Boss DC-2

The DC-2 is simple to use, plug in your patches, select one of the 4 buttons and go.

This pedal gives a warm lush tone. It is similar to a chorus pedal but has a bigger richer sound than either of the Boss CE-2 or CE-3. While probably not a sound for everyone, if you want a unique colour to your chorus sound, pick up this pedal. They're becoming more and more of a collectors item - which is understandable, they were sold only in Japan and the sound lush.

This thing will never break. Solid metal casing. The buttons could be better, but even those show little signs of wear and my pedal is easily 15 years old.

Never had to deal with Boss and I don't expect to.

This pedal is perfect if you like to play clean. I am not a fan of distorted/overdriven chorus sounds and never found a combination that I like.

If I lost this pedal, I would definitely track down another one. If I have to use a chorus sound this is the pedal. Electroharmoix makes the only other chorus I'd consider using. Even then that one sounds too wet.

I wish the pedal were a bit more flexible (although the 4 modes are quite good)... if you'd like a little more flexibility checkout the DC-3 although that being a digital pedal the sound might differ markedly.

VERY easy to get a good sound out of it, I spent about an hour and a half just now tinkering with it(It arrived earlier today). No idea about patches, it didn't come with a manual, no idea about firmware or upgrades...it was purchased used.

It's going through a marshall 4X12 coupled with a TS-9, CE-2 Chorus,Phaser by Boss and an NS-2. It sounds great! Very flexible sound.

I'd depend on it for sure. I intend to use it without a backup. Boss pedals are built like an armored truck!.

Never dealt with them. I've never had a single pedal fail! or break. VERY reliable. Not too sure where I'd get it upgraded or repaired. I hope that day doesn't come that quickly!

I play a wide variety of tunes. 'Been playing a LONG time! If it we're lost of stolen, I'd be rather ticked off and would definitely seek a replacement quickly. I like everything about the pedal...no dislikes.

4 push buttons..if you can't do that..you're rentally metarded.

Well, I'm kicking myself for selling mine on Ebay..yea I got 150 beans for it, but who cares. I paid 260 for a Fulltone Choral Flanger and it isn't quite as sweet as the dc-2....live & learn.

Although I do wish the DC-2 had more adjustment.

This pedal was basically a studio chorus effect in a pedal with the 4 favorite or best settings for studio or live stuff.
Can't go wrong with this pedal..it sounds so very sweet..
adds almost a ring to the sound without ever getting obnoxious.
These are rapidly being gobbled up, so if you see one for under 140 bucks grab it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

since these haven't been made for what..20 years or more..
I think you could say..it's a tank.

They are over play cards with the Maytag repairman...

I have to rate it 10. Anything less would be a lie.
It sounds phenominal...works way simple..what else can a guitar player ask for?

4 buttons, 4 modulations, no knobs.

Nothing like it, gotta love it.

I have pedals galore and my set up changes often, but this pedal is a mainstay. I play electric guitars into effects into tube amps and occasionally into modelling boxes for recording.

It's not noisy.

The effect never sounds weak, but depending on what you're running with it the effect can range from very present to simply subtle. Play clean guitar and add DC-2 and you'll definitely hear a whole new sound. But add DC-2 after a heavy fuzz box and you might not notice what you're missing until you turn it off and that added harmonic sparkle is suddenly gone. Either way it adds something to everything.

The guy I got this from called this a chorus pedal, which it kind of is but isn't.

All the settings are chorus-like but not like other "chorus" guitar pedals. The effect a very organic doubling presence, with each setting having different, slightly detuned harmonic values, with variations on that extra body and tone. The slight differences in the waves can actually make for big differences from one setting to the next, with phasing, doubling to chiming to vibing sounds.

Also unique is that the chorale wavering is very natural, like a real instrument, and not ridgid, hence no "rate" knob necessary. Very, very musical.

Definitely dependable. I got mine used from a great friend years ago, and it was beat to hell from years of gigging but worked and still works great. I wish everything was built like these.

Boss stuff has been durable.

I only skimmed a couple reviews here but anything else I'd post seems covered well. I have another nice analog chorus and a couple digital chorus pedals but the DC-2 is a favorite.

Something well-made goes a long way, and this is that kind of find. Stereo, smooth, pro modulation in an indestructable, portable box.

