BOSS KTN-50 Katana 50 Guitar Amplifier Review

Aloha!

As I have always been a fan of their effect pedals, I was excited last year when I saw that BOSS had released a line of affordable solid-state amplifiers. The Katana amp lineup includes a 100-watt head, a 100-watt combo, a 50-watt combo, and a pretty slick battery powered unit. Today we are going to take a quick look at the Katana 50 (model KTN-50), a portable package with good power and a lot of versatility for not a lot of cash.

For starters, this is a fairly compact amplifier, measuring 16 x 19 x 10 inches, and weighing in at around 26 pounds. It is a good-looking unit, with clean lines and the expected BOSS quality – all of their stuff is very sturdy. This is a foot-switchable 2-channel amplifier that can be switched to have 50-watts, 25-watts, or 0.5-watts of output through the single 12-inch speaker. Oh yeah, and it has a built-in tilt-back stand, so you can point it at something besides your shins.

Looking at the control panel on top of the cabinet, there is a single input, a 5-position AMP TYPE knob, GAIN, VOLUME, a 3-band equalizer, some onboard effect knobs (BOOSTER/MOD, DELAY/FX, and REVERB), a MASTER tone knob, and the power switch. And around back there is an IEC power socket, a USB port, an 1/8-inch aux input, line out, the footswitch jack, and that is about it – the Katana 50 is pretty simple on first appearances.

The five AMP TYPE selections give the Katana a lot of versatility, and they are all actually very useful. There is BROWN, which give it that Waza amp sound (you really should try out one of those too). There is also CLEAN, LEAD, and CRUNCH, and the latter provides a wonderfully raunchy tone. And the last one is ACOUSTIC, which voices the amp for a natural amplification, and this worked out great with my Takamine EF341, which has a really clean pre-amp in it. This amp can provide a great variety of tones, so most any guitarist will find it useful, and that is before you consider that you can use the free online BOSS Tone Studio editor software to customize the amp settings and effects.

This Katana combo supports 55 BOSS effects, and up to 15 of these can be loaded for instant access. Just connect the amp to the Tone Studio software through the USB post and create your own setup, or download setups created by pro guitarists at the BOSS Tone Central website.

The volume is great for practicing or for small gigs. It is not an expensive tube amp so you are not going to get that perfect tone, but it is really good enough for what 95% of us actually do on a daily basis. The only thing I did not care for on the amp was the speaker, as it sounds a little thin and I think it is holding back a portion of the performance that this unit is capable of. I would like to swap in a quality unit and see what this thins can really do. It is not a huge gripe as this amp is really inexpensive, and they had to cut a few corners to make their price point.

I saved the best part for last, and that is the price. The Katana 50 has a street price of $220, which is one heck of a deal, and pretty much kills the used amp market, as why would you buy someones’ old crap when you can get a perfectly serviceable and shiny new amp for a little over two Benjamins. Try one out for yourself and see what you think.

Mahalo!

BOSS CS-2 Compressor Sustainer Guitar Effect Pedal Review

Aloha!

Awhile back I reviewed the BOSS CS-3 Compressor Sustainer pedal, and recently lucked into a Japanese-made CS-2, so I thought it would be cool to do a comparison between the two. There is a bit of derision towards the CS-3 so this is also a good chance to see what all of the fuss is about.

Effect pedals come in all price ranges, all the way from total junk on up to You can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, and the choices include boutique pedals with prices so high that they must use unicorn hair for wiring. Somewhere in between are BOSS pedals, which are reasonably priced, good quality, and the mainstay of many working musicians. The BOSS CS-2 we are looking at today is a perfect example of this.

What exactly is a compressor sustainer pedal? Well, this one compresses louder signals and boosts softer signals, resulting in more even output. At the same time it can sustain your notes, making them sound longer. Putting these two features can result in a smoother sound, and this will work with either guitar or bass.

The CS-2 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2-7/8 inches wide by 2-3/8 inches tall by 5-1/8 inches long. Take that, metric system! In that same vein, it weighs in at around 15 ounces. This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter. It draws 4 mA at 9 volts (vs. the 11mA of the CS-3), in case you are thinking of hooking it up to a pedal board power system.

By the way, if you run the unit on battery, make sure you unplug the input when you are not using it, as the input jack acts as the power switch. It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a lovely shade of blue. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a single 1/4 input, a single 1/4-inch output and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter.

The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include Level, Tone, Attack, and Sustain, so it is not too complicated. Here is what they do:

Level: adjusts output level, not input level

Attack: enhances the intensity of each note by controlling how quickly the compression activates.

Sustain: adjusts the sustain time. If turned counter-clockwise it acts as a limiter.

Note that there is no Tone knob on the CS-2, on the CS-3 this controls high frequency boost and cut.

