Boss have also released an Eddie Van Halen edition too (the SDE-3000EVH), which pays tribute to the Roland SDE-3000’s most famous advocate. Designed in collaboration with the EVH brand, the Boss SDE-3000EVH has even more bells and whistles than the standard SDE-3000D — allowing you to replicate Eddie’s unique wet/dry/wet amp rig and even emulate his specific SDE-3000 sounds, with presets precisely modelled on his original units. The Boss SDE-3000D and SDE-300EVH pedals may be the new kids on the block, but we know that they’re instant icons!
DM-1: Boss’ First Delay Pedal
Next up, we’re going to go even further back in time. Boss’ first dedicated delay pedal, the DM-1, was released in 1978. That’s right, it was that long ago! Designed as an affordable and more robust alternative to the large, expensive and difficult-to-maintain tape delay/echo units from that era (like the Roland Space Echo, Echoplex or Binson EchoRec), the Boss DM-1 Delay Machine pedal could produce rich-sounding repeats and up to 500 milliseconds of delay time. The Boss DM-1 also uniquely used a charge-coupled device (CCD), which is an electronic component that went on to be widely used in digital cameras.
While the Boss DM-1 wasn’t a match for any of those aforementioned tape delay units in terms of flexibility or frequency response, it was still an important product that became popular with many guitarists of that generation who sought inspiring delay sounds without the hassle. Today, you’d struggle to find an original Boss DM-1 for less than £1000 on the second-hand market, with the unit coveted by collectors of vintage gear. DM-1s are particularly scarce as they weren’t in production for very long (less than two years); replaced by the vibrant-coloured pedal that’s next on our list. Will Boss bring back the DM-1? Well, they kind of have…