Riding the Boss Renaissance

[Futuron]

Boss is boss. (someone had to say it)

They are like Toyota - they last forever, and if there's a market for a model, they sell it. You never really need to go elsewhere (not that you can't do as well or better elsewhere of course)

I have 20-30 of the things.

[mynameisjonas]

I've been rocking an all-Boss board for the past 6 or 7 years, with the exception of a NUX Tape Core Deluxe that I had on my board for about a year (now replaced by an RE-2).
I just love the form factor and their ruggedness. I often take advantage of the possibility of easily switching 3-4 pedals at the same time, something that would be more or less impossible with most other pedals. I really can't see myself ever needing another non-Boss pedal.

My Boss collection currently consists of:
TU-2 ( x 2 )
SD-1
BD-2 ( x 2)
OD-3 ( x 2)
DS-1
HM-2
HM-3
FZ-2
FZ-3
TR-2
CE-5
RE-2

Next on the list would probably be a DM-2w, I had one a few years ago that I sold, but I'm putting together a second board that needs a delay of some sort. I haven't decided yet though, I might go the other direction and get a DD-3 instead.

[JSett]

Tell a lie, there is a Boss pedal on my board, my old CH-1.

I bought it at 13 years old, along with my first Rat, at a pawn shop in Cambridge City for £25 (the Rat was £20). I still have both but the OG Rat is in the drawer.

[sal paradise]

Tell a lie, there is a Boss pedal on my board, my old CH-1.

I bought it at 13 years old, along with my first Rat, at a pawn shop in Cambridge City for £25 (the Rat was £20). I still have both but the OG Rat is in the drawer.

Still got the hand-painted blues driver on your live board? Loved how that interacted with your tele & the Victory head.

Also, talk about covering a lot of awesome basses with minimum number of pedals on that board

[JSett]

Still got the hand-painted blues driver on your live board? Loved how that interacted with your tele & the Victory head.

Also, talk about covering a lot of awesome basses with minimum number of pedals on that board

Yep, the Kirby KRB-1 Driver is still the only thing in the gigging one alongside a TU-3. I don't really need anything else. The Balls amp replaced the Victory and sounds a lot better - but still the same vibe.

The home board does all I ever need really and I can just throw things in front of I want to mix things up. I'll have to make space for the Tamagotchi though

[MrShake]

I love Boss. My main/live board has settled definitively, after 20-some years, in needing a DD-5 and old Boss reverb. They're just what works for me, and there's usually a BF-2 as well.

But I do love these classics so much, I have more. My "Boss Board" is duplicates, oldies that I've moved on from, etc. But it's perfect.



My "secondary board" is for experimenting and noodling and leaning heavy into effects like multiple delays and tripped out swells and ricochet lead lines, beyond my usual "garage punk, plus psychy effects". It's not all Boss, but most of its mojo comes from what Boss IS there, and all of it has that "of it's era" pixie dust for old-school shoegazey/dream poppy blissouts:



And I just recently combined a few stragglers and a a pair of utility purchases into a pretty tidy little rig used mostly for a Bass VI-type. More versatile than that, but I wanted a dedicated low board. It's got my first SD-1, too.



My first pedal was that DS-1, then a DD-5, then a BD-2, CE-3, RV-2, and on and on. Never let me down (except one thrashed RV-2 that finally gave out), and always sound good. I never really bought the hype that "Boss sucks, true bypass forever" 10-15 years ago, because mine always sounded good. I've shopped around and the DD-5/RV-x combo has yet to be beat for me, their modulations always sound good to my ear, and their drive/distortion options are what they are and can cover a broad range.

Put me on the list. I'm in for Boss.

(Alright, alright, yes, this might just be showing off, but putting most of my Boss stuff in one place seemed fun. My "main, core, 'this is my sound' board" is up top, its non-union live equivalent below. Each has some unique tricks and plenty of critical Boss elements:)

[echobaseone]

I got a PN-2 for my birthday in 1991 and it has never left the board. In fact it predates anything resembling a board.
Just picked up a DM-101, and it might just out-DMM the DMM.

[Jaguar018]

My biggest pedal disappointment was the first pedal I bought in the early 90s, a Boss OD-1. While I'm sure it's a great pedal, the young jaguar018 just wanted a distortion pedal and the music store guy didn't seem to understand that... and I didn't either.

I had a rainbow selection of Boss pedals after that. Delay, Phaser, Chorus, and maybe a few others. Those didn't work for me either at the time. I liked Lush too but I'll be damned if I was able to sound like that. Basically I was an idiot out there on my own who didn't have the internet or, more appropriate for the time, the right set of friends who could guide me on how to use pedals. As intuitive, universal, and available as Boss are, I gotta say I never could make them sound the way I wanted to.

But I knew the issue was really more with me than Boss, and I am still a big fan. I recently got a Waza HM-2. Total impulse purchase. It sort of sounds like a Rat to me? Isn't as 'metal' as I thought it would be. I have two Boss Loopers. Started with the RC-3 and now have the RC-10. Favorite pedal of theirs is the RE-202. I had a RE-20 for a bit (that was the first Boss pedal that I really understood), and I like the RE-202 a lot.

[JSett]

One of the things I like about Boss is their commitment to making their pedals brightly coloured (for the most part) or colour-coordinated on genre. Like, the delays are all white, Metal pedals are black, distortions/ODs are yellows and oranges, Chorus pedals are light blue, etc.

It makes finding them on boards very intuitive. And they look great.

[interceptör]

Two words: Hyper Fuzz.

[sal paradise]

I love Boss.

Let’s be honest, I started this thread 50% with you in mind.

I love your love for all things pedals, Mikey

[F15hface]

I have a whopping two boss pedals - an HF-2 and a TU-3. Both are on the board. The HF-2 does all the flanging I need, pretty much exactly as I want it. It sounds like a flanger, but doesn't eat up the sound as much as most other flangers seem to. Definitely more subtle than demos of other flangers seem. The TU-3 power out lets me use the HF-2 without a 12v supply, which is handy. So is keeping me in tune.

A lot of the Waza pedals look really good. I definitely want to try out the BD-2, DS-1, DC-2, and VB-2 at some point.

[MrShake]

I love Boss.

Let’s be honest, I started this thread 50% with you in mind.

I love your love for all things pedals, Mikey

Lol, not ALL things, if I haven't ranted about the BS artisinal pedal market being wildly out of control recently, I should crack my knuckles and get typing.

And you've heard some of my stuff, you know all the pedals in the world ain't gonna help me.

I'm currently wildly oversaturated. Other than picking up that HF-2, my recent pedal purchases have been practical, and even the cheap ones have hurt, haha. It's just that the Boss ones hurt a little less because I know I'm getting something rock-solid in performance and build. If I'm gonna spend my money on anything, I may as well make it Boss.

Any luck with YOUR new HF-2? I was gonna mess with mine this weekend and see where I like it set. But mine's gonna be mostly on "Bass VI" with a smidge of limiting/compression and maybe a little SD-1, so it'll probably be a very specific range...

[MrShake]

Two words: Hyper Fuzz.

As of right now, it's the only Waza I'd just go out and buy. The Waza line is cool, don't get me wrong, but price/need hasn't inspired me. I realize we have the Behringer.

I want the Hyper Fuzz.

I NEED the Hyper Fuzz.

[interceptör]

if I haven't ranted about the BS artisinal pedal market being wildly out of control recently, I should crack my knuckles and get typing.

Please do! (But preferably in another thread.)

I want the Hyper Fuzz.

I NEED the Hyper Fuzz.

There you go!