My old CS-3 pedal is at its best when it is asked to provide a high level of compression, and combining it with the right guitar/amp combination (think Les Paul and a Marshall). It certainly can squish things down, and there are definitely usable ranges, to be found though I would avoid anything outside of the 9:00 to 3:00 range as there is too drastic of a difference in tone when the unit is switched on. Increasing sustain seems to enhance the compression effect, so I usually keep it below 10:00. The tone control is very useful, and it helps dial out most of the muddiness that comes bout from the compression. With these settings the attack can be spot on without a ton of mush. But, I found that the pedal is best used for hard rock and metal, as this pedal clouds the sound with a lot of gain, which gives out a very edgy and uneven tone.

The older model CS-2 is a LOT smoother, and is better suited to the country and classic rock that I am mostly playing these days. Also, I do not have to get as extreme with my amplifier settings and am able to dial in less bass and enjoy a bit more treble. Also, it does not add nearly as much noise to the signal chain. My other effect pedals work better with it, and for classic Telecaster sounds this pedal really delivers the goods.

There is only one downside, but this it is common to pedals in this price range. Like the CS-3, the CS-2 does not have true bypass, which is something that everybody and their brother wants. In truth, there is some color added to the straight tone when bypassing the pedal, and gear nuts are fanatical about this.

So, there really is a difference between the two pedals, and if you are not looking for an extreme sound the CS-2 is the better choice. These pedals were discontinued years ago, but there are still tons of them on eBay with reasonable prices that range between $60 and $100. They are the real deal, and I heartily recommend this pedal! If you get a chance to try one out, be sure to let me know what you think!

Mahalo!

BOSS Waza Craft Line of Products

Aloha!

In 2014 Roland’s BOSS brand introduced the Waza Craft line of products, which included refined versions of three of their more popular pedals: the SD-1W Super Overdrive, BD-2W Blues Driver, and DM-2W Delay. “Waza” is a Japanese term for art and technique, and these special edition pedals use analog components used Kaizen (the philosophy of continuous improvement) on the circuitry to deliver their classic sound signatures plus switchable modes for customized tones. I love each of these pedals, and Waza gives everything I expect from them and more.

The Waza Craft SD-1W Super Overdrive and BD-2W Blues Driver pedals can attain the tones of the originals, but also feature switchable Standard and Custom sound modes. But the most magical of the three is the DM-2W Delay. BOSS stopped production of this pedal in 1084, and it developed a cult following who loved the organic bucket brigade” analog delay tone. Its standard mode achieves the lush sound and 20-300 ms delay range of the first generation DM-2, and the custom mode instantly changes the sound to a cleaner analog and doubles the delay time. A win-win situation, if I have ever heard of one.

Of course, all of this neat stuff comes at a price, and these pedals are a bit more dear than what you would expect from the BOSS line. The SD-1W Super Overdrive and BD-2W Blues Driver each have a list price of $207.20 (street $149), and the DM-2W Delay has a list price of $248.80 (street $149). If you can only get one, go for the delay pedal. Trust me.

Well, BOSS went one further this year, and at the Winter NAMM show they debuted the Waza Craft guitar amplifier head. I have not had the opportunity to try this one out yet, but am looking forward to it (they are still in the pre-order phase). This solid state 150-watt amp appears to be versatile, with 1-watt, 50-watt, and 100-watt settings. There are four foot-switchable channels, and a 3-positin character switch, and it is touted as having the “ultimate brown sound.” It had better be perfect, with a list price of $3499 and a street price of $2499. It is hard to imagine any non-tube amp that comes in at this price point, so it had better be perfect.

I am excited by the Waza Craft line of products from BOSS, and though they are not breaking new ground, how much new stuff is left to develop in the guitar effect world? They have refined classic products and given working musicians tools that will help them do their jobs better. Check them out for yourself and see what you think.

Mahalo!

Memory Lane: BOSS OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion Pedal Review

Howdy!

It seems like a month does not go by when I do not review some sort of BOSS effect pedal, so today we are looking at the good old OS-2 OverDrive/Distortion pedal. It is probably one of the most popular crunch pedals on the planet, and that is because it is a pretty good pedal that comes in at a reasonable price.

Roland’s BOSS division makes effect pedals for the everyday working musician. These are folks that cannot afford the boutique pedals, or more realistically, they realize that good is good enough (sort of a Voltaire attitude). You have seen that you pay whatever you want can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, with the choices include crummy junk for twenty bucks all the way up to hundreds of dollars for stuff that was put together by people in first-world countries. BOSS pedals fall in the middle, as they are reasonably priced and good quality, making them a good value.

What exactly does an overdrive distortion pedal do? Well, this one is a combination of two other popular BOSS pedals, the DS-1 Distortion and the SD-1 Super Overdrive. It lets users blend these two effects to provide sounds that are appropriate for blues or metal, and most everything in between.

The OS-2 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2.9 inches wide by 2.4 inches tall by 5.1 inches long, and it weigh in at a touch under one pound. See? The metric system will never catch on as long as I am on watch! This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter.

It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a gaudy yellow. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a ¼’ input and output jacks, and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include LEVEL, TONE, DRIVE, and COLOR. Here is a quick and dirty rundown of what they do:

- LEVEL: adjusts the sound level when the effect is applied. It should be adjusted so there is no volume change when the effect is turned ON.

