What would another year be without some new stompboxes? To keep pedal fiends on their toes, this year Boss is unveiling some new effects and a new programmable loop switcher. Let’s dive in!
VB-2W Vibrato
One for the Waza Craft line, the BOSS VB-2W Vibrato is a reimagining of the original VB-2 pedal, which was released in 1982. You get the same controls as the original VB-2, offering latching, unlatching, and bypass modes. Following the Waza Craft tradition, this pedal features an entirely analog circuit, by way of bucket-brigade chips, and also adds a Standard/Custom mode switch. The Standard mode is vintage VB-2, replicating the expressive textures of the rare pedal. Custom mode features an entirely new vibrato sound with a separate filter wave. Another cool update to arrive with the VB-2W is an expression pedal input for controlling the effect in real time. This one is sure to be a hit with Shoegaze and Indie Rock aficionados!
VB-2W Vibrato
VO-1 Vocoder
Combine a synth and a talk-box into a standard Boss pedal chassis and you get the VO-1 Vocoder. Plug a microphone into the onboard XLR input and modulate the sound of your guitar (or any other instrument you're crazy enough to plug in) based on your voice using BOSS guitar synth technology. If the synth or Choir sounds are not your style, check out the Talk Box mode. This one should excite fans recalling Peter Frampton, famous for his particularly expressive playing using a Talk Box. A notably cool feature on the VO-1 is the addition of an in-line effects loop. Any effects put in the loop will only be active along with the VO-1 so you can add a distortion, a modulation effect, a delay, or even a pitch shifter to your vocoded signal. Whether you’re bringing out your inner Peter Frampton or Richie Sambora, or just want to add something different to your board for some inspiration, check out the VO-1!
VO-1 Vocoder
BC-1X Bass Comp
Feeling limited by your Bass compressor? The BC-1X is a compressor that leverages BOSS’s MDP (Multi-Dimensional Processing), which analyzes the incoming signal in real time to provide adaptive multi-band compression. Rather than just compressing the fundamental tone, MDP can “see” the pitch and the dynamics of your playing, and based on your settings, apply natural-sounding gain reduction that doesn’t hamper your tone. Despite the advanced processing, the control section only requires four knobs to adjust all the necessary parameters, MDP does the rest. Another cool feature gracing the silver faceplate is a real-time gain reduction display, which visualizes the BC-1X’s compression using a 16-segment graphic indicator.
BC-1X Bass Comp
ES-5 Effects Switching System
Introducing the little brother to the ES-8, the ES-5 is a fully functional effects-switching system with five loops—to the ES-8’s eight—and dramatically reduced size, weight, and complexity. If your pedalboard isn’t large enough to fit an ES-8, perhaps the ES-5 could be just the ticket. Connect an effects pedal or multiple effects pedals to one of the ES-5’s loops and, with a tap of one of the footswitches, switch the loops on and off or even change the order of the signal chain instantly. While the unit is digitally programmable, tone purists will be happy to know that all of the audio circuits are analog and have buffers on each channel that can be turned off for true-bypass switching. For those with more advanced setups, the ES-5 also interfaces with MIDI-compatible effects, and up to 200 patches can be stored for instant recall. The routing and control options offered with the ES-5 are nearly limitless and the ease of use will have you up and running in no time, so check back for availability and see for yourself!
ES-5 Effects Switching System
For complete coverage of NAMM 2016 and all the product announcements, please click here.