This pedal is dripping with 'coolness'. There are no patches to edit. Just 4 buttons to push, and there you are. I downloaded the manual at Roland's new manual web-page, but there is nothing to it really. It is a Boss pedal made in the mid-80s. Plug in your axe and make some noise.

It sounds amazing. I also own the SDD-320 (the big brother to this unit). There is a compander in there somewhere, so it's fairly quiet. I use mine in my Boss bass rig....Boss LMB, AW3, High-Band Flanger, RV-3, and the of course the Dimension C. The axe is a hot-rodded 1979 Music-Man Sting Ray Bass. When I show up at a 'jam', most bassists leave the building.

All Boss pedals are very reliable. I switched to Boss from MXR in the 80s, and never looked back.

Roland/Boss have always been very helpful, and they better be, because I use lots of their products in our recording studio, especially the vintage ones.

This unit, and other Boss/Roland products are used constantly in the recording studio, to cover many styles of music. I've been playing Bass for over 20 years. If it were lost or stolen, I would find another one, or put the bigger brother (SDD-320 Dimension D) back to work. If you need that chorus pedal, this is the one. If you find one in good shape, cut the deal. don't lose out. And oh!, use the DC adaptor. This thing devour batteries.

there are 4 buttons to choose from.its that simple.dont have manual as i got it second hand.dont need one either!!!

This pedal really is as amazing as everyone says.My guitar is a Fender USA Standard Telecaster through Boss GT-6 and then either through a PA or my rubbish marshall valvestate 30 which im gonna get rid of soon for a Roland JC-120.I'm a great Boss fan and I love the sound of the Roland SDD-320 which is the rackmount version of the DC-2.The chorus is really spacey and with not much vibrato at all.I've A/B'd with my GT-6 chorus effects which are very good and the DC-2 sounds way better.In stereo its awesome.It replicates some leslie like tones on the 3rd and 4th presets.I have heard the DC-2 emulation on the GT-6 and the CE-20 and they can't touch the real thing.This is a one off amazing pedal and there is nothing that sounds like it.This pedal does companding and as such is very quiet.It is totally ANALOG and you can tell as well.It's lush.Please BOSS bring back the Dimension Chorus series!!!!!!!!

Since its a Boss I'm pretty sure it would never break.!!!!joke its built like a tank!!!yes i would gig without a backup but these little things are growing difficult to find and are appreciating in price every day.

Yes i have dealt with Roland before and they are very friendly and helpful.

The thing is ethereal.Thats all I can say.Roland engineers must have been high on drugs when conceiving this little baby!!!!I play ethereal rock/indie like cocteau twins,pumpkins,the cure and foos.This pedal complements my Boss GT-6 amazingly.I have been playing for 7 years and I love this pedal to bits.If it was lost I would pay ANY price to get another one.It's that essential to my sound.To be honest DC-2 isn't really a chorus its more of spaciousness pedal.There is nothing on the market like this PEDAL.

We'll if you at least got ONE finger on your hand you should be able to get a good sound out of it... Unfortunatly the previous owner didn't still have the manual for it (Not that you need it but it's always fun to look into it... Might anyone know if you can find it online or
maybe even be able to e-mail it to me, please E-mail me at mrtngzn@hotmail.com... Thank you....)Gave it just an 8 because there's so little (read: NONE) tweakability to make a sound that's even more to your tastes...

Well i've tried a few Boss chorus pedals over the years... I own the CE-5, CH-1, CE-2 and now the DC-2, I have tried all the others exept for the CE-1. This is truly the best one i've tried the CE-3 beeing the worst sounding. The CE-3,CE-5 and CH-1 are just too "digital" and cold sounding to my ears... This one sounds alot like my CE-2, that i still like alot but always sounded kinda too thin for me... That's kinda how i would subscribe this pedal, like the CE-2 but with more effect level. Great to get that '80's New wave sound (The Cure, The Cult, Siouxsie, Fields o.t. Nephilim) or Ambient sound (Cocteau twins, Pumpkins). I like mode 1 best. My Amps are a Diezel VH-4 with Mesa Recto std. cab and a DSL 100 with 2x12 Marshall 1922 cab and it sounds great with both amps or guitars (Gibson LP custom and Ibanez S 540fm) Also great for acoustic. Now the great part of this pedal is that it can be used in stereo also so you can also make professional recordings with it, which is rare for an analog '80's pedal.

