Half a century is a very long time in rock ’n’ roll. Simply as we’ve witnessed a thousand bands and genres blow up then burn out since 1973, scanning the archives reveals an extended line of drugs that launched to fanfare however left the faintest of thumbprints.
With no scarcity of game-changing releases to its identify – from the world’s first digital delay within the type of the DD-2 to the OD-1 pedal that single-handedly invented the overdrive idea – BOSS might have rested on previous glories.
However in 2023, as we discover the Japanese firm on the coronary heart of the trendy music scene, a place it has held for 50 years, it’s a glowing testomony to a lifelong ethos of letting the gamers of every period change into the musicians they need to be.
So, what’s the secret to BOSS’s enduring standing because the model that constructed the world’s pedalboard? Maybe it’s partly right down to sensible advantages. In any case, one of many seismic shifts sparked by BOSS is that results pedals not have the whiff of elitism, however are considered as on a regular basis instruments for working musicians.
BOSS pedals have change into a byword for affordability, availability and unbeatable toughness: whoever you might be, wherever you’re based mostly, no matter your funds, you’ll be able to decide one up out of your native music store and belief it to outlive on the hardest gig circuit.
“You recognize, not solely did the BOSS sound change into the staple,” says Robert Keeley, founding father of Keeley Electronics, “however they have been additionally constructed terribly effectively. As soon as BOSS has made a pedal, it simply works precisely proper. The development high quality, the switching, the buffers – they simply supplied all the correct options to guitar gamers to make it a very satisfying expertise.”
Simply as essential, in contrast with the early results pedals that usually featured one footswitch, no dials, one other BOSS departure was so as to add onboard tone-shaping options that allow gamers of each persuasion dig out their signature sound.
“It’s one factor to say {that a} refrain pedal sounds nice, however it’s one other to be so impressed by the sound that you simply create a tune round it,” says Daniel Steinhardt of That Pedal Present. “This, I feel, is essentially the most important contribution made by BOSS. A lot music has been impressed by the sound of those little packing containers. When BOSS launched a brand new pedal, you merely needed to attempt it out.”
Infinitely versatile and accessible to all, it’s no shock that BOSS gear has been used on numerous landmark recordings since 1973. But what’s most fascinating to notice is that these merchandise aren’t tied to anybody single style however bend to the imaginative and prescient of whoever plugs them in.
The Remedy’s Robert Smith, Steve Vai, Kurt Cobain and Glenn Frey of the Eagles are gamers with nothing apparent in frequent, however all have used the DS-1 Distortion in wildly completely different contexts. Whereas Josh Homme, Kirk Hammett, Joe Perry and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine are unlikely to seem on the identical competition invoice, the DD-7 Delay has featured on the pedalboards of all 4.
As for the TU-Three Chromatic Tuner, it’s a robust contender for the world’s most ubiquitous pedal. “That one is my favourite – it makes every thing else sound good,” says Lzzy Hale of Halestorm. “You possibly can have the very best pedals on the planet, but when the guitar’s out of tune…”
Style apart, rolling generations of musicians have discovered a spot for BOSS gear on the coronary heart of their pedalboards. Previous-school virtuosos like Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani and Gary Moore might need been early adopters, however they handed the baton to Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan of Bristol alt-rockers Idles (who between them are proud homeowners of the VB-2w Vibrato, TU-3w Chromatic Tuner, PS-6 Harmonist and RE-20 House Echo).
From Jake Bugg’s stinging classic/fashionable indie-folk (bolstered by the BD-2 Blues Driver and AC-Three Acoustic Simulator) to Australian maverick Kirin J Callinan (who makes use of an enormous 17 BOSS pedals on stage to recreate the fearless sonic adventurism of albums like Embracism), the Japanese model has at all times surfed the zeitgeist proper alongside the brand new wave of gamers.
“You plug sufficient gear into one another and it fills up the entire house and there’s a music,” considers Callinan of his experimental writing course of. “You jam it out after which when the lyrics lastly come, it is likely to be six months down the observe. But in addition, you’ll be able to’t give the gear all of the credit score as a result of no two individuals sound the identical with the identical piece of kit. Loads nonetheless has to come back from your self.”
And whereas BOSS has been current on the beginning of each rock ’n’ roll second that issues, even the world’s best designers refer to those merchandise as their benchmark.
“I’ve been influenced by BOSS on so many ranges,” says Keeley. “If I’m ever considering, like, ‘How am I gonna repair this downside?’, I’ll say, ‘Properly, how did BOSS repair it?’ I nonetheless evaluate my Keeley stuff to all of the brand-new BOSS stuff to verify our buffers are switching as quiet as theirs and the noise ranges are comparable. It’s unimaginable to beat modern-day BOSS stuff. You must know the place the bar is. And you need to regulate the BOSS merchandise to know what’s occurring. Like the brand new [SL-2] Slicer – that’s a magical-sounding piece of drugs. I want to purchase one of these.”
BOSS is likely to be the sound of the final half-century, however maybe much more thrilling is the mark it’ll certainly make on the subsequent. No matter type the guitar results and amps of the long run take, belief the Japanese firm to design them within the picture of the musicians on the bottom.
As outgoing BOSS president Yoshihiro Ikegami explains: “Our purpose is to stay on the forefront of the music know-how trade. We’ll preserve specializing in creating high-quality, user-friendly merchandise that encourage musicians. Our dedication to innovation will drive us ahead. We’re excited to see the place the subsequent 50 years will take us…”