Waza - The Art Of Great Tone

By Hugh McKenna

They've been dedicated to the art and craft of great guitar effects for over 30 years so Boss and Roland have a pretty impressive back catalogue of effects, from distortion to delay in rack form, stomp boxes and table top units. They've always moved with the times and pushed at the boundaries using advanced analogue design, digital modelling and creating software for studio integration. The compact pedal is particularly iconic, squeezing complex effects into a bomb proof enclosure and running off now industry standard 9v power supplies. Suffice to say modern guitar effects wouldn't be the same without Boss and Roland and it's easy to take for granted just how much is going "under the hood". While increasing numbers of pedals are using impressive digital tech to emulate the sound of yesteryear there is still a lot to be said for pure analogue effects. That's why Boss have gone back to some of their best loved pedals, the pinnacles of analogue circuit design and added even more features and connectivity for the modern guitarist's pedal board.

Boss DM-2W Analogue Delay Pedal - The original DM-2 is revered in guitar circles, spoken of in hushed tones since being discontinued many years ago. It's back and better than before with more I/O and controls.

Boss SD-1W Overdrive - A favourite for guitarists looking to push their amp with some dirty drive. Using classic discrete analogue components the SD-1W offers the same sound but loaded with enough features to make any boutique pedal buff blush.

Boss BD-2W Blues Driver - The Blues Driver has been modded by tons of blues rockers looking to finely tailor their tone. The BD-2W comes already hot rodded and finely tuned, elevated above the classic Blues Driver with an all new design.

Roland Blues Cube

It's not just Boss that are revisiting classic tones, Roland have delivered the ultimate tweed combo amp without the need to replace valves or lug a huge load to the gig. The Blues Cube Artist and Stage are 1x12" combos with up to 60 and 80 watts of power respectively. You can dial that power back very easily to get proper drive at lower volumes. Add in effects loops, USB recording and tone controls and you can see why this is an exciting prospect for anyone after a vintage tweed tone without the hassle that can come from ancient valve amps.