Boss Waza Air and the PRS Silver Sky... a PSA

[RickP]

Update: Got to my post dated 2/8/2020 for solution.

I recently got one of the new Boss Waza Air Headphone sets, and it is really great. Sound, functionality, and a decent fun factor! I received it about the same time my SC594 arrived, so we all got to know one another like a happy family.

As my recently documented guitar trading frenzy concluded, I became the proud new owner of a 2018 Silver Sky. Also a fun guitar, but in a completely different direction, so I wanted to check it out with the headphone setup. It appears that Boss was not aware of the redesigned jack plate of the Silver Sky, and the transmitter will not fit into the well there. You can force it, but as that wouldn't be in the best interests of either end, I elected not to go that route. I'll likely solder up a little 1/4 male by female adapter cable to make it work, but I thought I would pass this along in case others were considering the purchase and the SS was your only/main guitar.

 

[Ovibos]

Interesting. I use a Boss WL-50 wireless, I wonder if it would have the same issue?

 

[dmatthews]

I use one of these for my P22
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hosa-1-4-female-to-1-4-male-angle-adapter

Maybe try and find a straight through...

 

[Plugske]

What is your opinion on the Waza Air? What feature do you like the most? I am waiting at the moment for my VOX Amphones AC30 to arrive. Ordered them last night.

 

[Eddie kim]

What is your opinion on the Waza Air? What feature do you like the most? I am waiting at the moment for my VOX Amphones AC30 to arrive. Ordered them last night.

I would also like to know what you think of the headphone. Is it worth the price?

 

[RickP]

Interesting. I use a Boss WL-50 wireless, I wonder if it would have the same issue?

I can't say. It wasn't a large margin that it missed by, so maybe another Boss unit would slide right in.

I use one of these for my P22
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hosa-1-4-female-to-1-4-male-angle-adapter

Maybe try and find a straight through...

Thanks for sharing. I dug around the room and found a mono splitter cable... it worked! Probably not the best fix, but it got me playing for $0. Win!!

What is your opinion on the Waza Air? What feature do you like the most? I am waiting at the moment for my VOX Amphones AC30 to arrive. Ordered them last night.

I really like them. Don't get me wrong, it isn't like plugging headphones into my Axe FX III, but then that isn't the point of these. The reason I got them is because I wanted to be able to warm up and work on song parts on the gig without having to go to the stage or deal with noise issues off stage. This is perfect for that. I can have the songs or tracks on my phone, bluetooth connect to the Waza headphones, and guitar and tracks come together in my ears. It is a good enough fit to block out extraneous backstage racket, and should work well for that. It also allows some living room practice without disturbing the wife. A she is very supportive, already sacrificing the den to be my music room, so I do try not to drag a bunch of guitar gear into the rest of the house.

So what I like most is it is a two piece, ready to go solution: no wires, well made, rechargeable. Sounds pretty decent, has a lot of sounds included and more available to load to the headphones. There are other things, but while fun, they're secondary for my uses.

I would also like to know what you think of the headphone. Is it worth the price?

Worth the price is kind of a hard one... not cheap cheap, for sure. You could just buy a little Katana amp if it's just something to practice on. But considering that it is a transmitter and sender, you can bluetooth to your phone or iPad for control and streaming music, the sounds and FX are certainly usable, its rechargeable so there's no battery cost, and you can stick it in the pocket of a gig bag and carry it anywhere for on-the-spot practicing, I'd say it's more than worth the cost. For my purposes, no question, it's awesome. For someone else, it's hard to say. People spend this much on coffee in a couple of months. It's really a personal call. Hope that helps.

 

[xjbebop]

I've got the waza air on order... should be perfect for me!
What the heck is up with the SS output jack? How is it different from a regular strat jack...??? and why???

 

[RickP]

I've got the waza air on order... should be perfect for me!
What the heck is up with the SS output jack? How is it different from a regular strat jack...??? and why???

As far as I am aware, it was one of those "make it a little better" sort of things. They raised the top (slightly) to make it a little easier to get to the jack. Some people say it is easier to get the jack out, but I never had a problem with it on my Strat. I guess that the depth/width of the well itself wasn't really considered beyond what a standard 1/4" connector would need. I would have never been able to tell there was a difference at all had I not run into this issue.

For clarity... it does fit right in to my American Strat (a '97 Plus model), no problem.

 

[bodia]

Interesting. I use a Boss WL-50 wireless, I wonder if it would have the same issue?

It's the same on a Line 6 G-10, I can tell you that!

 

[bodia]

I've got the waza air on order... should be perfect for me!
What the heck is up with the SS output jack? How is it different from a regular strat jack...??? and why???

I can't get the G-10 in my Clapton Strat, nor would it work in the Ibanez Jiva I used to have.

 

[xjbebop]

I can't get the G-10 in my Clapton Strat, nor would it work in the Ibanez Jiva I used to have.

exactly.... WHY? If it ain't broke, don't eff it up for everyone else...

