Boss CS-2

fairly easy to operate and for a guitarist not familar with compression. I've had two of them and I believe one still had the manual with it I don't recall there much there to look at or needing it to operate the pedal.

I used this with a vox ac-10 and a silver face champ and vibrochamp. I used mostly MIJ teles and strats-but also a ric v63 325 and 450 12 string. It is noisy. I would describe this compressor pedal more as an effect than good sounding compression.

had two never had problem with either

sure there fine

Well, at the same time I was using these I also had Ibanez cp-9 which seemed so much more natural and pleasing. The boss cs-2 made this sort of ice pick thing through my amps that gave me a headache after awhile. Still, I went with the boss instead of the Ibanez. Later, sold off both but then came back to Ibanez and bought 2 cp10 which seem identical in sound to cp9 to me. I would not buy again they sound sort of unnatural and I think the ibanez is a much better vintage compressor

simple pedal, basic compression techniques helpful to know. manual is satifactory.

sounds great, if you like hiss.
actually Im sure this is a fine pedal for country pickin or jazz or whatever.. I bought it to punch up my lead tones in full shred mode. I was able to get some very nice pick/string interaction things going, and I DID like the overall tone, but at high gain settings the thing just produced an awful lot of noise. I returned it for a store credit.
I have a rackmount tube compressor I was trying to avoid using because its a pain to set everything up for practicing... but unfortunately the little boss pedal wasnt in the same league. dont even know if its playing the same game actually....

boss pedals are hard to break.

my needs could not be met with the boss cs-2, but apparently many others find it to work great. I either expect too much for 80 bucks or it didnt play well with my BC Rich and Marshall. I wont say its a total POS, just that I dont want another one.

Three knobs Blah. blah. blah. Pretty easy to use.

I'm using this with a Ibanez GAX70, through alot of pedals to a Marshall 9004 preamp. it's kind of noisy but I'm using headphones so yeah it would be kind of noisy. Other than that it's a great pedal with a warmer more organic sound and it's not as harsh as the CS-3. I use it to even out string volume and get more sustain out of my relativly weak pickups, works like a charm. I give it a 9 begause of the noise.

Yup i can depend on it.

I play rock, metal, alt rock, and alot noodling. I've been playing for about four years. I would find another if lost or stolen.

As it's been said before... 3 Knobs, could it be any easier?

I've got a Japanese Black Label one, had a few issues with it occasionally giving off a crazy buzzing noise when you turned it on/off but after investigation it appeared someone had taken out the plastic sheet that seperates the circuit board from the metal backing plate and I think the fact they were touching was causing it to buzz.
Anyway, Sound wise this thing is far superior to the CS-3, much warmer in sound, and as I said, because it's only got 3 Knobs it's so easy to dial in a sound that suits your playing.

Well, Im not totally sure how old mine is but Im guessing early 80's, the paint work is chipped all over and it's rather tatty but it STILL WORKS after all this time. Also, Dave Gilmour still uses this thing on his pedal board...now, Im not a betting man, but if I was I'd put good money on that fact that Dave Gilmours CS-2 is the only CS-2 he's ever had... bearing in mind how many gigs Pink Floyd/Dave has done over the years I'd say you can't get much more reliable than a BOSS

Never had to deal with them...

It's very suited to my style and my musical influences... U2, RHCP, The Cure, Pink Floyd etc...It was stolen, I'd cry...'cause these things are so rare and If I did find one I'd end up paying way too much.
I wish there was some firm that would "refurbish" the paintwork for me, as It stands out amongst my other Boss pedals as being rather scruffy, yet the most important thing is the sound it makes.

I will spare you the "Duh it only has 3 knobs" talk. As if the amount of knobs has much to do with it at all. If you understand the concept of compressors, it is almost too easy. I find the CS-2 to be far easier than any other compression pedal in dialing in for great tone and not over squashing.

Custom Shop Strat/72 Tele Thinline -> BOSS CS-2 -> ProCo RAT 2 -> Maxon 808 -> BOSS CH-1 -> BOSS DD-6 -> Fender HR Deluxe. Low noise. The sustaining and enhancing characteristics of the pedal may bring some of the amps tube noise up front, but it is little to worry about. It certainly is not as "transparent" as other compressors, but I really like that about it. Texas Specials in the strat, played through the CS gets a really great percussion to it, very SRV. Fuzzing out the rat and and cascading the CS through other effects can give you some wild feedbacks.

Its a BOSS. This thing is at least 5 years old and still kicking just fine.

Never dealt with BOSS/Roland. I heard its no good though.

Wonderful for all the types of music I play (I at least try to play everything). 8 Yrs playing, and I consider myself to have a pretty good ear for nice tone. If it were stolen or lost I would certainly look for another. It's a shame these are discontinued, but if they were not I'm sure they would be made in Taiwan now anyway. Don't bother with the CS-3, its not worth the box it comes in. I put the new CS-3 and my used CS-2 (for about 35 dollars less might I add) next to each other at the shop and the results were very clear. Go Japan if you can.