- TONE: adjusts the tone of the modified sound.

- DRIVE: adjusts level of distortion.

- COLOR: adjusts balance between overdrive and distortion.

That is it, and after a quick look through the manual you can put it away and never need it again. About two minutes of knob twisting will get you the tone you are looking for and then you can move on with your life. It might be one of the easiest to use pedals I have come across.

The OS-2 works really well for guitar and just ok for bass due to the frequency range it is tuned to. I have used it with my Strat and Tele through my Twin Reverb, and was able to get a very bluesy tone with the COLOR knob more towards the overdrive side of things. Cranking the COLOR knob the other way with My Les Paul through a Bugera, I got a very crunchy hard rock/metal tone. It is surprisingly capable of working well with both single-coil and humbucking pickups. I did get a little hiss and hum when the distortion is cranked all the way up, but it was only noticeable when not playing. The COLOR knob is the magic part of this effect, giving it a tremendous amount of versatility, and it is the pot I fiddle with the most.

Mahalo!

Memory Lane: BOSS OC-2 Octave Pedal Review

Howdy!

The month would not be complete without a review of some sort of BOSS effect pedal, so today we are looking at the good old OC-2 Octave pedal. This is a darned good effect that was replaced in the BOSS line-up with the OC-3 in 2003.

Roland’s BOSS division makes effect pedals for the everyday working musician. These are folks that cannot afford the boutique pedals, or more realistically, they realize that good is good enough (sort of a Voltaire attitude). You have seen that you pay whatever you want can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, with the choices include crummy junk for twenty bucks all the way up to hundreds of dollars for stuff that was put together by people in first-world countries. BOSS pedals fall in the middle, as they are reasonably priced and good quality, making them a good value.

What exactly does an octave pedal do? It lets users fatten up their sound by adding up to two additional tones: one and/or two octaves below the original note.

The OC-2 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2.9 inches wide by 2.4 inches tall by 5.1 inches long, and it weigh in at a touch under one pound. See? The metric system will never catch on as long as I am on watch! This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter.

It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a subtle dark brown. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a ¼’ input and output jacks, and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include OCT 1, OCT 2, and DIRECT LEVEL. Here is a quick and dirty rundown of what they do:

- OCT 1: adjusts the level of the one octave down tone.

- OCT 2: adjusts the level of the two octaves down tone.

- DIRECT LEVEL: adjusts the blend of the original tone and the effect.

That is it, you don’t even need a manual to figure this thing out. About two minutes of knob twisting will get you the tone you are looking for and then you can move on with your life. It might be one of the easiest to use pedals I have come across.

The OC-2 works really well for both guitar and bass. If you want it to track chords, it will not, and it is not always perfect when tracking single notes either, which is part of its charm. It allows for a more organic and less processed tone, and it really thickens things up nicely. Everybody should have something like this on his or her pedalboard. It is not something that will get used on every song, but when you need a fatter sound the OC-2 will deliver the goods. As a bonus, if you throw a phaser pedal into the mix, you can get some of the most awesome 1970s tones imaginable!

If you are searching for a good quality and effective octave pedal, the BOSS OC-2 fits the bill, and it is certainly simpler and easier to use than the four-knob OC-3. It will get the job done and is certainly reasonably priced with nice ones selling for around $60 to $100 on eBay. They seem to be holding their value well, so if you buy right it should always be worth what you paid for it.

Mahalo!

BOSS PH-3 Phase Shifter Guitar Effect Pedal Review

Howdy!

The month would not be complete without a review of some sort of BOSS effect pedal, so today we are looking at the P-3 Phase Shifter. This is probably the main competition for the venerable MXR Phase 90.

Roland’s BOSS division makes effect pedals for the everyday working musician. These are folks that cannot afford the boutique pedals, or more realistically, they realize that good is good enough (sort of a Voltaire attitude). You have seen that you pay whatever you want can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, with the choices include crummy junk for twenty bucks all the way up to hundreds of dollars for stuff that was put together by people in first-world countries. BOSS pedals fall in the middle, as they are reasonably priced and good quality, making them a good value.

What exactly does a phase shifter do? It performs comb filtering by splitting the input signal, introducing a very short delay on one of the signals, and then recombining them. That delay is also modulated (varied), and so the phase of one of the signal (relative to the other) is shifted. Remember the bass part on Nugent’s “Stranglehold” – that is a phase shifter. Do not confuse it with a flanger, which works in a similar manner but with a longer delay.

The PH-3 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2.9 inches wide by 2.4 inches tall by 5.1 inches long, and it weigh in at a touch under one pound. See? The metric system will never catch on as long as I am on watch! This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter (which is a good idea as it burns through batteries like crazy). It draws 50 mA at 9 volts, in case you are thinking of hooking it up to a pedal board power system. By the way, if you run the unit on battery, make sure you unplug the input when you are not using it, as either input jack acts as the power switch.