 

[RickP]

I picked up a Hosa GPP-419 adapter for under $5 and it fixes my Silver Sky issue with the WazaAir transmitter. They also make 90 degree angled versions, but this straight one puts the transmitter in a good place on the S/S. Fixed!

@bodia this might work for your other guitar too.

 

[bodia]

I picked up a Hosa GPP-419 adapter for under $5 and it fixes my Silver Sky issue with the WazaAir transmitter. They also make 90 degree angled versions, but this straight one puts the transmitter in a good place on the S/S. Fixed!

@bodia this might work for your other guitar too.

Thanks!

 

[ScottR]

I've been checking these out since they were announced.

Being an apartment dweller (with a$$hole neighbors) and being a mere hamfisted bedroom player....these things have REALLY gotten my attention!

All that said...to anyone that has a pair or has tried them...I have only one question. Are they really "four hundred bucks good?"

The tech is REALLY cool, the wireless thing for my clumsy a$$ is a no brainer, and it seems as if it was invented for peeps like me. But...I'm a broke mutha, so four bills is a serious investment for another set of cans.

So yeah anyway...I'm on the edge....could someone either save me or push me off.

 

[RickP]

I've been checking these out since they were announced.

Being an apartment dweller (with a$$hole neighbors) and being a mere hamfisted bedroom player....these things have REALLY gotten my attention!

All that said...to anyone that has a pair or has tried them...I have only one question. Are they really "four hundred bucks good?"

The tech is REALLY cool, the wireless thing for my clumsy a$$ is a no brainer, and it seems as if it was invented for peeps like me. But...I'm a broke mutha, so four bills is a serious investment for another set of cans.

So yeah anyway...I'm on the edge....could someone either save me or push me off.

It's hard to say if I would spend anything of gear if I was really stretched financially. I was in the process of overturning the herd... I don't really thin it, I just sell some stuff to buy other stuff. I guess I "exchange the herd." So I had some cash.

When I saw this, my thought was that it would be perfect for a scenario I deal with often: We set of to play, then I have two hours or more to blow before playing but I can't use my gear onstage and playing in the venue is too loud to hear unplugged. With these, I can carry tracks of songs I want to work or or warm up to on my phone, stream them to the headphones along with my guitar, and play to my heart's contentment without bothering a soul (or them bothering me). Perfect, and well worth the money for that purpose alone!
Aside from that, it's nice to be able to play in the living room while the wife watches TV without disturbing her. The headphones isolate well, so the TV doesn't both me either.

I figure you can't get a lot of practice amp for $399 these days, and this will certainly solve the neighbor issue! Also, if you do a little calling to the vendors, you can get them to come off a bit on the price. Musician's Friend did them for about $340, if I recall. With tax, it was a shade under $370 to my door. If you decide to go that route, call Lisa Wheeler and tell her one of her customers (Rick Park) sent you. I'm sure she'll hook you up. In the end, worth it is a personal call... I'd never tell someone to spend money if it put them in a bind. It kind of steals the joy of having it!

 

[ScottR]

It's hard to say if I would spend anything of gear if I was really stretched financially. I was in the process of overturning the herd... I don't really thin it, I just sell some stuff to buy other stuff. I guess I "exchange the herd." So I had some cash.

When I saw this, my thought was that it would be perfect for a scenario I deal with often: We set of to play, then I have two hours or more to blow before playing but I can't use my gear onstage and playing in the venue is too loud to hear unplugged. With these, I can carry tracks of songs I want to work or or warm up to on my phone, stream them to the headphones along with my guitar, and play to my heart's contentment without bothering a soul (or them bothering me). Perfect, and well worth the money for that purpose alone!
Aside from that, it's nice to be able to play in the living room while the wife watches TV without disturbing her. The headphones isolate well, so the TV doesn't both me either.

I figure you can't get a lot of practice amp for $399 these days, and this will certainly solve the neighbor issue! Also, if you do a little calling to the vendors, you can get them to come off a bit on the price. Musician's Friend did them for about $340, if I recall. With tax, it was a shade under $370 to my door. If you decide to go that route, call Lisa Wheeler and tell her one of her customers (Rick Park) sent you. I'm sure she'll hook you up. In the end, worth it is a personal call... I'd never tell someone to spend money if it put them in a bind. It kind of steals the joy of having it!

Thanks my man! Yeah, I usually sell something to help pay for something else (keeps the redhead from stabbing me in my sleep). It blows...but I'm stoked to have what I have.

I've had a Boss ME-80 Multi Effects that I play thru all the time. Until these came out, I had been thinking of selling it and upgrading to a Helix Stomp. Problem was...I would still be tethered to something. The idea of having no wires, still having the few effects that I actually use with the ME, plus the whole gyroscope thing had me from the jump!

I think I'm gonna go ahead and list the ME and see what happens. Thanks for the feedback bro! I greatly appreciate it!