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Boss Pedals...anything wrong with only one brand

#41
I own pedals by, Line 6, Boss, Digitech, BBE, Tech 21, Morley, electro-harmonix and I do tend to like different brands for different stuff. most of the time I actually just go to the music store and compare every pedal of that type they have.

I use line 6 for most of my effects live but I collect pedals both as a hobby and so I have them just in case i want to use the real deal in the studio. I like tech 21 and electroharmonix specifically for dirt boxes (fuzz, overdrive, distortion and so on. in all honesty the only boss pedal that I continuously use on a regular basis is the LS2. For chorus, whammy, reverb and delays I have a bunch of digitech x series and hardwire pedals.
 
#43
I can't see why you would want to limit yourself to just one manufacturer? You are cutting yourself off from all of the other wonderful stuff that's out there. It would be like picking one restaurant and only ever eating there. You would miss out on all of the other amazing foods that the other restaurants are creating and innovating.

I use some Boss stuff. I have a OC-2, which is hands down my favourite pedal of all time. I have a BF-2 which is a really cool flanger. I have an LS-2 which is one of my most useful purchases ever. But I also have Electro Harmonix, Line 6, Iron Ether, Big Knob, Digitech, Moog, Danelectro, Ashdown and Korg pedals, and most of them are fairly mainstream. There is a whole other world of insane and unique pedals from tiny builders who only make a few things a year and do stuff that you can't find anywhere else. Why cut yourself off from that just so that all of your pedals look the same?
 
#44
Boss is like the industry standard. Affordable, rugged and reliable. There's an entire industry dedicated to modifying them for different tones. They have served me well for decades. Some of mine are below...

BossPedals016.gif
 
#45
I started out with a BOSS multi effect. It had one of every type of effect, which helped me learn what each sounded like, how the controls affected and effected the sound, and which were useful. As my ears and playing developed, (and I started looking at my favorite players' boards) I picked up some stomp boxes and eventually ditched the BOSS multi.

Currently I have DD-6, RV-3, PS-3, and TU-2 on my "big" board; a PS-3 and DD-7 on my "small" board.
I did at have a board that was all Maxon, 7 years ago. As you play, you'll find things you'd want changed, which leads to switching out makes & models.

I'd second getting a BOSS multi effect. When you find deficiencies in sound or function, then start checking out other pedals.
 
#46
There's nothing wrong using exclusively one brand, just like there's nothing wrong mixing it up. I also started using an all-Boss board (because my brothers bought me a BCB-60 as a birthday present) but learned soon enough that all that really did matter was the way it sounded to me (and powering issues :-)). After trying a gazillion pedals made by an almost-equal amount of makers (give or take a few), I can honestly say that [DEL]both[/DEL] Tech21, MXR and 3Leaf Audio are makers I will think about first when looking to buy a new pedal, not only because their stuff is well-made and sounds great, but because their attitude towards customers is impeccable.
 
#49
Homeslice said:
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!
Click to expand...

You can really buy whatever pedals you want, if you must have all Boss pedals than by all means go for it, but I will say that I have a healthy mix of Boss and Electro-Harmonix pedals as well as occasionally using an MXR. The truth is that your pedal board should be chosen to cater to the type of music you play, and if you really want to branch out and get your own unique sound I recommend going to a local music shop and playing all kinds of different pedals, whether they be Boss or whatever brand.

And just as a side thought, the Boss DS-1 is more of a guitar pedal (my brother has one), I have played my bass through it but it tends to suck a little bit of your low end out. If you want a Boss distortion for bass get the ODB-3, I own one and it is a pretty phenomenal bass distortion. It's your preference though, you certainly can use a DS-1 for a bass distortion I've seen it done.

One final closing thought, is that I do understand the appeal of only having Boss pedals to you. Mainly because they are built so ridiculously tough that if you buy one it will last you a life time. On top of this they do offer a fairly wide variety of effects at very fair prices, especially if you go on eBay and look for used ones. So it's whatever floats your boat man but its never bad to keep an open mind to whatever can change your sound for the better :bassist:
 
#50
There's nothing wrong with using all Boss pedals, Robert Smith and Simon Gallup have been using Boss pedals for almost 30 years! I used to have nothing but Boss when I started buying effects (Simon Gallup is quite the influence) but I've found there's better (and more expensive) alternatives for pretty much everything they have and more, although that shouldn't deter you from buying Boss, or any other brand of effects.
 
#53
No. You shouldn't feel bad for only having one brand of pedals on your board. No one should even make you feel bad for having only one brand of pedals on your board. At the end of the day, its your tone and you know what sounds good to your ears.

Of all the flanger pedals I've treid, I found I liked the Boss BF-3 the best. Tracks brilliantly on bass and produces excellent dynamics. However, every Boss dirt pedal I've tried has left me disappointed so I have some boutique overdrive and fuzz pedals to cover those needs. There's really no right or wrong answer for what to stick on your board. If it works for you, why fight it?

People who worry more about the name on their gear are generally the same people who like to wave their dicks around online forums more than actually playing in bands.
 
#54
it is art. you can use a brush, or finger paints, or digital trickery. just use what enables your creative flow. i spend too much time looking at buying gear and twiddling knobs, and not enough time riffing and writing.
 
#55
i nearly only use boss pedals now.

P.S. btw. my board now looks a bit different. and the setup of each pedal isnt really the tone structure i prefer. so don´t think about how the knobs are setup. i now got also a boss delay and a signal splitter (boss line selector - for the expression pedals). didn´t get the chance to test it much in the current setup so far. but i am working on it of course.
 

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#57
Alien8 said:
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!!!
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i use an LS-2 to blend 2 flavors of dirt & was prepared to spend more if i'd run across phase issues, since the LS-2 does not have an invert phase option & some of the more expensive options from other brands do. luckily the cheaper pedal worked for me.
 
#59
Your particular combination of pedals is like a sonic finger print. Factors include, taste, technical knowledge, funds, complexity, simplicity and looks. All go towards making your sound. Everybody's in search of their sound. There's little you can achieve with one brand alone because other stomp boxes may get you what you want quicker. Not saying you shouldn't - just suggesting your reasons should be sound ones(see what I did there?)!
 

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