Boss BCB-3 Pedal Case

Dead simple, you lift the lid off, wedge your three Boss-sized pedals in, wire them up and go. There's a slight space issue if you use heavy-duty patch leads instead of the flimsy Boss ones provided. Better quality leads have bigger jacks, which bump up against each other here, and there's not enough room to jam the pedals right down.
A few extra millimetres would have done it, a surprising oversight by Boss.

No intrinsic sound quality, but you *can* do a lot with only 3 pedals. Less is more if it means avoiding over-complicating your signal chain. I use an old DD-2 delay, OD-3 overdrive/ or CS-3 compressor, and a TU-2 pedal tuner. There is room to put a old-style needle-tuner (eg TU-12) in here, but a dedicated slot would be handy. I find a pedal tuner more or less essential, but it cuts into your options when you only have 3 pedals. All powered with a Boss PSA-240, which fits into the case as well.

I put this box of tricks in front of a Fender Blues Deluxe when I'm travelling light, or when there's limited space onstage. The Boss is quarter the size of my regular pedalboard (not to mention the weight), and it fits into a laptop bag. Very handy.

Seems tough and durable, lightweight as well.

Never dealt with Boss, but my aforementioned DD-2 is still going strong after 20+ years, which gives some idea of their products' quality.

You are slightly limited to Boss pedals, but it's their product, so what the hell. Some other stompbox brands fit in here, you'll have to experiment.

Highly recommended, esp. if you can grab one on eBay.

Pretty easy to use. I have a rabid dislike of all sound-producing BOSS products, but this thing is excellent. I use it to keep 2 MAXON 9-series effects and an MXR effect in. I had to wedge the Maxons down fairly hard the first few times: the pedals are held in by small plastic protrusions at the base. These protrusions do not harm the finish of the pedals; they are a soft resin. A bit of this scraped off to accomodate the Maxons. Since the Maxon 9-series (same with Ibanez 9-series) are just slightly bigger than the boss pedals, they will fit with some forcing.

Here's a trick: I went down to Home Depot and got some industrial strength Velcro. I added it to the floor of the board where the pedals sit. This did not interfere with the grip mechanism. But it enabled me to use my MXR EVH Phase 90 with the board! Now I can switch around the phaser position if I choose to.

HAMMOND-SIZE boxes do fit with VELCRO!!! If you use the small-size MXR pedals (Phase 90, ZW44, Blue Box), you should consider this. It won't fit a Phase 100 or anything like that. I'm not sure if it would fit DigiTech pedals--and I'm not sure why you'd want to use those, but I guess the Hot Rod is decent. I originally got it so that I didn't have to Velcro my Maxon CS-9Pro and SD-9; I learned to live with Velcroing the Phaser. I agonized about it for a few minutes, but I am happy that I did it. Everything looks nice and is all set up in a convenient size. Because MXR stupidly puts the AC jack next to the input, you can either put your MXR pedal on the right side--the board is open enough that this works, or get what's called a "power pigtail"--which is basically an angled connector that allows you to "bend" the power connection up 90 degrees. I got a power pigtail and it works fine in ALL positions.

I like having everything setup and protected by the hard case. The latches slide open, and the whole top comes off, and you're instantly set up to play. I like to keep my equipment in good shape so therefore I think that pedalboards without hard covers are stupid. This thing is great for what I want. It's a shame they don't make them anymore. eBay!!!

The sound is not affected. Which is good, because Boss products tend to destroy your sound. Especially the godawful PH-3, the soulless tone-sucking joke of a phaser that they produce.

Got mine used, seems fine; I've had it for about half a year now. It makes me happy.

Have not dealt with them.

If you can survive with three pedals that are Boss-size or smaller, then this is perfect. Here's my three: MXR Phase 90, Maxon SD-9 Distortion, Maxon CS-9 Pro Stereo Chorus. I used to be into reverb, but hey, the '80s are over, and the pedal-size reverbs are terrible. I've got reverb on my amp, anyway. I don't need an EQ, because my Les Paul sounds great as is. Delay is not my thing, though I have messed around with analog delays that are cool. I sometimes use a Wah in front of this setup; that has to be packed separately. That's fine. I wouldn't want to be stepping on this board that hard all the time. It would probably take it, but the wah doesn't fit. So my essential set is Phaser, Distortion, Chorus; your mileage may vary. Let me ask you the tough question: Phase 90, Tube Screamer, and ....what? That's up to you.

