Boss Effects Pedals Buying Guide

First released in 1977, Boss compact pedals have been perennial fixtures on pedalboards ever since. Their distinctive metal enclosures offer more than enough durability to last years of hard gigging, while their wide-ranging color schemes make them easy to spot. Most importantly, the compact pedals' impressive tone has made them an integral part of countless guitarists' rigs, ranging from day-one beginners to touring professionals.

Introduced in 1978, the ubiquitous DS-1 has survived decades worth of musical trends. Famous for its signature grinding tone and affordable price, this distortion pedal is most well known for being a staple on the pedalboards of players as diverse as Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai, as well as being many guitarists' beloved first pedal.

From the earliest days of crafting their digital delay pedals, Boss had been developing digital looping capabilities. Unfortunately, the record/memory time on these early looping functions was measured in seconds, leaving lots to be desired. Introduced in the mid-2000s, the first Loop Station rocketed past those primitive limitations by recording up to tens of minutes, finally freeing artists to create complex, layered songs on the fly.

Nowadays, having only minutes of looping seems quaint by comparison. Take the RC-10R Rhythm Loop Station: With up to 6 hours of record time, this heavy-duty looper can handle more content than you'll probably ever need, yet at the same time offers players the freedom to produce nearly limitless compositions.

As the Japanese term for art and technique, "Waza" was really the only choice when Boss christened these special-edition pedals. Proudly built in Japan, the Waza Craft pedals are premium versions of a handful of classic, current-production Boss models, as well as a few long-discontinued favorites. Crafted with carefully selected components and built with the utmost attention to detail, Waza Craft pedals offer players the most refined Boss experience.

Each Waza Craft pedal comes fresh out of the box with two modes: Standard and Custom. Standard mode maintains each pedal's distinctive tone and characteristics that made them special in the first place. Custom mode hot-rods the effects with modified or modernized features, such as a longer delay time on the DM-2w, and access to the iconic sounds of the acclaimed CE-1 on the CE-2w.

With the 200 Series, Boss looks to the future of high-performance effects pedals, with unmatched tone and clarity offered by 32-bit AD/DA conversion, 32-bit internal processing, and a 96 kHz sampling rate. With support for external footswitches, expression pedals and MIDI, you'll have all the control you need to sound your best. Each pedal also includes memory slots to save your favorite presets for instant recall anytime.

The 200 Series is currently available in four flavors: the OD-200 Hybrid Drive, DD-200 Digital Delay, MD-200 Modulation, and EQ-200 Graphic. Pick one up today and start pushing your own sonic boundaries.

Not to be outdone by the 200 Series, the 500 Series pedals are the big kahunas of the Boss individual effects lineup. Loaded with hundreds of effects, these pedals also feature impressive 32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit/96 kHz audio quality, as well as a wide selection of highly musical effects algorithms. With nearly 300 user patches available (and the ability to use two patches at a time), you'll always come prepared to play any set. Each model also includes a large integrated display that makes diving into the deep functions of each model a breeze.

After you pick up a 500 Series pedal, you may never need to buy another effect again! Choose from the DD-500 Digital Delay, MD-500 Modulation, RV-500 Reverb, or the Boss VE-500 Vocal Performer to optimize and modernize your gigging rig.

Not sure what to pick out? Then try them all! With so many options, we don't blame you if you're not exactly sure what to procure for your next sonic discovery. This is exactly where multi-effects units come into play. These all-in-one aural behemoths are overflowing with a variety of effects dead-set on keeping your creativity simmering for a long time to come. Engage multiple effects at once, and give them some movement with on-board expression pedals.

As Boss's flagship multi-effects unit, the GT-1000 offers over 100 different kinds of effects that you can manipulate and twist into any sounds you want. With GT-1000's inclusion of a wide range of amplifier models, you can even leave your real amp rig at home and just plug straight into the house PA with impeccable results. How convenient is that?