Boss BF-2 Flanger

Very easy to use. There are a lot of reviews here where people give examples of settings. I started with everything at 12:00 and tweaked from there.

I already knew exactly what I was looking for, and this pedal is it. I just wanted one top quality flanger foot pedal that could get close to chorus-like tones as well as good, but not over the top flanger tones.

I didn't need the flanger tones to have the intense jet plane sound of the vomit sounds. If you want those, look elsewhere.

I can get decent chorus-like tones that work well for clean and overdrive, as well as some subtle but effective flanging, like Adam Jones' sound from TOOL.

You can dial in many other sounds, but these are the two I most commonly use. This pedal works perfectly for what I need it for.

I prefer using batteries since they tend to be quieter than AC adapters. Using a battery, this unit is very quiet through the effects loop of my Rectifier and playing on my custom Strat. I've gigged with it at very high volumes with a lot of high-gain. I've never had a noise problem. I also use high quality cables and humbuckers, which certainly helps to avoid nose.

Boss makes great stuff. I've owned a lot of their products in the past and have never had a problem.

This thing will probably be around and usuable a lot longer than I will.

Never had to call them, and can't see having to with the quality of their stuff.

I play a lot of different styles, from originals to covers in all styles. This makes the tones I need it to and can't see needing any other flanger.

Suggestion - but it used off ebay.

The BF-2, like most flangers that have four controls, is a bit tough to get around at first. I found that the best way to work it out is to set the 'Rate' control on fast, and then experiment with the interplay between the 'Depth' and 'Manual' controls. I noticed that when 'Manual' is set on low and 'Depth' about halfway, the BF-2 will give you that very strong, intense flange swirl. But when both 'Manual' and 'Depth' controls are set high, the unit will produce a more subtle, chorus-like effect. It's a bit of an unusual effect when you first plug in and experiment. It's almost like everything is backwards. But when you try it this way, you get a better understanding of its nature.

My set up is straight-forward. I run the signal from my guitar(s) through my pedalboard, straight into the amp. I set the BF-2 after my wah-wah and compressor, along with my other modulation pedals, but before the delay pedals. The box is a bit noisy, particularly when the 'Manual' control is set low and the 'Depth' control is about halfway. This is because the signal and character of the flanging effect is more intense. It produces a wavy kind of noise (a bit like listening to the ocean). Of course the noise is considerably more noticeable when combined with distortion, but like with any analogue effect, it comes with the territory. On the other hand, the BF-2 is a great little unit and it has that Boss charm about it. Some players may not be in the favour of the BF-2, opting for the early MXR, AD/A and Ibanez flangers. But you've got to remember that the BF-2 has its own unique character. I actually own an old Ibanez FL-9 Flanger and it's a fantastic-sounding box. Still, I keep the BF-2 for that different kind of flanging tone.

The BF-2 I have is an early 1980's model. It came out just after Boss changed its color from pink to purple. If anything went wrong with it, it wouldn't be hard for me to find a back-up, but I got it second-hand and it still works without the slightest glitch.

No need. It's a Boss pedal.

I play all kinds of music, because I play in cover bands. The BF-2, or any other flanger for that matter is an unusual kind of effect, so I can't really use it a hell of a lot. But wherever the spontaneous muse strikes, it's a great effect to surprise everyone with. That's the cool thing about. What I don't understand though is how so many Harmony-Central reviewers become so critically dramatic over the flanger. It's not an amp or a guitar. Just get over it, guys, shut up and play.

Very easy, no need to explain.

I got this tank (used) to use it just for screating some effects, intro, outro .. and all those other small stuffs you know. To my surprise, this one sounded far above my expectation; which was pretty low. I compared this to the yellow Ibanez FL9. The Ibanez is a bit clearer, but for the things I'm going to do with it, this will do. So I pick this one. Will put it in a true bypass loop to avoid too much tone deterioration.

Mine's used, stamped on, who knows? It still works, no clicks, no rare sound, etc. So I guess I won't need any backups for this.

Last time I contacted BOSS/Roland was in 1996 for my GT-5 (I sold this tank later). It was smooth and they updated my GT5 for free. So I guess/hope/expect they haven't change policy. No opinion for this one...

