GEAR SPOTLIGHT
BOSS
MD-500
REVIEW BY JAMIE WOLFERT
STREET PRICE $349.99
In its 44 years of existence,
Boss has always found
a way to stay on top.
Through the digital
revolution, the boutique
pedal boom, and
everything in between,
this grand old Japanese
effects manufacturer has
always found a way to raise
the bar while keeping its
pedals beneath the feet of
professional and amateur
guitar players alike.
Boss has faced increasing
competition lately from
companies like Strymon
and Eventide—highly
respected innovators
themselves—that have
made their bones
44
GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
harnessing massive DSP
power to create compact,
pedalboard-friendly effects
that rival (and sometimes
even best) the finest pro
audio rack units. Clearly
Boss could not let these
rivals go unchallenged,
and recently it has thrown
the gauntlet in a serious
way with its “500 series”
pedals.
The new MD-500
Modulation pedal is bound
to send Boss’s esteemed
competitors scrambling.
For one thing, the tones
are unquestionably top-
shelf. For another, its A/B
Simul mode lets the user
engage two completely
Boss MD-500
different modulation
sounds at once and choose
several different routing
options, including routing
each patch to its own
stereo channel for a mind-
melting and addictive
stereo modulation
experience. You can even
loop an external stompbox
into the mix before, after,
or in between the mod
patches. As far as I know,
this is the only compact
modulation multi-effect
with these capabilities,
making the MD500 well
worth its very reasonable
$349.99 street price.
The MD500’s specs are
impressive of course, with