Boss Pedals...anything wrong with only one brand

[Homeslice]

As a fairly new bass player, recently I bit the bullet and upgraded my gear to a nice 4x10 stack with svt pro 7 and bought my first bass pedal from Boss (DS-1 distortion)

I see a ton of different brands being discussed and people mixing and matching their pedals, and haven't' seen anyone strictly using just one brand of effects pedals.

So with that, I'm curious if there is something wrong with buying just Boss pedals, as I really like my DS-1 and want to add more Boss pedals.
I understand pricing is important to most people, but to me, I kind of like the way Boss makes their pedals almost identical to each other (with color change to know which pedal is which) and I think that money isn't important, and would spend more to get all the same brand/look, compared to a cheaper alternative that isn't the same brand.

Basically my question is, do people mix and match because Boss has only a few good pedals, but others are better?
lets say my next pedal I want is the CEB-3 (chorus). Would people tell me to steer clear of it just because they think another brand is significantly better and that it would be smarter to mix, than to match.

I feel like any change I can make to my sound is "better" than anything I have currently, so is it really worth changing out a brand of pedal because it is that much better than said brand over looks?

Hope this makes sense, and sorry if this has been discussed before.

Thanks!

 

[Unrepresented]

If aesthetics of your pedalboard is a priority over selecting the best tone from a box, you can pick whatever will keep your OCD at bay.

 

[Homeslice]

^lol thanks,

your reply almost makes it sound like it may not be worth trying to keep it all in the same family.

Honestly am I being ridiculous in thinking that it is better to keep them all the same over having better sound quality?
Is there that much difference in sound between effect pedals.

 

[AaronVonRock]

Is there that much difference in sound between effect pedals.

Your best bet would be to go to a music store and try out as many pedals as possible. If your interested in a chorus pedal, try every chorus pedal in the store. Don't get hung up on brand names or color schemes. Go with what you think sounds good and how much money you're willing to spend.

 

[Unrepresented]

Is there that much difference in sound between effect pedals.

This forum wouldn't exist if the overwhelming majority of posters didn't believe that the tone differences mattered to them.

 

[TrickPanda]

Sometimes it's about price, sometimes it's about availability, don't even get me started on tone.

That said, there's nothing wrong with having all one brand.

 

[Turtle71]

Is there that much difference in sound between effect pedals.

Absolutely, but only your ears can decide if that difference is worth sacrificing the "matching aesthetics" or the increased costs.

I have had, and still do have a few boss pedals...they do pretty much exactly as described, I however have found that other manufacturers offer a product that just suits my needs better.

So I'm in the "mix and match" camp.

 

[lz4005]

Honestly am I being ridiculous in thinking that it is better to keep them all the same over having better sound quality?

Yes.

 

[Swift713]

If I had to choose a brand to be loyal to (which would never happen) Boss would not even be on my short list.

 

[Dave W]

Honestly am I being ridiculous in thinking that it is better to keep them all the same over having better sound quality?

Do you care what you sound like? If so, yes.

Is there that much difference in sound between effect pedals.

Yes, absolutely.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

If I had to choose a brand to be loyal to (which would never happen) Boss would not even be on my short list.

I would happily use Boss, in fact there was a while when I only bought Boss pedals. I buy them all used so they are dirt cheap plus you don't need to test them out ever. If a Boss pedal turns on, it works, and you can abuse the **** out of them and they will work like day 1. I get you might not like the tone but I find them the best out of the major manufacturers.

Granted I have moved on to other pedals, but Boss still holds a special place in my heart.

 

[OneAri]

I have never had a desire to own a boss pedal as my Pedal Hoarding Disorder places massive emphasis on general aesthetic- for me Boss pedals just look too functional (same goes for EBS, Hardwire etc.) theres so much differentiation in limited run pedal manufacturers. Plus you may easily miss out on some unique features an obscure one-man pedal company dares to incorporate into its designs

It's not a matter of boutique vs commercial either as most Boss stuff is priced just below the nearest 'boutique' pedals

 

[electracoyote]

It's purely aesthetics and brand loyalty.

Once you start A/B'ing pedals, you will hear some oft-profound differences, and, if you're like me, aesthetics and brand loyalty will take a back seat to function and substance.

I own and use several Boss pedals, and I have just as many from other builders that simply out-performed the Boss version to my ears.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I have never had a desire to own a boss pedal as my Pedal Hoarding Disorder places massive emphasis on general aesthetic- for me Boss pedals just look too functional (same goes for EBS, Hardwire etc.) theres so much differentiation in limited run pedal manufacturers. Plus you may easily miss out on some unique features an obscure one-man pedal company dares to incorporate into its designs

It's not a matter of boutique vs commercial either as most Boss stuff is priced just below the nearest 'boutique' pedals

Holy smokes, prices must insane for BOSS gear in Britain. BOSS is way less than boutique equivalents even in Canada. Although I am old enough to remember a time when BOSS pedals were extremely expensive. I think my Chorus and Delay are old enough that the price tags on them read in the $300 range. They are around the $100 range new now.

I think one thing with pedals is that there a lot of hipster minded folks with pedals. They want stuff somebody else doesn't have to say they have it. Nothing wrong with that frame of mind, just I see it more with pedal geeks than amp geeks or bass/guitar geeks who traditionally idolize classic models of things.

 

[lz4005]

I've literally never considered that people would care what pedals looked like. They're little boxes with knobs that make your instrument sound different. They're pure function. They generally can't be seen by the audience when you're playing. It just makes no sense to me at all.

 

[MCS4]

If you think it would be cool, and you dig their pedals, then go for it. Don't let other people shame you into thinking there's something wrong with sticking with a brand you like or making gear choices in part based upon aesthetics.

My pedals come from all different companies (none of them Boss), but that doesn't mean you have to be the same.

 

[JensCambre]

I've literally never considered that people would care what pedals looked like. They're little boxes with knobs that make your instrument sound different. They're pure function. They generally can't be seen by the audience when you're playing. It just makes no sense to me at all.

yes, Yes, YES!!

 

[negativefx]

I've literally never considered that people would care what pedals looked like. They're little boxes with knobs that make your instrument sound different. They're pure function. They generally can't be seen by the audience when you're playing. It just makes no sense to me at all.

That's why I paint dicks on all of my custom pedal builds

 

[Joeynone]

I have loyalty just not to one company.... Boss makes one hell of a tuner. I don't love their effects (except the tremolo) but they are built like a brick shithouse.

I propose to ditch aesthetic and go with quality.... Many companies have awesome looking pedals... IE: Fuzzrocious (see: Broke Dick and grey stache) alsooooo Source Audio color codes and they look bad ass

 

[chaosMK]

I am not crazy about Boss pedals though I own/have owned plenty. I feel like there are better alternatives for almost every type. The RV-3 is it's own thing though.