Boss DM-2

The Boss DM-2 is an analog delay pedal introduced by Boss in 1981, the first analog delay in the company's compact pedal lineup¹. Instead of the digital sampling used by later delays, it passes the signal through a bucket-brigade device (BBD), a chip that hands the signal along a chain of capacitors, and that circuit is what gives the pedal its character: Boss describes the result as lush delays that become more saturated with each repeat, creating organic ambience¹². It was discontinued in 1984 as players moved to cleaner digital delays, but it never went away quietly, and Boss's own history article notes it remains highly sought after on the used market more than 30 years later¹³.

An analog bucket-brigade delay, up to 300ms

The DM-2's place in the lineup came from a circuit change. Boss's earlier DM-1 Delay Machine used a CCD, but for the DM-2 the engineers employed a bucket-brigade device instead, and they had to stretch the capabilities of the BBD chip to reach a maximum of 300 milliseconds of delay time¹. That 300 ms ceiling became the pedal's best-known limitation. In his demo video, Pete Thorn noted the original "had some limitations only 300 milliseconds of delay time available"⁵.

For comparison, Guitar Player listed the pedal's practical echo range as 33 ms to 330 ms and called it a classic analog delay that specializes in short echoes⁶. What players get inside that range is the analog signature: repeats that darken and saturate rather than repeating identically, which is why the pedal found a second life after the digital era began. In a Boss interview, engineer Mike Crawford observed that "after a few years of using crystal clear digital delay, a lot of players realized they really liked the sound of the earlier analog delay," and that the DM-2's simplicity became one of its most appealing traits⁷.

The pedal sits in a plum purple compact enclosure, a color JHS's staff picked as a favorite among Boss's vintage palette⁸. It was succeeded in the lineup by the DM-3, and Boss later built a modern reissue into its Waza Craft series, covered below.

The controls

The DM-2 keeps its control set to three knobs, and reviewers consistently point to that simplicity as part of the appeal⁶⁷.

The Intensity knob is the one that gets the most attention. Boss's product page describes it plainly: "Turning up the Intensity knob drives the effect into gritty self-oscillation for expressive textures"¹⁰. Pedal of the Day's reviewer went further, calling Intensity "probably the control that propels the DM-2 past most other delays in this category" and suggesting that this lone knob might be worth the price of the pedal on its own⁹.

That behavior is a feature of the analog feedback loop rather than a defect: with enough regeneration, the repeats build on themselves into pitched feedback the player can shape with the Repeat Rate knob. Players who want that trick in a modern pedal will find it carried over in the DM-2W⁹¹⁰¹¹.

The pedal has found its way onto real boards. Mark Hosking of Karnivool named it his pick in a Boss interview: "For me it's the DM-2. I've used that a lot over the years. It's great for all that quick, on-the-fly expressive stuff"¹².

The two chip versions: 3005 and 3205

Not every DM-2 sounds the same, and the difference is inside. Production units were built with two different BBD chips, the 3005 and the 3205, and Pedal of the Day reports they sound slightly different: the 3005 chip gives a thicker, darker sound, while the 3205 chip is brighter and clearer⁹. The same review notes that which chip is in a given unit can have a drastic effect on how much that DM-2 is worth, so buyers shopping the used market often check the chip before paying⁹.

The DM-2 and the DM-2W

In 2014 Boss brought the DM-2 back as the DM-2W Delay Waza Craft, part of the first wave of its Waza Craft series of premium remakes¹³¹⁴. Premier Guitar's announcement described the original as "universally revered by tone aficionados for its warm, 'bucket brigade' analog delay sound" and noted the DM-2W's Standard mode reproduces the original's lush sound and 20 to 300 ms delay range⁴.

The differences between the two pedals come down to what the Waza version adds¹³¹⁵¹⁶:

• Circuit: The DM-2W uses 100-percent analog circuitry with a BBD delay line, matching the original's approach¹³.
• Delay time: The original DM-2 reaches a maximum of 300 milliseconds; the DM-2W's Custom mode expands delay times out to 800 ms⁵¹¹⁶.
• Modes: The DM-2W introduces switchable sound modes and greater versatility, where the original has a single fixed voicing¹³.
• Warranty: The DM-2W carries a Boss five-year warranty¹³.

Guitar World's review of the first Waza Craft pedals summarized the delay times as "ranging from 20-300ms in standard mode and up to 800ms in custom mode"¹⁵. For players who want the original's character with longer delays and a warranty, the DM-2W is the current route; the original remains a used-market purchase.

What reviewers said

Published reviewers have been consistent about the DM-2's standing. MusicRadar called it "the gold standard for bucket-brigade delay pedals"¹⁷. Guitar Player's history of the stompbox described it as a classic analog delay specializing in short echoes⁶, and a later Guitar Player news piece called it "a bona fide vintage classic of Boss's compact pedal range," noting it is now available as the DM-2W in the Waza Craft series¹¹.

Pete Thorn's demo video walks through both the original's appeal and its limits, including the 300 ms ceiling and the character of the repeats⁵.

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Buying one today

The DM-2 has been out of production since 1984, so everything on the market is used or modified stock. Analog Man reported that clean examples commonly sold for $200 or more on the used market, alongside the DM-3, and that both remained popular¹⁸¹³. Boss's history article confirms the pedal is still highly sought after more than 30 years after discontinuation¹. Two other routes exist for players who want the circuit without hunting a vintage unit: JHS offers a Boss DM-2 Mod service¹⁹, and Aion FX sells a DM-2 delay kit at $98.00²⁰.

Videos

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Questions