Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

Three knobs: level, tone, gain. If you can operate an amp, you should be able to figure this one out.

I am going to return it because it sounds way too much like my BOSS DS-2 Turbo Distorton, but I like the sound I get from both. The BD-2 has a lot of fuzz in the gain, which I like. This sounds especially cool on the lower notes. The only thing I don't like is that you really have to crank up the gain or your poer chords will fall apart and sound tinny and metallic.

It's a BOSS. I have been using boss for like five years and never had any problems

You shouldn't have to call them, I never have with any of my pedals.

Like I said before good for Blues and a fuzz petal, it just sounds too much like my DS-2 Turbo Distortion.

With a Les Paul, set everything at 12:00. Perfect amount of crunch yet retaining definition. Might want to roll tone back to 9:00, however.

This guitar thrives on neck-pickup-position lead tones (Strat or Paul) and chunky chords. My only complaint about the sound is that it's a bit piercing on the bridge setting. If you roll the tone back too much, however, you lose cut. To my ears, it sounds just like a vintage Fender Bassman cranked, which is its intended purpose. BTW, I use a Les Paul or Strat through a 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Works wonderfully with both, but possibly a little thin with the strat. I use it in conjunction with a compressor pedal for my lead tone. This way, I can get sustain without saturating the sound. It does however, have plenty of gain if you want it. Conversely if you want a volume boost, this unit would punish any preamp.

I've never had any problem with any Boss pedal ever.

Never needed to call them

I own this and a TS-9. Somewhere between them lies the perfect sound. If I had to choose, I would go with the Boss because it sustains better and gives you more volume and gain options if you want it. Also the TS-9 has an annoying amount of midrange but lacks highs and lows, the Boss has plenty of bass, but could use a little more mids and slightly less top end. I play alternative rock, BTW, but strive for a polished, liquid tone.

Level, tone, drive.

This is a great pedal. Despite it's moniker, this unit has the perfect amount of crunch for pop and pop-punk with a nice midrange hump. harmonics cut thru nicely at higher gain settings and palm mutes sound great thru my JCM800's clean input. Probably one of the most versatile overdrive/distortion units on the market. At lower gain settings it's great for what it's designed for - tasty blues. Higher gain settings will give you hard rock or punk. The only thing you can't get is a harsh scooped "teen eq" metal sound, which I hate anyway. If you want that, get a Metal Zone. This pedal is distortion on the creamier side, rich with harmonics and superb note definition but with a throaty crunch as well.

BOSS!

This pedal is great for distorted power pop. This is a truly versatile pedal with great rich shimmering sound quality.

Update- see my last review.

I finally got the Mesa V-Twin pedal, and I was blowna way by it. the BD-2 is very tube-like for a solid state pedal, but nothing is more tube-like than tubes. With my PRS, the BD-2 sounds almost like a fuzzbox, even with the tone on zero ( I run the gain at 10 though). The V-twin has about the same range of gain on the Blues channel, just a little bit less. The difference is no matter how much gain you run on the Mesa, it still sounds good. With my '68 SG (p-90s) the BD-2 sounds great. That was the only guitar I had when I bought it, so I was happy. It still sounds great, but not as good as the PRS/MESA.

ACtually, I'm keeping it just in case a tube dies in the V-Twin and I can't get another one quick enough.

Update- see my last review.

I don't need anything else, I have 2 out of the 3 best pedals on the market. The MESA is first, the MAtchless is second, and the BD-2 is third. If it were lost or stolen, i might buy one, but I might buy the Matchless, depending on how much cash I have. It's a great pedal, and in its price range, it's the best (depending on yer guitar) but it's not the best out there. If you have cash to burn, get the V-Twin. It just has a much more natural sound.

Pretty straight forward... Typical for an OD pedal: Level, Tone, Gain.

Generally speaking, it's very similar to the TS-5/9/808 vibe, except for... 1) the ability to dial in more gain. 2) more bottom end.
It can be a little "fuzzy" at the extreme gain settings. In fact, at the max setting, it sounded like a TS-_ in parallel with a fuzzbox!
Seems a little noisier than a TS-_, but I'm setting it with more gain than a TS-_ delivers, too.
Tone control sweep seems ridiculously bright. Unusable for my purposes beyond 10:00. Also, not quite as warm as a TS-_, but still very usable and pleasing.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. It has the sonic additions to the TS-_ that I was looking for.
My settings are as follows: Level: 10:00-11:00, Tone: 9:00, Gain: 3:00.
These settings, into a Fender-style tube amp, yield a Larry Carlton "On Solid Ground"-type tone and feedback.

Boss stompboxes are great as far as reliability! I really like the footswitch - it doesn't give a false "switch" - you can count on it to switch when you stomp on it.

I haven't had any correspondance regarding this pedal, but I have for another in the past. The folks didn't necessarily have the technical expertise, but they were friendly and sent out a schematic pretty quickly. Not bad...

