The BossAreaForum 2020 Awards

[Pepe]

A few weeks ago I stumbled over an old SBZ forum thread by fuzzbuzzfuzz. I think that it was a really nice idea, so I copy it for the year 2020 that has finally ended.

So let's look back at a year that was full of news about a horrible virus, a president who doesn't like facts (except if they work in his way), cancelled sports events, closed barber shops, empty shelves in the grocery stores and fight for toilet paper.

Did this crazy year leave enough space for you to purchase new gear or to play with your existing instruments at all?

Let the awards commence!

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
2) The best new non-BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year?
4) Your most disappointing purchase of the past year?
5) Your "brand crush" of 2020?
6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise)
7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020?
8) Your favorite amp used during 2020?
9) Your best deal/steal/bargain of last year?
10) Best service award to any retailer/individual etc.?
11) The best new album/artist/live event of 2020?

[laurie]

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion? None. It has all been "meh".

2) The best new non-BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion? Can't comment... haven't really been keeping track.

3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year? A couple of used Ernie Ball volume pedals that I converted into 50k linear expression pedals to use with my AX8. Those things are solid and feel really good to use.

4) Your most disappointing purchase of the past year? None. It's all been OK.

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020? The Eagles. Their farewell concert from 2005 has been on high rotation.

6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise) Pair of 18" EV subs picked up on kijiji for $150.

7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020? 2004 blonde American standard strat.

8) Your favorite amp used during 2020? Dr Z Maz 18.

9) Your best deal/steal/bargain of last year? Pair of 18" EV subs picked up on kijiji for $150.

10) Best service award to any retailer/individual etc.? Long and McQuade, always.

11) The best new album/artist/live event of 2020? A live event in 2020...? ya must be kidding...

[Pepe]

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
RC-5 Loop Station. The RC-3 is already an awesome unit, but the follow-up model seems to be a big improvement.

2) The best new non-BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
I really don't know. I haven't seen any new gear in 2020 that caught my interest.

3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year?
Seppuku Dynamic Echo Modulator. The repair took a few days, but in the end I was totally happy with the pedal. It was quite cheap as well, because I got another discount on the defective unit after the sale.

4) Your most disappointing purchase of the past year?
BOSS OC-5. I will never buy another one.

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020?
KORG. As almost every year.

6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise)
I haven't bought any gear besides pedals.

7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020?
Fender Stratocaster MIJ. My trusty workhorse.

8) Your favorite amp used during 2020?
Still very happy with my Marshall MA50C tube amp.

9) Your best deal/steal/bargain of last year?
No steal this year, but I was fortunate to get my hands on some very cool BOSS pedals (CE-2, TW-1, SP-1).

10) Best service award to any retailer/individual etc.?
Vintage Guitars Sweden, Stockholm. They shipped the Seppuku pedal mentioned above to me in almost no time at all and they granted me a discount, because the unit was faulty.

11) The best new album/artist/live event of 2020?
Joey Alexander - "Warna" (Jazz)

And the best discovery of the year was Janne Schaffer, ex studio guitarist of ABBA. I bought the "Music Story" box with 13 of his albums and they are awesome. Janne Schaffer has become my favourite guitar player next to Jeff Beck.

[Pepe]

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020? The Eagles. Their farewell concert from 2005 has been on high rotation.

Not bad, but a "brand crush" was asked for. And there were quite a few live performances ... in the first quarter of the year.

[laurie]

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020? The Eagles. Their farewell concert from 2005 has been on high rotation.

Not bad, but a "brand crush" was asked for. And there were quite a few live performances ... in the first quarter of the year.

Oh blah blah. You sure you didn't mean bland crush?

And only ONE performance that matters... Melbourne Australia.

Nothing for brands this year... felt like a bit of a blah year for gear.

[Pepe]

Nothing for brands this year... felt like a bit of a blah year for gear.

I'm with you!

[Gasgano]

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
RC-5 Loop Station is the only one I really want. Haven't "GASed" for a pedal so bad in a while.

2) The best new non-BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
I really don't know. I haven't seen any new gear in 2020 that caught my interest.

3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year?
BOSS SY-1. Fun to fiddle with along with my beloved RC-3.

4) Your most disappointing purchase of the past year?
BOSS SY-1. Wished it had more sounds on it.

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020?
Dingwall guitars. I want a 5 string ABZ so bad but they are pricey!

