Japanese Boss Pedals

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TelePaul

TelePaul

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I've been scoping out a MIJ Boss BF2. The intrnet - and eBay - would suggest these made-in-Japan pedals are more desirable then their made-in-taiwan cousins. Of course, given that I've read it on the net, it's probably a vicious rumour. Anyone have any opinions?
 
What makes JP made boss pedals better then Taiwan made ones?
Taiwan ain't mainland china they've been pedals for years.
 
TelePaul said:
I've been scoping out a MIJ Boss BF2. The intrnet - and eBay - would suggest these made-in-Japan pedals are more desirable then their made-in-taiwan cousins. Of course, given that I've read it on the net, it's probably a vicious rumour. Anyone have any opinions?
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The 70's Boss pedals are the "desirable" ones.
I personally wouldn't pay a premium. Let the holier than thou collectors pretend they have something special. Besides, at this point in time there are an insane amount of flangers to choose from. I refuse to buy into the hype that nothing made in the last 40 years was any good.
 
My understanding is that the earlier Boss pedals were made by Maxon, which of course now sells under its own name. Allegedly these were better than the subsequent Boss pedals, but I've never done a side by side. Be aware that if you are using a power supply for your pedals, the early Boss pedals are powered differently than the current standard arrangement. From the Analogman site:

Many old Boss pedals were designed for an unregulated ACA power supply. The PSA will not have enough voltage to work with them. So check your pedal, they originally had a sticker on them telling you which power supply type to use. If it says PSA then any regulated power supply (Dunlop, Ibanez, etc) will work. But if it says ACA, then you need to get a boss ACA (ACA120 in the USA) power supply.

You can buy appropriate power supplies from companies like Analogman and some power supplies, like the Voodoo Lab Pedal Power will power these older Boss pedals.

Edit: FWIW, I have a CE-2 (Chorus) and a CS-2 (Compressor) pedal and they are both very decent. The CS-2 has generally been replaced by my Keeley comp, but it's still a decent comp pedal. I also have some of the recent Maxon reissue pedals, an FL301 Flanger, Phase Tone Phaser and a Compressor. Decent no frills pedals (and I got them cheap).
 
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Thanks guys. it's not a snob thing, I just find pedals collectable and I came across a BF 2 for a decent price.
 
i used to supplement my income a little bit by buying up used MIJ Boss pedals at music stores and reselling them on eBay (when eBay first started). They certainly do have a "desireability" factor, whether real or imagined. I think with some of them it's just the actual models that haven't been re-made, like analog delay. I had a MIJ DM-2 and DM-3 (both analog delays), they're "echo" really, but very pleasant. I had a DD-5 Digital Delay, which was the modern MIT pedal and could do much more, including simulating an analogy "echo" delay (if I remember right, this was almost 10 years ago). I liked the old analog pedals MUCH better, especially DM-2.

I do suppose that components might also account for sound difference, as could the actual circuits.

just like the original Marshalls were designed to be Fender copies, but due to different components available ended up being a new sound. not to be discounted, IMHO.

(you'll notice I'm not saying that all MIJ Bosses are better than their MIT counterparts, maybe not even all of the ones I had. I never did have a chance to compare each of the MIJ to a MIT - I just bought what was cheap and what I knew I could resell).
 
While the older analog pedals (especially delays) will sound a bit warmer, a DS-1 is a DS-1 no matter how you slice it.
 
yeah, that's probably right. especially for someone like me, who actually tends to prefer analog to digital. different components might affect analog devices, but probably not as much with digital, especially if the same "program" is used.

jaybunting said:
While the older analog pedals (especially delays) will sound a bit warmer, a DS-1 is a DS-1 no matter how you slice it.
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Gear_Junky said:
yeah, that's probably right. especially for someone like me, who actually tends to prefer analog to digital. different components might affect analog devices, but probably not as much with digital, especially if the same "program" is used.
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Surely a DS 1 is an analog circuit?
 
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