Best Boss Pedals Reviewed

Boss has been supplying guitarists worldwide with its top quality products. It is no surprise that their pedals are one of the best in the market. At the very least, that is what I know about them. I recently broke my old pedal and had enough to splurge on a brand new one. That’s when I discovered Boss and its website page. 

However, with so many effects and models to choose from, I got lost in its pedal world and emerged with three of the most promising pedals. I am not an expert when it comes to this. I am just going by my limited knowledge and intuition.

The CE-2W Waza Craft has three modes, namely Standard, CE-1 Chorus, and CE-1 Vibrato. It is controlled by a pedal switch, a standard or CE-1 Mode switch, and a Depth knob. The CE-1 is a legendary circuitry from the first Boss amplifier and is aimed at those who are chasing a little bit of the 70s nostalgia. For a carbon battery, the expected battery life is 32 hours, while it is likely to run for 18 hours on an alkaline battery.

It is a beautiful electric blue with black markings. The indicator is located at the top. Aligned with it on the top side is the adapter port. The Rate and Depth knobs are located side by side at the top of the pedal. In between, they are the C-E1 switch.

There are three jacks labeled Output A (Mono), Output B, and Input. The two output jacks are on the left-hand side while the Input is located on the right-hand side. The pedal itself is a black rubber pedal with the Boss logo embossed and Waza Craft written in white with a Japanese character next to it. The lever for the pedal is at the top.

The DD-8 has three innovative delay types added to its vast arsenal, namely Warm, +RV or delay+reverb, and GLT for the rhythmic delay. All in all, it has eleven delay modes along with Analog, Standard, Tape, Reverse, Shimmer, Mod, Warp, and Loop. The mode, time, feedback control it, as well as the Effect Level or E. Level knobs, the carryover switch, and the pedal switch. 

With full true stereo I/O, the DD-8 are three selectable output modes: independent, panning, and wide stereo. It also has a twist function for each delay mode, accessed through an external footswitch.

The expected battery life is 5 hours. Every purchase comes with an owner’s manual and a dry battery. A footswitch and an expression pedal may be used, but they are sold separately from the product. The adapter port is at the top, next to the small On/Off switch.

DD-8 is ecru with a black rubber pedal. The knobs themselves are blue, sitting atop a black rectangle with white markings. There are five jacks, namely Output B, Output A (Mono), Input B, Input A, and EXP. The Outputs are on the left side, while the Inputs and EXP are on the right side. The markings for the jacks are printed in navy blue, which is also the color of the pedal’s name.

Advertised as a must-have for hard rock or metal guitarist on the website, the MT-2 is built with a unique dual-gain circuitry. It is controlled by a dist, equalizer middle frequency, equalizer high/low, level knobs, and a pedal switch. 

With a carbon battery, the expected battery life is 19.5 hours, while for alkaline, it is 34 hours. Every purchase comes with a carbon battery and an owner’s manual.

Minimalist in design, the MT-2 is black all over, with white markings for the four knobs located on the upper part of the pedal and orange markings for the two jacks. The light indicator is located at the top of the pedal. The black rubber pedal at the bottom has the Boss logo embossed onto it.

Common Features

The three pedals are two ⅞ inches wide, six ⅛ inches long, and two⅜ inches. They weigh 1 pound each, including the battery. The light indicator serves as a battery check indicator as well. 

The pedals in this review can run on a 9-volt alkaline or carbon-zinc battery, except for the DD-8 Delay, which runs only on an alkaline battery. An AC adaptor is available as a separate purchase. Please note that the hours accompanying the battery levels depend on the actual use of the pedal.

All three have nominal input and output level of -20 dBu, with an input impedance of 1 M ohm and an output impedance of 1 k ohm. The recommended load impedance is 10 k ohms or more significant. They all have a buffered bypass, which means that the pedal has a buffer in its circuit. A buffered bypass can help address issues like the infamous popping when the pedal is switched on or off compared to a true bypass.

Best of all, these three pedals are covered by Boss’ 5-year warranty. That means saving 40$ if your compact pedal ever breaks down within that period. However, a disclaimer of 25$ bench fee plus return freight costs if there are no defects found in the product. 

Conclusion

For me, I am choosing the CE-2W Waza Craft because of that legendary sound that I’ve always wanted to create. It doesn’t have as much flair as the other two. However, I am not after the flair, at least not yet. The color also pushed me to choose it, since a lot of my things are electric blue. I guess I like keeping that consistency.

FAQ: Frequent questions

? Which is the best?

BOSS WAZA Craft Guitar Pedal

? How did we test them?

We tested 16 products, researched 15 sources, evaluated 76 reviews and spent 10+ hours on our guide.

? What should you look at before buying?

When choosing it's best to make a decision based on the price/quality, functionality and compatibility with other devices/technologies.