Boss PS-5 Super Shifter

This is a pretty cool unit. I've been wanting a good, cheap pitch shifter for a little while, and this fits the bill. It actually does a lot more than pitch shifting (find a complete list of features at the Boss web site http://www.rolandus.com): tremelo arm and trem "flutter" simulations; harmonization; detune; and pitch shifting.

The two trem functions take some real getting used to. You can pre-set the magnitude of the trem effect, which is nice, but I think you'd really have to work with it to get as much control as you do with a good trem on a guitar.

The harmonizer tracks surprisingly well, and the pitch shifter works well also. The detune function is "OK."

You will need to learn how to put this effect to best use. It's not really plug-n-go unless you're the kind of player who likes to introduce random chaos into your setup (hey, some types of music are better that way).

Using this in a DMI switching system, so it's in a bypass loop.

When engaged, the unit itself has a slightly metallic sound to it; brittle and not extremely warm. It's a digital unit, and it sounds like it. That's OK by me--the effects themselves seem well enough done to make it worth while.

Boss effects are rarely the top-of-the-line, but they always seem to be built like tanks and give an excellent value for the money.

The PS-5 seems to maintains that tradition.

No idea.

This effect is perfect for what I need it for--occasional "spice" to solo and melody lines. While it's so versatile that I think different people will buy it for different things, I leave it set up for pitch shifting and really don't diddle with it very much.

The trem arm and detune functions don't bowl me over, but I believe that's more because I haven't spent enough time trying to get the most out of them. I've got a perfectly fine trem arm already. I had hoped that the unit would sound so good that I could pull out a fixed-bridge guitar for a gig, but that slightly metallic tone I mentioned earlier would be unpleasant if I dealt with it all the time.

I'd buy it again--for the small amount of space it takes up on the board, and the bang for buck, it's hard to go wrong. It's a good value, in my opinion.

This category gets a middle rating and that's not a bad thing. It's just a hard pedal to plug into and get what you want because there are tons of options crammed into this pedal. The manual will help, but you'd better have a good knowledge of how scales work in order to maximize the use of the harmonist feature.

I'm always wary of running through a digital pedal with all of this circuitry, but the reason you get an effect like this is to AFFECT the signal. This pedal is probably not true-bypass, but the tones it gets are very cool and the truly creative guitarist will have a blast experimenting with this unit.

Nine here because this is a new model just released at this writing by Boss, but Boss is known for workhorse pedals so I'll give them the benefit of my past experiences with Boss units.

No opinion. Never dealt with them. That might be a good thing.

So how does a pedal that didn't rate a "10" in any of the previous categories get a "10" overall? Because this pedal does what it claims to do. It's loaded with an amazing array of features in the traditional compact Boss pedal format. You can use the pitch shift mode to get really cool transposing effects, especially with a 100% wet mix, though the tone will warble a little as all effects of this nature seeme to do. The harmonist mode is cool, and I would guess it's similar to the previous harmony pedal Boss has made. The detune mode give a very usable chorus-type of sound and is clear and chimey, unlike the "warmer" and "thicker" pedals of old, but sometimes you might actually want a sound like this. It's unique and functional. What really intrigues me are the whammy type of effects here. I've never played a Digitech Whammy pedal, but I suspect these effects on the Boss are somewhat inspired by those. Better yet, this pedal is much more compact than the Digitech. You can also get an external expression pedal to connect to the PS-5 which would allow even more options. This pedal also has stereo outs.

Bottom line: I give this pedal a 10. I still hate to pay this much money for a pedal, so the "Fantastic Value" thing is a little iffy to me. However, this pedal offers so many options in such a small size, all with traditional Boss sound (if you like that), that I find it hard not to really like this unit. I'm keeping it.