“I just imagine that without buying this, I would have died alone with my dog in my living room”: How the trip to buy a Boss pedal inadvertently saved this guitar player’s life

Reddit plays host to some of the wildest stories the internet has to offer, and one user’s tale of how a Boss TB-2W pedal inadvertently saved their life has to be read to be believed.

Posted to r/guitarpedals a year ago, and now recently pulled from the weeds, it shows how a little gear shopping can be good for your health. In fact, for this anonymous user, it was the difference between life and death.

“So, back in December 2023, a couple of days before Christmas, I got a message from a buddy in Ottawa – I'm in Toronto – that a shop had one of these for sale at a good price,” their tale begins.

The pedal in question, first introduced in 2020, recreates the 1960s fuzz pedal tones of the Tone Bender, a vintage stompbox beloved by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Pete Townshend in the late '60s and early '70s. It is from the Boss Waza Craft collection of boutique Japanese-built pedals.

“I was feeling sick, but I made the drive to buy it,” they continue. “Next thing I know, it's March, and I woke up in the ICU, not remembering a thing.

“I had a tracheostomy tube/ventilator in my neck, and my hands were strapped down. I had severe pneumonia and sepsis from complications from heart valve surgery last year – I'm 39 now. I had gone into cardiac arrest three times in those months, and had oxygen drop to nothing another time.

“Anyways, I got through it and got out a month later. I talked to my mom, who said they found me in my car and rushed me to the hospital. A few months ago, I found this pedal in my car. I didn't know I'd bought it.

“What apparently happened was I pulled over to take this pic and send it to him, and immediately passed out and was unresponsive to the traffic cop. He called the ambulance, and I got extremely lucky. I still haven't played it, but I just imagine that without buying this, I would have died alone with my dog in my living room.”

The alternative narrative is difficult to think about. On the plus side, GAS has ultimately saved their life, so next time you’re on the fence about splurging on that second-hand Stratocaster or aren’t sure if you really need another obscure overdrive pedal, it might help to think about this story.

For other life-saving guitar stories, see how Jamie Foxx's daughter saved his life by playing guitar, how surgeons brought Scott Gorham back from the dead last year, and how one guitarist played guitar during an eight-hour brain operation to maintain key motor functions.