The Boss PS-3 is a compact Pitch Shifter/Delay pedal, made from 1994 to 1999 and now discontinued12. It runs on 16-bit DSP, which Boss's own history article says delivered "studio-grade clarity and considerably widened the sonic canvas for musicians"1. It combines two effect types in one box: pitch shifting over two full octaves, and digital delay of up to two seconds, with the two blendable together. Delicious Audio describes it as "allowing for a myriad of blended shift/delay effects"3.
Pitch shifting and delay modes
The PS-3's front panel is built around an eleven-way mode selector. Boss's history article describes it as presenting "eight pitch-based and three delay effect choices (up to two seconds)"1. Pedal of the Day's review counts the same selector slightly differently, as "Seven Pitch modes" and "Three Delay modes" plus "One Expression mode"2. The two accounts agree on the eleven positions and the three delay modes; they differ on whether the expression patch is counted among the pitch modes or listed separately.
The pitch side covers a wide range. Boss's history article notes that pitch could be shifted up or down over two full octaves, that a detune mode was available to create chorus-like tones, and that a dual mode creates two independent pitch shifts at once, each sendable to separate outputs for stereo operation4. MusicRadar's Alex Lynham lays out the selector in practical terms: "There's three delays, choruses and single pitch modes, a straight-up pitch-shifter on mode 5, as well as a very early ex"5. Mode 7, in particular, has a reputation among players. Pedal of the Day's Gabriel writes of it: "Depending on where you place the settings it will give you a continuously reversed pitch-shifted delay. It sounds magical!"2
A quick map of what the modes cover:
- Three delay modes, up to two seconds of delay time13
- Pitch modes covering shifts up or down over two full octaves4
- A detune mode for chorus-like tones4
- A dual mode with two independent pitch shifts, each sendable to separate outputs for stereo4
- An Expression mode, an eleventh patch controlled by an expression pedal2
The PS-3 and Boss's pitch pedal history
The PS-3 arrived in 1994 as a successor to the BOSS PS-2 Digital Pitch Shifter/Delay. Boss's delay history article is direct about the relationship: "While the delay functionality is the same as the PS-2, the pitch-shifting abilities were greatly expanded"42. So a player who knows the PS-2's delay side already knows the PS-3's; the new ground was the pitch shifting, with more modes, the detune option and the stereo dual mode.
The pedal stayed in production until 199912. MusicRadar confirms "The PS-3 isn't in production anymore"5. Boss stayed out of new pitch pedals for a long stretch afterward, but the company has since re-entered the field with the Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter and Boss XS-100 Poly Shifter, listed on Boss's own XS series page alongside the PS-3's 1994 to 1999 run6. Players looking at the PS-3 today are looking at a used market only, and those newer polyphonic pedals are the current alternatives in Boss's octave and pitch range.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review sums up the pedal's range as "Various options for pitch shifting, from slight chorus-y shifts to drastic intervals! And classic spot-on BOSS digital delay settings"2. The same review highlights mode 7's reversed pitch-shifted delay as a standout sound2. MusicRadar includes the PS-3 among essential pitch shifter pedals, calling out its blend of delays, choruses and pitch modes5.
The PS-3 was made from 1994 to 1999 and is no longer produced12. Any unit on sale today is secondhand.
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Questions
How long is the delay on the BOSS PS-3?
The PS-3's delay functionality is the same as the earlier PS-2, which means up to two seconds of delay time. Its three delay modes on the mode selector reach that two-second maximum, and the delay side can be blended with the pitch-shifting modes for combined effects.
Is the BOSS PS-3 still made?
No. The PS-3 was made from 1994 to 1999 and is no longer in production. Boss has since returned to the pitch-shifting market with newer pedals such as the XS-1 and XS-100 Poly Shifter, but the PS-3 itself has not been reissued.
What is the difference between the PS-2 and PS-3?
The delay functionality is the same on both pedals, up to two seconds. What the PS-3 added was a greatly expanded set of pitch-shifting abilities, with more pitch modes, a detune mode for chorus-like tones, and a dual mode creating two independent pitch shifts at once.
Does the PS-3 have an expression mode?
Yes. Alongside its delay and pitch modes, the PS-3 has an Expression mode, an eleventh position on the mode selector that is controlled by an expression pedal rather than being a fixed effect.
How many pitch modes does the PS-3 have?
The eleven-way mode selector holds the pitch and delay choices plus an expression-controlled patch. Sources describe the split slightly differently: Boss's own history article counts eight pitch-based and three delay choices, while Pedal of the Day counts seven pitch modes and three delay modes alongside the expression mode.
Sources (6)
- Shifting With the Times: The History of BOSS Pitch Pedals, articles.boss.info, 2025-12-17
- Boss PS-3 Pitch Shifter / Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2014-05-13
- BOSS PS-3 Pitch Shifter/Delay, Delicious Audio, 2024-02-15
- Echoes in Time: The History of BOSS Delay Pedals, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2024-01-10
- 5 great pitch shifting pedals guitarists need to try, MusicRadar, 2021-08-03
- BOSS - XS Series Pitch Pedals, BOSS (boss.info)
