The BOSS Pedal Project – One Man’s Journey To Collect Every BOSS Pedal Ever Made

There are BOSS fans, and then there are BOSS fans. Today, our blog takes a brief break from focusing on our usual guides and tutorials, and puts the spotlight onto the very awesome BOSS Pedal Project. If you haven’t checked it out yet, the BOSS Pedal Project is essentially exactly that – one man’s quest to hunt down every single BOSS pedal ever made! With fantastic Instagram eye candy, great video demos and live streams of hard-to-find vintage BOSS pedals, it’s gained quite a following – and for good reason!

Contributed by Ed Lim for the Roland Australia Blog

– Hi! Tell us about yourself.

My name is Cameron Johnson. I’m a guitarist/drummer living in Nashville, Tennessee. I play guitar in a progressive rock band called Atma Weapon. I am a guitar gear junkie and have a very soft spot in my heart for BOSS pedals. I also collect vintage Star Wars figures from the 70s/ 80s as well as retro video games, movies, etc.

– When and how did the Boss Pedal Project start?

The seed for my BOSS obsession was planted when I first picked up the guitar in the mid 90s. As most guitarists did back then, I lusted over the guitar gear in Musician’s Friend catalogs. I was instantly drawn to the uniformity and beautiful colors of the BOSS compact pedal line, even before I tried one!

As an adult, I decided I wanted to track down some of the BOSS pedals I couldn’t afford as a kid. That morphed into me deciding to collect them all! My original plan was to do a video demo of every single BOSS compact pedal and upload them all to my Youtube channel. I got through about 70 videos, and got burnt out. So, I decided to take my passion to Instagram, and the BOSS Pedal Project was born.

– We love the photos that you do of BOSS pedals and old 80s toys! Where did you get the inspiration for that photo concept?

Thanks! That was a total fluke. I was running out of ideas posting regular pics, so I put an action figure next to a BOSS pedal, sort of combining two of my passions; vintage toys and BOSS. I figured there must be people like me who loved both, and I was right! I also love old video games, so I’ve done that combo as well. I’ll match them by color, or similar name, etc.

– What was your first BOSS pedal?

My first BOSS pedal was the TU-2 Tuner. I still have it, but I’m not sure if it’s the same one. At one point I had 4 or 5 TU-2 pedals, which is a little silly. That was at the height of my BOSS collecting obsession.

– How many BOSS pedals do you currently own?

Currently, I have right around 75 BOSS pedals. It’s not near the amount I used to have, but I’m very content with my collection. At one point, I probably had around 130. There are some new ones I’d like to get in the future, the Angry Driver being one of them. Now, I focus more on using the ones I have, rather than acquiring more.

– What percentage complete is your collection?

Right now it’s about 50% complete; maybe a little more. At one point, I had the entire BOSS Compact pedal line, so right at 109 pedals (the full set at the time), plus duplicates of some. I even had two Slow Gears! That was a few years ago. I ended up having to sell a good portion to help fund my move to Nashville. But, I only sold the pedals I knew I could easily re-buy again, or ones I had multiples of. Since then, I’ve bought back some that I sold, and I’ve found some rare items that I didn’t have initially.

– What was the hardest pedal to find so far?

The SG-1 Slow Gear was probably the hardest, along with the original SP-1 Spectrum, and the first version of the OD-1. All in all, the Slow Gear was probably the hardest to track down. Although, I ended up getting a second Slow Gear in a stroke of luck for $60USD. (What a once in a lifetime bargain!! – Ed.) The seller thought it was broken. What he didn’t realize, was that some of the earliest BOSS pedals had a momentary LED that only came on when you depressed the footswitch. In other words, it didn’t stay on, but just indicated when you either turned the pedal on or off. That’s a cool bit of BOSS history.

– Which pedal is your favourite and why?

My favorite BOSS pedal is the DSD-2 Digital Sampler/ Delay. Although, I just use it as a delay pedal, and don’t use the sampler function. The early BOSS digital delays had a special 12-bit chip in them that don’t sound like anything else. I have amassed probably 10 or so of the DSD-2’s. I’m a little obsessed. That’s the only BOSS pedal I currently hoard. People haven’t really caught on to them being special. They are just as good as the DD-2’s, which people value more.

– What are the top 3 pedals that you’re still chasing?

I’m always on the lookout for more DSD-2’s, and maybe another FA-1 FET amp. The FA-1 is a piece I was after for a while. Other than that, I’d love to get my hands on the JB-2 Angry Driver.

I’m actually chasing other BOSS odds and ends like retail advertising (posters, display items, etc…), BOSS swag, and commemorative pedals. I ran across the ‘10 Million Sold’ Commemorative DS-1 pedal on reverb. That might be the rarest BOSS item I have, and I found it by accident browsing Reverb.com. I also have a great BOSS poster from 1988. It lists all the pedals released up until that time.

– What was it like meeting the BOSS team at Summer NAMM this year, and meeting Yoshi Ikegami (President of BOSS) himself?

Meeting the BOSS guys at NAMM was really a dream come true. It was amazing talking shop with everyone, and meeting Yoshi was great! He was so down to earth. You’d never know that he is the President of BOSS! We chatted about some of my favorite pedals, and he gave me some insight into their development. He told me I was crazy for having so many DSD-2’s. I also got to pitch my ideas for the next Waza pedals, and that was really a special moment for me.

– Do you gig any of the pedals from your collection? What does your pedalboard/rig setup look like?

