Boss Pedal Comparison Roundup (side-by-side)

A roundup page for Boss pedals, highlighting some of the most popular boxes and curious comparisons. Which ones are better than the DS-1? Which ones should you buy?

Most guitar players own a few Boss Pedals. Maybe you would like to own a few more. If that's the case, this page could be helpful to you. It sets up 12 common Boss pedal comparisons and gives my recommendation of which one to go with. But keep in mind, these are my subjective recommendations. As with most things in life, take them with a grain of salt.

I'm basing this on my own experience, real world testing, analysis of audio samples, and the years I've spent working in this industry. When comparing Boss pedals I'm looking for the following:

• Higher value (lower price and/or higher quality)
• Reliable reputation

Hopefully this page address a Boss pedal comparison that you're wondering about, or at least gives you an idea of where to start. If there's another comparison you have a question about, feel free to drop it in the comments section below and I'll check it out.

1. Boss SD-1 VS BD-2

The sound quality battle here is clearly won by the BD-2. It's smoother, fuller, and sounds more like a warm tube-driven preamp than the SD-1. Yes, the Blues Driver is more expensive, but in a one-to-one comparison we think it's worth the upgrade.

2. Boss DS-1 VS SD-1

We wouldn't consider either of these pedals particularly strong on higher gain settings. Though if we must pick between the two, the SD-1 is a bit smoother and more usable than the DS-1. Both of them are easily beat out by the Boss BD-2. Note that the control scheme is pretty much the same across all three pedals

Rank in this Order

1. Boss BD-2
2. Boss SD-1
3. Boss DS-1

3. Boss CE-2W VS DC-2W

Given the higher price tag of the DC-2W and the comparable tone profiles (both layering modulation pedals), we're happy with the CE-2W which also has a more traditional and flexible control scheme. 

4. Boss MT-2W VS HM-2W

The Waza Craft version of the MT-2 is a dramatic improvement over the original. Though in both the Waza and non-Waza versions, we like the tone we get from the HM-2W a lot better. It's just better at handling high gain settings without sounding out of control, and is only priced mildly higher.

5. Boss AC-2 VS AC-3

While there's nothing wrong with the newer AC-3, it is significantly more expensive than a used AC-2 and the feature set is almost the same. We'd recommend saving the money and snagging an AC-2 for $40-$50 on Reverb or eBay. 

6. Boss ML-2 VS MT-2

Again, the MT-2 takes a back seat in tone quality. While the ML-2 is not an analog circuit, it still sounds fuller and chunkier than the MT-2, which comes across as too raspy and chaotic. There's room to improve the ML-2 compared to distortion pedals in other brands, but between these two pedals, it's easily the better option.

7. Boss CE-5 VS CH-1

Both of these pedals sound good and run a similar control scheme, but we'll give the edge to the CH-1 here because it's a little cheaper. If the CE-5 gave us a significant tone or feature upgrade for the higher price, we might reconsider. But in our minds it's hard to separate these two pedals by anything other than a different shade of blue. Grab the cheaper of the two.

8. Boss OD-1X VS SD-1W

Yes, the SD-1W is a significant improvement over the original SD-1, but we still like the tone of the OD-1X better since it does a better job of holding its shape and staying more natural sounding. It's both warm and clear and just an inviting overdrive sound that we're really impressed with. Yes, we're taking a pass on the analog circuit in the SD-1W, but we think that's justified in this case.

9. Boss OS-2 VS DS-1

The OS-2 sounds better than the DS-1, but the higher price tag doesn't do enough to justify the added expense. Save some money and go with the DS-1, or go with another Boss distortion pedal entirely.

10. Boss FZ-2 VS FZ-5

The Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz is now considered a fairly rare find, almost a collectible guitar pedal, hence the price is significantly higher than the FZ-5. We're fine with taking the FZ-5 and saving some money.

11. Boss BD-2 VS BD-2W

The Boss BD-2 probably should have always been analog, but props to Boss for finally getting it right in the BD-2W. Both pedals are decent, but we'll spring the extra cash for the discrete analog components.

12. Boss MT-2 VS MT-2W

It's surprising to us that the price of the MT-2 is anywhere near the price of the MT-2W. We would need to see a dramatic price decrease before we recommended the original MT-2 in almost any scenario. Go with the MT-2W and feel good about it.

Is the Waza Craft option always better?

The Waza Craft series takes an old and well-liked Boss pedal, and replaces the digital signal processor with an analog circuit. Here's a look at the full roster of Waza Craft pedals produced thus far:

Three of these pedals are meant to reproduce a much older Boss pedal, namely, the DM-2W, CE-2W, and DC-2W. Those three pedals might be a little more competitive with their originals, which are no longer in production. However the remaining five are significant improvements over their digital counterparts. In most comparisons, we give the Waza Craft pedal the edge.

Do all Boss pedals come with the five year warranty?

Yes. Boss offers a five year warranty on all their pedals, which is one of the lengthiest such warranties in the industry. The only time this wouldn't apply is if you're buying used, perhaps from a place like Reverb or eBay. 

Are the Metal Zone or DS-1 pedals any good?

For the most part, we avoid recommending either of these pedals. The DS-1 is a better option, and can perform well in limited contexts. But the MT-2 has a reputation for being a fairly weak distortion pedal and having a poor sound at higher gain settings, which is what a "metal" distortion is supposed to be able to do.

Full review: Boss DS-1 distortion

So we'd say avoid the MT-2 entirely, and would only recommend the Boss DS-1 in limited scenarios (lighter styles, blues, tube amps).

Conclusion

Boss pedals are decently affordable and reliable guitar pedals. We've built this page to help you see how they compare to each other and to help you sort out some of the more similar and seemingly redundant options. With older, discontinued pedals, the Waza Craft series, and often multiple pedals covering the same effect or effect category, there are a lot of "matchups" to consider.

If you think of another comparison that we didn't mention here and you'd like to get some input on it, leave it in the comments section below.

We'll chime in and hopefully other readers will give their two cents as well.

Or maybe you just disagree with some of our comparisons.

You can use the comments section for that too.

We'll see you then.

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