Quick Hit: Boss DM-2w Waza Craft Delay Review

In their short production runs, Boss’ analog delays, the DM-2 and DM-3 were done in by digital competition within the Boss family: the DD-2 and DD-3. Had Boss merely revived the DM-2 it would have been cause for celebration. But the newest incarnation, the DM-2w Waza Craft, stretches the capabilities of the original with sonically scintillating results.

To start, Boss retained the basic functionality and delay parameters of the original DM-2, which are accessible in standard mode. Here, the DM-2 reminds you how fat and natural good analog delay can sound—and if you’ve been in the trenches with digital delay for a spell, the tones can be a revelation. Custom mode addresses the short (300 ms maximum) delay times that were perceived as shortcomings in the early ’80s by giving you an 800 ms ceiling. But custom mode is also just a touch clearer and brighter—and in a good way that doesn’t undo the delicious, dark essence of the analog repeats. Better still, it turns the simple control set into a beautifully expressive and sensitive tool for generating organically swelling self-oscillation and ringing overtones that complement those dark and softly tapering echoes. Beautiful!

Test gear: Fender Stratocaster, DeArmond JetStar, Fender Bassman, Vox AC10