Easy...levels are...

Adds a punchy,percussive,sound with more brilliance that does somewhat diminish your true tone. I use it for guitar,bass and vocals to add presence and clean up the stray decibels. Recording or live this is my all time favorite pedal. In this order I use boss cs-2,sansamp gt2,ibanez dfl flanger into anything with reverb. Helps to make me sound better than i am. It and the samsamp really punch up the bass and makes it stand out. On the guitar it does the chili pepper funky swatty thing pretty well. I dont think it sustains all that well which is ok with me. Nothing gets a 10.

Boss is beefy. no backup

not applicable

If i could only have one pedal this is it.

2 buttons! give me a break! haha
made in japan (just the BEST!)

i use several vintage fender guitars, with a Sound City 50+ head, a fender super twin reverb or my '74 marshall super lead.
pedal is quiet as a dream... sounds lush and soft.
stick it in front of your twin and you'll swear you're playing through a roland jazz chorus amp. sounds EXACTLY like the chorus on that amp, without having to buy one (they're great amps, anyway!)
i'm a lot into exerimental space rock (a la mogwai etc.), and of course, the old pink floyd stuff. this pedal fits my style perfectly, i leave it ON all the time, but very soft and sobtile, just to add some "space"...

oh man... if you can depend on one brand of pedals, it's the old BOSS!

haven't needed them yet...

i paid less than 40 bucks for it, a great deal for the price. jap boss peds are ALWAYS a great deal! i've seen the ce-2 on ebay selling for more than 100 bucks, get one if you can, they won't get cheaper!
basically, if you're looking for a roland jazz chorus sound, get one of these pedals! it's great sounding, cheap, and even nice to look at... haha

Read harmony central's great explanation of compressors and it becomes easy. Even if you don't, there are only three knobs and it won't take long before you figure it out.

This is why I wrote this review. It seems a lot of people who review have good setups and have been playing for many years. I have been playing for many years but it remains a hobby and I am more at ease putting my money into my tuition than guitar gear. So, I am sitting at home jamming away with a little 10-watter with an 8" speaker and am perfectly happy.

SO... this is for those who, like me have a cheap amp.

The question people like us have to ask when we buy gear (usually second hand ; ) is whether or not it will sound like utter rubbish through our little transitor amps.

The answer in this case is yes.

The effect is not quite as pronounced as some I have heard but that suits me fine. When you first get a new pedal you usual set everything to full to hear a change. I know I do!

When you do you will hear the definite change - the pumping, almost stacatto like compression of the notes. I don't like that personally but if it's your bag - then it's there. I prefer a much more subtle setting.

I use:

Level: 2 o'clock
Attack: 10 o'clock
Sustain: 10-11 o'clock

I find this is just nice, especially good with a wah.

What I find that pleases me the most is the warmth of this thing. It's a silly concept of course and one that is hard to quanitfy, but it is there. It makes my somewhat brittle amp just that little bit nicer, and for that, it is one whenever I play clean.

It is not transperant, nor is it supposed to be.

this is my first boss pedal but it is 20 years old and working fine. It seems very surtdy but also quite light, which is very good.

n/a

These are not all that common on the used market (in Australia!) so I would be very unhappy if it went missing and I would try my hardest to get a new one!

The bottom line is that this pedal is designed in a certain way. It is NOT transparent and it does NOT go to extremes. It IS however a great pedal for subtle, warm compression effects and a GREAT clean lead boost.

Not that easy.........requires some thought and balance....Doesn't squish the way I like....But you can get feedback induced at lower levels for bedroom playing...Had to read up on compressors before hand.

Sound quality OK.....Just needed something a little more.........Good attack, But I
Need an Orange Squeezer or Keeley Comp or whatever.........
Strats to a Delta Blues.....

Sure thing Boss man!

Don't do that ever!

Good pedal, but I need a little more in my rig........
Everyones' rig is different, keep trying compressors until your rig is right!
Otherwise, punch it up on Ebay!

Easy to use. I play Heavy Metal and like this Pedal. We tend to get carried away with soo many pedals and effects and what I got going is just this BOSS CS-2 and a Distortion pedal now.

Holds the note for days A +++

It's a Boss Made in Japan. A +

I also have the Zack Wylde EMG pickups. The Boss SC-2 is great with these pickups. Playing Heavy Metal one needs punch. This pedal creates Compression which will PUNCH it out. I guess you just have to test things through trial and error to see what you like. The last guy made a comment that it works best on the clean channel. I wouldn't know because I don't play clean. It works great with distortion. I've tried the 20 year old OD-1 distortion pedal, DD-3 delay to add thickness, Ibanez tube screamer, metal zone pedal, Marshall amps blah blah blah. This pedal is a keeper. I would buy another if stolen.