6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise)
Organizer for all the patch cables (and now USB stuff) laying at the bottom of my pedalboard bag

7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020?
MusicMan USA Sterling5 Stealth Black. Besides, I only own 1 bass and 1 guitar and being a bass player by design, that's my axe of choice.
https://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/sterling-5

8) Your favorite amp used during 2020?
Purchased an Ampeg Portaflex 350. Very impressed by the tone in such a small package. Makes my bass cut through the mix WAY better, even through a Fender Rumble 112 (V2) cab (Neo magnet, unlike the V3's with ceramic).

9) Your best deal/steal/bargain of last year?
Bought a short scale guitar with a small amp for my 7-year-old son who enjoys playing it a lot. 150$ for for the gift of music is a real bargain (and very clean gear as well).

10) Best service award to any retailer/individual etc.?
Tony Greco at Kitts Music in Montreal is always the best. It's one of the last "small guitar shops" around where you get the service, the deals and a true passionnate musician himself behind the counter. When my son wants a pedal for his guitar (he already talked about getting a distorsion... THE 7-YEAR-OLD BOY did not fall very far from the tree haha) I'm bringing him there so he can choose his own first pedal (although I will pressure him into a BOSS pedal haha).

11) The best new album/artist/live event of 2020?
Not new at all, but I discovered Poets of the Fall this year. Their music will always remind me of the crazy year 2020 has been. "Carnival of Rust" is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

[laurie]

7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020?
MusicMan USA Sterling5 Stealth Black. Besides, I only own 1 bass and 1 guitar and being a bass player by design, that's my axe of choice.
https://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/sterling-5

There is something about those Music Man basses... "I'll be buried with" my Stingray4 SLO.

[Joske Turbo]

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
Nothing that I'd buy really, although the Waza Tonebender is a cool idea.

2) The best new non-BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
EHX Mainframe looks very interesting, might get a used one if it comes by at a good price.

3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year?
I'm going for a pedal here, and will mention my best purchase in the non-FX question. It's a tie really between the Catalinbread Topanga and Ibanez TL5 Tremolo, both really good sounding pedals.

4) Your most disappointing purchase of the past year?
J. Rockett Boing. Subtle to the point of unusable in the first half of the knob, weird chorusy modulation on the reverb after that. Not my cup of tea.

5) Your "brand crush" of 2020?
I had a thing for the Ibanez Soundtanks during the summer: bought the DL5, CS5, PH5, SF5, TL5 and CR5. Sold the first three, sent the fuzz to Pepe in the exchange tour and the TL5 and CR5 are on my boards.

6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise)
Grand Suzuki ES335 copy that I got this week. Beautiful 70's Japanese guitar that probably comes very close to a vintage Gibson for a fraction of the price. Stunning orangey wood colour too.

7) Your favorite guitar used during 2020?
Only had the 335 a week so this one goes to my Fender Cyclone.

8) Your favorite amp used during 2020?
Dynacord Twen.

9) Your best deal/steal/bargain of last year?
My hairdresser mentioned he had an old Roland keyboard in his attic and let me come pick it up for free . It's a beginner thing with lots of quirky sounds and has MIDI out so I've been using it a great deal with some software.

10) Best service award to any retailer/individual etc.?
None really.

11) The best new album/artist/live event of 2020?
Thoroughly enjoyed Adrianne Lenker's songs/instrumentals albums, very helpful in these times. Another highlight is an Alfa Mist show in Glasgow while I was on tour in Scotland, one week before the pandemic shut everything down.

[Pepe]

1) The best new BOSS product of 2020 in your opinion?
Nothing that I'd buy really, although the Waza Tonebender is a cool idea.

It will be published in the second quarter of 2021, that's why I didn't vote for this one. I think that I'm going to try to purchase one. Hopefully it won't be too expensive and not too limited in production numbers.

3) Your most satisfying purchase of the past year?
I'm going for a pedal here, and will mention my best purchase in the non-FX question. It's a tie really between the Catalinbread Topanga and Ibanez TL5 Tremolo, both really good sounding pedals.

Ah, so that's your new tremolo now!

6) Best non-FX purchase of the year? (gear wise)
Grand Suzuki ES335 copy that I got this week. Beautiful 70's Japanese guitar that probably comes very close to a vintage Gibson for a fraction of the price. Stunning orangey wood colour too.

Pics, please!