Boss HM-2W

The Boss HM-2W is a distortion pedal: the Waza Craft reissue of the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal, the pedal whose dimed EQ settings defined the "Swedish chainsaw" guitar tone of early 1990s death metal. Boss describes the HM-2 as "a true legend in the history of distortion pedals," and after years of requests from HM-2 fans the company brought it back as a special Waza Craft edition, released in mid-2021¹².

It is an analog pedal with the same four-knob layout as the original, plus one addition: a mode switch offering Standard mode, which recreates the original HM-2's tone with lower noise and more output, and Custom mode, which adds gain and tweaks the EQ¹³. Boss says the HM-2W "delivers the authentic analog sound of the original in all its glory"¹.

What the HM-2W does: Standard and Custom modes

Like all Waza Craft models, the HM-2W has selectable modes for different sounds, chosen with a toggle switch on the back edge of the pedal²⁸.

• Standard mode delivers the original HM-2 tone with lower noise and maximized level¹. Guitar World's review describes it as "essentially the original HM-2 with a lower noise floor and an additional 3dB of output compared to the original"². Boss promises the tone and response of the original are reproduced with "100-percent authenticity"⁸.
• Custom mode offers a similar sound character but, as Boss's press release puts it, "just a little more of everything": more gain, more of the fundamental guitar sound for extra attack and sharpness, and tweaked low and high-mid characteristics for increased fullness and definition⁸. Boss's own review article describes it as adding more gain and EQ tweaks for "even more aggression"⁹.

For players who down-tune, the extra low-end fullness in Custom mode is the practical draw; for players chasing the classic HM-2 sound, Standard mode is the destination⁸¹⁰¹¹.

The controls: Distortion, Low, High and Level

The control set is faithful to the HM-2's roots: four knobs, essentially the same as the original¹²¹³¹⁴. Premier Guitar's reviewer describes them as "four knobs for distortion, a 'color mix' EQ section with high and low knobs, and a master output level"³.

The Low control is more specific than a general bass knob. In Boss's own technical review, Colin Scott of CSGuitars reports that it "affects a single filter around 80 to 90 Hz," the sweet spot near the fundamental frequency of a low E string at standard pitch⁹. That focused filter is a large part of why the HM-2's EQ behaves the way it does when both knobs are maxed.

Scott also notes the circuit's unusual pedigree: "The HM-2W uses pretty much every trick in the book when it comes to distortion generation"⁹. Premier Guitar's State of the Stomp column explains the history behind that: Boss "meticulously reverse-engineer[ed] their own 40-year-old mistake to purposely mass-produce the exact crossover distortion" the company had once tried to eliminate in the original HM-2¹⁵. The distortion players associate with the pedal was, in effect, a design flaw Boss has now deliberately preserved.

History: from the HM-2 to the Waza Craft reissue

The original HM-2 Heavy Metal was produced from 1983 to 1991 according to Boss's product page¹, though the independent Boss archive TONEHOME gives 1993 as the discontinuation date¹⁶. Either way, it spent decades out of production while its reputation grew, particularly through Swedish death metal players who ran both EQ knobs at maximum.

The reissue project came to light during the "Talk with Boss" series of video chats¹⁷. The finished pedal shipped in July 2021⁴, listed at $149 in the US and £135 in the UK⁶. It keeps the original's black and orange enclosure design⁵.

Guitar World's roundup of pedals of the 2020s summarizes what the Waza Craft version changes: "Boss's superb Waza Craft reissue recreates the HM-2 to modern standards, with more volume, better buffering, and less noise," along with the Custom mode's increased low-end punch for down-tuned players¹⁸¹⁷. The HM-2W also set the precedent for Boss's later DS-1W, which gave the DS-1 the same Waza Craft treatment⁵¹⁹.

What reviewers said

Published reviewers have been consistent about both the pedal's strengths and its limits.

Guitar World's review lists the lower noise floor as a genuine improvement over the original². Gearnews's distortion pedal guide is blunt about the trade-off: "Yes, it's not versatile. Nevertheless, it is an excellent pedal for its specific niche"⁶.

On Boss's own review site, Colin Scott of CSGuitars goes further:

Colin Scott of CSGuitars, on Boss's Gain Appreciation review⁹

Scott also credits the Japanese engineers who built it for taking "the progression of technology and playing environments of the last three decades into account"⁹.

The consensus across these reviews: if you want the HM-2 sound, the HM-2W delivers the authentic analog sound of the original, and its Custom mode offers increased low-end punch for down-tuned players, but it is not versatile, though it is an excellent pedal for its specific niche¹¹⁸⁶.

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