'c mon it's a Boss, YOU will stop working before your pedal does...

Never needed to contact Boss so no opinion

The guy i bought it from didn't know the value of this thing so i really got it for a steal!!! I've seen them go for up to 4 times that price, and it's in absolute mint condition!!! Lucky me.... I've been playing for 14 years now and been looking for this pedal quite a long time (they are rare here in the Netherlands...) It's perfect for my alternative rockband, I also play in 2 metalbands, i would never use it for these. It's just great for those ambient, clean open chording parts and finger picking. My biggest influences are David Gilmour, The Edge, Satriani, Smashing Pumpkins, Tea Party and i can use it for alot of that stuff.... So it really DOES help me make music.

4 buttons, pick one, play.... Manual is basic, covers basics such as what plugs in where, etc

This effect is great. Lush but subtle chorus and swirlyness. There is a bit of background noise when not playing, but nothing really bad, this is boss after all. I bought this because i was told it was subtle and i dont like the CE-5 because its too obvious. The Smashing Pumpkins used this on the Arising Tour, and it does cover The Machina chorus sound well, but then they were pedal whores, so there'd be no point trying to get to close to a Pumpkins sound.

I have never known a boss pedal give up on someone... Even when i did something stupid like run a 18v power supply into my delay by mistake. Doh! And it still worked after that!

I see lots of bad reviews for Boss Customer Support, but when my Delay pedal wouldnt work (cos i had 18v in it and hadnt yet realised), i was put through to an expert in about 30 seconds, and he was friendly and gave constructve advice. I once read about how unfair it was that Boss helpline is only 9 to 5... Little unreasonable to expect a 24 hour helpline, no?

This pedal is good for any genre, I use it for Andy Summers inspired noodlings, it goes well with U2 type leads, its good for adding to distortion (as a novelty not as a reliable sound), its good for doing the sad, quiet parts in songs. I recommend it chiefly for people who play space leads, as it adds texture to the sound, and also for arpeggios and slow chords. The beauty is that you can choose the intensity and density of the chorus you want to create very easily.

Very very easy. 4 Buttons, each with a preset sound. Plug in, push a button of your` choice and play!
I don`t have the manual as I bought this second hand.

I use this with either a Fender USA Strat or a Gibson Les Paul Studio into a Marshall JCM Slash Signature Head & 4x12 Cab. I have a few effects infront too; I ran this as follows...
Fender Strat > Digitech Whammy > Russian Big Muff > USA Small Stone > Boss DC-2 > Line 6 DL-4 > Marshall JCM Slash.

I also played this pedal isolated...simply guitar > dc-2 > amp.
In both circumstances it sounded fantastic. Brilliantly clear and lushous in a whole new way. Sounds completely different to any other "Chorus" pedals I`ve heard. Adds a really nice vibe to your` playing whether in clean or distortion. Adds a fantastic swirley lead sound too when combined with disortion.
There is no noticable tone loss or level changes and is definately not a noisey pedal.
I hav`nt been able to run this in stereo yet for two reasons...I don`t have a stereo setup and the "Output B" jack is broken...although easy to fix.
But this only bodes well as most reviews have stated that the magic of this pedal surfaces when used in a Stereo setup. This just makes me eager to hear it like this!
But it truly sounds great full stop! Even in Mono!!
The only reason I give this 9 and not 10 is that in my opinion no pedal can ever really be perfect and I havn`t really compared this to other popular Chorus pedals...CE-2, Meistersinger etc.

As it`s Boss we all know how reliable these pedals are...built like a tank and looks great too!
I would gig without a backup but if it was stolen or broken I would definately search high and low for another one although I doubt I could find another in this great condition...literally no scratches!

Havn`t needed customer support and the only thing that needs repairing is that Output B Jack and that`s incredibly easy to fix myself...I`m just too lazy!

I play live and in the studio aswell as at home and this sounds great in all conditions. I can`t really distinguish a certain genre we play so I`ll just say that the music I play and write with it is inspired by bands like, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, Tom Waits.
Lots of atmospheric texturing too.
But yeah, as an overall rating I give this pedal a 9. And as I said, the only reason I don`t give it a 10 is simply becasue I find it so hard to label something "perfect".

