ROAD
TEST
BOSS Waza-Air Wireless Personal
Guitar Amplifier
By Hal Rodriguez
The Waza Air is the new wireless
guitar headphone system
from BOSS – a versatile digital
practice amplifier for guitar and
bass packed with effects and all
contained in a pair of headphones, minus
the cables. This ultra-portable amp is fully
tweakable via the company’s Tone Studio
app and boasts a unique “Gyro Ambience”
feature, which simulates how your spatial
perception of a traditional amp changes as
you move around the room.
First Impressions
Out of the box, the Waza-Air exudes a luxurious,
modern aesthetic with its sleek black
and silver finish. The wireless headphones
weigh as much as a standard pair of recording
headphones, are fully adjustable, and
feel extremely comfortable to wear. The unit
also comes with a small BOSS transmitter for
plugging into one’s instrument to complete
the wireless connection and a USB cable for
charging. On first use, total charging time for
both units took less than three hours, and it
was easy to monitor the remaining battery
life via the Tone Studio app.
In Use
After downloading and installing Tone Studio
on my mobile phone, it was quick to
connect to the Waza-Air via Bluetooth. The
app’s interface is clean, straightforward, and
allows comprehensive control over every parameter
one would expect in a traditional
practice amp loaded with effects. I could
conveniently toggle between five different
amp simulations ranging from clean to distorted
and adjust their gain, volume, and EQ
all on the same screen. I was also happy to
find a tuner and an amp for bass and acoustic
instruments with pickups.
A quick swipe to the right reveals three
effects pedals that can be turned on simultaneously.
I counted 28 different effects that
I could assign to these three “pedals,” ranging
from standard boosters and delays to
more novel ones such as a pickup simulator.
Advanced features such as changing the order
of pedals in the chain and the type of
speaker cabinet are also available.
I was pleased at how intuitive it was to
navigate all the available effects, tweak their
parameters, and then save my presets in the
Library. I could then easily scroll between
patches using two discreet buttons on the
right ear pad of the Waza-Air. Controlling the
volume was also accessible via a silver scrolling
wheel on the same ear pad.
I found that the Waza-Air has the best
digital tones of any practice amplifier I’ve
tried to date. The feel of playing through
the headphones was natural with no latency,
and there was a pleasant warmth to
the tones that initially took me aback. Even
when playing single coils, the high frequencies
were not harsh. Effects such as the auto
wah or pitch shifter were fun and useable,
not tacky or cheap-sounding, which is sometimes
the case when a practice amp boasts
a multitude of effects.
The Gyro Ambience is an innovative and
impressive option for one’s listening experience
through the Waza-Air. When turned on
in the app, the unit detects the position of
the user’s head, so turning your head to the
right or left results in the sound of the amp
panning to the left or right, respectively, in
real-time in the stereo field. There is even a
“Stage” option where the sound of the amp
seems to come from behind you as it would
on stage. I found that both options offered
an entertaining new experience, but staying
in regular stereo mode and tweaking the
lush-sounding reverbs was inspiring enough
for me.
Summary
In my opinion, being able to say that I can
carry my guitar amp around my neck warrants
awarding the Waza-Air the title of
“game-changer.” This innovative and stylish
pair of headphones offers demanding
players the freedom to practice anywhere,
anytime, unencumbered by cables or bulky
gear without disturbing others. Regardless
of the environment – from a bedroom to the
bus to a coffee shop to a crammed studio
– the Waza-Air is a fun and convenient new
way to hit the woodshed. I’d like to imagine
that future versions of the unit would include
the ability to transmit the sound via
Bluetooth to an external speaker for jamming
and performing, as well as an option for recording
song ideas.
Hal Rodriguez is a published writer, freelance music
transcriber, and music teacher based in Toronto.
He has studied with Greg Howe, transcribed music
for guitarists such as Oz Noy, and interviewed
artists such as John Scofield. Contact him on
Instagram @jazzscriber.
22 CANADIAN MUSICIAN