Browse Helix Models and Effects
Helix currently supports 111 amplifier models, 276 effects, 56 speaker cab models, and 16 microphones. On top of all that you also have the ability to load Impulse Responses (IRs) that you can grab from free or paid sources. Go have fun.
Pocket Fuzz (Jordan Boss Tone Fuzz)
Released With Helix Version 3.00
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.
Comments
There are no comments for this yet.
Some Products That We Love
Brought to you by the Fluid Solo department of CommercePower your HX Stomp via USB
This handy cord allows you to power your HX Stomp from a USB port, so you can power it from a USB power bank or other power source.
Last seen around $23
Extra Power Cable for your HX Stomp
I've been using one of these power supplies permanently zip-tied to my pedalboard, and it's been very handy to keep the original power supply around for off-board usage. Plus it's cheap and works well.
Last seen around $16
A Handy Rechargeable Tuner
Those snark-y headstock tuners are great, but it gets old changing out those coin-sized batteries. This rechargeable unit makes tuning a breeze.
Last seen at $29