Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Three knobs just like any overdrive/distortion pedal. Came with a decent manual with some illustrated suggestions for dial settings to achieve particular sound styles. Onward. . .

I play a mexi/strat with a Seymour Duncan Lil'59 in the bridge position with a dial a split/tap. Standard Single coils in the Mid/Neck position. I plug into a Vox Wah and then straight into a Peavy Classic 30 w/1-12 extention cab. I retubed the 30 and I think it sounds great. I use the Blues Driver as the first pedal in my effects loop in front of a DOD Ice Box Chorus, and a Boss Reverb/Delay. I don't like the Blues Driver inline because the colors the sound of the amp too much and is too noisy. The effects loop drives the pedal with the natural sound of the amp(that I like).This drives the pedal with a hotter signal so pedal is pretty quiet in this position. I use the Pedal two main ways. First I use it to slightly boost and dirty up the clean channel in the amp. Gives just a slight grit to chords and slightly rolls off the bottom end. Second, I use it as a boost switch to the Lead channel. I set my peavey up with the mids just slightly scooped and love the sound. But punch in the Blues Driver for leads and you get a little boost and some midrange punch that just sings. Very Nice. I have the level on the Blues Driver set at about 10:00 and the gain at about 11:00. Too much gain and the sound turns to absolute mud. The pedal will do a pretty good Clean Boost. I just had to dirty it up abit and the results are great. I suggest anyone with a Tube amp to put your effects in the loop if you have one. This will keep your axe/amp sound as it should be and just lay the effects on top. The Blues Driver seems to work equally well with the Single Coils as it does with the Humbucker.

I don't gig. I am a basement jammer. I just feel lucky that I have time to play with music. It keeps me sane. Boss is solid as a rock and I have never had any trouble with Roland/Boss equipment. Used to beat the hell out of my Pad80 Percussion Module and it is still holding up.

I always buy from local music stores. I know I will be treated well. I occasionally pay a little more than I see advertised in the Discount Stores, but I don't have to pay shipping/handling so it all levels out. Support your local music stores!

I play mostly Rock -n- Roll, Modern Blues, and do some jazzy noodling. I have been playing guitar about 4 years. I have been playing drums for 20 years and the guitar has been a refreshing challenge. I like that this pedal can give a nice boost without having the gain up too high. Easy to get a little grit on a bunch. I leave the Tone Knob at 12:00. This pedal is great in my setup and I think it would give a SS amp a nice Punch.

Three knobs, gain, level and tone. Does anyone really need manual for a pedal like this? Metal casing, rugged enough like other Boss pedals.

I read previous submission by other musicians here, and it doesn't seem like a lot of people really like this thing. Well, here's what I have to say about this pedal. Yes, this pedal is not comparable to Tube Screamer or any other bluesy overdrive pedal. It's not a bad pedal, though, it has its own sound and won't really duplicate the sound of other pedals. You can come close, thought it's won't copy the sound. So here's the good way to use this pedal. Like other musicians here already noted, this pedals has its own tone and it will change the entire sound. But if you happen to like the sound that this pedal creates, then, you can use it! Eventhough this pedal is named "Blues Driver", you can consider this pedal as a fuzz pedal. The only problem I found with this pedal is this unit is pretty bad at tonal response. Very limited range. Specially on the lower frequency. It'll cut off much of lower frequency when specially playing on a strat, neck position. So it's kinda drag. But you can use this pedal as a booster and it works pretty good. It's not a clean boost, but just like any other fuzz pedals (Big Muff, Fuzz Face and others), it can push your guitar singal to over way over there than TS-9 or any other over drive would do. So if you want a huge boost, this pedal will do pretty good job. I happen to find some nice Hendrixy fuzz sound with this pedal and I decided to use this pedal for just that purpose. Oh here's another thing that you should know...is that this pedal does NOT have true bypass, and if you are picky about guitar sound, you'll realize some of your tonal loss because of this pedal in your guitar singal chain. But as long as you are not using this pedal with stock wah pedals(like Vox and Crybaby which those wah pedals kill the sound just by plugging them in your signal chain), it'll alright. I mean sometimes you have to compromise on something to get other. Anyway give it a try. Since you spent some cash on this pedal, don't just give up. Tweak around see what you can do. There are so many pedals out there...from bad ones to good ones, all of them have their own good and bad. If you are patient enough, you'll find a good thing about this pedal, too.

It's tough as hell. I've dropped, kicked, scratched, and all that, but it's still working. But backup is always neccessary of you are using this pedal as your main sound.

Never dealt with Boss customer support.

So in my opinion, this pedal happen to be quit a piece. It doesn't sound impressively great, but it doesn't sound too bad either, and as far as I'm concerned, it is doing pretty good job keeping me happy with the sound it can offer, so I think I'm going to give this pedal something higher than 6.

Basic same three controls (level, tone, drive) as a zillion other overdrive/distortion boxes out there.

