Boss PX-1 Plugout FX

The Boss PX-1 Plugout FX is a digital pedal in the classic Boss compact housing that recreates vintage Boss compact pedal effects, one at a time. Boss describes it as "an innovative hardware platform that captures the timeless BOSS compact pedal experience in one versatile pedal," with DSP dedicated to a single effect rather than a chain of them¹. Instead of buying an original 1977 OD-1 or a rare SG-1 Slow Gear on the used market, a player loads that model into the PX-1 and plays it through the same familiar footswitch-and-knob format.

It shipped with 16 unique effects: eight permanently installed models and eight more that can be loaded into the pedal's eight user memories². Additional models are sold separately as Model Passes, licensed through the Boss Effect Loader app for $9.99 each¹. The pedal was announced in August 2025 and became available in September 2025 at $249.99²; Guitar World's later review lists a launch price of $249.99, and a 2026 Guitar Pedal X news item gives the current price as $225³⁴.

What the PX-1 does

The PX-1 is a multi-effects pedal with a twist: it runs one effect at a time, not a chain. Boss says you can "instantly reconfigure the pedal to use one effect from an onboard library of up to 16 types," with the DSP's processing power focused on that single effect for authentic tone and response¹. Guitar Pedal X notes you can also set it up with two effects selected and toggle between them with the footswitch⁵.

The eight permanently installed models are the early Boss compacts: the 1977 debut "traffic light" trio of the OD-1 Over Drive, PH-1 Phaser and SP-1 Spectrum, along with the DS-1 Distortion, CS-1 Compression Sustainer, TW-1 T Wah, SG-1 Slow Gear and SD-1 SUPER OverDrive⁷. The remaining eight user memories can hold any effects you license or load.

The Model Pass library has grown since launch:

Guitar Pedal X characterized the concept as Boss gathering up "most of its legendary original and early pedals for its first compact digital multi-fx pedal," and noted it is the first Boss compact without a battery compartment, since the screen takes up that space⁵.

The controls: one footswitch, a screen and three knobs

The front panel is a single footswitch with a graphic LCD screen above it, and three clickable knobs for navigation³¹⁰. Guitar Pedal X describes the layout: the top right knob is dominant, selecting the effect on the main menu screen when you turn it and engaging it when you click it. If an effect has three or more parameters, the middle knob comes into use for adjustment⁵. Guitar.com's reviewer called out the same three clickable knobs for menu navigation¹⁰.

Some models add functions to the footswitch itself. On the DF-2 model, holding down the footswitch forces notes into controlled feedback, which Guitar.com's reviewer described as "holding down on the footswitch to force your notes to bloom into wonderfully controlled feedback"¹⁰.

External control is supported through the Controller 1 and 2 / expression pedal inputs, so you can add footswitches or an expression pedal¹¹³. Time-based effects get tap tempo, and a TRS MIDI input provides MIDI clock sync¹.

Power and connections

Connectivity includes input and two outputs (mono and stereo), the controller/expression inputs, MIDI in over TRS, and USB-C³. Stereo input and output is standard¹, which Guitar.com's reviewer flagged as a welcome feature in this format¹⁰.

How it compares

Boss later released the EX-4 Effects Expander, a compact multi-effects unit running four effects simultaneously from a selection of 120. In Guitar World's review of the EX-4, Lucy Robinson framed the difference: "While it is not as versatile as the EX-4, the PX-1 is a one-at-a-time, premium multi-effects unit with a focus on Boss's collectable and rare sounds in a library that is expanding over time"¹². The PX-1 trades chaining and versatility for a single dedicated effect at a time, aimed at players who want specific vintage Boss models.

What reviewers said

Guitar.com's review found the build reassuring: "in hand this feels just as reliable and reassuring and familiar as any other Boss pedal I've picked up in the last few decades," with a rugged screen above the footswitch¹⁰. Guitar World's review noted the feature set, including the 128 x 48 dot graphic LCD and up to 16 onboard effects, while its reviewer found "the idea of charging $9.99 for additional pedal models can seem jolting"³. Guitar Pedal X reported the Model Pass pricing and the two-effect toggle mode as the key practical details for buyers⁵.

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