Several years ago, I lamented getting rid of my original BOSS CE-2 Chorus pedal, having traded it for a DigiTech multi-function pedal that I thought was cool. Hey! I only paid $79 for the CE-2, and at the time, I wasn’t very sensitive to my tone. After all, that was almost 40 years ago, and I was pretty much a rank beginner at guitar. But years later, I was missing that chimey chorus tone and just had to get another. Oh, I found one, but ended up paying almost $300 for it. But I was glad to get it, because it has taken an active role on my board since then.
But I’ve been very judicious in its use because – after all – it is a vintage pedal, and with the number of gigs I play every year, I’ve been careful about not using it full-time. So I switch off between the excellent TC Electronics Corona Chorus, Homebrew THC and the CE-2.
But today in an ad I saw on Facebook, I saw that BOSS is about to release the new Waza Craft CE-2W, which supposedly perfectly reproduces the CE-2 sound. On top of that, it includes circuitry for the original CE-1! Then to top it off, it has stereo output!
Talk about instant GAS attack! When it hits the shelves, its price point is going to be about $149 street (if what I’ve read is true). OMG! That is SO affordable! I’m going to get one when it’s available. Period. That way, I can retire my original CE-2 and put it back in its box for safe-keeping.
Why am I crazy about this? Well, one of the first amps I ever played through was a Roland JC120. Yes, the same amp that Albert King played, and the same amp that Joe Satriani used on his breakthrough “Surfin’ with the Alien.” I LOVED that amp and the chorus effect it housed. I never got the CE-1 but got the CE-2 after seeing the venerable Michael Hedges sport one in a concert. He was my idle at the time, and I loved that sound.
To me, while there are TONS of chorus pedals out there, the BOSS chorus tone is the definitive chorus tone for me. They were the first to come up with it, and frankly, they’ve got it down. So for BOSS to release a faithful reproduction with modern circuitry and the higher reliability of new components, well, it’s a no-brainer.
So what about the “Waza Craft” stuff? This was BOSS’ response to the modders and boutique pedal builders. Rather than make updates to their foundation, they took those pedals and “tweaked” them, much like modders would do, but do it on a larger scale. For other pedals like the CE-2, they kind of “reissued” them but with a twist. Very cool concept! Furthermore, from what I can gather, all Waza Craft pedals are made in Japan, though I’m not sure if that just means assembled, or completely constructed. In any case, they’re likely to be pretty high quality.
The interesting thing about the Waza Craft pedals is that they’re not expensive. What you’re getting is “boutique” upgrades or repros, but not at the boutique price.
Yeah, yeah, I know that there are some boutique purists out there, but in the end, it’s how it sounds. Even for the Waza Craft stuff. But if it sounds great and I can get it for a reasonable price, well, I’ll for that. Can you say “Bad Monkey” overdrive? (look it up if you’re not familiar).
In any case, this pedal was announced just a couple of days before Summer NAMM, so it’s not on shelves, and no, I don’t have an ETA. But I am for sure going to check it out as soon as I can!
All that said, here are a couple of GREAT videos!
Intro Video
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjbLzteYKMg][/youtube]Sound Samples
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onJasW8E5eg][/youtube]
Guitar Gear 
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