"Regular" Boss pedals vs. "Waza Craft"

[Greenman72]

Is there a real difference? If so, what? And is it worth paying for?
Or is this simply a really good way of parting the fools from their money?

EG - Here's a Boss DS-1 for $70, and the equivalent Waza Craft for $165.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DS1--boss-ds-1-distortion-pedal
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DS1W--boss-ds-1w-waza-craft-distortion-pedal

 

[Sam Evans]

Are they different? I don't know, but there are objective ways one could determine this (and not just "it sounds different to me ... ").

Are they better? There's no objective answer to this; it's going to be personal preference.

Are they worth it? Again, there's no objective answer to this. We have to stop talking like a price is something that can be objectively determined outside of anything other than people's willingness to pay for it.

If the DS-1W does sound different, someone likes that difference, and is willing to spend the coin to buy it, then that's kinda that ...

 

[eddybuzzard]

In the mid '80s I had purchased the then new Dimension C (for ~$150, IIRC), and it was certainly an awesome pedal,
especially in my two amp stereo set-up at the time. I eventually went through a simplifying era in the '90s, and I sold it.
(BTW, I've been through several simplifying eras in my life, LOL!)
When Boss released the Waza Craft version several years ago, I just had to try it again, and was completely impressed with.
The OG had only four selections, but the re-issue has 20 possible pre-sets, including a selectable C (pedal) mode, or the D (rack) version.
The increase of features alone, for less than a hundred more than the original, made it well worth the purchase.
And being a supporter of MIUSA and MIJ stuff, I thought it was definitely worth the higher price, and would probably choose the Waza version,
should the situation ever arise again.

 

[DanAdams]

My guess:
Boss is tired of everyone else essentially copying their pedals and charging boutique prices...
So why not just do it yourself?

 

[Discount Bassy]

It is one way to indicate that your standard pedals are lacking in some way and readily remedied by your own company design team for an additional charge without losing the market for cheaper pedals. Boss stuff generally works well from the get-go.

Disclaimer: I own several Boss TU-3's, an ancient RC-20 and a fancy RC-505 mk2. I would not upgrade any of them for a Wazacraft logo, as they are entirely sufficient for my purposes in the lowly base trim.

 

[ghiggin1079]

I feel like each Waza craft pedal has a Waza mode that gives you more "value" I guess

 

[humbuckaroo]

I think they're largely a scam. Twice the price or more for a switch or some settings options that give you a variation on the existing sound of the pedal. I've never heard a Waza that objectively betters the tone of a pedal enough to justify the price.

The TU-3 Waza has to be the biggest ripoff of all.

 

[Dincrest]

Is top-notch Japanese craftsmanship worth the extra price to you? Since the Waza pedals are made in Japan and the regular Boss ones are not.

Is the passive made-in-Japan Yamaha BB Pro worth it over the less expensive made-in-Indonesia BB700 with an active preamp? If you place your value in features, then no. But if you place your value in the impeccable quality of Japanese craftsmanship, then yes.

Is a Japanese-made Ibanez Prestige Soundgear bass worth it over a less expensive, Indonesia-made Premium Soundgear? If you place your value in features, then not really. But if you place your value in the impeccable quality of Japanese craftsmanship, then yes.

I've played and/or owned basses made in South Korea, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Germany, USA, and Japan. Some were definitely better than others, but for the most part they were good instruments. Of all those basses, the Japanese ones had the tightest craftsmanship. So for me, yeah, the impeccable quality of Japanese craftsmanship is worth it.

I've owned many American and Japanese cars over the years. Every American car I had started breaking down at around 75,000 miles. Every Japanese car I had was barely breaking in around 75,000 miles. So for me, yeah, that top quality most reliable car Japanese craftsmanship is worth it. I'd buy a Toyota over a Ford any day.

 

[blastoff]

aren't they made in Japan instead of.. wherever else ? i also thought they did reissues of legacy pedals that aren't necessarily available any more. thats just my memory i could be totally wrong. anyways. some people like expensive things whereas most people are fine with.. whatever. in the grand scheme, its really nothing to get too worked up over. i actually don't have many boss pedals. just an old OC2 i think. that says Octaver with the "r". does it sound better because of the "r" ? i mean... OBVIOUSLY!

 

[eddybuzzard]

I've had a couple of DS-1s over the years, one in the early '80s (when my Big Muff suddenly seemed too big),
and one in the early aughts (for nostalgic reasons), and both were fantastic pedals.
Due to my Dimension C experience mentioned earlier, I would guess the Waza is just as good, if not better than my OG, or later Taiwan unit.
I'm fairly certain you can't go wrong with either version, and it would boil down to your budget

 

[Lefty Joe]

Is there a real difference? If so, what? And is it worth paying for?
Or is this simply a really good way of parting the fools from their money?

EG - Here's a Boss DS-1 for $70, and the equivalent Waza Craft for $165.

well, it's got "Custom Mode" -- whatever that may be -- and possibly only accessible via computer. But for those who like options ...

I haven't opened up a lot of pedals, but sometimes they can use a little tweaking. And sometimes I just put up with them the way they are.