It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a shocking shade of chartreuse. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a ¼’ input and output jacks, an input jack for hooking up an external footswitch or expression pedal, and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include RATE, DEPTH, RES (Resonance), and STAGE. Here is what they do:

- RATE: adjusts the speed at which the filter changes. It you crank it all the way to the left (MIN) the filter is OFF.

- DEPTH: adjusts the depth of the filter change. The filter effect turns OFF when turned all the way to the left unless the STAGE knob is in the RISE of FALL positions.

- RES: adjusts the strength of the filter effect. The more it is turned towards MAX, the more distortion will be heard.

- STAGE: selects the number of phase steps and the phase type. The 4, 8, 10 and 12 steps increase in depth the higher the number goes. RISE, FALL and STEP do exactly what they say: the sound will emulate rising, falling and non-consecutive tone effects.

A little more info about the external switch input is probably in order here. This jack allows the user to control some of the PH-3 functions in a hands-free mode with the EV-5 expression pedal. RATE can be changed with an EV-5 pedal expression, which sounds like a great idea – but I did not have one to try out the feature. Tap tempo can be controlled from a regular FS-5U external footswitch, which I do have, and it worked very well. You can do tap tempo without the footswitch, but it is way easier with one, so spend a couple of extra bucks to pick one up if you do not already have one.

The PH-3 works really well when you put it to work, and it does not take very long to get a good tone out of it. It has the ability to get classic tones (Step 4) and modern tones, and the unique rise and fall modes give a great unidirectional phase effect that is more modern and very usable. The ability to match it to tempo is a godsend, and there is not a lot of noise or hiss added to the signal chain. Pretty much it is a winner no matter how you look at it.

If you are searching for a good quality and effective phase shifter pedal, the BOSS PH-3 fits the bill. It will get the job done and is certainly reasonably priced with a list price of $208.50 and a street price of $129. They hold their value well on the used market, so you are better off buying new and getting the BOSS 5-year warranty.

Mahalo!

BOSS DD-7 Digital Delay Pedal Review

Howdy!

I have been on a pretty steady roll with BOSS pedal reviews, and this month is no exception as we take a look at the DD-7 Digital Delay pedal.

Roland’s BOSS division makes effect pedals for the everyday working musician. These are folks that cannot afford the boutique pedals, or more realistically, they realize that good is good enough (sort of a Voltaire attitude). You have seen that you pay whatever you want can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, with the choices include crummy junk for twenty bucks all the way up to hundreds of dollars for stuff that was put together by people in first-world countries. BOSS pedals fall in the middle, as they are reasonably priced and good quality, making them a good value.

The BOSS DD-7 Digital Delay pedal provides up to 6.4 seconds of delay, and can also function as a looper with up to 40 seconds of recording time. It is a neat piece of work and is fairly easy to use (for a delay pedal, anyway).

The DD-7 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2.9 inches wide by 2.4 inches tall by 5.1 inches long, and it weigh in at a touch under one pound. See? The metric system will never catch on as long as I am on watch! This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter (which is a good idea as it burns through batteries like crazy). It draws 55 mA at 9 volts, in case you are thinking of hooking it up to a pedal board power system. By the way, if you run the unit on battery, make sure you unplug the input(s) when you are not using it, as either input jack acts as the power switch.

It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a striking shade of white. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a two 1/4 inputs and outputs (in case you are going stereo), an input jack for hooking up an external footswitch or expression pedal, and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include Effect Level, Feedback, Delay, and MODE. Here is what they do:

- Effect Level: adjusts mixture of delay effect and input. It you crank t all the way up you will only get the delay effect sound with no input sound mixed in.

- Feedback: adjusts the number of times the delay sound is repeated. The Feedback knob does not work HOLD mode.

- Delay: adjusts the delay time based on the position of the MODE knob. This knob also does not work in HOLD mode.

- MODE: provides 4 different ranges of delay times, HOLD (looping function), MODULATE (a chorus effect), ANALOG (a more natural sounding delay, similar to the BOSS DM-2), and REVERSE (a whacky space-age reverse tape sound).

The stereo output are pretty cool, as they allow panning to create spatial audio sweep effects or separate dry and wet signal paths, which is handy for the studio and the stage.

A little more info about the external switch input is probably in order here. This jack allows the user to control some of the DD-7 functions in a hands-free mode. Delay time, feedback, and effect level can be changed with an expression pedal expression, which sounds like a great idea – but, I did not have one to try out the feature. Tap tempo can be controlled from an external footswitch, which I do have, and it worked very well. You can do tap tempo without the footswitch, but it is way easier with one, so spend a couple of extra bucks to pick one up if you do not already have one.

The DD-7 works really well when you put it to work. It is easy to use with only a little bit of a learning curve, and the delay is clear but not too sterile. And I love the ANALOG mode, which provides a very warm tone that is pretty darned close to that of a non-digital pedal. The MODULATE function gets kind of close to a chorus sound, and if you do not have a chorus pedal this one will work in a pinch, but it is not your best solution. And the REVERSE function is pretty much not worth using.

