Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Boss unveils 3 more PX-1 Plugout FX Model Passes for May - The 1981 CS-2 Compression Sustainer, 1996 PW-2 Power Driver and 1996 XT-2 Distortion
I seemed to have missed the January Model Passes update - I believe I was on holiday at the time - those were the OD-2 Turbo OverDrive (1985-95), DM-2 Delay (1981-84), and DC-2 Dimension C (1985-89). I own 2 of those actual original pedals already, actually the DC-2W Waza variety, where I’ve still to get the DM-2/W - and I would really prefer that as a BBD type - but probably still also have that handy on my PX-1. It would actually be quite cool to get both DC-2 and DM-2 Models for my PX-1. Note that you pay the same for 2 or 3 models - it’s basically $9.99 for each Model, or $19.99 for all 3! Of course bought and downloaded from the Boss Effects Loader App - which is available on both Android and iOS.
This May sees a second compressor Model added - the CS-2 Compression Sustainer (1981-89), also Boss’s incredibly short lived sort of Big Muff take - the 1996 PW-2 Power Driver, and the almost equally short-lived also 1996 XT-2 Xtortion. Both those latter ones were only in circulation for a couple of years - while the PW-2 has the record for the shortest manufacturing run - which lasted less than a year! The PW-2 was Boss’s answer to the death of Hair Metal and the rise of Grunge - but they need not have worried as Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain favoured Boss’s most popular DS-1 pedal. So the PW-2 was incredibly short lived- but the main Metal variants of Boss pedals still live on - it was just a slight blip in the late 1990’s!
I own both the PW-2 and XT-2 originals - they are both considered by most to be slightly flawed, but with decent core tonalities - more in need of some better / enhanced tone controls - where there are quite a few mods and boutique takes on those circuits. I much prefer the PW-2 of that pair - which I can get really great tones out of. The XT-2 has always been a little hit-and-miss for me - while some rather like it. I never felt I was able to get the right balance of frequencies - it needed more treble and edge really!
In my original PX-1 overview I said that my preferred use for the PX-1 was for Stereo Modulations and Spatial Effects - with the pedal placed at the rear end of the chain - rather than using it for Dynamics and Gain Effects at the other end / start of the board. I said that you probably needed 2 of those PX-1’s - one for the start of the chain, and one for the end!
I don’t mind the micro-transactions at all - but I do find the ecosystem almost as clunky as IK Multimedia’s. Would be cool to have subscriptions - which auto download direct to your device! But the device is way too limited - and can only accommodate 16 Models in Total. My main issues with the PX-1 remain the same - the fact that you’re limited to 16 Models, and that the original 8 are unchangeable and fixed in place and that original order (none of which makes sense to me!). I would ideally like the number of total models accommodated to be raised up a level or two (16 is way to few, and currently only 8 are swappable and sort of arrangeable!), and I would like the ability to organise the order of models on the actual device - and to ditch those Models I never use - which for me is most of the original unmovable set!
Here below for recap purpose are the original 8 onboard + 8 Downloadable Models - where the first 8 are wholly immutable, and the second 8 are ordered chronologically in the order you download them! So to re-arrange - you need to remove and re-download - where you end up playing a weird virtual musical chairs to get those Models into the desired order! Note that only the second 8 can be removed / downloaded / organised. It’s all far more limited than it needs to be!
You should be able to delete everything off your device if you wish - and then factory-reset if required! For a contemporary consumer electronic device this really doesn’t function in line with the current standards most are accustomed to!
From the original immutable set of 8 - I would only choose to retain 3! The PH-1 Phaser, SG-1 Slow Gear, and TW-1 T-Wah. For the second set I would want to retain the BF-2 Flanger, CE-2 Chorus, DD-2 Digital Delay, OC-2 Octaver, PN-2 Tremolo/Pan, PS-2 Pitch Shifter/Delay, and VB-2 Vibrato - in fact all but the DF-2 SUPER Feedbacker & Distortion - which I have in original / modded and enhanced formats.
For the 2026 January and May Model Passes - I would want the DM-2 Delay and DC-2 Dimension C - which gives me an issue - as I only have one slot on my pedal that I can and am willing to sacrifice!
As I mentioned above - some of those effects are intended and optimised for front-of-chain action and operation - and others are rear-of-chain optimised - it doesn't make sense to have such a restrictive ecosystem where you can't freely move around the Models you actually need and want to use - that's the main brunt of my argument here. And it has been since I first reviewed the PX-1 in considerable depth!
I know Boss sold a tonne of these, while for me although the actual core functional aspects of the pedal are great (like how the pedal saves your settings on-the-fly!) - and it's capable of some really great outputs - particularly with those classic modulations. The admin and overall organisational aspect of the pedal is not right in my opinion - and that firmware needs to be updated - so that you can move things around on the pedal - and ditch those Models you no longer want / need to use - and including the original 8!
Of the 2 2026 Model Passes - the January release is the more appealing for me personally - and you can get 3 for the price of 2 as I understand - but in truth I only want 2 of those - so it's no savings for me really - and I don't wish to download a Model which I already have in pedal format!
For me the PX-1 was always about picking up those rarer early Boss Modulations, Delays and Reverbs - to be used near the end of the chain in Stereo! I own near enough all the original Overdrive, Fuzz and Distortion pedals - some of them in multiple iterations and modded variants. Those models would only be useful for me if I could have a second unit - with just those front of chain Gain and Dynamics effects - but there I would need to be able to separate out all the end-of-chain ones!
So much about this pedal doesn't entirely make sense to me. It's a cool idea with some great algorithms - but there are too many shortcomings on the admin side!
The XT-2 Xtortion seems like a very unusual choice - there are many more early Boss pedals which are more loved and in higher demand! I never really vibed with that one - even though it's still in my collection. It gets back in the rotation every now and again - but doesn't impress me really compared to all the other great Boss Distortions! The PW-2 is much more my sort of thing - even though the Tone Stacks on both pedals aren't quite right - and could do with being Waza-Crafted!
I still like most of what the PX-1 is about - but I'm still annoyed by those unnecessary limitations. 16 Models onboard is really too few - and you should be able to freely select which ones you have on the pedal and in which order - I still feel Boss have to fix that. Even though the upper limite stays at 16 - we need to be able to just select the ones we want to have on that pedal - and ditch the rest!
Model Original Sound Sample References