Four presets, no brain surgery needed to use it

Ok, hum... It's hard for me not to get exited over this pedal because it is one of the best modulation pedals I have owned until now. I love the Cure like sound preset nr 3 gives me, and the insane chime of preset 4 is heavenly in some songs I've written. The other two more tam presets are ok but I like to hear the actual effect, so I rarely use those.
My setup was as follows:
Washburn N2 ( with EMG81 in the bridge)> Boss DC2> Marshall JCM900 SLX ( modded with clean channel)> Digitech DHP33> Rocktron Intellifex

With some delay and reverb this pedal sounded just ethereal, very fluid in sound actually. There is just one but... It seems to boost certain frequencies in the mids. Depending on your EQ setting this might cause this pedal to sound... well not bad by any means, just less good.
I play in a trashy but old school metal band. In can't really use it in there, but I do use it to record my more personal romantic/industrial stuff at home. It's just great to ad space on a four track.
This pedal cost me 20 euro's. Do the math it's a real steal for such a coveted pedal. The best bargain ever for me.

Boss=tank, no problems.

Never had to deal with them, no problems

This is the best sounding modulation pedal I ever owned; and even tried. I've been looking for a chimey ound for ages, trying the usual suspects like TC Chorus Flanger, all the boss Chorusses, Ibanez stuff, Danelectro... Even the booteek stuf didn't do it for me. thsi pedal does, I love it to death, really.
I now also own a Boss CE2, and that is great chorus, but it doesn't have the same chimey ethereal quality of the DC2. It's just more of the 80's sound really, the rock one I mean because the DC2 sounds like something Cocteau Twins might have used in their day to create all the dreamy textures.
If this one got stolen,I would move heaven and earth to get another one. I will never be able to top the bargain I had when I bought this pedal second hand, but hey, love is love, eh?
Contact me if you have any more questions, I will be glad to give all help within my ability.

Well, it just doesn't get any easier than this. Four presets, all sound great. Pick the right one for the sound thats in your head and dreamy tones ensue. . .

I am using with my either my american strat w/emg SA's or my american tele w/vintage noiseless. I have several fx boxes that are always on my board including a keeley modded tubescreamer, bluesdriver and ds-1. I also have a DD-5 and then into the DC-2 for stereo splitting. I run all that into either a fender pro junior or laquered bassman reissue or both. No extra noise was audible through my stuff. All of the Keeley modded pedals are extremely quiet so there really isn't any noise for the Dimension to amplify, but no noise was heard from the pedal itself. The sounds coming from this easter egg purple box are just perfect for me. Some people complain that the effect on the signal is weak. Not to my ears. I've never been into chorus drenched tones though. This pedal is great at adding a subtle or not so subtle "shimmer" to your sounds. Does not do the analog warble or vibrato thing. This is really in a class of its own. This is what I have been trying to get every other chorus pedal I have owned to do. I have owned 4 other chorus pedals including an older george dennis, a t.c. electronics chorus/flanger and a boss chorus ensemble and this is the sweetest I have found so far. The first setting is a wider almost flanging sound but great when you just want some "space" on your chords. Setting two is where this pedal starts to do its thing. There is definately something more going on than just chorus. Its kinda hard to explain and I'm not going to try. Setting three seems to be a more intense version of setting two or so it sounds to my ears. Setting four adds an almost leslie type of swirl yet no nasty warble. Perfect. I have only a few minutes of experience with this thing in stereo but mostly have heard it in mono and it sounds great in mono. It sounded great in stereo as well but I didn't try it for very long. This thing seems to be what I've been looking for all along but I'll still give it a nine since I haven't heard them all.

I've only owned since. . . well today. However the fact that it was originally made sometime in the eighties and says BOSS on it gives me peace when I sleep at night. No worries.

I play many different styles and my rig allows me to get many different sounds on the fly. Now I can get four different "dimensions" at the push of a button. Too cool. I have been playing about 8 1/2 years and this is the coolest chorus I have played. If lost or stolen I guess I would try to find another and they aren't cheap now either as you can see by the price I paid. If your into say the CE-2 sound or the whole "analog" chorus sound than I might stay away from this but if you want spacey/airy beautifulness coming from your amp than I'd say give it a try. I had never tried one before I bought this, only heard the sound samples at ModeZero.com but I am very happy with the sounds it makes.