The HOLD mode is a pretty good looper, and if you have not used one, this BOSS pedal would be a good opportunity for you to see if you would really want to buy one. Keep in mind that there is no save function, though.

If you are searching for a good quality digital delay that is affordable digital delay, the BOSS DD-7 is the right pedal for you. It will get the job done and is certainly reasonably priced with a list price of $264.50 and a street price of $149.99. They hold their value well on the used market, so you are better off buying new and getting the BOSS 5-year warranty.

Mahalo!

BOSS BF-3 Flanger Effect Pedal Review

Howdy!

Poke around on the internet for 5 minutes and you will find that you can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals. Prices for these pedals range from $20 for unusable junk, all the way up to hundreds of dollars for boutique pedals that have been blessed by the pope and marketed by Diddy. Somewhere in between are the BOSS pedals from Roland, who has wisely chosen to target working musicians. Some folks sniff at their products, but I like them as they are reasonably priced, good quality, and they usually do what they are supposed to do. Today we are going to take a closer look at the BOSS BF-3 Flanger pedal.

What exactly is a flanger pedal? Well, it is like a phase shifter in that it splits the signal and delays one of them a little bit, which is adjustable by the user. This delay time varies at a constant rate (also adjustable), to give a really neat and complex sound. Do you want to sound like Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour or Jimmy Page? Get a flanger.

The BF-3 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2-7/8 inches wide by 2-3/8 inches tall by 5-1/8 inches long, and it weighs in at around 15 ounces. Its most notable characteristic is that it is a terrifying shade of purple!

This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter. It draws 40 mA at 9 volts (that is pretty huge for a pedal), in case you are thinking of hooking it up to a pedal board power system. By the way, if you run the unit on battery, make sure you unplug the input when you are not using it, as the input jack acts as the power switch.

It has the same general style and appearance as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in aforementioned terrifying purple. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a separate guitar and bass 1/4-inch inputs, dual 1/4-inch outputs and a jack for the highly recommended AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include Manual and Resonance (stacked), Depth, Rate and Mode, so it is not too complicated. Here is what they do:

MANUAL: sets the center frequency to which the effect is applied.

RESONANCE: adjusts the amount of feedback

DEPTH: adjusts the sweep depth – when turned all the way to the right the Manual knob is disabled

RATE: adjusts flange effect speed (0.3 mS to 14.4 ms for guitar and 0.3 ms to 6.3 ms for bass)

MODE: selects the flanger effect and pedal mode.

The following modes are available:

ULTRA: provides a stronger flanger effect

STANDARD: is standard. Duh.

GATE/PAN: in mono, this creates changes in output volume. In stereo, it alternately pans the output to the left and right, resulting in a Leslie-like effect that is pretty trippy

MOMENTARY: flanger is only applied while the pedal is depressed. STANDARD tone is applied, and flanging starts from the low end. Tap tempo is not active in MOMENTARY mode.

Tap Tempo, you say? Yep – if you press and hold the pedal for two seconds, it will enter tap tempo mode so you can set the tempo of the effect to your music by banging it out with you foot. I love this feature!

So, there is plenty going on here, and the big question is does it work? It does, and I tested it out with my active and passive P and J basses, as well as with my Telecaster, Stratocaster and Les Paul. The BF-3 provides a very good flange effect, and though it is digital it has a very warm timbre to it. I am not the world’s bigger flanger fan, so I use it in MOMENTARY mode for additional color as needed. I am not the next Van Halen, obviously…

In a nutshell, the BF-3 is a pretty good pedal for a reasonable price, which is what BOSS is all about. This pedal would be good for classic hard rock and more progressive music. If you are playing jazz, country or blues just stay away from it because it is impossible to get a clean sound out of it.

Unfortunately, there are a few downside to this unit. For starters, it does not have true bypass, which is something that everybody and their brother wants. In truth, there is some color added to the straight tone when bypassing the pedal, and gear nuts are fanatical about this. Also this pedal can be a bit noisy (but not too bad). And lastly, this thing goes through batteries like red Solo cups at a kegger. Buy an AC adapter.

The BOSS BF-3 Flanger does the job well and is reasonably priced with a list price of $217.50 and a street price of $139. They are way cheaper on the used market, but you will be giving up the 5-year warranty if you go that route. Check one out before you buy to make sure it is really what you want, and let me know what you think.

Mahalo!

BOSS CS-3 Compressor Sustainer Guitar Effects Pedal Review

Aloha!

You can pay anything you want for guitar effect pedals, and the choices include crummy junk for twenty bucks (probably put together by little kids in sweatshops) all the way up to boutique pedals with prices so high that they must use unicorn hair for wiring. Somewhere in between are BOSS pedals, which are reasonably priced, good quality, and the mainstay of many working musicians. Today we are going to take a closer look at the BOSS CS-3 Compressor Sustainer pedal.

What exactly is a compressor sustainer pedal? Well, this one compresses louder signals and boosts softer signals, resulting in more even output. At the same time it can sustain your notes, making them sound longer. Putting these two features can result in a smoother sound, and this will work with either guitar or bass.

