Mooer GE300 review

The Chinese effects giant takes the fight to Line 6 and Boss

(Image: © Olly Curtis/Future)

MusicRadar Verdict

Mooer's GE300 is a slightly more affordable approach to high-end multi-FX, and a worthy competitor to Line 6 and Boss.

Pros

  • +

    Great amp and effects tones

  • +

    Excellent user interface and build quality

  • +

    • Synth engine is impressive

Cons

  • -

    Still not the most immediate to use

  • -

    • More effects available elsewhere

  • -

    • Hard to distinguish from the competition

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What is it?

The GE300 is Mooer's flagship multi-effects pedal, packing 108 digital amp models, as well as 164 effects, 43 optional factory cab sims and a fully featured IR loader.

There’s also the Synth Engine, a new tri-voice polyphonic synthesis module with options for wave form, pitch, filters and arpeggiators, plus a Tone Capture feature and a ton of I/O options.

The exhaustive feature list also includes 10 customisable footswitch controls, a programmable stereo effects loop, 30-minute looper with storable loop sessions, external device switching and direct USB audio.

Performance and verdict

Although the GE300 faces considerable competition from the likes of Line 6, Boss, HeadRush and Fractal Audio, its impressive array of amps is hard to fault, spanning Fender to Marshall to modern US-style models.

The onboard impulse responses certainly deliver, while the array overdrives, distortions, modulations, delays and reverb do a decent job of emulating the original effects.

While the Line 6 Helix LT has a greater range of effects, and the HeadRush Pedalboard's touchscreen makes it a more immediate unit, the Mooer GE300 delivers on both the amp and effects front, which makes it more of an all-rounder than some of its competitors - more exploratory guitarists will love the fully featured polyphonic synth, too.

The GE300 marks a notable step up from Mooer, with a smaller footprint than its rivals and rock-solid build quality. Its tones and feature set may not position it miles ahead of its rivals, but it's certainly worth weighing up if you're in the market for a Helix or similar, particularly if synth and amp sounds are particularly important to you.

MusicRadar verdict: Mooer's GE300 is a slightly more affordable approach to high-end multi-FX, and a worthy competitor to Line 6 and Boss.

Hands-on demos

Thomann

Ola Englund

Spectre Sound Studios

Specifications

  • 108 amp models, 43 factory cab sims, 20 IR user slots
  • 164 effects
  • 10 footswitches, 5 parameter knobs, quick select block switches, XLR output, headphone output, master output, main select knob, 5 parameter controls, rocker footswitch
  • Aux in, exp2 in, guitar/line in, stereo out, stereo send, stereo return, headphones, midi in, stereo XLR outs, USB, midi out/thru
  • Laptop-style power brick
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