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Hatsubai « One of the earliest Boss autowahs »
Published on 11/24/11 at 18:13This Boss pedal is probably one of the more popular Boss Auto Wahs thanks to it being one of the first auto wahs that Boss ever made. On top of that, there are two different versions of this, so it's worth noting whichever one you have. The earlier ones just had two knobs. The later ones had the switch added in the middle for a bit more versatility. You have a sensitivity knob and a peak knob. On the later ones, the switch in the middle controls the overall modulation.
UTILIZATION
The pedal is laid out very easily. You can tell what everything does just by looking at it. The earlier ones are even easier to use, but the later ones aren't hard to use, either. We're only talking two knobs, after all. The max would be two knobs with a switch. Just move them around, and you'll figure out how they work. I have never read the manual for this, and in fact, I've never seen the manual for these because they're so old. I'm sure you can get it on Boss's website, but I never bothered to check. The pedal can take some ridiculous abuse, and it's pretty insane how tough these pedals really are. I'd throw it in a true bypass loop, but that's just me.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound is great, despite it being so old. It has a very vintage, old school auto wah tone that is a lot more organic and 3d sounding than the later auto wahs out there. That said, it can't do as much. You're pretty much locked into the basic effect that Boss gave you. The extra switch on the later ones helped give you some more versatility, and I actually recommend finding those if you can. They can deliver great funk sounds, and it can work quite well in fusion, too. Aside from that, its usages are kinda limited as not much other music uses this kind of effect.
OVERALL OPINION
If you can find one of these at a good price, I recommend getting it. They sound pretty good, and they can deliver some of that old school, vintage style tone that the newer ones can't seem to deliver. That said, it't not exactly an effect you're going to rush out to have on your board, so I'm not sure how necessary this is for everyone.
UTILIZATION
The pedal is laid out very easily. You can tell what everything does just by looking at it. The earlier ones are even easier to use, but the later ones aren't hard to use, either. We're only talking two knobs, after all. The max would be two knobs with a switch. Just move them around, and you'll figure out how they work. I have never read the manual for this, and in fact, I've never seen the manual for these because they're so old. I'm sure you can get it on Boss's website, but I never bothered to check. The pedal can take some ridiculous abuse, and it's pretty insane how tough these pedals really are. I'd throw it in a true bypass loop, but that's just me.
SOUND QUALITY
The sound is great, despite it being so old. It has a very vintage, old school auto wah tone that is a lot more organic and 3d sounding than the later auto wahs out there. That said, it can't do as much. You're pretty much locked into the basic effect that Boss gave you. The extra switch on the later ones helped give you some more versatility, and I actually recommend finding those if you can. They can deliver great funk sounds, and it can work quite well in fusion, too. Aside from that, its usages are kinda limited as not much other music uses this kind of effect.
OVERALL OPINION
If you can find one of these at a good price, I recommend getting it. They sound pretty good, and they can deliver some of that old school, vintage style tone that the newer ones can't seem to deliver. That said, it't not exactly an effect you're going to rush out to have on your board, so I'm not sure how necessary this is for everyone.