“There’s no better utility pedal”: BOSS reveals the EX-4 Effects Expander, a powerful multi-effects unit that might just make you radically rearrange your pedalboard
“There’s no better utility pedal.” That’s how effects giant BOSS is describing its latest multi-effects pedal, the EX-4 Effects Expander.
Offering a massive library of 120 effects in a compact design – spanning everything you’ll need from overdrive and distortion to delay, reverb and modulation, as well as bass-tuned effects and other BOSS classics like the Slow Gear and Slicer – the EX-4 is described as an “essential toolbox” for guitarists looking to “build professional sounds on the fly”.
And players can choose to deploy up to four of the 120 onboard effects simultaneously, with dedicated utility blocks also available including foot volume, two noise suppressors, a send/return, a divider/mixer and even a global EQ for overall tone shaping.
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A huge part of the fun of guitar pedals is dialling in your own tones from scratch. But sometimes you just want to plug in and play. The EX-4 caters to this desire, too, with a Gear Suite offering multiple “professionally tuned” presets for each effect. Players can also edit parameters and save their own presets.
In terms of user interface, the EX-4 sports a full-colour 2.4-inch display, where guitarists will see their full effects chain, individual effect blocks, editing options, menus and more. Meanwhile, four dedicated FX buttons allow users to switch off effect blocks with a single press, while accessing editing parameters with a long press. In a new UX touch, the FX button colours match each effect’s display colours for easy identification.
Credit: BOSS
Elsewhere, the unit features dual-function footswitches that are as rugged as BOSS users have come to expect. These can be custom configured system-wide or per memory, with assignments that include block on/off, memory up/down, master bypass, tap tempo and more.
Regarding I/O, you’ve also got four audio jacks offering both mono and stereo connectivity, with the added option of using two jacks as an effects loop to position external pedals anywhere within the EX-4’s effects chain. Meanwhile, two footswitches or an expression pedal can be hooked up for additional real-time control, while there’s also TRS MIDI I/O, too, for integration with external MIDI pedals and switching systems.
Credit: BOSS
Price-wise the EX-4 will be available from October 2026 for $299.99.
Learn more at BOSS.
Credit: BOSS
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