I do gig with some of my BOSS pedals. My board has a total of 6 pedals on it; 3 of which are BOSS. I use the TU-3W Tuner, and 2 DSD-2 Delays, in addition to a few non-Boss pedals. I like to keep it very simple live. My main gigging rig is a Marshall 2204 JMP (modified with an FX loop) and Port City cabs. The JMP is a single channel amp, so I get my OD tones by boosting the front end with a drive pedal. I have way too many amps, and I use most of the in the studio. I’m a Marshall guy, hands down. Also, my pedals get the most use in the studio. I see pedals as spices. Without them, tones can be bland and uninteresting. It’s amazing what a phaser or flanger can do if you put it in the right place in a song. For guitars, I use ESP Vipers, which are sort of like SGs on steroids.

– What’s your ideal pedalboard setup if you could have ANY combination of BOSS pedals (including ones you don’t have yet)?

My ideal pedalboard would really only change with the addition of one BOSS pedal. Well, it isn’t actually a pedal yet. I’d absolutely love to have a pedal version of the BOSS FA-1 FET amp. I’d keep my board the same, and make room for a BOSS FA-1W. I’m hoping it would get the Waza Craft treatment. But like I said, I like to keep things simple for live. Maybe I’d sneak in my HM-2 and DC-2.

– What will you do the day the collection is complete?!

To be honest, my collection will never really be complete. I have learned that the journey is actually the most enjoyable part. The finish line is irrelevant to me. It keeps moving forward anyways, haha. There are always more to collect, so I just acquire the items that work for me. I also try and focus on enjoying my pedals now. In the end, they are to create music with, but they sure are cool to look at!

Thank you very much Mr Johnson for taking the time to talk to us for our blog! If you haven’t already, please check out the BOSS Pedal Project and associated music at the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boss_pedal_project/
Music (Atma Weapon): https://atmaweaponnc.bandcamp.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRfhFOFhymyXpNqDMczoEmw

Tones in Time – 50s Rock ‘n Roll
Tones in Time – 60s Rock
Tones in Time – 70s Rock

FREE INDONESIAN SCENE / STYLE PACK DOWNLOADS

Dangdut, Koplo, Pop Sunda, Melayu, and more for the GO:KEYS 5 and GO:KEYS 3 Music Creation Keyboards

Included in the Indonesian Styles Download

As requested by many Roland GO:KEYS 5 and GO:KEYS 3 users, we have produced today’s popular Dangdut and Nusantara styles, these styles are suitable for use at events and ceremonies.

* When using Indonesian scene / style packs, make sure to update to the latest version of the system program.

Dangdut Klasik	Generally used to accompany general dangdut songs with 4/4 rhythm and 120-180 tempo.
Dangdut BAND	General Dangdut rhythm with modern western instruments.
Slow Dangdut	Used to accompany dangdut songs with a slow tempo.
Fast Dangdut	Used to accompany dangdut songs with a fast tempo of 200-240, for example Goyang Senggol and Reynold Pangabean’s song.
Dangdut 3-4	Dangdut rhythm with 3/4 time signature.
Dangdut Kroncong	A sub-genre of campursari which is a combination of dangdut and keroncong.
Koplo Basic	Sub-genre of Dangdut that developed in Java’s north coast, known for its distinctive rapid drum pattern.
Koplo Jaranan	This is a Koplo music rhythm with elements of ethnic blends from Jawa Timur and Jawa Tengah but played freely without the standard Slendro or Pelog scales.
Koplo Kempul	Koplo music with elements of the Kempul instrument.
Koplo Pargoy	Koplo music to accompany Pargoy dance, made famous on Tiktok.
Koplo Reggae	Koplo music mixed with Reggae music.
Pop Sunda Klasik	Sundanese music combines traditional instruments such as the kecapi (harp), flute, etc., with western instruments such as bass and drums.
Pop Sunda Modern	Sundanese music with traditional instruments with more western instrument sound elements.
Jaipong Rampak	Jaipong dance music with Rampak instrument nuances.
Gambang Kromong	Gambang Kromong (or written Gambang Komong) is a kind of orchestra that combines gamelan with Chinese musical instruments, such as Sukong, Tehyan and Kongahyan. The name Gambang Kromong is taken from the names of two percussion instruments, namely Gambang and Kromong. Gambang Kromong is Betawi music which is most evenly distributed in the Betawi cultural area, both in DKI Jakarta itself and in the surrounding area (greater Jakarta). In general, musical performances of Gambang Kromong are presented at folk festivals, weddings, Chinese New Year parties, welcoming guests, as well as at Tapekong events
Tarling	Tarling originally appeared in 1931 in Indramayu, at that time a Dutch commissioner asked a local resident named Mang Sakim to repair a guitar. This opportunity was used by Mang Sakim and his son named Sugra to learn guitar tones and compare them with gamelan pentatonic tones. The beauty is even more complete when the strings of the guitar are accompanied by a luscious bamboo flute.
Pop Melayu	Pop music genre with the influence of Malay rhythms. It became popular in the 2000s through bands such as ST12 and Kangen Band.
Pop Minang	The development of this music originated from various Minang regions. Influenced by western music culture from colonial era and became popular in 1970-1980 by immigrants. Minang pop music contains poetry about love for the motherland, ethnicity, the struggle to live abroad, homesickness, etc.
Zapin Melayu	Zapin is a dance music originating from the country of Yaman, which is popular among the Melayu community in Indonesia. Zapin is believed to have entered the archipelago under the influence of Persians and Arabs who acculturated the local Malay culture while spreading Islamic teachings from the Middle East around the fourteenth century. The accompanying music is composed of two main instruments, the Gambus string instrument and three Marwas/Marawis percussion instruments.
Kroncong Klasik	Traditional music with Portuguese influences using instruments such as bass, guitar, violin, ukulele and flute. Its distinctive rhythm can be heard in the bassline and guitar strumming.

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