This morning I attended a press conference that announced the fruits of a collaboration between Roland/Boss and Fender Musical Instruments. Three products stood out as outstanding. Two are Boss pedals that capture the sound and the fury of a couple of Fender’s most enduring amplifiers, the ‘59 Bassman and the ‘65 Deluxe Reverb. They have the typical form factor of other Boss boxes, and the knobs are identical to the controls you’d find on the real Fender amps. From what I could hear in the cacaphonous NAMM environment, both units nailed the sound of the amps they emulate.

But what really got my juices flowing is the Stratocaster VG. The companies involved might not appreciate my making obvious comparisons, but Roland and Fender have taken an American Standard Strat and given it the Line 6 Variax tretment. You can select an assortment of presets that instantly make the Strat sound like a Telecaster, a Strat with dual humbuckers, an acoustic guitar, or whatever, complete with a complement of effects. Best of all, it still looks (and presumably feels) just like a standard Strat. I can sum it up in three words: I want one!