Mine's made in Japan. I saw another BF-2 which was made in Taiwan and the difference in sound is audible. Possibly because mine's used. Surely Boss makes good products in Taiwan, but it's worth trying a Japanese BOSS whenever you have the chance.

I'm surprised that there are so many unkind reviews of this pedal below, as I used a BF2 throughout the 80s when that thick chorussy sound was fashionable (thanks mostly to the guitarist in the Police). So I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
I find teh BF2 very easy to use, and never needed to tweak any pots inside it - in fact I didn't know there were any in there!
I find it easy to dial in any effect it will give me. Manual? Who cares?! The knobs are self-explanatory. Maybe all you chaps who can't find a sweet spot are looking for something unreasonable.
What the heck is a firmware revision number?
I've had this flanger for several years (left the one I used in the 80s in England when I moved here).

I use this pedal with all my guitars throlugh all my amps. Most usual rig is either my American Standard Tele or Les Paul DeLuxe through my old MusicMan 212 amp. The BF2 does a good job with whatever gtr/amp combination I use, though.
It's only noisy if I have the gain turned up on the amp, but then that's analogue technology, and if you dislike it, I suggest you use digital stuff with no warmth or personality.
I don't bother using the BF2 to emulate the tones other people get. I usually set it with knobs one and four at zero, and the two middle knobs anywhere I feel like it. To me, the resonance sounds ugly (someone else here calls it "metallic", well, that's how it's supposed to sound, you pillock). If I was tasteless enough to want an aircraft-landing sound, I could get it easily, but at the above settings, I get a thick, warm chorus. It helps me to get a lovely shimmering effect, perfect for the powerpop I used to play, but I don't use it so much for the blues I now play.

Like all Boss stompboxes, it's a tank. Throw it around and it'll come up smiling. It's the only flanger I'll need, so no I have no back-up, it's always dependable. Someone below said that Boss no longer makes it. Stupid gits, have they never heard the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

Never dealt with Boss, as the pedal is so reliable. Boss themselves have upgraded the pedal, which is okay, but discontinued the BF2, which is silly.

I've been playing for over 30 years, and used various guitars/amps, and the BF2 has sounded good with them all. I think it's a good work-horse flanger. If it was stolen, I'd try and replace it with another BF2, though if the BF3 is okay, I'd take that. I use it every week playing on the worship team at my church, but it's not suitable for my blues. I'll never get rid of it though.
Many years ago, when I first bought my previous BF2 in London, I tried out every different flanger I could find in all the music stores there, and the Boss was the cheapest AND the most versatile. It was the best quality one, too.
I can't think of anything I wish it had, as it always does what I need it to.
By the way, the helpful people at this web site have added a spellcheck option for those of you who can't spell or form a grammatically correct sentence. Please use the thing. Most of these reviews read as if they were typed by apes.

I myself do not know the effect pedal lingo. Rate-self explanatory, but the rest...? Took me awhile!
I have it on loan from a friend.

There is an extreme amount of sounds you can get from this. I am not a guitar but a keyboard player. I have a Roland XP-30 into a crappy bass Crate amp. The XP lacks a good leslie (rotary speaker) sound and me being a jazz/funk player needs one. With res and Manual at 0, and depth at 4, you can use rate to control a passible rotary/chorus sound. Rate at 5:30 is a nice fast leslie and moving it to around 3 or 4 gets a slow leslie or flange. With res up you can get wacky sounds with oscillators like a moog.


Awesome quirk:
When turning manual and playing at the same time, the pitch is detuned for a second!

Had it for afew weeks and its fine.

I like to use it to boost solos with flange and leave it running with leslie. Can do a good John Scofield Chorus. For keyboarding, stomp boxes are hard because you need to have them where your hands are for adjustments. Its a little hard to press but when tou open the top its much easier :)

Well this think has 4 knobs but its a little hard to get a sound from it if you don't know much about them. There are many sounds within it, open it up and there is more controls inside that can incress the depth etc.

I think it has a very clean flanger sound. Not to say to anyone that this thing is tame. I just mean that it's a controled sound that it doesnt clip, get distorted with too much flanging effect.
I like all the different sounds I have made it do.
Just experiment with this thing. LOOK INSIDE IT. 3 turnable things.

