WITH THE EXCEPTION of the limited edition TB-2w Tone Bender (which was anomalous in numerous ways), all of the previous Boss Waza Craft pedals were based on pre-existing Boss pedal models. The BP-1W takes a radically different approach by adopting specific elements of classic Boss and Roland products —in this case the preamp sections of the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and Roland RE-201 Space Echo — and reconfiguring them in the familiar Boss compact pedal format.
For years, the glorious, natural-sounding overdrive guitar tones that resulted from boosting the CE-1’s level or RE-201’s instrument volume control until the peak level LED constantly glowed bright red were a closely guarded tone secret. In fact, many guitarists used these devices for their preamps alone without engaging their respective chorus/vibrato or tape echo/reverb effects, such as John Frusciante (CE-1) and Jonny Greenwood (RE-201).