Have used it with Fender Blues Deluxe and HR Deville and Marshall JCM800 combo. First off, this thing is not transparent tonally at all, imposes its own EQ which is heavy on the bass, scooped mids, and very bright highs, therefore when you step on it your overall sound changes considerably. Backing off on the tone rolls back the highs, but you still get a pretty scooped EQ sound. With tone at 11:00 or more, the highs get pretty severe. With regard to overdrive/distortion quality, it has fairly authentic tube preamp sound when played through a tube amp. Has a gritty, "loose" sound and feel. I haven't tried it through SS amp. Sounds best at lower to mid-gain, which is where you'd play it if you wanted true classic blues tone. At higher gain starts to sound more trashy and harsh than saturated and sweet. At lower gain sounds good on neck and middle pickups of Strat, you can achieve the full, gritty, throaty chords and low notes and those "whistling" Strat neck pickup lead tones on the high notes. On Strat bridge pickup, scooped EQ and severe highs make guitar sound just too thin and harsh. With humbucker guitar, again unit sounds best on neck pickup. While bridge HB pickup fills in the mids a bit, still sounds too thin in the middle, and the bass becomes boomy. Tweak amp to compensate, and you lose best clean settings when you disengage the BD-2. However, get the amp turned up and you will sound a little Marshally. But it doesn't offer any improvement at all to my master-volume JCM800 as far as "Marshall" sound goes, to the contrary, sounds cheesy when compared to the real deal. With Marshall, best used with clean channel with lower-gain setting to give a low-gain blues sound, let the Marshall preamp handle the higher-gain stuff. The Fender amps are already pretty big in the bottom and the BD-2 becomes a bit too much.
I don't know if this unit is aimed at the TS-9 or not. But it is not comparable at all. The TS-9 has a much more neutral EQ, only a mild mid-upper-mid hump, therefore you don't get a radical EQ change when you step on it. The TS-9, which I bought after the BD-2, is smoother and more authentically tubey sounding. Even with the gain maxed, it still has a sweet rather than harsh sound. I also just got a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, which is comparable to the TS-9 but more transparent EQ, refined and flexible. Now the BD-2 sits in its box. I suppose I'll sell it some time.

Like all Boss units, it's well built with heavy cast aluminum shell. Has never failed in any way.

I've never had a problem with a Boss unit which I felt was the company's fault, so I've not had occasion to seek support.

I play blues and classic rock. This unit seems to be aimed at those styles. But my comments on sound above state how well I think the BD-2 comes to the target.
Been playing 23 years. Have been through a number of OD/Dist/Fuzz boxes including MXR Distortion +, original yellow Boss Overdrive, original Big Muff, BD-2, Tech 21 XXL, Ibanez TS-9, Fulltone Fulldrive2, DOD something or other, can't remember, plus gone through phases where I just relied on amp for overdrive. Out of all of those units, I'd say my order of favorites is (1) the Fulltone, (2) the TS-9, (3) the BD-2. My experience is that some amps get their own GREAT natural overdrive, but even with those you can use a stompbox to increase flexibility -- its like adding another channel to the amp. I've gotten to the point to where my evaluation of an OD pedal is based (1) on how much it changes your EQ, i.e., I don't want to compromise my favorite clean sounds to compensate for EQ imposed by a pedal; and (2) on how sweetly and smoothly the unit breaks up. In other words, I really want a pedal that you could mistake for the real preamp of a good amp and complements a good amp, not tries to compete with it. In this respect, the BD-2 gets a 5. With respect to overall durability, reliability and value (my new favorite, the Fulldrive 2, set me back $200!), it gets a 7.

It takes about 2 seconds to figure this thing out..

The sound quality is good, reminds me of Clapton on the Blues Breakers disc... gives you the 60-70's bluesy sound..

it's a boss, i've packed this thing to school for the past 2 years, throwen in around my locker, rolled it down the hall way, flushed it down the.... well you get the idea =)

I've never needed it..

ahhh... it's just a great pedal.

u don t have to be too smart to find crunchy blues sounds too easy to use...

i have jackson and an amp of saund(made in turkey)150watts i have found cool bluesy srv buddy guy sounds gain over 8 gives a cool hard rock sound it can also be useful for those who plays pop-rock stuff it s an overdrive for soloists

no suprises no shockin problems just a cool overdrive i m lookin forward to enjoy it on a gig

BOSS...problem?????

i play soul,blues and rnb i think bd 2 is the goal in the net it gives me what i want...

Easy to dial in the sounds you are attempting to approximate, (within reason) I found it thinned my tone a little, although it was easy to tweak. The manual is helpful for suggestions, although with 3 knobs (gain, tone, level) I fail to see how complicated it could be to find an acceptable setting. Generally, this is as easy to use as any 3-knob overdrive pedal.

I use all kinds of guitars & several amps, but bought this to put a little grit into my too-clean, too-loud Fender Twin. For this purpose it worked well. Actually, I used it to emulate a pre-amp a few times. This worked well, too. The BD-2 is as quiet as any good overdrive pedal. But I found it made my tone a little thinner, even when I dialed the tone knob all the way down. My goal was to use this as my light overdrive, a counterpoint to my heavey overdrive (a TS-9). Generally, it does what it's supposed to do. I ended up getting a cheap used Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal, and prefer it to the BD-2 for this role.