As this thing doesn't have a built-in power supply, you have to provide one. I use a regular Ibanez adaptor and power "Daisy Chain". So one adaptor powers 3+ pedals. Boss used to make you buy a separate pedal just to power your board (PSM-5) that was a real waste. Now you don't have to. If you use high-draw Line6 pedals or one of those 18-volt pedals, you might be out of luck, though.

I would certainly replace this if anything happened to it. And I've got a funny story for you about the BCB-6 I used to have in high school...my Dad's basement flooded and a lot my band's gear was down there. My friend Rob's DigiTech stuff was submerged when we came down to inspect the damage. But all my old Boss pedals were safe, floating inside the open BCB-6. They all worked fine. I guess that's stuck with me all this time.

As far as "use", I guess it's OK. It gives you a decent place to at least store 3 pedals.

What sound??

:-\

For a piece of molded plastic, it seems pretty durable.

Never had to deal with them and I hope I never do.

What I love about it is that my Boss pedals fit perfectly in it. What I hate about it is only Boss pedals will fit in it unless you get a knife and do some cosmetic surgery on it. I've yet to meet anybody who exclusivly plays one make of pedal. Everybody I've ever met in my life has a mixture, therefore different sizes of pedals.

I wish Boss would make a BCB that held 4-5 pedals. 3's a little limiting and 6 is too bulky. If you can get a good sound out of 2-3 pedals, you can set them up in the BCB-3 and have a pedal board handy that all you have to do is pop the top off, plug up power (assuming you're using an external power supply), put the effects in line and go with it.

It's a case that holds 3 Boss pedals

Ummm Sound from a case, this is new.......

IT'S A BOSS

Never use them YET...LOL

What I did was got 2 of these cases. Cut down a 1/4 plywood board long and wide enough to hold both cases. with a little extra around the edges... Not to much, didn't want my foot to grab. Centered the cases onto the board and drilled some hole in them. secured them down with nuts bolts and washers. After the cases were bolted down to the board I drilled a connection hole big enough for the connector to go through in the side of the middle of the cases where they meet to allow me to thread the 6 plug wires through and Waaaaa LAAAA a 6 case Boss holder... Also with this set up to carry it somewhere all I do is unplug the middle 2 get the covers and cover them, lift up on one of the handles and I'm carring all 6 pedals at one time, WITH the board they will be on when I get to my next location... Works for ME...Later

It's a case! Just holds three pedals, not hard to setup wiring with Boss cables for it.

Built like a rock. Plastic slider clasps starting to become a little loose, but not to the point where the pedals fall out when I carry it.

Never had problems.

In my opinion, better designed than the BCB-6 because of the molded grooves on the sides for better cable connections from guitar and out to the amp. I use a Boss TU-2 tuner pedal, doubles as a power source, so no space is wasted on a dumb power supply pedal. I plan to add another BCB-3 to my setup and slave the power of my current case. Only limitation is that only Boss pedals work in the cases, both because of the shape and the position of the cable inputs/outputs and adapter port.

Just put in your favorite Boss (or any other pedal sharing the same dimensions) pedals, patch'em together & you're set ...

N/A!

The inner corners which hold the pedals in place were a tad worn (my BCB-3 is pre-owned)in some spots, probably to hold "larger than Boss" units.

It is otherwise very solid and reliable.

I dealt with Boss customer service aeons ago, just for general inquiries. They replied quickly and courteously, even though I didn't like the answer: "Boss does not believe in reissuing discontinued product lines" ... but they were nice about it!

Ebay find! With my plethora of pedals, what I really needed was a Boss BCB-9G (hint, hint Roland!) - what's that? There is no such unit? Perhaps the good people at Roland should take note: a carry-case/pedal board for only 3 units is WAY too small for many of us, hell, for some of us 6 is not enough!

My solution was to use a BCB-3 as an extension of a BCB-6 (another Ebay "trouvaille"). Right off the bat I knew what the BCB-6 haters meant by comparing BCB-6 with BCB-3.

Don't get me wrong, my makeshift BCB-9 suits the purpose rather well, but using a mixture of early 80's, late 90's pedals, I can see how critical the internal layout can be.

Altogether, I'm happy with my purchase.

