Should I get a Boss Tone? or a Boss Clone?

Mike Maddux · Post by **Mike Maddux** » 10 May 2007 10:39 pm

What is the "mystique" behing this elusive little demon?

People are telling me to go with a more modern 6 string pedal to get these hard to nail steel fuzz violin sounds.

If you could go out and replicate that tone with a modern pedal then why are these so sought after? Weve all seen the go for more than $100 on eBay...

Are people just paying for the name that everyone has thrown around for years?

Also, Ive seen all the cool little ads in Steel Guitar Magazine and etc. advertising all these nifty doodads for steel guitar like:
PEI "The Junior" Organ simulator
Boss Tone
Lil' Izzy and Lil' Izzy Plus
Steel Ebow
Now ive spoke first hand with the guy from Ebow and hes not gonna make any more...

Has anyone had any contact or know who the manufacturer was or who owns the rights to the name to some of these products? These products pop up occasionally on ebay or on the forum and are snatched up too quick or are going for insane amounts of money, sometimes even damaged. This, to me, seems like a shame. Its probably not possible financially but it would great to see some of these come back.

Or were they just crap? Did they break down? As in the case of the ebow out of 215 only 200 survived...did "the Junior" blow up after 3 years?

Some of us "youngsters" (the same guys who, some of us, will never feel a real '59 LP) will never get our hands on these even to make our own determination on the tone of these things. Give a "Small Stone Phaser" to someone in the 50's and they may have had a whole new take on the effect.

Hypethetically if Jackson Steel guitars can get the rights to Sho-Bud patents (if they do) couldnt they reproduce the Boss Tone also mabe by Sho-Bud?

Jerry Erickson · Post by **Jerry Erickson** » 11 May 2007 5:40 am

This might work for the Bosstone. Anybody tried one?

http://www.voodoolab.com/superfuzz.htm

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 11 May 2007 5:51 am

I had that Superfuzz for a while. It's a cool pedal, but it doesn't really do the Bosstone thing that well. It's interesting. Voodoo Labs had actually re-issued the Bosstone and even called it the Bosstone. I've got one. Then they stopped making their Bosstone, modified it, and released the Superfuzz. The Superfuzz is basically a Bosstone, but then they added an EQ circuit after it so you can boost lows and also an upper midrange peak. Then they added an opamp to drive the whole thing. While the Superfuzz is cool in its own right, it definitely lost something that the true Bosstone had.

Check ebay once in a while for a Voodoo Labs Bosstone. It's probably the best quality true-Bosstone that's been made yet.

There aren't any patents on the Bosstone circuit. Anyone can make one and sell it.

There may be issues on the name, but the circuit is fair game.

Brad

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 11 May 2007 10:39 am

One thing about the BossTone effect, most people (steel guitarists and others) either like it alot, or they hate it. I own an old Jordan Electronics BossTone (the original) and I love it for rock steel playing, but I've had metal guitarists (the 6-string variety) tell me it sounds like bees buzzin' around.... There's just no accounting for taste

Two of the most prominent steel guitarists that use the BossTone to great effect are Buddy Cage and Lloyd Maines. Check out Lloyd Maines on Joe Ely's version of "Boxcars" from the album Honky Tonk Masquerade, or Buddy Cage on "Kick In The Head" from the album Home On The Road by the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 12 May 2007 8:11 am

Get either a BOSS DS-1 Distortion,or a SD-1 Super Overdrive.

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 13 May 2007 9:22 am

The Foxx Tone Machine works well for that sound, and has an octave function to make the bees seem even angrier. I have been trying to sell one on here for a few days but nobody knows what it is.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 13 May 2007 10:06 am

The steel "violin sound" (using a fuzz) is really kind of an over-rated, cheesy effect, IMHO. Basically, it sounds like a string section doing a fast tremolo in a cave. You need to turn down the bass, switch on the fuzz, and crank up the reverb to get the effect sounding right. Then, you have to restore the bass, turn off the fuzz, and drop the 'verb to play anything else. Jeff Newman taught me how to do it, as we used to have a female singer that did the hit Brenda Lee song "All Alone Am I". That was about the only practical occasion I ever found for the effect. Used once a night for 10 seconds, it's great. But buying a fuzz just to do this effect is kinda like buying a cello to play the first few bars of the "Jaws" theme.

Buy a fuzz unit for a nice, overdriven, fuzz sound, not for doing schlocky violin immitations.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 13 May 2007 12:35 pm

I guess I am not a connoiseur of distortion. I bought one of the original Maestro units 40 years ago. After the new wore off, I sold it and have never played with distortion since.

The rock kids today are definitely connoiseurs. They can tell you which Brand unit the player is using.

