Breaking into the modern amp market is not a mission for the faint-hearted. On one side, you’ll find the old guard, eternally sworn to the valve technology they created back in the 50s and 60s, still dining out on war-stories of Hendrix, Woodstock and 4x12 backlines looming like monoliths. On the other, the high-tech disruptors, shredding conventional wisdom, casting aside manufacturing tradition, dragging the sector ever-further from physical hardware towards apps and plug-ins.
Both philosophies are valid, and each has its advocates. But if BOSS’s status as the second-biggest amp builder in the world proves anything, it’s the appetite for products that walk a perfect middle path between tradition and revolution. Inspect the modern BOSS amp range –comprising the Katana, Nextone, Waza, CUBE and Acoustic series –and you’ll find hardware that feels reassuringly human, offering the hands-on tangibility that makes plugging into a great amp so satisfying. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll detect the innovation that underpins BOSS’s design philosophy, with lively and responsive amp sounds called up at the twist of a dial, signature tones crafted using editing software, and a thousand other paradigm-shifting leaps.
To some, BOSS’s rise as an amp builder might seem like an overnight success, sparked by the runaway sales of the Katana series from 2016. In fact, to those that know, there’s a precedent and considerable pedigree underpinning the boom. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the amp scene will recall that sister company Roland had already planted its flag in 1975 with the legendary JC-120, a 2x12 combo dubbed the ‘king of clean’ for its glassy, stereo chorus-sweetened shimmer, seen in the rigs of everyone from Metallica’s James Hetfield to The 1975.