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Delfender
Copper Member
United Kingdom
12 Posts |
 Posted - 05/10/2008 : 11:17:12
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Hi.
Does anybody else think that Boss have spent far too much time over the years on Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz boxes at the expense of other types of pedals? I'm sure there are many other avenues they could have explored over the years instead of trying to reinvent the wheel time and again. Who do the rest of you think?
Delfender |
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FRANZONI
Double Platinum Member
Ireland
3543 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 14:31:07
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I'm not sure about it being at the expense of other effects as i think boss/roland have covered and been at the forefront sometimes of developing effects devices..... but i agree they probably made a few too many dirt boxs..i would imagine they were trying to cover the whole spectrum of tones that came out after hendrix,clapton,townshend etc for people who did't gig in the Royal Albert Hall every weekend and didn't have the chance of running a wall of marshalls full blast.... ....... |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 15:32:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Delfender
Hi.
Does anybody else think that Boss have spent far too much time over the years on Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz boxes at the expense of other types of pedals? I'm sure there are many other avenues they could have explored over the years instead of trying to reinvent the wheel time and again. Who do the rest of you think?
Delfender
Hi Delfender
I guess we all just like DIRT too much.
They have been making the DS-1 & SD-1's since Moses was a baby.
And before ZZ Top stopped shaving.
But I do agree with your points about the other avenues they could of explored.
Regards Dr. Bob
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zentropa
Gold Member
USA
837 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 16:28:37
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one thing about distortions...
when you look at the speed at which music "evolves" the target sounds change at different rates.
the "best" phasers are still often considered to be mu-trons, phase 90's, etc. which have been around for decades.
however, distortion in 1976 vs. contemporary distortion has gone through dozens and dozens of overhauls. a lot of this has to do with the music of the era and a lot of it has to do with the available affordable equipment of the era (as well as other factors).
e.g. in 1976, i believe there was a higher percentage of musicians with tube amps than today. also, "heavy distortion" in 1976 was very different from heavy distortion in 2008.
pedal manufacturers have to hold par with contemporary distortion sounds in order to remain successful. imo, the grunge pedal was probably the best attempt at marketing to a contemporary audience (the 1990's angry 16 year old, but in this case it also caused DOD to sink themselves in many ways).
if a manufacturer loses their market share of distortion buyers, they lose a lot of potential buyers for their other pedals since from my experiences, distortion is how most newer players introduce themselves to the manufacturer.
does having to evolve distortions to match contemporary sounds limit them from exploring new avenues? yah. does it keep em in business? big yah. it's a tough balance, but you find that a lot of the niche effects often tank sales-wise (or are prohibitively expensive) which is a limiting factor in itself since R&D dept's are working under the watchful eye of cost/benefit analysts.
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Heart and Soul
Silver Member
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 16:50:56
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Distortion > all other effects
that's why. |
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Dirk
Platinum Member
Netherlands
1309 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 17:02:00
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It has more to do with the fact that distortion isn't a real "effect".
Well it is to an extent, but in the old days it was a natural side effect from the amps overloading due to too much volume.
Since many people started to really like that sound and started playing with it purposely, pedal and amp manufacturers finally began squeezing that sound into their products, in fact many amp manufacturers, Marshall included didn't even want to do it at first until the demand got bigger.
The first Boss distortions like the OD-1 and DS-1 were really Rolands attempt to create that same sound in a box so people could play with it at low volume at home.
I'd say that about 97 percent of all guitar players in the world has some kind of dist/drive/fuzz at his disposal, whereas many other effects are only used by people who like or need the effect for a certain part of a song, or a special effect or whatever.
I mean you could get rid of all effects and still be able to make any song sound good, all of em except distortion.
Try to play Slayers "Reign in blood" with a clean sound and you'll know exactly what I mean |
Edited by - Dirk on 05/10/2008 17:04:03 |
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Laurie
Double Platinum Member
Canada
4854 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 17:20:46
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Slightly off topic - Mrs Laurie was listening to some of my pedals the other day and was amazed at the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the types of distortion... we were playing with the DS-1, XT-2, MT-2, and ML2.
I guess it's the "subtle variations on a theme" that keeps us interested in dirt...