The CS-3 is a standard single-space sized pedal, measuring 2-7/8 inches wide by 2-3/8 inches tall by 5-1/8 inches long. Take that, metric system! In that same vein, it weighs in at around 15 ounces. This pedal runs on a single 9-volt battery or it takes the optional BOSS PSA adapter. It draws 11 mA at 9 volts, in case you are thinking of hooking it up to a pedal board power system.

By the way, if you run the unit on battery, make sure you unplug the input when you are not using it, as the input jack acts as the power switch.

It has the same general style as other BOSS pedals, but this one comes in a lovely shade of blue. The outside of the sturdy metal case has a single 1/4 input, a single 1/4-inch output and a jack for the aforementioned AC adapter. The expected BOSS high quality is to be found here, with a smooth finish, clean wiring, and knobs that have a nice feel. These knobs include Level, Tone, Attack, and Sustain, so it is not too complicated. Here is what they do:

Level: adjusts output level, not input level

Tone: high frequency boost and cut

Attack: enhances the intensity of each note by controlling how quickly the compression activates.

Sustain: adjusts the sustain time. If turned counter-clockwise it acts as a limiter.

The CS-1 was one of BOSS' first mass-production pedals, and it has changed quite a bit over the years as the model name has changed to CS-2 and then later to the CS-3. There seems to be a bit of hate out there for the CS-3, particularly with the changes in the circuit and the addition of a tone knob. That being said, I like having the tone pot on the unit so that no changes are needed to my guitar settings when I switch the pedal ON.

The CS-3 is at its best when it is asked to provide a high level of compression, and combining it with the right guitar/amp combination (think Les Paul and a Marshall). It certainly can squish things down, and there are definitely usable ranges, to be found though I would avoid anything outside of the 9:00 to 3:00 range as there is too drastic of a difference in tone when the unit is switched on. Increasing sustain seems to enhance the compression effect, so I usually keep it below 10:00. The tone control is very useful, and it helps dial out most of the muddiness that comes bout from the compression. With these settings the attack can be spot on without a ton of mush.

In a nutshell, the CS-3 is a pretty good pedal for a reasonable price, which is what BOSS is all about. This pedal would be good for hard rock and metal, but if you are playing jazz, country or blues it will not make you very happy because it is hard to get a clean sound out of it.

Unfortunately, there are a few downside to this unit. For starters, it does not have true bypass, which is something that everybody and their brother wants. In truth, there is some color added to the straight tone when bypassing the pedal, and gear nuts are fanatical about this. But more importantly, is that, no matter what the manufacturer says in their sales literature, this pedal is pretty darned noisy if the controls (Level and Sustain) are used very aggressively.

By the way, there is a considerable number of folks out there modifying these pedals to reduce noise and improve tone, but I have not had the opportunity to try one. If you have, please add a comment to let us know what you think!

If these are the features you are looking for and if you can handle a little extra noise in your signal chain, the BOSS CS-3 Compressor Sustainer may be the pedal for you. It will get the job done and is certainly reasonably priced with a list price of $154.50 and a street price of $99. They are way cheaper on the used market, but you will be giving up the 5-year warranty if you go that route. Check one out before you buy to make sure it is really what you want, and let me know what you think.

Mahalo!

Boss VE-20 Vocal Performer Effects Processor Review

Aloha!

I am not much of a singer, and it turns out that most people that do karaoke aren’t either. There are rudimentary effects built into my mixers, but it often takes a little more to church up people’s voices so that sober people’s ears don’t burn too badly. Using guitar reverbs for vocals are a recipe for disaster, and many dedicated vocal effects are priced out of reach of the mortal man. This makes the Boss VE-20 Vocal Performer a lifesaver.

Boss is a division of the Roland Corporation and is the #1 builder of effects pedals in the world. They are most famous for their guitar effects, which perform as advertised, are very sturdy, and are backed by a great warranty. Boss’ reputation is safe -- the VE-20 Vocal Performer is a really neat piece of work.

This Boss unit has the usual bunch of effects that most vocalists would want, including harmony (up to 3-part), double-tracking, dynamics, reverb, delay, and distortion. Special effects include radio (that megaphone sound), robot, and strobe. The VE-20 can also provide real-time pitch correction and there is a built-in phrase looper with 38 seconds of mono recording time.

The VE-20 has a metal chassis and is in the standard double-wide Boss format (Twin-Series, I think they call it), so it will fit perfectly onto your pedal board. Its actual dimensions are 2-1/4" H x 6-13/16" W x 6-1/4" D, and it weighs in at a sturdy 2 pounds, 7 ounces (without batteries).

Hooking up this pedal is not too difficult. On the back of the unit you will find the input which is a multi jack that will take either a ¼-inch TRS plug or an XLR. By the way, there is 48V DC phantom power for the XLR, in case you plan to use a condenser microphone. Outputs include a stereo ¼-inch line/headphone jack and stereo XLR outs.

