Are Boss the pinnacle of all pedals?

[Marsvoltian]

It seems that everytime i mention that i am considering buying a delay, reverb or pitchshifter the response is always the same. 'Get a Boss'.

Is this statement what you all agree with or is their something else that you recommend?

[ridgeback]

i like boss pedals..they just work for me,i still have and use a ce2 chorus that must be 20years+ old and it still sounds as good as when i got it..

[cnltb]

Most certainly no pinnacle of anything

Boss are comparatively inexpensive and as far as I was told sell on well too.
There are plenty manufacturers to chose from though.
mxr, ebs, and a huge number more...

[JimmyM]

eh, boss makes good stuff but usually you can find other stuff that's as good or better. not always, though. but it's a case by case basis. just read the threads here to find out what's good for bass that they make.

[dune2k]

The thing with Boss pedals is, that they are pretty solid built, easily available (which is important esp. for touring bands!), pretty cheap compared to some boutique stuff and on top of all that they sound good to at least OK.

[Jake of Bass]

If you're quite picky often some of the more expensive boutique pedals will do the trick better, but Boss still have some great pedals and as far as wide range I can't think of anyone who does quite as many different types of pedals as Boss do.

[Swift713]

Certainly not the pinnacle, but solid and reliable. I've always really liked their delays. There's a current thread about bypass frequency analysis that explains why you might not want more than one or two Boss pedals on your board however.

[gus1894]

Price point and retail availability doesn't make something the best, even if it makes them the biggest. Personally, I've sold or returned every Boss pedal I've owned. But that's just IMO - others swear by them. Personal opinion and experience is really what matters.

I will say that they are built well, and can take a beating. My guitarist friend and I have passed his Boss Flanger back and forth a few times. The thing is early '90's and still keeps ticking.

[Jimbob Jones]

They're the industry standard. Whether that makes them the 'pinacle of all pedals' I don't know. They're (mostly) cheap, sound acceptable and refuse to die. That's why Boss is so popular.

Roland/Boss between them probably release less than 20 new products a year, across the board. For a company that big, that's nothing: they have pedals still in production that they released over 20 years ago! Some would say it's because they don't need replacing, and I would admit I'd be unhappy if they discontinued the DS-1, DD-3, or other classic pedals. But the truth is these pedals haven't been replaced/upgraded because Boss doesn't push that much on R&D/ne products, compared to other companies such as EHX. Boss make their money by pushing their advertising/marketing much more than any other pedal company. This means that every guitar shop you go into, every music website you visit, has a nice set of Boss pedals on sale.

I like Boss, I wouldn't by any means say they're the best, but I like them for what they are. IMO threads like this are started not because Boss make astoundingly good effects pedals, but because they have a rock-solid business plan.

[Swift713]

Oh, and they're especially good if you're in an 80's cover band.

[phatbass]

Boss are ideal for a first, affordable, professional standard pedal of whatever type (chorus, delay, etc,) you're needing. Like a Precision, they're gonna be, at worst, okay for your needs.

And like a Precision, after a while you may decide you're after something a bit different and enter the never-ending cycle of pedal GAS.

[Darkglass]

I saw in a Stompbox book a SD-1 made of gold, it was the 5th million built!!!! And the book wasn't that new, I bet they have built a "few" more millions since then...
Wether you like them or not, they are probably the most sold pedals in the industry.

[Jeff 66]

I'd just about bet that Pino Palladino is responsible for the sale of a few million Boss OC-2 Octave pedals.

After hearing I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down, who didn't want that sound?






First post... BTW

[Swimming Bird]

+1 to industry standard.

They make very solid products that work well. Settings-wise, you can usually push them past the realm of typical pedals, which is nice to be sure. And they have released some oddballs over the years (the PS-3 springs to mind).

I didn't think too much of it, but two of the five pedals on my small board are Boss (a DD-6 and a PH-3).

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by gus1894

Price point and retail availability doesn't make something the best, even if it makes them the biggest. Personally, I've sold or returned every Boss pedal I've owned. But that's just IMO - others swear by them. Personal opinion and experience is really what matters.

I will say that they are built well, and can take a beating. My guitarist friend and I have passed his Boss Flanger back and forth a few times. The thing is early '90's and still keeps ticking.

Just to give a different view - I started my board with everything but Boss pedals and ended up selling/trading almost everything to get the Boss equivalent

[MrTAteMyBalls]

I have owned several in the past, but my current board has no boss pedals. I havent had one in years. They are mostly decent, and well made.

[fitz420]

not the pinnacle but...well made, decent sounding and fairly priced. now...the fact that you need reverb, delay and a pitchshifter is possibly why people keep recommending boss to you. they do a good job on all 3 of these effects. try the rv-3 for reverb and delay. great pedal. if you needed a fuzz, bass overdrive and accurate tuner, people may have given different suggestions.

[chicago_mike]

"Get a Boss" is like "get a Fender".

Marketing is brainwashing.

[Pandafist]

hell to the no

[Eric!]

I was going to type something fairly similar to Pandafist's, but instead, he just gets a +1