I do like my other toys, though

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 13 May 2007 4:36 pm

Donny Hinson wrote:The steel "violin sound" (using a fuzz) is really kind of an over-rated, cheesy effect, IMHO. Basically, it sounds like a string section doing a fast tremolo in a cave. You need to turn down the bass, switch on the fuzz, and crank up the reverb to get the effect sounding right. Then, you have to restore the bass, turn off the fuzz, and drop the 'verb to play anything else. Jeff Newman taught me how to do it, as we used to have a female singer that did the hit Brenda Lee song "All Alone Am I". That was about the only practical occasion I ever found for the effect. Used once a night for 10 seconds, it's great. But buying a fuzz just to do this effect is kinda like buying a cello to play the first few bars of the "Jaws" theme.

Buy a fuzz unit for a nice, overdriven, fuzz sound, not for doing schlocky violin immitations.

Seems like a good candidate for a POD patch.

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 13 May 2007 8:33 pm

Actually b0b a good sounding fuzz is supposed to sound like a buzz saw hitting a rusty nail, in a piece of old barn oak, down in the Ozark Mountains. Some may find it interesting that I am deep in the process of casting plastic reproductions of the Boss Tone. Maybe some of you can help me come up with a new name. I noticed Peavey has a new effect device called "The Womanizer". Someone sugged I call it "The fornicator." I didn't think that would be a good name. Forgot to mention I have two different electronic circuits that go inside. One is the original Boss Tone, which is clipping diodes. The other circuit is a more laid back sweet sound that has lots of note sustain. Hit a note and it lasts almost as long as an E-Bow if you want it to. Those that have heard the circuit say it is a lot better than the famous Tube Screamer.

Alan Kirk · Post by **Alan Kirk** » 13 May 2007 11:29 pm

Keith,

Bozz Tohn
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Hendrix-In-A-Box
Buzz Tone
Buzz Bone
Buzz Moan
Bawz Tune

Want more?

Kevin Ruddell · Post by **Kevin Ruddell** » 14 May 2007 2:22 am

Go to Chad Matthews web site where he shows all the pedal mods he sells with accompanying sound samples and in depth descriptions at www.cmatmods.com I think . He also designs and sells his own pedals . There are several different variations of single Boss pedals. For $40 he made my Boss EQ-7 pedal sound a whole lot better , much more transparent , quiet and more hi-fidelity by changing out op-amp chips and capacitors for superior ones . He does several mods on the Boss Super Overdrive that sound really good. I have 2 Tube Works amps and for overdrive I just blend in the channel that overdrives a tube with it's own eq section to the clean channel via the mix option and a footswitch so I don't require a pedal.

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 14 May 2007 4:15 am

Keith, let me know when we can preorder- I want to get #1!

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 14 May 2007 9:07 am

Alan, none of those names work. I guess Peavey finally figured out sex sells. What a name--"The Womanizer"! Peavey may never live that name down. Sorry Keith, I'm not taking pre-orders. There are a couple of things I am finishing up. #1. I want my unit to plug directly into a guitar, like the old Boss Tone did. That alone made it different than all the others. Controls were at your finger tips, not on the floor in a common stock box.
#2 Finding the right parts to fit in that small of a box has consumed months of my time. #3 I must figure every way in the world to design something that is difficult for a drunk to tear up. If it is torn up, then it must be obviously the drunks fault. I try and design for the REAL world.

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 14 May 2007 10:50 am

Personally I would like to see a pedal version of it; but I like your work so I'll take whatever you decide to make.

Mike Maddux · Post by **Mike Maddux** » 14 May 2007 10:51 am

I say go with the original style.

John Lacey · Post by **John Lacey** » 15 May 2007 3:56 am

I'd say go with the original design and just roll off some highs so it's not so buzzy. Also, adjust it so it doesn't go from off to full buzz immediately.

Alan Kirk · Post by **Alan Kirk** » 15 May 2007 6:05 am

...Fizz Tone
Bumblebee
Ratchetone
RazzleDazzle...

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 15 May 2007 8:58 am

Alan, probably the best name I ever heard for a fuzz unit is: "The Tube Screamer". The Transistor Screamer does not have that special ring to the name. I really can't get over the new Peavey device, called the Womanizer. Wonder if Mike Brown came up with that name?

John Poston · Post by **John Poston** » 15 May 2007 11:52 am

Anything referring to buzzing mosquitos would be good.

Another idea I had is, you could call it the Hill-Fuzz, haha.

Alan Kirk · Post by **Alan Kirk** » 15 May 2007 12:00 pm

...Tube Wailer
Tubular Wailer
Dream Screamer
Scream Scene...

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 15 May 2007 12:31 pm

Keith, that pedal that Peavey owns, the Womanizer, I think is actually from a company called "Damage Control". I believe that Peavey merely purchased that company and it's product line. I don't think that Peavey actually developed or named that stuff. I'm not sure on that though.

Brad