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Boss Pedals...anything wrong with only one brand
- Thread starter Homeslice
- Start date
I agree to a certain extent, but there are some really cool looking pedals out there. Handpainted and etched stuff can look particularly cool.
I wouldn't buy a better looking pedal over a better sounding pedal
Hey OP! This Goose has a delightful OCS and Metalzone for sale.... classified and is up here somewhere.
Boss pedals tend to squash your clean tone but serve a purpose- they are cheap, reliable, and readily available.
Best of luck growing in your role as a bassist!
Boss pedals tend to squash your clean tone but serve a purpose- they are cheap, reliable, and readily available.
Best of luck growing in your role as a bassist!
I use Boss pedals exclusively, but my setup is quite minimal. I have a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive into a GEB-7 Bass EQ into a TU-2 tuner. All housed in a BCB-30 carrying case. It's all about what suits your needs, and this suits mine. Of course YMMV. 
OP, don't get the CEB-3, get the CE-5, it's a way better chorus, don't let the "bass chorus" thing trick you.
Some people are loyal to certain brands and some people aren't, just try stuff out and see what you like, who cares what anyone thinks. IMO/IME, some Boss pedals are awesome an some suck really badly, it's all relative to your tonal needs, which should be your ONLY consideration.
Some people are loyal to certain brands and some people aren't, just try stuff out and see what you like, who cares what anyone thinks. IMO/IME, some Boss pedals are awesome an some suck really badly, it's all relative to your tonal needs, which should be your ONLY consideration.
Nothing wrong with Boss. One reason you will see Boss on a lot of boards (both amateur and professional) is that they are reliable, they sound fine, and they are easy to find if you need a replacement. They don't have a very unique sound and aren't going to give you any tonal epiphanies but they do what they say they do (ie: chorus will do a chorus, delay will do a delay, etc). They will work fine with any other brand of pedal and if you truly want the "best sound" it is a good idea to find which manufacturer makes the "best" version of the effect you want. For example, the Boss OC-2 is a very popular octave pedal but if you want a chorus the MXR Bass Chorus is more well regarded choice, for overdrive and fuzz there are tons of options that will beat out Boss.
If you're happy with Boss, stick with it. Don't read the effects forum and delete it and any links to it from all devices-run fast and run far! Your bank account will thank you.
It depends on the brand but in general I think that most effects makers make a few things really well and then lots of other things that others do better.
and I don't think there is any huge benefit in sticking to one maker. Especially if that maker is Boss. I love a few things Boss does - like the old OC-2 and the Blues Driver for guitar (once I got the AnalogMan mod). But most of their other pedals don't do it for me as much as others' equivalent. I have a particular hatred for their delay and autowah.
If you really want to do all Boss - then get one of their multi-effects pedals.
and I don't think there is any huge benefit in sticking to one maker. Especially if that maker is Boss. I love a few things Boss does - like the old OC-2 and the Blues Driver for guitar (once I got the AnalogMan mod). But most of their other pedals don't do it for me as much as others' equivalent. I have a particular hatred for their delay and autowah.
If you really want to do all Boss - then get one of their multi-effects pedals.
Homeslice, you can do what ever you want to do as far as gear and pedals go. Its your rig, your setup, your ears. In the end, YOU have to be happy with what you are playing. IMO Boss makes some great pedals. I myself own about 5 of them and I like them all for different reasons. One of my fav is the ODB3 (stock so far). It has def become a staple for me. But there are TONS of makers out there and they are all doing different things rather or not they are just building a clone of something else, its different maker to maker. Thats what is so cool about pedals, there is so much to choose from and experiment with. That is also expensive. I know this first hand. The good thing about Boss is that they make a really affordable product, especially on the used market. And they are very accessible.
I've never been much of a BOSS fan...at least, not their recent stuff. I had an RV-5 which was admittedly very good, and a BF-3 that could do plenty of things, some very whacked out and unusual, just sounded a little too digital. Older BOSS stuff is where its at! sometimes I'd do anything for the pure and simple, yet classic sounding functionality of the CE-2 chorus. Shame they're a bit pricey. I've always had faith in EHX when it comes to affordable and classic sounds. What i will say for all BOSS pedals is that you could run a tank over them and they'd still work as good as new!
Too bad you can't say the same about EHX pedals. Just stepping on them sometimes will get them shaking at there connection points.
Different pedals sound different, period.
Some have tones that are good, some are crap. It's up to your ear to know what you like/dislike about a pedal's tone and if it fits your playing style, gear, or what you are trying to achieve sonically.
I also would tend to disagree with a previous comment that some people have a "hipster" mentality about pedals and are trying to find what everyone else doesn't have. A lot of times those small and custom pedal manufacturers are doing things outside of the norm, and it's not necessarily a chase to be the only guy to have heard of a pedal, but rather a constant tone chase that may not be found in the common manufacturers.
Addtionally, not all offerings from each company hit their mark for any ONE individual. I love Earthquaker Devices pedals but of the 15 or so pedals I've tried - only 2 or 3 really grab what I'm looking for and compliment my style. Likewise - Ibanez pedals are usually considered cheap and crappy but I have yet to come across a boost pedal that does what my Bottom Booster does - it's cheap, has an extremely noisy engage and its tone is great.
It depends on stacking pedals sometimes as well. A pedal may be crap when engaged by itself, but when paired with another pedal might make something magical. Regarding Boss pedals (and as mentioned above), I think the Metal Zone pedal is a completely useless pedal stand alone for guitar or bass. In my opinion it eats any good tone and craps out something terrible (sorry to offend any fans or guys who can make it work for them
). But I stacked one with my Zvex Distortron the other day and I had an awesome Lemmy-esque Marshall grind.
