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The Boss Tone was a pioneer; this runt of an effect plugged directly into a guitar’s jack; the player then inserted the cord into the bottom of the petite box. The controls (both of them!) were right there, at hand and easy to dial.

And the fuzz could be sublime. The Boss Tone’s tone ranged from a kitten’s purr to a snake’s hiss. Or it could be nasty and trebly. When you found the sweet spot, it had a rich voice in a day when most fuzz boxes prided themselves on being overwhelmingly grainy or downright harsh.

An early brochure bragged that the Boss Tone was a “complete fuzz effect – sustains any amplified note.” The Volume dial controlled the overall level while the Attack set the instrument input – basically doing the same task as your guitar’s volume knob. And that was it!

Inside was simplicity defined. The circuit used a single transistor as a voltage gate with a second transistor as a buffer. The first version included one PNP and one NPN transistor. That’s all. There was a basic on/off switch, but no true-bypass.

That simplicity was the unit’s brilliance, and one of its limitations. It retailed for just $29.95 – a price matching its size, but also limiting its specs. But the mighty mite screamed, letting loose a prodigious sound that many more-complex units yearned for.

It seems improbable and implausible, but the Boss Tone evolved from a long-haired, psychedelic, hippie fuzz effect to a clean-cut, cowboy-shirted, Nashville pedal-steel player’s fave. Plugged into the side of many an electric table, the Boss Tone is today still venerated and valued.

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