The top of the unit has the controls, which include two pedals -- left for ON/OFF and loop recording (hold for 2 seconds), and the right for harmony bypass and preset selection (hold for more than 2 seconds to scroll through the presets). The right pedal can also be customized to turn any one or a combination of any of the other effects ON simultaneously. There is a knob that allows the user to quickly scroll through the presets to find one that they like, and their names who up on the amber-backlit LCD display. There are also a few LEDs that indicate whether the power is ON, the status of the harmony pedal and if the unit is recording.

I mentioned presets, and there are a total of 80 preset spots on the VE-20 including 30 factory-assigned presets and 50 spaces for the user to make their own. The 30 that come from the factory are actually pretty good, and if you just want the basic you could probably get away with just using theirs. But if you want to make your own it is not a big deal, but it does take a little time.

I have tried out the VE-20 with my usual microphones – SM57, SM58, SM58 Beta and SM58 wireless, and they all sounded fine through this unit. There was no added noise or coloration other than what was asked for, and the vocals were as clear as a bell.

This pedal is great for adding harmonies. Just by pressing the right footswitch you can add preset level (like thirds or fifths), or make up your own. You will need to set the key signature for the harmonies to work, but it is not too hard to do. Also the harmonies can be customized to sound more masculine of feminine. There is also a neat Double Track feature which replicates your voice so it sounds thicker. All of the harmony features work well, and it seems to be very accurate.

The other effects are not jaw-droppingly good, but they are certainly good enough for live sound. The delay, reverb, distortion and chorus are all very usable, and I am glad that Roland thought to include these features.

I have never used looping very much, but had a blast trying it out on this effects processor. It would come in handy for coffee shop gigs or one-man shows so you can make your sound more complicated. Unfortunately, you cannot save your loop – once you stop playing it back it is lost, which is kind of a hassle. It would be nice if there was a USB port so you could save your looping work…

The pitch correction is fun, and would be great for karaoke. There are four different types to choose from, including soft (very natural sounding), hard (abrupt correction), electronic (pure Correction), and robot, which makes you sound like a robot.

All of these features work really nicely, but this is still kind of a complicated piece of equipment, and you are going to want to make sure that you have your presets figured out before your gig. You are not going to want to be on your knees fiddling around with the knobs and buttons during a gig. Do your homework before you take this thing out of the house.

In other news, the VE-20 is a huge power suck, and it takes 6 AA batteries that will run down in a little under 8 hours of use. If you are going to buy one of these you should pony eighteen bucks up for the Boss PSA-120S AC adaptor. It will pay for itself in no time. If you are looking for an aftermarket adaptor, this unit draws 190 mA at 9V DC.

Of course, quality is not cheap and the Boss VE-20 Vocal Performer is a quality piece of equipment. It has a list price of $381.50 and a street price of $279.99, so with a PSA-120S adaptor you are looking at $300 for this thing. It is worth every penny…

Mahalo!

Boss TU-10 Clip On Chromatic Tuner Review

Sugoi!

Over the past couple of years I have tried out and reviewed oodles of clip on electronic tuners over the past few years, and they all worked well. Clip on tuners are accurate, tiny and do not need to be plugged in, so they are pretty much the best thing since caned beer. All the ones I have used are nice tuners, but none of them were made by Boss, and Boss makes some of the most bad-ass portable tuners on the planet. Well, we are going to fix that oversight and take a look at the Boss TU-10 clip on tuner today.

On paper the TU-10 has great specifications. It has an 8 octave range (C0 to C8) and it is accurate to within +/- 1 cent. It is capable of flat tuning of up to 5 semitones, in case you swing that way. Also, it has two different display modes, cent display and stream display as well as the Boss Accu-Pitch function. And the display is nice and clear and is full color. not to mention bigger than any of the other clip on tuners I have seen.

It is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery, which should last around 12 hours in color mode, and around 24 hours in black and white mode. This does not sound like very long, but how long do you really spend tuning? The tuner is well-built with a hefty clip that would hold it to most any headstock without falling off. There are minimal controls, which include a power switch on the top and a select switch and adjustment switch on the back. It is available in a few different stylish colors (red, silver, black), in the event that this is important to you.

In the real world this Boss TU works very well, with very quick reactions and a nicely readable display, and it is certainly more accurate than I will ever need. I like the operation of the controls and this thing would be awesome for other instruments too so do not pigeonhole it just for guitar use. Which is understandable as it seems like this thing was designed by a guitar player. It does not have a swivel head, and it is quite a bit bigger than other clip on tuners (2-7/8 x 1-5/16 x 2-1/2 inches), so guitarists are probably their target market.

Neatest of all is that the Boss TU-10 has a street price of $34.99 (list price $43.25), which makes it cheaper than any Boss tuner I have ever tested. It is pretty cool, so check one out if you get a chance.

Mahalo!

Boss TU-12EX Tuner Review

Howdy!