Wedge the pedals in. The chain won't work very well if you put the pedals in the wrong way so it's easy to figure out. You can choose to not attach those foot-pads to some pedals (like NS-2) if you have it in this case. There are openings out of the case so you can be plugged in with the case closed if you want...

With less mess around it's easier to focus on your sound.

Seems sturdy enough. I cannot decide if it is annoying that the lid can come off at the hinges SO easily.

Haven't dealt with them for any reason yet.

Rock, leaning on metal sometimes is the preferred. Though I spend most of my time unplugged. There isn't much more anyone could expect out of it. Comes with 1 daisy-chain (can be used to power up to 5 pedals--if using the NS-2, which I do) and 2 pedal connectors.

It's a pedal case. It's not a hard concept!

sound? um, it's all good. ya know.

tough little thing.

It's wonderful. comes with 2 4 inch cords to hook the effects up, and a cable to power all 3 pedals with one AC adaptor. Go and buy one! It's great!

Even with only 3 holes, I find it very easy to pack away a TU-12 tuner, and the Electrical plug, and I'm on my way. The tuner mounts easily above the 3 pedals for on-stage convenience. Placed on the stage below the mic stand gives extreme ease of use. It's inconspicuous, and clearly visible to me, but not at all obvious to the audience.

I've used Peavey, Yamaha, Mackie and Ross mixer boards, and Never have had a problem with sound quality or volume. I've used a Takamine 6-st., Martin D1R, & an Alvarez 12-st., all with equal sucess.

Depend on it, Absolutely!!!
Afetr using this for the last 10 years or so, the only question is: 'What's a back-up"? :-)

Roland's service ctr is second to none.

I've been playing acoustic, but powered Irish music, and this matches, and fills my needs to a "T". I've had one BCB-3 stolen, and didn't hesitate to get another. I also use a BCB-6, for the times when I need a different set-up for my 12-st. Then I run 2 EQ's and 2 chorus pedals. Works fine, totally satisfied.

Very simple. The latches and hinges make removal of the lid VERY easy, which is great if you have limited setup time for a gig. Just use the supplied cables (2 1/4" cables to go between the three pedals, and the daisy chain to power them all up) and put the pedals in and you're set to go. You never EVER have to disconnect ANYTHING again!

Very reliable, I can always depend on it. I'd definitely play a gig without a backup, because I know I wouldn't need one. It seems to be very well constructed and built like a tank--just like all BOSS pedals.

I've only dealt with BOSS once, and that was to request a manual for a PSM-5 (power supply and master switch) that I bought used for 35 bucks. They were very friendly, and there was no hold time. They're based in L.A., and there's a 1-800 you can call you contact them which you can get from their website, http://www.rolandus.com

Another few goodies--it has rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around. It also has enough room in it AFTER you put 3 pedals inside and close it up to carry around an adapter inside, too! There's only one thing to consider here--you could hunt around for the BCB-6 pedal board (same as the BCB-3, only it holds 6 pedals instead of 3) and hopefully find it used--BOSS doesn't make it anymore. So if you plan on ever owning more than 3 BOSS pedals, think about finding the BCB-6.

It's a tough, 3 pedal case for Boss and similar sized pedals. You just push the pedal in the friction holder, AFTER hooking up the included 4 inch signal cords (2 are supplied). It also comes with the Boss parallel cable, so you only have to use one PSA-120 adaptor to power all 3 effects. Hey, that cable alone sells for $18, plus the two 4-inch signal cables which are worth a couple of bucks apiece. The case is almost free.

If you only need 3 pedals, like me, this case is great. I have a Line6 Spider amp which has most of the effects that I use already in it, so I use the Boss case to hold my Boss tuner, BBE Stinger pedal, and a Boss Acoustic Simulator pedal. I'm set. Very cool, especially for the money. Before I got this case, I had taken a piece of plywood, drilled holes through it and used wired ties to hold my pedals to it. They were still getting banged up, and the plywood was huge. Now everything is in a neat little box, that only uses one power supply. Too cool!

It's tough as nails.

I will never have to deal with Boss.

Bottom line-if you only use 3 or less stompboxes, buy this case.

It's a pedal case!!!

Protects your Boss pedals (some others fit quite nicely too), but it's not as if they ever NEEDED any protection. It's really tough also.

Yeah, i'd buy it again. It makes carrying your pedals a breeze, and can be put on the floor, making it unecessary to take the pedals out. Some retalires will even give it to you for free with the purchase of Boss pedals.