BOSS SD-1w Waza Craft Review: Behemoth Does Boutique

A simple yet effective high end overdrive from BOSS   12-Jan-15

The Waza Craft series from BOSS is a nod back to the company's roots, a series of three pedals with discrete analog circuitry, developed by a small team of experts at the company.

From the outside it looks very much like a boutique operation within a behemoth of a company, and almost certainly an attempt to sell products to the growing collection of guitarists who favour buying pedals directly online from small independent companies.

The BOSS SD-1w features two different voicings - the standard and the custom mode. The standard mode will get you very close to the sound of the original pedal from the early 80s, whereas the custom mode is a far more modern voicing - slightly heavier and incredibly useful for lead guitar playing.

It's a simple interface, just the three knob layout you'll recognise from the standard SD-1, along with the small switch to change between the custom and standard voicings.

The only very slight criticism here is that the switch is tiny, and buried between the drive and volume controls, making it a bit difficult to get at.

But you're unlikekly to want to change the voicing mid-song, so we'll probably all be able to get over this small factor and move on with our lives!

If you're looking for a middleweight overdrive pedal, somewhere in between the gentle clipping of a pedal like an EHX Soul Food and a high gain option such as a Wampler Triple Wreck, the SD-1w occupies the middle groud perfectly.

The tonal range isn't out of this world, but it's easy to dial in a smooth rock rhythm sound, and equally easy to find yourself a very amp-like lead sound with plenty of sustain.

Value for money

For around £115 in the UK, and between $150-$200 in the US, it's firmly in the boutique price range - and so it should be.

It's the sort of pedal where you'll probably dial in the settings to your taste, stick the pedal on your board, and keep the settings as they are.

Whether you want to shell out this sort of cash to have a pedal on your board that will most likely serve perhaps one or two basic functions is entirely your call, but it sounds great (as you can hear in the video above).

The pedal comes with a five year guarantee which will be an attractive prospect to gigging guitarists..

I could certainly find a place for it on my board.

Review by Richard Beech.