Totally dependable. No surprises, no backups necessary.

N/A

I play original blues-flavored modern rock. The BD-2 was acceptable for a light overdrive. I found something else that did the job better, but I might keep the BD-2 around as an alternative. I didn't like the brightness of the Blues Driver, it just sounds a little... almost "plasticky." I wanted a truer "earthy" sound. I think a giant like Boss could have done better, but my other Boss gear has had the same sonic features. Maybe I am just not so thrilled about Boss-flavored sounds? I dunno. Last year, I would have said it was great. This year I can live without it.

Not hard! 3 Knobs, level, tone and gain. Step on it to activate!

I've heard comparisons to the TS9 but honestly, this pedal has far more gain and can also get ultra trebley. I have both pedals and use this one for my main overdrive set roughly at what the manual calls its "British sound", and then use my TS9 as a boost for leads. So when people start comparing the two, don't be mislead, they are both great pedals at what they do, but I believe their EQ and gain characteristics are totally different. The blues driver never gets noisy with my strat, however, with my Les Paul I do get a fair amount of squealing when pushing it hard. Solution? When I play my Les Paul I usually turn down the gain or adjust my guitars volume knob. Incedently, my setup is: guitar(62 reissue strat or Les paul)- wah wah - TS9 - blues driver - boss DM3 Delay - Fender 59 reissue Bassman. The BD2 is really a fine pedal you should at least consider even if blues is not your thing. Don't get confused with the title "BLUES" Driver, I successfully use it in my cover band(mostly modern), and in my original band(loud blues/rock). However, its not a metal pedal by itself. Oh, by the way, easy on the tone setting, I usually set mine at about 10 o'clock.

Had it for about 2 months, no problems yet, Boss products dont fail very often do they?

N/A

This pedal suits my playing just fine... at the moment! I say this because we guitarists can't help ourselves when it comes to equipment, always trying new(or old) pedals etc. But the Blues driver will do me for a while. If I did buy another overdrive pedal, it wouldn't be this one because I like exploring and changing my sound. I would keep it however, while still collecting and changing pedals to have more at my disposal for different ocassions.

Very easy to use: Level, Tone, and Gain.

Sounds "OK" through both solid state and tube amps. Probably better for tube though. It is similar to the Ibanez TS's, however, tends to be a bit more harsh. (not as warm)

Is new, so I have never had a problem.

Boss is pretty good so I would expect good service if I ever needed it.

Is very good for Blues/Rock. No good for metal. I would probably recommend it to those with a solid state amp that want to emulate tube blues sound. I would'nt buy it again only because I am already getting rid of it for a TS-9. Like I said earlier, it is simply Boss's stab at the TS series, and almost does it. I have been a Boss fan forever and always buy and collect Boss products, but this one is not a classic.

Real simple 3 knobs: Tone, Level, Gain. Boss Manual's are always good with giving you suggestions and getting different sounds with the pedals

I play a Gibson Nighthawk Studio w/ 3 pickups, and a Fender Bullet through a Crate solid state stack. This pedal is very quiet even on high gain settings. This pedal gives you great tube tone even though there is now tube. This pedal sounds fat all the time on all the settings. I can not find any setting on this pedal that sounds bad. If you want great blues tone or great tube sound buy this pedal. And this pedal nails the sound of a tube breaking up. I listen to hard rock music, Korn, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Helmet, and Hed(pe). You really cant get the distortion produced by these artists, but if you use it with for example the metal zone, it really gives you thick and warm distortion.

As with all Boss products, I don't even need to send in the warranty card. I trust Boss products so much I got the store's demo. You know the one of the board. and I still refuse to send in the warranty card.

Never had to deal with them

Like I said I mostly play Hard rock but I also play alot of jazz and blues. this pedal can deliver that SRV-like tone, which is why I bought this pedal. I've been playing for over 3 years, I also own Korg Hyper Distortion, Boss: Metal Zone, Super Phaser, Fuzz. If it got stolen I would definintly buy it again. It's cheap and most importantly it sounds great A big thumbs up to Boss for making this pedal sound so great.

It's got three knobs: Level, tone and gain. Very easy to use. Nice manual too!

My setup: A strat, a Dunlop JH-1 Wahwah, sometimes a Boss HM-2 (For metal) and a BD-2 (For everything else) through a Fender Champion 110. The BD-2 sounds great, as long as I keep the tonecontrol down. It's almost at it's lowest point. This way it gives me a real fat sound. Not fuzzy like some other reviewers said. I keep gain at maximum. if I need less gain I turn down the volume on my guitar. Ofcourse this will work better on lower gain-settings, where you can even get a clean sound. The BD-2 isn't exceptionally noisy. No more than other distortion or overdrive units.

Boss......who needs a backup.

You can use it for every style of music, except metal. It's great for blues, hardrock etc...I would buy it again, though I really hope boss will do something about the tone control, which is to trebly.