Boss PX-1

The Boss PX-1, sold as the PX-1 Plugout FX, is a compact digital stompbox from Boss that holds recreations of classic Boss compact pedals in a single housing. Boss describes it as "an innovative hardware platform that captures the timeless BOSS compact pedal experience in one versatile pedal"¹. Instead of chaining an overdrive, a phaser and a delay side by side, you select one modeled effect at a time and the pedal reconfigures itself to that circuit's control layout².

It is a digital pedal, but not a conventional multi-effects unit in the sense of stacking several effects into a chain. Boss states the tone is "realized with powerful DSP dedicated to one effect at a time"², which is the core design idea: one model, running at full processing resources, rather than many running together.

What the PX-1 does: classic Boss pedals in one stompbox

The PX-1 ships with 16 effect models built in: the OD-1, SP-1, PH-1, SG-1, CS-1, TW-1, SD-1, DS-1, CE-2, BF-2, PN-2, OC-2, PS-2, VB-2 and DD-2². Eight of these form what Boss calls the permanent library, including the three pedals from the company's 1977 compact debut, the OD-1 Over Drive, PH-1 Phaser and SP-1 Spectrum, known as the "traffic light" trio²⁴. Every model carries a "1" designation marking it as the first of its type in the Boss timeline².

The remaining models are downloadable through the BOSS Effect Loader app, and Boss has been adding more in batches. Rod Brakes, writing on Boss's own article pages, describes the models as "meticulously crafted using original units and brought to life with stunning realism"⁵.

Guitar World's review called the PX-1 "the most compact way to combine multiple effects from Boss history in a floor unit"³. The same publication's review of the related Boss EX-4 Effects Expander framed the difference between the two units plainly:

Guitar.com's reviewer, Josh Gardner, similarly positioned it as "Boss's latest compact multi-effects unit" aimed at players who want the specific character of vintage and rare Boss compacts without hunting the originals⁷.

The controls

The front panel keeps the familiar Boss knob format. Guitar.com's launch coverage noted "we've got the classic Boss knob interface"⁸, and Guitar World specifies three rotary push-button controls whose functions change depending on which effect model is selected³. Load the DS-1 model and the knobs behave like the DS-1's Tone and Level controls; load the DD-2 and they map to that delay's parameters.

External control is supported with footswitches or an expression pedal², and the pedal offers tap tempo plus a TRS MIDI input for MIDI clock sync², so time-based models can follow an external tempo.

Power and connections

The PX-1 runs on the included AC adaptor or USB bus power². Guitar World lists the draw as 260 mA with the AC adaptor and 420 mA over USB³, which is well above what a typical 9V battery or a small daisy chain can supply.

Connections cover stereo input and output (mono and stereo), two controller jacks that double as an expression pedal input, MIDI in over TRS, and USB-C²³. The USB-C port is also the route for firmware updates⁴.

The effect library and Model Passes

Beyond the 16 included models, additional effects arrive over time as Model Passes, purchased within the BOSS Effect Loader app for $9.99 each, with regional pricing variations²¹. Guitar Pedal X reported the Model Pass scheme at launch, when the pedal sold for £233 in the UK⁹, and Guitar World's reviewer admitted "the idea of charging $9.99 for additional pedal models can seem jolting"³.

The release schedule so far:

The built-in library spans the 1977 debut "traffic light" trio of compacts, the OD-1 Over Drive, PH-1 Phaser, and SP-1 Spectrum, alongside later compacts such as the SD-1 SUPER OverDrive and DS-1 Distortion². Beyond the included effects, Boss says additional effects are available over time with Model Pass purchases in the BOSS Effect Loader app².

The downloadable set already includes the CE-2 Chorus, BF-2 Flanger, OC-2 Octave, VB-2 Vibrato, DD-2 Digital Delay, DF-2 SUPER Feedbacker & Distortion, PS-2 Digital Pitch Shifter/Delay and PN-2 Tremolo/Pan¹⁰, covering modulation, pitch, delay and tremolo territory alongside the drive and compression models in the permanent library.

Firmware updates

Boss's support pages describe the update procedure. The latest system program is version 1.11, released February 2026⁴. To update:

1. Download the system program zip file and extract it on a Windows or Mac computer with a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port; do not rename the extracted folder⁴.
2. Connect the included AC adaptor while holding down the pedal switch to power on, which brings up the UPDATER screen⁴.
3. Connect the pedal to the computer with a USB Type-C cable and apply the update⁴.

If the error message "UPDATE FAILED ERR: DATA IO" appears, redo the update. Boss cautions that the update data must never be applied to any product other than the PX-1, as it may destroy the data or system program of other devices⁴. The owner's manual is available from Boss's support site¹¹.

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