Boss Acoustic Simulator AC-2 review

Why did I buy it?

bossac2

At the time I was playing electric in a band that also often featured an acoustic guitar, however the acoustic player also sang and sometimes had trouble managing some fiddly acoustic bits whilst singing. As these bits were few and far between I got this pedal as a mimic for an acoustic sound so that I didn’t have the hassle of an extra guitar (and signal path). I set it to the “Jumbo” setting with the body control at 12 and the top control at 1.

How does it sound?

I wouldn’t use this on a fully acoustic song or without a band, however for a little intro or bridge section the sound is passable and definately more like an acoustic than a clean electric sound. A bit of chorus helps even more with sounding like an acoustic.

Keep or sell?

Well I bought this for a purpose and it served it well. However since then it has been sitting in the bottom of a drawer. I did once get it out when we were recording some acoustic guitar and used it WITH an acoustic as it gives a bit of sparkle to the sound, however this was because we were double tracking a guitar part and I wanted the second track to be a bit different from the first. To be honest this pedal is more of a gimic than a replacement for a proper acoustic.

Mini-pedal board – Boss TU-2 & CH-1 review

This is my mini-pedalboard that I use with acoustic guitar, bass guitar and also as part of my bigger pedal board. The TU-2 is particularly useful because it can be used to power other Boss pedals and also as a mute.

Why did I buy it?

About ten years ago the TU-2 was the only real pedal-tuner option. I also liked that fact that it powers other pedals, is a chromatic tuner, can be set to alternative tunings other than 440, and can be used to either mute whilst tuning or alternatively set to constantly on.

The CH-1 is a relatively simple chorus pedal that seems to do everything you would expect.

How does it sound?

I haven’t noticed the tuner adding any noise to my chain or affecting my sound. I use it as a mute on my acoustic and electric guitar but keep it in chromatic mode when playing bass which I find reassuring especially when playing fretless.

The CH-1 seems to be quite good at ranging from very subtle chorus to too much chorus. It sounds great on the acoustic, is workable on the bass and seems equal to my Line6 MM4 for the electric. I haven’t noticed it adversely affecting my bass frequencies but then again I seldom turn it on for the bass.

Keep or sell?

Some people have complained that the TU-2 is not very accurate however I have never had a problem with it. The chorus pedal is nothing special but does what I need it to. The two pedals stay together on this mini-pedal board out of convenience because I use the TU-2 every time I play live no matter the gig, whilst the chorus pedal is used mostly for acoustic but occasionally for bass and electric hence it is convenient to keep it with the tuner especially as it is powered by the tuner. I quite like this arrangement and cannot really imagine a reason for getting rid of these pedals.

Boss CS-3 review

Why did I buy it?

This was one of the first pedals I bought in around 1996. I purchased it because I had read an article recommending that all guitarists use one despite not really knowing what a compressor was. It has now been part of my pedal board for over ten years.

How does it sound?

I have a strange relationship with this pedal. Firstly the “sustain” function is next to useless because the pedal is just too noisy. But rolling back the sustain knob to about 9 o’clock gets the pedal acting like a compressor instead. People say a good compressor shouldn’t be noticed, and indeed I normally don’t notice this pedal – so much so that I have occasionally played with it off and not noticed! It probably works best during a quieter song when I am trying to pick single notes in chords where it helps even out the volume and attack of each note. However as soon as things hot up I don’t find this pedal particularly necessary and often just turn it off because it can suck the tone just a bit if you don’t have the tone knob set just right. I’ve also spent ages turning it on and off trying to hear what difference it makes. Sometimes I can hear it, but most times I cannot.

I’ve also tried to use it with acoustic guitar but found it unnecessary, and also with bass. Although it does work better with bass I am slightly concerned that it cuts some of the low frequencies as it has never been as good as some of the built in compressors I’ve used on various bass amps.

Keep or sell?

Well I’ve had it for 14 years but never been particularly enthused by it. It sort of stays on my pedal board because it has always been there, however recently I am tempted to buy a new compressor from another manufacturer to experiment further with compression. Either I don’t really know how to handle compression on an electric guitar signal in which case I will find a new pedal equally uninspiring, or the new pedal will help my sound and in which case it was the CS-3 itself that was uninspiring.

Boss DD-3 delay review

Why did I buy it?

On looking for that “nut” factor for my overdriven crunch sound I found out that a short delay makes the sound bigger. As I only wanted a one trick pony I opted for this small delay pedal instead of the bigger multi-delay pedals. I also already had a boss tuner so could power this from the tuner without needing an extra power supply.

How does it sound?

I set the delay time to around 100msec’s, enough that you can hear it clearly on a quickly damped clean note but not enough that you distinctly hear the repeat on a more overdriven sound. This has the effect of making heavily overdriven chords and solos sound much bigger but without being able to specifically notice that a delay is on. I use this effect along with reverb for all overdriven tones.

Keep or sell?

It’s a keep, but only as part of a bigger pedal board. When it comes to throwing a couple pedals in a bag to go for a jam this seldom comes because I use it more to enhance my sound rather than make it.