 

[birminghambass]

Pedals are like wine. Expensive just HAS to be better, right?

 

[Michedelic]

Waza matter with you, it’s crafted. Just like with beer, it’s automatically better.

 

[Eric Wolfe]

I think they're largely a scam. Twice the price or more for a switch or some settings options that give you a variation on the existing sound of the pedal. I've never heard a Waza that objectively betters the tone of a pedal enough to justify the price.

The TU-3 Waza has to be the biggest ripoff of all.

My experience exactly....I suppose I was sold on the blue LED thing, which the turned out to be a nightmare on stage...

 

[drumrtommy]

Id have to say it would depend on the pedal. I absolutely love the sound and simplicity of my CE2W. I preferred that over the walrus audio Julia, which is no slouch! I was fortune to get my Waza at a discount so the prices were very similar.

I don’t know if all the waza series pedals are worth it, and I have a hard time justifying the price tag for some. A DS1? Probably not, the fuzz? Maybe since there are more “settings” but again I’d have to have money burning a hole in my pocket for that to happen.

Side note. I’m trying out an all Boss board other than my two notes bass revolt. For odd reasons I won’t get into, so I’ve been down this waza research tunnel for a little bit

 

[cataract]

I’ve owned the same Boss TU-2 tuner pedal since the year they released (still have the paper receipt in its box somewhere lol) and it has seen and still gets heavy use. I purchased a TU-3W to supplement my actual pedalboard while keeping the TU-2 as my beater / around the house tuning pedal. I keep a fresh 9V battery in it and it always does the trick.

The TU-3W is great- it tracks a smidge quicker than the TU-2. The big selling point to me (other than the blue & green LED display) is its True Bypass switch. Sometimes a new pedal doesn’t play well with the Boss buffer, so I simply switch it off. It’s usually set to bypassed, just because. At any rate, all of the Waza offerings have this same sort of selective functionality that may or may not suit your needs. But its cool that they all have added options that seem to be well thought out and IMO executed with finesse. This is all just the opinion of some old guy on Talkbass though, so YMMV lol

 

[logdrum]

I have a few made in Japan BOSS pedals that are old - before WAZA. They seem to be more open, have more character than the Made in Taiwan. But but .. they are also noisier. They can take a beating in the front end though and I was told the Op Amps used in the past where burlier. WAZA feel premium but do not have the character of old MIJ BOSS. But I do know little and don't care

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

They’re Japanese made, and let’s be real, that speaks volumes.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I’ve owned the same Boss TU-2 tuner pedal since the year they released (still have the paper receipt in its box somewhere lol) and it has seen and still gets heavy use. I purchased a TU-3W to supplement my actual pedalboard while keeping the TU-2 as my beater / around the house tuning pedal. I keep a fresh 9V battery in it and it always does the trick.

The TU-3W is great- it tracks a smidge quicker than the TU-2. The big selling point to me (other than the blue & green LED display) is its True Bypass switch. Sometimes a new pedal doesn’t play well with the Boss buffer, so I simply switch it off. It’s usually set to bypassed, just because. At any rate, all of the Waza offerings have this same sort of selective functionality that may or may not suit your needs. But its cool that they all have added options that seem to be well thought out and IMO executed with finesse. This is all just the opinion of some old guy on Talkbass though, so YMMV lol

My experience was more or less the exact opposite.

I stupidly bought the WazaCraft TU-3W without testing it first. I found it totally useless because the insanely strong blue LEDs (at any setting) completely overpowered the tiny green LED in the center, making it very difficult to see the green LED. Especially on dark stages, because I was effectively blinded by the strong, blue LEDs. It was impossible to actually see the green center-LED. This of course made it impossible to see whether I was in tune, which meant that the tuner failed at doing the ONE thing it was supposed to do. It worked better in rooms with more light, or outdoors, but on a dimly lit stage I found it totally and utterly useless at any setting.

The only extra feature that isn't available on the standard TU-3 is the true bypass, which I didn't need. One of the reasons I like Boss tuners is that they give me a decent buffer at the start of my pedal chain.

The TU-3W is one of VERY few pedals I sold it again almost immediately, because I couldn't find any use for it whatsoever. I got a regular TU-3 (and also fixed my old TU-2) instead. Much better! I actually love Boss-tuners, just not the Waza.

With other Waza-pedals there are of course OTHER additional features. I think Waza pedals should be purchased based on whether you think you will like these extra features enough to justify the higher price. Not because Waza-pedals are inherently better somehow, because they're really not.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

They’re Japanese made, and let’s be real, that speaks volumes.

They're designed by the exact same company who made the standard versions, and the build quality of standard (non-Waza) Boss pedals is also so good that I honestly don't see how this could make much difference?

I mean, no matter what the marketing "suggests", we're not exactly talking about hand-crafted boutique products here. I don't think the robot stuffing the circuit boards will do a better job because it's located in Japan rather than China.

This is meant to be a POSITIVE comment about the build quality of Boss pedals btw. They're generally fantastic in this respect, no matter where they're made. Like them of not, they're built like tanks, Waza or otherwise. You're not really getting an objectively better quality product with the Wazas, just some extra features that you may or may not like.