Just some food for thought.
Some have tones that are good, some are crap. It's up to your ear to know what you like/dislike about a pedal's tone and if it fits your playing style, gear, or what you are trying to achieve sonically.
I also would tend to disagree with a previous comment that some people have a "hipster" mentality about pedals and are trying to find what everyone else doesn't have. A lot of times those small and custom pedal manufacturers are doing things outside of the norm, and it's not necessarily a chase to be the only guy to have heard of a pedal, but rather a constant tone chase that may not be found in the common manufacturers.
Addtionally, not all offerings from each company hit their mark for any ONE individual. I love Earthquaker Devices pedals but of the 15 or so pedals I've tried - only 2 or 3 really grab what I'm looking for and compliment my style. Likewise - Ibanez pedals are usually considered cheap and crappy but I have yet to come across a boost pedal that does what my Bottom Booster does - it's cheap, has an extremely noisy engage and its tone is great.
It depends on stacking pedals sometimes as well. A pedal may be crap when engaged by itself, but when paired with another pedal might make something magical. Regarding Boss pedals (and as mentioned above), I think the Metal Zone pedal is a completely useless pedal stand alone for guitar or bass. In my opinion it eats any good tone and craps out something terrible (sorry to offend any fans or guys who can make it work for them
). But I stacked one with my Zvex Distortron the other day and I had an awesome Lemmy-esque Marshall grind.Just some food for thought.
I've owned many BOSS pedals. Now I own zero BOSS pedals. Do whatever you like. If it sounds good to you who cares. If it is more important to have your pedal board matching then go right ahead. Yes I think there are better pedals than BOSS but that being said there were plenty of BOSS pedals along the way that helped me figure out what tone I was really looking for even though I have used them and ditched them at the local music store. Couple of them I actually miss.
This is a great place to find reviews and personal opinions but at the end of the day you only have your ears and if they are telling you BOSS is where its at, then that is where its at. Good luck in your pedal adventures. It is an expensive love affair that seems to be always changing.
This is a great place to find reviews and personal opinions but at the end of the day you only have your ears and if they are telling you BOSS is where its at, then that is where its at. Good luck in your pedal adventures. It is an expensive love affair that seems to be always changing.
Boss makes a good product line that is constructed well and offers a variety of sonic options. And if you look on almost any touring pro's or iconic musician's pedal board you will see Boss pedals. It just comes down to choosing what suits your needs.
people seem to get by with em. personally i like the sounds i can get from combining the work of various manufacturers.
The best advice I can give is to keep playing. If you like pedals, use them. If you are new, you are probably still developing an ear & a playing style.
As you grow musically your taste in pedals will change. Line6, BOSS, Digitech and other cheap manufacturers make pedals that will change your sound. As you learn what you like and what you like to hear, your demand from a pedal, amp and bass will grow.
I started with BOSS & Line6, and am forever grateful that someone put everything into one box so I could learn how to hear. As my taste changed, I knew the specific sounds I wanted to play, and the style that I wanted.
In amongst a board filled with really good-for-me & expensive pedals, you will find a Boss LS-2. I don't need anything "better" than it because the boutique $400 version causes no change in my tone, so why spend the extra $300 - that's the price of another pedal!!!
Same thing with my good friends rig - lots of EHX collectable and modified to his liking, along with two BOSS pedals - PQ-3B & FT-2. Without those pedals, his sound isn't right.
IF you want to learn pedals, learn how they sound, and how they work. As your ear develops you will know what you want. If you want pedals to gig, BOSS fit the bill until you have your own tech to baby your rig
. I'm just a hobbyist, and would never fly my rig on a commercial jet unless I was making lots of money doing so.
Edit: I forgot to add: BOSS pedals for me became generic, sterile and lacking interaction between each other. Boutique and vintage pedals have this ability to mingle, morph and work together. That's what I look for, that's what I found, now I'm happy. Magic happens when these things start talking to each other, and that magic is mine, for me, for creativity.
As you grow musically your taste in pedals will change. Line6, BOSS, Digitech and other cheap manufacturers make pedals that will change your sound. As you learn what you like and what you like to hear, your demand from a pedal, amp and bass will grow.
I started with BOSS & Line6, and am forever grateful that someone put everything into one box so I could learn how to hear. As my taste changed, I knew the specific sounds I wanted to play, and the style that I wanted.
In amongst a board filled with really good-for-me & expensive pedals, you will find a Boss LS-2. I don't need anything "better" than it because the boutique $400 version causes no change in my tone, so why spend the extra $300 - that's the price of another pedal!!!
Same thing with my good friends rig - lots of EHX collectable and modified to his liking, along with two BOSS pedals - PQ-3B & FT-2. Without those pedals, his sound isn't right.
IF you want to learn pedals, learn how they sound, and how they work. As your ear develops you will know what you want. If you want pedals to gig, BOSS fit the bill until you have your own tech to baby your rig
. I'm just a hobbyist, and would never fly my rig on a commercial jet unless I was making lots of money doing so.Edit: I forgot to add: BOSS pedals for me became generic, sterile and lacking interaction between each other. Boutique and vintage pedals have this ability to mingle, morph and work together. That's what I look for, that's what I found, now I'm happy. Magic happens when these things start talking to each other, and that magic is mine, for me, for creativity.
