BOSS BP-1W

The BOSS BP-1W is a booster and preamp pedal from Boss, built with analog circuitry derived from two of the company's most storied vintage units: the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and the Roland RE-201 Space Echo. It puts the preamp sections of those 1970s designs into a compact stompbox, alongside a third mode for a clean boost, and it arrived in November 2023 as the newest member of the Waza Craft series, made in Japan¹²³⁴.

It is a straightforward pedal to use: a mode selector chooses between CE, RE and NAT voices, and Level and Gain knobs shape the result. Where it gets interesting for a player is that each mode has its own character, from the CE-1's bright, bell-like preamp to the RE-201's warmer, more saturating voice, and the Gain control on any of them can push from subtle sweetening into low-gain overdrive territory⁵⁶.

CE, RE and NAT modes

The BP-1W gives you three selectable modes, each with its own character¹⁷.

The Gain knob controls the amount of saturation introduced into the signal, and it offers a range of saturation and drive tones unique to each mode¹³. The Level knob handles overall volume and driving the inputs of amps and other pedals⁵. In practice, that means the same knob settings behave differently depending on which mode you have selected, so it is worth auditioning each voice at several Gain levels before settling on one.

The controls and the input buffer switch

On the surface the pedal is simple: a mode selector, a Gain knob and a Level knob, with wide-ranging level and gain controls². The extra control sits on the rear panel, where a slide switch selects between two input buffer types¹³.

• Standard buffer: maintains sonic range and character²
• Vintage buffer: lower input impedance, producing a warmer tone and a smooth dynamic response; best experienced with a guitar fitted with passive pickups connected directly to the pedal's input⁵³¹⁰

One thing to know about the bypass: the standard buffer is always engaged for signal conditioning when the pedal is bypassed, regardless of the buffer switch setting⁵¹⁰. The BP-1W is not true bypass; Guitar World lists it as buffered bypass⁴. Players building a small board around it can read more about the tradeoffs on the buffer pedals page.

Preamps from the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and RE-201 Space Echo

The two vintage voices come from real hardware. The CE-1 Chorus Ensemble and the RE-201 Space Echo are long-gone 1970s designs, discontinued over 30 years ago, yet they remain widely used by many players for their characterful preamps⁴¹¹. Boss describes both as legendary for their inspiring and influential effect sounds and their variable analog preamp circuitry, which infuses guitar tone with character, body and richness⁷.

According to Boss's own history of the project, the BP-1W represents the first time the RE-201 preamp sound has been available in a compact pedal². MusicRadar framed the release plainly: Boss delivered the RE-201 Space Echo and CE-1 Chorus Ensemble preamps in a single pedal⁹. For players who have wanted those preamp tones without hunting down and maintaining 1970s rack units, the BP-1W is the accessible version, built with analog circuitry¹¹².

What reviewers said

Published reviewers were positive across the board.

• That Pedal Show (July 2026): the presenters said they were surprised by the pedal on release and found it sounds fabulous, with the CE-1 mode praised for its clarity¹³.
• Pedal of the Day (March 2024): "we think it sounds pretty amazing"⁷.
• Guitar World (2025): included the BP-1W in its roundup of the 30 best new pedals of the 2020s, noting that Boss made the sound of its preamps accessible to all using analog circuitry¹².
• Gearnews (May 2026): highlighted its gain control moving from subtle sweetening to low-gain overdrive territory, in a tour-roughness-approved metal case⁶.

In an earlier That Pedal Show demo from February 2024, the pedal was run through a Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue with the volume set between 4.5 and 7, using a 1961 Fender Stratocaster and a Gibson Custom True Historic '57 Goldtop, and demoed alongside the Xotic EP Booster for context¹⁴. Reviewing it in 2025, the presenters were blunt about the straight boost:

Dan and Mick, That Pedal Show¹⁵

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In the video, That Pedal Show works through the three modes and the buffer options, concluding that the pedal sounds fabulous and singling out the CE-1 mode's clarity¹³.

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Price and availability

The BP-1W launched at authorized US Boss retailers in November 2023 for $169.99¹⁰. Gearnews listed it at $149.00 in May 2026⁶, while Guitar.com's October 2026 buying guide priced it around $169¹⁶, so street prices vary between the two. It is available at Thomann, Sweetwater and Andertons⁹, and Boss covers it with a five-year warranty¹.

Videos

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Questions