Boss officially confirms a HM-2 Waza Craft reissue

Guitar gear manufacturer Boss has officially confirmed that a HM-2 reissue is in the works. For the first time ever, a Waza Craft reissue will be taking input from pedal fans as part of the design process.

The original HM-2 was a straightforward distortion pedal, with controls for level, gain, bass and treble. But in the 1980s, Swedish death metal band Entombed defined the pedal’s sound with their album Left Hand Path. With all settings maxed out, the pedal imbues your guitar signal with a very particular EQ curve – one that resembles less a distorted guitar and more a chainsaw running at full-throttle. The sound was soon adopted by the scene, and the pedal has become synonymous with the sound of Swedish death metal.

Hence, the HM-2 is an oft-requested reissue from the brand – vintage units can fetch high prices of the used market, and so fans are keen for a more affordable way to get their hands on the unit. Just look in any comments section of a Boss social media post about anything Waza Craft.

The wait will soon be over for these fans, it seems, as during the latest Talk With Boss podcast episode the company’s president Yoshi Ikegami confirmed a Waza Craft version of the HM-2 is currently being developed. He also discussed the way the brand will be taking input from pedal fans: via a new official Boss HM-2W Facebook group, where users can share their feedback, and what they’d like to see in a new version.

In another first, updates will be revealed as the design process progresses. A final version will be revealed this year.

This reveal most likely means the Waza Craft pedal Boss has been recently teasing won’t be the HM-2 – making it more likely to be their pedal famously finished in Hammerite silver, the FZ-2. That’s not confirmed just yet, but more news may arrive on 2 December with a new episode of Talk With Boss.

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