Do you even metalize?

The late 1980s couldn’t be accused of over-simplicity when it came to professional rock guitar setups. If the audience could see the back wall of the venue when your band took to the stage, then simply, you didn’t have enough cabs, you hadn’t chained up enough amp heads, and your effects rack was way too small. Building a rock guitarist’s rack back then required the supervision of a qualified architect, and possibly even planning permission. Well, almost.

Original UK ad for the Boss Digital Metalizer (early 1988). "Putting the Metal to the Pedal!".

How funny it was, then, when effects pedal manufacturer Boss took things to the other extreme, and packed the essence of the late ‘80s heavy metal guitar sound into a box smaller than an outstretched human hand. Arriving at the end of 1987, the MZ-2 Digital Metalizer pedal was aimed squarely at heavy metal and hard rock musicians. Notably, Boss used the word ‘musicians’ as opposed to ‘guitarists’, indicating that they saw it being employed on other instruments too – both bass and keyboards, according to the July 1988 catalogue (Boss Pocket Dictionary Vol. 5).

Read more about the Boss MZ-2 at planetbotch.com