I havent broken it yet. I have done everything to this beast and it is still with me. For some time now the box has been yellow and it was called the Mexican Alien. Now I have painted the box purple again and re-installed the effect in the box and adjusted the sound to sound like an actuall flanger again. So I would vote this a realiable pedal, I couldnt do without it on stage.

They must have alot of free time. Who in the hell actually calls them with a problem?

What could you do without this one.
I still say it;s better then the BF-3 they have now. They shouldnt have discontinued the BF-2

Its a flange pedal, its not hard to figure out. I got mine used so it didn't come with a manual.

My setup is a Epiphone Les Paul and a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10.

I bought this pedal after reading the review directly below. I fiddled with this pedal a tad, and got some decent flange+chorus sounds out of it, but that wasn't really my goal. I opened it up and fiddled with the pots, and immediately tried to get the analog sine wave the guy below was talking about. Its awesome. It took me a minute or so to get it to work, and I was able to get some interesting textures out of it. This is great if you wanna add variety to your setup, cause this will definitly give you some non-guitar noises. You can control the pitch and LFO on the pedal, so if you want you can be like Johnny Greenwood and crouch down and play with your pedals on stage.

its boss, seems reliable, even after opening it.

never dealt with them

Got this pedal and it gave me exactly what I wanted, non guitar analog noise. The flange effects are really good as well, and I'll probably buy another one and leave that one alone for flange effects.

if you don't know how to adjust four knobs and figure out the impact of each knob, then you have other issues that harmony central can't resolve.

my only complaint is that it has a slight bit of noise, but, seeing that analog freaks don't mind a little randomness in their patch, i like it fine. you have NO idea. you can open this pedal, it has three or four (can't remember) pots on the board. turn the knobs all the way up, plug your guitar in and adjust the pots. you can get so much more out of this pedal if you TWEAK it correctly. you can get the res to generate an analog sine wave. you can then adjust the frequency/pitch of that sine wave with the manual adjust knob. then you can put that pitch on an lfo with the depth/rate knobs. VERY cool. i'm more of a synth geek than a guitarist, and i can make some very nice sigur-ros ambient stuff with some old boss analog pedals. this is a bonafide analog sine oscillator!

VERY cool pedal. i haven't reviewed any of my other japanese pedals because everything's already been said about them, but this one is so so nice for ambient. i'm gonna buy a second one to do stereo effects!

if you own a japanese pedal, open it up. it most likely has at least one pot. you can adjust the sensitivity of the res or rate knobs.

look at everyone else's cheesy comments.

my favorite pedal. i own over a dozen japanese, analog pedals. and this one will fuck up your sound more than ANY! did i mention it's analog?

Easy in principle: turn knobs and stop if you like the sound, but somewhat finnicky because especially the regeneration knob has a small range where the pedal sounds good.

I *had* the made in Japan version which is supposedly better than the new ones. I didn't like it very much though. This flanger is sort of weak and harmless. It sounds alright when played clean. You get chorus-like sounds and some old school vibrato which wounds interesting but simply not very exiting or versatile. It is not the most expressive flanger. It sounds more like a chorus with delay time control (see H2O by Visul Sound). I found the pedal terrible when played with distortion due to metallic highs. It is impossible to get a good "airplane" sound. You need to crank up the regeneration knob for that. Doing that will make this pedal sound like a broken reverb coil.

I believe you can depend on it but I haven't used it live, so no rating.

No idea.

I had Ibanez and MXR flangers in the past and this is the worst I've tried. I would not recommend it and would not buy it again. It's somewhat harmless but useless. If you like effects that are not too radical this might be for you. Otherwise stay away.

This pedal took me awhile to get a cool sound out of it (without the "airplane" sound going through ... even though it would sound cool in maybe 1 sonf).

I didn't get a manual with it ... I got the pedal free.

This pedal sounds geat once you get the knobs adjusted right (at least for your sound). It's not noisy.
I set my knobs like this (from left to right): 3:00; 12:00; 12:00; 9:00.

This pedal is probably close to 20 years old (I'm guessing ... It has the "Japan" label on the back) and it still works perfectly.

Great website.

A really nice flanger. Can be used as an alternate (replacement) to a chorus or phaser pedal (even though it sounds nothing like a chorus or phaser).