BOSS, What’s Next? It’s Time for Something New

I’ve been thinking a lot about BOSS lately.

As someone who has spent many years working with BOSS products, creating patches for the GT-1000, GX series, Katana and other platforms, one thing is very clear to me: the sound quality is still there.

The GT-1000 may have been released back in 2018, but it can still sound absolutely fantastic today. The same goes for newer products in the GX family, and of course the Katana series continues to be incredibly popular with guitar players around the world.

And when it comes to effects, BOSS has decades of experience behind it. Delays, modulation, drives, reverbs, compressors — there is a reason so many of these sounds have become standards in the guitar world.

So this isn’t a criticism of how BOSS products sound.

Quite the opposite.

Eight Years Is a Long Time

The original GT-1000 arrived in 2018 as BOSS’s flagship guitar processor, introducing AIRD technology and a new generation of amp modelling.

Eight years later, I can still create great tones with it.

That says something about how good the platform was in the first place.

But eight years is also an incredibly long time in this industry.

During that period, the guitar modelling world has changed dramatically. We’ve seen major advances in processing power, user interfaces, software editors, profiling and capture technology, cloud integration and, more recently, NAM and AI-assisted tools.

Meanwhile, BOSS has continued developing products such as the GX-100, GX-10 and GX-1.

There are some excellent products there.

But I still find myself wondering:

Where is the next BOSS flagship?

It Doesn’t Have to Follow Everyone Else

Personally, I don’t think BOSS needs to add NAM or capture technology simply because those things are currently popular.

Nor does every guitar processor suddenly need AI.

BOSS has its own technology, its own sound and an enormous history of guitar effects behind it.

I would actually prefer to see BOSS take all of that knowledge and build something distinctly BOSS, rather than simply following what everybody else is doing.

Imagine a true next-generation flagship processor.

More processing power. A completely modern interface. A redesigned desktop editor. Faster and easier preset management. New-generation AIRD amp modelling. The latest BOSS effects. Modern connectivity.

And perhaps some genuinely new ideas that we haven’t seen before.

That, to me, would be much more exciting than simply adding another capture player to the market.

The Competition Isn’t Standing Still

Fractal Audio continues to develop its modelling ecosystem. Neural DSP has taken a very different approach with the Quad Cortex platform. IK Multimedia has pushed heavily into Tone Models and its TONEX ecosystem. NAM has introduced yet another approach to capturing amplifier tones.

The entire market is moving extremely quickly.

And that’s precisely why I’d love to see what BOSS could do with a completely new flagship platform today.

They already have one of the most important ingredients:

great sound.

They also have an enormous library of effects, decades of engineering experience and one of the most recognisable names in guitar equipment.

The foundation is already there.

BOSS — Show Us What’s Next

I still enjoy creating tones with BOSS gear.

I still think the GT-1000 sounds great.

I still think the Katana series offers tremendous possibilities.

And that’s exactly why I’m writing this.

I don’t want BOSS to become another company. I want to see what the next generation of BOSS can be.

Maybe it’s a GT-1000 successor.

Maybe it’s an entirely new platform.

Maybe BOSS has something completely different in mind.

Whatever it is, I think many guitar players are ready to see the next big step.

What would YOU like to see from BOSS next?

A new flagship processor?
A GT-1000 successor?
New amp modelling technology?
A completely redesigned Tone Studio?
Something else entirely?

Let me know in the comments.