I'd buy it again, as long as the price was reasonable. For more money, I'd buy a Fulltone Fulldrive II. But for <$90, and for the reliability, it's among the best if you're looking for a good meat 'n' potatoes tone.

Set everything at a little before 12 O'Clock, and have at it!

I trashed my 'potato bug' Tube Screamer for one of these. I play a Strat thru a silver-faced Fender Deluxe Reverb. For a punchy, crisp, warm blues tone to complement a Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Magic Sam style, this is the one. Responds nicely to pick attack and guitar volume settings. Not one trace of generic Stevie Ray tone in here like the Tube Screamer somehow adds to anything played through it. Essential to beef up a fender-on-fender tone without the annoying thin-ness of the Tube Screamer.

Seems quite reliable. I like metal housings.

Beefy metal housing, easy battery access, straightforward design. Good sound.
This box has become an essential element of my tone recipe. Again, for the fender-on-fender player who is not interested in a stevie ray tone, this box deserves a good look.
This box has also held its own vs an Expandora Pedal and a Fulltone drive unit, and a RealTube unit as well that I've tried.
My overall rating is in relation to other overdrive pedals, not this pedal vs a vintage Tweed Bassman amplifier.

This thing is as simple and as complicated to use as you would ever want. (why does DOD insist on using stupid names like 'stupid' and 'butt'?) Boss keep it just how the majority of people like it, level, tone and gain. Beautiful.

I tried this unit in series with other stomp boxes that were supposed to be the best (ie tech 21 XXL and Bixonic expandora) and every time I stepped on one of them I found myself wanting to jump back on the BD-2. It sounded warmer, clearer, it had a better frequency response and it responded to my playing nuances better. It is a rhythym players dream. Any tone you want, this has it. The gain control is very dynamic.

I cannot really comment on long term reliability but I can say that after being a recent convert to the BOSS family (I started with the TR-2 tremolo) any other pedals I buy from now on will be BOSS.

I never expect I will heave to go down this road. Stomp boxes dont get any tougher.

I have just undergone an extensive search through at least 15 distortion/overdrive pedals ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous and this was by far the best. It has it all in the one box. If you want the dynamic playability of say Johhny Greenwood of Radiohead or the crowd-pleasing rhythym of Swervedriver, get this pedal.

Easy- 3 knobs. No stupid names for them (like DOD pedals), just level, tone, and drive.

I love this thing. The only effects I use are this and a Crybaby, and it's all I need. There's not a bad sound in it. You can change the amount of distortion just by changing how hard you dig in with your pick. The reason I'm only giving it a 9 is I'v found one pedal that's better- The Mesa Boogie V-Twin. too bad it costs 3 times as much.

You couldn't break it if you tried. I'd definately gig without a backup.

Never needed them.

I wouldn't buy it again, because: 1. it will never break, and 2. If I ever buy another overdrive/distortion pedal, it will be the V-Twin. If it got stolen and I didn't have $300, I guess I'd get another one. I would definately buy other Boss pedals if I need more effects.

Very simple to operate (like all Boss units). No goofy names for the controls, just Level, Tone and Drive

I dunno. After reading all the (mostly) glowing reviews here I decided to give the BD-2 a try but I was somewhat disappointed. The salesman I spoke with assured me that this unit blows the Ibanez TS-9 away, but try as I might I couldn't get a sound out of it that I liked. It seemed very trebly and brittle even with the tone control rolled back. At higher gain levels, it began sounding fuzzy. Not what you'd expect from a bluesy tube amp. I used it on both channels of my Marshall Valvestate with no luck. I suspect, however, that if you're willing to fiddle with it for long enough, you can coax some pretty sweet sounds out of it. But for all the hype from the salesman, I wasn't very impressed. The TS-9 blew the BD-2 away.

My dog uses Boss pedals as chew toys. I just borrow them from her once in a while when I feel like playing. I suspect the roaches would be able to live in these things after nuclear holocaust.

Never need to deal with them.

I returned the pedal because I liked the Tube Screamer so much more. However, this pedal is definetly worth a look given that so many people are raving about it. Overall, it gets a seven for effort.

Look, three knobs (level, tone, and gain), one switch, that's it! It doesn't matter where you leave the settings, you will get a kick ass tone.

O.K., I love this pedal. I have a Jackson Preformer PS-4 with humbuckers running through a Fender Champion 110 25 watt transitor amp. I thought my clean tone was good before... now it kicks ass! I use the pedal primarily as a booster pedal. It smooths out and fattens up your sound. I like it best with the gain turned up to 9:46 (ha ha, the tone turned up to 9:00 and the level up to 12:00. Obviously setting will vary due to your own set up but this gives me a little crunch when I hit it hard. I is great as a straight distortion pedal or tube anp simulator but it also brings alot of variety to my other effects. It gives my RAT distortion a much more tuby feel. It boosts up my wah signal. It is very quiet. I love it.

Yes, no questions asked. Because I bought this pedal, I do not have to go out and get a more expensive amp to get a great tone.