I ran my Taylor and Collings acoustics through it testing the ES2, ESB, and K&K pickups. All the pickups sounded great through the T-Rex and the fact that it's all inside one unit is ideal for me. The color on the sound is great. It is very clear and articulate, perhaps crisp, like a Roland JC-120. I was able to dial in softer tones with the EQ stage but mostly keep the EQ flat.

Within a day, I had the looper figured out and the effects dialed in and it is excellent The Compressor is transparent when dialed back and the Modulation is solid. The Delay stage is great and I was able to dial up slap back and Edge style delays on the fly. The reverb is fine for any live application - They claim it is Hall but I found the upper frequency focus (when the mix was pat 1/3) to be more "plate" like. The shimmer feature is excellent and adds a whole other effect for the user. The tuner is solid as is the boost function.

Overall, it is a keeper for me. At this level, it's just preference. Happy Hunting!

[Joe.Manganese]

Well i have written a couple of reviews on ad10 vs trex already. All I can add is that my trex that I sold all of a sudden during rehearsal went silent and u had to unplug it and back on (there is no on off switch on the trex which is beyond my understanding). I have read that the same happened to other users, seems like a bug (the trex is digital as is the ad10).
Apart from that single time I have no regrets because the chorus and reverbs in ad10 are simply on another level, and I need a feedback control that ad10 does excellently.
I could never bond with the trex despite I tried to like it as much as I could. When I got ad10, paradise. I use it as a backup since I have a dedicated acoustic pedal board made with expensive stuff . I think it is a must have even of you are used to expensive reverbs this ad10 can give you decent backup. The trex could not imho

[Marshall]

Thanks people. Any other thoughts? Keep them coming.

[tadol]

No experience with the AD10 - love my T Rex - everything about it works extremely well, is very simple to use/adjust, and is everything I want in one box.

[Greyhound]

Marshall, PM sent to you.

[Marshall]

Well I popped for the Boss AD-10. Ordered one. We'll see how that goes.

[Photojeep]

I'm late to the party but I think you will really like the AD-10. One thing to be aware of is the owner's manual that comes with your unit may not be the current one. At least that was the case on mine. I went to the BOSS site and downloaded the digital version and it was perfect.

As you mentioned in your initial post, the ambience feature is what sold me on it as well.

Best,
PJ

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Well I popped for the Boss AD-10. Ordered one. We'll see how that goes.

Mine has worked perfectly for years and is heavily gigged.

[Marshall]

I'm back to square one. Nobody has any. My order got cancelled because they're out of stock. I can buy one from Japan and wait a month for it to arrive.

So, I'll have to ponder this a bit.

[Marshall]

Alright I bit the bullet and ordered one (new) from Japan. We’ll see how long it takes.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Alright I bit the bullet and ordered one (new) from Japan. We’ll see how long it takes.

There are some used ones out there: https://www.ebay.com/itm/16560440453...evt=1&mkcid=28