We’ve all seen pedalboards that look like the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon or a futuristic scale model of Manhattan. These days it seems as if there are no limits to their complexity. But back in the early ‘80s, the pedalboard concept was just beginning to catch on as Boss continued to expand their catalog of compact pedals.
When Boss unveiled their BCB-6 “Carrying Box” in the early ‘80s they introduced the idea of owning a pedalboard to countless guitar players the world over. And as the variety of guitar effects pedals became ever more numerous a growing number of guitarists began to customize their floor rigs in a practical and affordable way.
Along with many other pro level guitarists such as Joe Walsh and Robert Smith, Gary Moore was an early adopter of the BCB-6, using it alongside a DS-1 Distortion to conveniently house a CE-3 Chorus, DM-2 Delay, OC-2 Octaver, BF-2 Flanger, and PSM-5 Power Supply & Master Switch.
In this clip taken from the BBC television series Rockschool you can get a close-up look at Moore’s pedalboard as he demos these ‘80s vintage stompboxes.
To some, Moore’s pedalboard might appear rather basic but back then the BCB-6 was among some of the most exciting, cutting-edge guitar gear on offer. And let’s not forget it was developed by Boss merely 5 years or so after their very first compact pedals appeared in 1977 (the OD-1 Over Drive, PH-1 Phaser, and SP-1 Spectrum.)
In more recent years, Boss has revisited the “Carrying Box” idea and their current Pedal Board line-up consists of the BCB-60-derived BCB-90X, the smaller-size BCB-30X, and the suitcase-style BCB-1000.