I am sure that you all read Rex and The Bass every day and are still agog over my legendary review of Boss TU-12H tuner. Perhaps you wake up every day waiting for me to review its new brother, the Boss TU-12EX. Well, you wildest dreams are about to come true.

Boss introduced the TU-12 back in the 1980s, and it was the first and most popular of the new breed of reasonably-priced compact automatic tuners. There have been continuous updates and improvements over the years, and the TU-12EX has finally taken care of my biggest dislikes of the TU tuners, and has given me motivation to retire my trusty TU-12H.

The TU-12EX is still a little plastic box, although it is now a more fashionable black and gray, and it is thinner than before. This will make it easier to fit into gig bag pockets and hard case guitar cubbies.

The input and output jacks are still on the right side of the case, along with an AC adapter port. It is nice that “INPUT” and “OUTPUT” are identified in easy to read script on the front of the unit, instead impossible to see embossed letters on the side. This was a beef of mine with the TU-12H.

My other big problem with the TU-12H was that I would forget to turn it off, and the battery would die (which happened more often than I would like to admit). The TU-12EX has a battery-saving Auto-off, thank god. By the way, this tuner does not use the expected 9-volt battery; instead it uses two AA batteries. Hmm.

There is still no LCD screen on the TU-12EX, as it uses the traditional (and easy to read) orange-faced needle gauge with the arrow LEDs on either side. It now will beep at you when you are in tune (Accu-Pitch!), which is not something I care for but some folks might like it. You can turn this feature off.

The control switches are different tahn before. The slider switch is gone, having been replaced with a power switch and selections for chromatic/guitar tuning and pitch adjustment switches. They were really easy to figure out, so there was not much of an adjustment period for me.

It is set-up to automatically tune 5-string basses and 7-string guitars, and also has a flat-tuning mode so you can tune in half steps. It has a built-in piezo microphone for tuning acoustic instruments and has an 8 ½ octave range that accurate to 1 cent.

Surprisingly, Boss also included 5 octaves of reference pitches (in half steps), in case you want to tune by ear. The tuner is adjustable ( A438 to A445) for tuning to another instrument (or Steve Perry) that may not be perfectly in tune.

I have used this one for the past few months and have been very happy with it. It is accurate, and it discerns what string is being tuned very quickly, and does not switch randomly between notes. It is a peach.

The price for the Boss TU-12EX is still reasonable, considering its accuracy and features. It has a list price of $137.50 and a street price of $99.00. If you need a new tuner, you ought to check one out.

Mahalo!

Boss TU-12H Chromatic Tuner

How’s it going?

What do I really expect from a chromatic tuner? Not much, really: accuracy, simplicity and a reasonable price. Boss (part of the Roland Corporation) has been doing this for years with their effects pedals and with their venerable tuners.

I use a Boss TU-3 on my bass pedalboard, but in my practice space I exclusively use a Boss TU-12H tuner. I choose the TU-12H because I play the acoustic guitar quite a bit, and there is no microphone built into the TU-3.

In addition to the condenser microphone, on the TU-12H there is also a ¼-inch input jack located on the right side of the case. A ¼-output jack is included so the TU-12H can be used in-line.

This tuner uses a standard 9-volt battery, and it does not suck through batteries very quickly (unless you forget to turn it off, like I do). If you want to invest in an adapter, there is a power jack located on the right side of the case. Boss recommends the PSA-120 adapter, which is the same one for almost all of their effect pedals. If you are going to run the tuner in line and leave it on the whole time you are playing, you should go buy an adapter.

The controls are simple, with an ON/OFF switch that allows you to choose a low or high frequency range, and “PITCH”, “UP”, and “DOWN” switches. The “UP” and “DOWN” switches are used to hold a specific tone, or when used with the “PITCH” switch allow the user to change the reference pitch (A) from 440 to 445 Hz in 1Hz increments. There are corresponding LEDs that let you know what you are doing when you are messing with the switches.

But, I NEVER use those extra switches. I just turn it on go. It automatically detects and displays the note being played, and shows how close it is to being in tune. And, unlike cheaper tuners, it does not the spastically jump around all over the place and frustrate the crap out of me. The TU-12H is able to latch onto the strongest tone and hold it while I am tuning.

I can see what I am doing with high-visibility sharp/flat arrow LED indicators, as well as a really smooth analog meter for final fine tuning. All this and I never have to take my hands off my guitar. Handy!

But it is able to work with more than just guitars. It has a very wide range (from C1 to B6), and will also work with most all string, brass and woodwind instruments.

The TU-12H tuner is a handy size. It measures about 6 inches wide by 2 inches deep by 1 ½ inches tall. It is pretty light, coming in at around 6 ounces. It is small and light enough that I needed to put some Velcro on it so it does not slide around too much when I have it plugged in. Oh yeah, and it comes in a nice vinyl case, too.

I was going to give the Boss TU-12H a hearty thumbs-up until I went online to check out the current price and found out it had been discontinued. It has been replaced by the Boss TU-12EX, which is also reasonably priced.

So, I guess you will have to stay tuned for a review of their newest model.

Mahalo!