Celebrate 50 Years of BOSS Guitar Tone At CME!

Founded as an offshoot of its parent company, Roland Corporation, BOSS has pioneered the development of unique and innovative gear for guitar and bass players of all styles since 1973.

Now, in celebration of the company’s 50th Anniversary, BOSS has unveiled three limited-edition stomp boxes: DS-1-B50A Distortion, SD-1-B50A Super OverDrive, and BD-2-B50A Blues Driver.

A Half-Century of BOSS

From heavy distortion to subtle crunch, BOSS compact pedals have remained the go-to for gain pedals for nearly 50 years. Renowned for their sound, rugged durability, and unique practical design, BOSS first launched the iconic compact series in 1977—and, since then, it’s been hard to find an experienced guitarist who hasn’t used one or more BOSS pedals at some point throughout their playing career.

Appearing in exclusive livery with a dedicated 4-digit serial number and bespoke packaging, each limited-edition pedal features the same beloved circuitry as its standard production counterpart but sports a metallic finish, silver thumb screw, gold-capped knobs, and a commemorative 50th-anniversary emblem. These collectible versions will be available in strictly limited numbers of no more than 7,000 units worldwide for each model.

DS-1-B50A Distortion

The iconic compact pedal design was unveiled in 1977, and BOSS released the multimillion-selling DS-1 Distortion the following year to wide acclaim. Prized for its edgy attack and smooth sustain, this classic stompbox can be heard on countless hit records.

SD-1-B50A Super OverDrive

Following on the heels of the game-changing OD-1 OverDrive released in 1977, BOSS released the SD-1 Super OverDrive, which features the added benefit of a tone control, in 1981. This workhorse gain machine has remained in production ever since, continuously gracing the pedalboards of beginners and pros worldwide.

BD-2-B50A Blues Driver

For those guitarists seeking a delicate, nuanced tone that allows a player’s technique to shine through, it’s hard to beat the popular BD-2 Blues Driver. Introduced in 1995, this acclaimed drive pedal is revered for its broad palette of sounds, touch sensitivity, and articulate, tube amp-like response.

Call CME, chat us online, or stop into our showroom today to shop BOSS 50th Anniversary pedals!

SHOP BOSS GEAR

Related Posts

The CME Collection - PRS

When it comes to the wall space Chicago Music Exchange devotes to the premium guitars we have in-store, perhaps no premium guitar brand has gained as much real estate as Paul Reed Smith Guitars since CME got into the business of buying, selling, and trading guitars collectible and player-grade instruments over 30 years ago.

Read more

The CME Collection - Artist Models

American manufacturers began making “artist editions” at least as far back as 1843, when C.F. Martin built the first ever X-braced Martin models for one of the most renowned soloists of the era, Madame Delores N. de Goñi. And although it’s not as often that we see de Goñi model come through Chicago Music Exchange's doors, we sometimes see a fair number of the earliest artist editions and signature models ever commercially produced—including the Gibson Nick Lucas and Roy Smeck models. 

Read more

The CME Collection - Overview

Showcasing the largest selection of premium instruments we’ve ever acquired all at once, The CME Collection brings together some of the best player-grade guitars our business has seen before—plus, a few we’ve never been able to get our hands on, ourselves! So, after Chicago Music Exchange CEO Andrew Yonke opened each of the 120-plus instrument cases, himself, he doubled down on the collection—and just about doubled the number of premium custom shop guitars in our store!

Read more