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!

Pedaltrain Mini Pedal Board Review

I have somehow survived for 20+ years without much of anything in the way of effects for my bass, let alone a pedalboard. My attitude changed recently, and I have started to add more tone-modifying pedals to my trusty Boss tuner, so I needed a way to better organize them.

Before diving in, I did a lot of research into pedal boards, and there are many different products available with different designs and features. I settled on an economical board that is simply-constructed and durable. The final decision was for a Pedaltrain Mini board, and it is working out well.

The Pedaltrain Mini will hold maybe 5 or 6 small effects in a single row. I am currently using a Boss Tuner, a Boss Octave pedal, a Cave GRUNT, a Cave GRUNT Mk II, and a Tech 21 VT Bass. They fit just fine on the board, with not a lot of room to spare.

This board is not powered, and it is a simple design. It is made of powder-coated aluminum bars that are solidly welded together. It measures 20” wide by 7“ deep by 2” tall. It weighs in at around 2 ½ pounds.

The pedals attach to the cross bars with self-adhesive Velcro. The kit included more than enough industrial-strength Velcro to completely cover the cross-pieces. There is plenty of space between and beneath the 2 crossbars for routing cables and wiring, so there is less of a chance of accidental disconnection. The kit also included tie-wraps to anchor the wiring better.

The board I got is strong, and will probably last forever. The welds are not pretty, and there is a little welding spatter under the finish. But this does not matter to me, as long as it holds up well.

A cordura carry bag was included with the board. It has plenty of room inside for the board (with pedals installed), and there is an external pocket for cables and whatnot. The bag measures 21" wide by 8.5" deep by 6" tall, and weighs in at around 3 ½ pounds. I do not really need a bag, and would have been happier if I could have paid less and not gotten the bag.

Even with the unwanted bag, the board is a good value. The list price is $149.95, and the street price is $69.95. Musician’s Friend does not charge sales tax, and will ship for free if you get the order over $99.

Pedaltrain has a lifetime warranty on their products, and looking at this board, I do not think I will ever need to take them up on it. They have a full line of boards, in case you need to bigger or would like to have a flight case included.