Simon kindly took the time to answer a few questions about his gnarly experiments…
How did it start?
I did this thing online where people could send me three BOSS DS-1 pedals and I would bend* one of them and send it back. One of them was a ‘hit’ on a Swedish facebook page for selling gear.
So at one point I must have had about 10-15 BOSS DS-1 pedals lying around. I remember one showing up in a package that was beaten up like crazy – I couldn’t believe it. Like how the fuck do you mess up a BOSS pedal like this? They’re built like tanks!
So later that day that I dropped one down from the roof as a first step, and it didn’t do anything with the pedal at all. So I progressed from there. I think after posting the first or second video I got a comment about another channel having done the basics already like throwing it in the ground and driving over it with a car. So I amped it up a little – and to my surprise it survived just about everything but a gun or a microwave.
Did any of the results surprise you?
I think the cannon surprised me the most. It got so beaten up, inside and out. I did not expect it to function after that. Another thing that surprised me is that people actually wanted to buy the messed up units as art pieces. So I still have a handful of broken DS-1 pedals to turn into art as soon as I have time for it.
Honestly though, almost every time it survives I am still surprised. Frozen solid, flattened by a 300kg safe – it never stops amazing me how that first pedal that showed up in the package could be so messed up.
What’s your favourite BOSS pedal?
For me, there are a couple of different genres of BOSS pedals. The ones that are amazing to circuit bend, the ones that are solid pedals straight out the box, and the ones that I’ve always wanted. I think the one pedal that ticks all of the above could be the DC-2 (the old one). I haven’t bent it yet but I’m sure it’ll be amazing! Otherwise it’s probably my ‘Metaldrone’ which is a circuit bent Metal Zone with a patch bay and actual barb wire on it that you can touch for super metal expressiveness.
Any plans for future BOSS experiments?
The latest ones I’ve filmed have been really lame but funny. I did a couple of episodes this summer that I haven’t posted yet. I spent a day with my good friend Tataki taping BOSS pedals to our feet and had a running race. After that, we played golf with a couple of Metal Zones. It was a glorious day but the destruction itself does not have a super high science value.
Other than that, I do have a couple of really cool experiments in mind to try when I get time. One word: thermite.
*circuit bending is tweaking the circuitry of electrical devices to alter the function. This could be visual, audio – anything.
Check out Simon’s channel here for all of your circuit-bending, mind-bending audio needs!
Summary
I think we can safely conclude that BOSS pedals are indeed pretty flippin’ tough, and with good reason. Not only are they among the most popular pedals of all time (over 15 million units shifted!), but a lot of hard work goes into the process.
Thanks to Matt at BOSS & Simon The Magpie for helping us out with this article – and thanks to you, kind folks of the internet, for reading it! If you’ve enjoyed this piece, be sure to check out the rest of our blog content here, and browse our full BOSS selection. Sayonara!