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Mr Arkadin
Bronze Member
United Kingdom
119 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 18:19:57
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| You can never have too many distortion boxes - it's an oxymoron. |
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Leeroyfunk
Silver Member
United Kingdom
400 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 20:38:55
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DF-2
FMB-1
FDR-1
FZ-2
FZ-3
FZ-5
HM-2
HM-3
MD-2
ML-2
MT-2
MZ-2
OD-1
OD-2
OD-2r
OD-3
OS-2
SD-1
SD-2
PW-2
...is that it? Only 20 pedals 30 years 
I think it's reasonable for Boss to have made a lot of gain devices: It's certainly the most enduringly popular sort of effect, most players have an OD/distortion/fuzz pedal even if they don't own another single effect. Also, each new unit has a significant upgrade in terms of features as the compact series has grown: i.e. SD-1 -> SD-2 (extra channel) OD-1 -> OD-2 (turbo) -> OD-2r (remote) -> OD-3 (better tone overall and simplified). Also, i bet total OD/distortion/fuzz pedal sales across all brands are higher than for other effects, e.g. chorus: There are just so many flavours of gain, from very mild amp bite/crunch, through roaring valve amp overdrive to grungy fuzzpedal/broken speaker-style nastiness, let alone all the different heavy metal/hard rock type distortions, mid-scooped etc etc.
Compare this to chorus pedals, which generally aim for either "80's-style" (like a CE-2 type) or a warmer 60s/70s, univibe-type warble: There isn't a huge spectrum of different sounds out of a chorus.
In terms of heavier distortion, I think you might be right - They have slightly over-saturated their range with "niche" effects, like the HM and MD/MT/MZ - These seem more like an attempt to find a market within more specialised musical genres. I'm not sure if this really suits Boss.
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Edited by - Leeroyfunk on 05/10/2008 20:41:31 |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 20:50:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Laurie
Slightly off topic - Mrs Laurie was listening to some of my pedals the other day and was amazed at the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between the types of distortion... we were playing with the DS-1, XT-2, MT-2, and ML2.
I guess it's the "subtle variations on a theme" that keeps us interested in dirt...
I found the DS-1 sounded pretty close to my MT-2 or in other words, the MT-2 I'm so happy with can sound like the DS-1. Needless to say, I'm w/o the DS-1.
The PW-2 sits very nicely between the OD-3, BD-2, & MT-2 with its lower end. |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 21:56:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Leeroyfunk
DF-2
FMB-1
FDR-1
FZ-2
FZ-3
FZ-5
HM-2
HM-3
MD-2
ML-2
MT-2
MZ-2
OD-1
OD-2
OD-2r
OD-3
OS-2
SD-1
SD-2
PW-2
...is that it? Only 20 pedals 30 years
You forgot the DS-1, DS-2, XT-2, BD-2, DN-2 and ODB-3  |
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Leeroyfunk
Silver Member
United Kingdom
400 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2008 : 23:50:11
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quote:
Originally posted by bossarea
quote:
Originally posted by Leeroyfunk
DF-2
FMB-1
FDR-1
FZ-2
FZ-3
FZ-5
HM-2
HM-3
MD-2
ML-2
MT-2
MZ-2
OD-1
OD-2
OD-2r
OD-3
OS-2
SD-1
SD-2
PW-2
...is that it? Only 20 pedals 30 years
You forgot the DS-1, DS-2, XT-2, BD-2, DN-2 and ODB-3
Wow - How could i forget? The BD-2 is my main overdrive  |
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Heart and Soul
Silver Member
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2008 : 01:02:58
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wow, anyone who omits the XT-2 from a distortion list is basically my enemy...
prepare to die Leeroy... |
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Dr. Bob
Moderator
Australia
6593 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2008 : 05:19:36
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Hi Heart and Soul
Maybe you need to start an XT-2 only, users forum.
There's at 4 of us that would join...
Laurie is in love with his new on as well.
Regards Dr. Bob |
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Heart and Soul
Silver Member
USA
369 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2008 : 04:26:12
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that's too much work...i don't ask much but good God don't forget it when you make a list of distortions...
on second thought...
XT-2area
it does have a nice ring to it... |
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Goran
Double Platinum Member
Sweden
2203 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2008 : 07:18:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Arkadin
You can never have too many distortion boxes - it's an oxymoron.
I agree 100% to that!
Boss has made (at least) a handful of really great ODīs and distortions, DS-1, SD-2, BD-2, ML-2 etc. I like them, but anybody else likes MD-2, XT-2 and you name it.
So I think itīs a good thing that Boss have such a versity of options.
ODīs and distortions are nice little things to have around |
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Topic |
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Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz
