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Effect Pedal for Electric Guitar

  • Polyphonic pitch correction
  • Seamlessly shift pitch in real time without breaking the creative flow
  • A completely new algorithm enables very fast attack, while maintaining clarity, playing technique and the instrument's character
  • Full support for bass frequencies
  • Natural pitch shift in a range of six octaves (three up, three down)
  • Detune mode creates a doubling effect
  • The shift-up function allows convenient capo-like operation for changing a song's key
  • External footswitches enable control of two settings for a total of 3 different tunings
  • An expression pedal can control the pitch shift in real time to achieve a dynamic pitch bending effect
  • Control dial for balance
  • Combo push-dial for shift function
  • Switches for toggle/moment and detune up/down
  • LED: Effect on
  • Footswitch: Effect bypass
  • Input and output: 6.3 mm jack
  • CTL/EXP: 6.3 mm stereo jack
  • Power adapter connection: 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel connector, centre negative
  • Powered with a 9 V battery or a 9 V DC mains adapter (not included, suitable power supply: item 409939)
  • Dimensions: (W x D x H): 73 x 129 x 59 mm
  • Weight: 425 g
  • Available since September 2025
  • Item number 619909
  • Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
  • Effect Types Pitchshifter
811 AED 192,44 €
The price in AED is a guideline price only
Since we ship from Germany, additional costs through taxes and customs may be incurred
In stock within 3-4 weeks
1

Pitch shift for any guitar or bass

The Boss XS‑1 Poly Shifter is a versatile pitch‑effect pedal for guitar and bass that pulls double duty as a source of creative sound manipulation and a practical tool for both live shows and studio sessions. Boss has based the XS-1 on a newly developed polyphonic algorithm, so the pedal can handle chords and more complex playing styles with no noticeable lag; similarly, each instrument's clarity, feel, and character remain intact. This makes the XS-1 ideal for players who have to jump between tunings quickly – whether they play in a cover band, do studio session work, or just love modern drop‑tuning styles. The Boss XS‑1 takes care of pitch shifting in real time, making laborious retuning – or a constantly accessible rack of guitars – a thing of the past. And with up to six octaves of shift range, it's not just a tool for transposition, but a full‑on creative engine for experimental sounds, harmonies, and octave‑stacked textures.

Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter, pitch-shifter pedal

Shift the pitch, keep the sound

The XS‑1 is fully polyphonic, so it's more than capable of managing chords, arpeggios, and more complex voicings. The central rotary encoder lets musicians dial in exactly the pitch shift they want, from three octaves down to three octaves up. In Shift Up mode, this more or less means the pedal functions as a virtual capo, which is especially handy on stage when a guitarist needs to shift a song up a key on the fly. The Detune mode adds a subtle doubling or chorus‑style warble that works just as well on clean parts as it does on lead lines. The Ctrl/Exp jack can take either a footswitch, for activating two extra presets, or an expression pedal for real‑time pitch bends. The pedal runs on a standard 9V battery or power supply, and is compact enough to drop neatly into any pedalboard setup.

Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter, pitch-shifter pedal

Kick the creativity up a notch

The Boss XS‑1 is aimed at guitarists and bassists who are at home in many different musical contexts, which often means quick, clean key changes. It's especially useful for cover bands, session gigs, and any live setups where being able to swap tunings without switching instruments is a real time‑saver. Modern Metal and Prog players who jump regularly between standard, drop, and baritone tunings will get a lot out of the XS-1 too. At the same time, it'll also appeal to more experimental musicians who want to integrate pitch‑based sound design into their performances. Even for traditional purists who prefer to tune their instruments by hand, the Boss XS-1 can add some unexpected creative options, adding something authentically musical but unobtrusive to the signal.

Manufacturer's logo on the Boss XS-1 Poly Shifter

About Boss

The Boss brand has been an important part of the Japanese Roland Corporation since the mid-1970s and has caused a sensation from its inception, especially with its compact effect pedals but also multi-effect units and other helpful tools for guitarists. The company's single effect pedals in particular are legendary and can be found in almost every guitarist's home. An incredible 15 million have been sold to date. With its Katana series, the manufacturer now also offers excellent amplifiers at a very interesting price point.

Drop tunings and sound design

When playing live, the Boss XS‑1 makes it easy to switch between keys without swapping or retuning guitars or basses – ideal for quick jam sessions or smaller stages where switching instruments isn't always an option. In the studio, it doubles as a creative tool for building doubles, octave lines, or unconventional harmonies without having to re‑record a single track. For modern Metal guitarists, the XS-1 can stand in for a lower‑tuned instrument, for instance for drop‑D or drop‑C passages. And it really comes into its own in Ambient, Post‑Rock or cinematic work, where pitch‑shifting often defines the sound. Combined with an external expression pedal, the Boss XS-1 can be used an expressive performance tool, for real‑time pitch bends and more extreme sound transformations – all with zero latency.

13 Customer ratings

4.6 / 5

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8 Reviews

B
Nice but no
Bart1973 08.02.2026
Little bit disappointed soundwise, after reading good reviews i was expecting it to be better than my Digitech Bass Whammy, but no. You loose your natural sound by pitching down (or up).
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G
Boss nailed it
Golimonkey 18.12.2025
Downtuned sound is really good. Latency is very low. It can sound like chorus if you set it to detune mode and it sounds great as chorus too. Really happy with it.
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B
Bester Polyphoner Octaver den ich kenne
Bogii 20.10.2025
Ich nutze den Boss ausschließlich als Octaver. Das bitte bei meiner Aussage bedenken. :)
Hier macht er aber eine extrem gute Figur. Ich hab so ziemlich alles nennenswerte auf dem Markt probiert. Alle POGs, EHX Bass 9, Fractal, Line6, Quad Cortex. Dabei geht es mir in erster Linie nicht einmal um den Ton an sich sondern um Latenz UND um Stabilität des Signals.
Erklärung: Bspw. bei Fractal klingt der der Poly Capo (oder wie er auch nochmal heißt) ganz gut und trackt halbwegs schnell. Wenn man aber nicht sauber spielt und irgendeine Saite ein bisschen mitschwingt, wird das Ding instabil und der Ton flattert.
EHX (alle) machen das tausendmal besser aber klingen unnatürlicher.
Genau hier glänzt der Boss. Er ist mit Abstand der stabilste (man kann wirklich normal spielen und in die Saiten hauen wie man will) und er oktaviert das ganze einfach ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken. Dabei klingt er auch noch prima. Ähnlich dem Digitech Drop.
Latenz ist spürbar aber mit einer der besten + die Latenz ist bei allen Intervallen identisch. Bei manchen wird sie schlechter je Tiefer man das Teil runter muss. Sehr fein

Wirklich aktuell der beste auf dem Markt.
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VV
Solide Kiste, aber leider ein Fehlgriff für meine Zwecke
Vallo Van Laaken 12.02.2026
Eigentlich war der Plan simpel: Ich spiele Bass, Gitarre sowie Ukulele und wollte mit dem Teil genau das tun, was der Name verspricht – bei Bedarf einfach mal den einen oder anderen Song tiefer oder höher spielen, ohne direkt umstimmen zu müssen.

Wie man es von Thomann gewohnt ist, war die Lieferung blitzschnell da. Auch beim Gerät selbst gibt es Boss-typisch nichts zu meckern - Die Kiste ist solide gebaut.

Nach dem Auspacken ging es direkt ans Ausprobieren. Egal ob Gitarre, Ukulele oder Bass – ich habe von Akkorden über Licks bis hin zu Riffs alles durchgejagt. Das Gerät transponiert die Töne zwar wie versprochen rauf und runter, aber jetzt kommt das große „Aber“:
Selbst wenn ich den Balance-Poti komplett nach rechts drehe – also dorthin, wo eigentlich nur noch das transponierte Signal zu hören sein sollte – schleicht sich das Originalsignal immer noch mit durch. Ihr könnt euch vorstellen, wie das klingt: Bei jedem Akkord oder jeder Quinte herrscht absolute Dissonanz.

Vielleicht liegt es an mir oder meiner Spielweise, aber so sauber und ‚echt‘ wie in den YouTube-Videos habe ich es beim besten Willen nicht hinbekommen. Für meine Zwecke ist das Teil leider unbrauchbar, deshalb geht das Ding eindeutig zurück.
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