How much easier can it get, 4 buttons.

I had been looking for a DC-2 for some time now but finding one that was in good shape and at a good price was hard. I finally got one that looked great and for 92 dollars on ebay. I have to say compared to my other chorus pedals which are a CE-2,CE-5 and a DC-3 this is the best. I use preset 3 or 4 more than 1 or 2 but the range is from slight chorus to wet and drippy. I thought that only having 4 presets would bother me but to be honest it is great, to go from one setting to another just press a button. One thing to mention is that you can?t use more than one preset at a time. The manual even states this, you could damage the pedal. I would have to say my search for a great chorus has ended with the DC-2.

It's a Boss. I never had a problem with any of my Boss stuff and I own about 15 of them.

Considering the price I paid for the DC-2 I would have to say I got an excellent deal. Best sounding chorus pedal I have ever had.

4 push-buttons...could it be easier?

This as good as analog technology got in its' time. Yea, we all know it is the sweetest chorus box out there. Technically there is a reason. One it uses companding technology that gives it ultra quiet output. Signal to noise is around 90db and that is better than any consumer grade digital effects box. There are two chorus delay lines with the modulation for the delay out of phase to each other. This is what gives it the unique sound. New Boss chorus devices are all basically the same design with a single delay line and no companding for S/N improvements. THat is why they all have an audible "shwoosh" if you listen carefully.

Boss is always the best.

N/A, This is an old pedal made in Japan not China

This is an all-star pedal... the one to own. No chorus is made like this today. It is over-designed and is quiet enough for studio work. Get yours before the price rises even more.

The easiest pedal in the universe to use. 4 buttons, stereo out, thats it.

Really nice, tame chorus. Like a previous review, this thing is untouchable in stereo. Not gonna get that "Come As You Are" underwater-type sound, but excellent spatial FX. Good for 80's artsy rock like Cocteau Twins, Lush, Curve. You know, girl music. Also perfect Pink Floyd Wall-era soundz. I use it with a 72 vibrolux and strats. Setting 1 is very spacious, less of a chorus--Setting 4 is a more noticeable chorus. 2 and 3 are obviously in between.
Important Safety Tip: I woke up one morning and noticed that my Dimension C had eaten a box of 9 volt batteries for breakfast. I gave it a spanking and eventually added it to a pedal board with AC power. It will drain a battery after about 4 hours of operation, at which point it will start to chirp like an angry birdie. AC power is essential.

Everybody knows the story with BOSS.

Ive been playin for ever and ever and ever, owned WAY too many pedals, played way too many weird gigs. I bought the C from some store that thought it was a compressor. it was NOS, 1985, in the box with the manual, Roland battery, and cool stickers for the kids. The more knobs, the crazier I get so this one keeps me sane. 4 options, thats it. No sweet spots or anything to worry about. Compared to a Small Stone, its not as intense. Just a nice, subtle but noticeable chorus effect to complete anyone's setup is what the Dimension C is all about.

Great sounding chorus/dimension pedal.
4 presets that sound good in mono, but KICK ASS in stereo!!!
I actually got mine mint in a box with the manual!!!!!!!

This is hard territory to assess. the unit is ultra quiet, even with no signal fed into it, AND yet the big controversy is that its supposedly not a digital pedal!
I don't know if its truly digital or analog, as it is very quiet (like digital), BUT sounds very warm and never harsh (UNLIKE early to mid 80's digital!). So I'll just shut up and enjoy the tone!
I usually use setting 1 in my bass rig just to get a stereo effect, but I sometimes switch to setting 3 for that Geddy Lee, YYZ "chorus" sound on his bass.

Obviously, since I got my pedal with the manual and original box, whoever had it before me took incredible care of it. Its been strapped to my pedalboard for the last 5 months now, sittin in the trunk of my car between shows and rehearsals, been dropped (on the board) during in and outloading for shows, and has been literally STOOD on by me at shows!

Even if I needed support, Boss hasn't made this unit for years! But like I said above, its taken LOTS of abuse!

Couldn't be easier. Four presets, take 'em or leave 'em.

In my opinion, superb. People call this a subtle pedal, and I guess it is, but I can sure as hell hear it. It is a chorus (despite the absence of that word anywhere on it), and it is analog, but it is nothing like, say, the Polychorus--no swirliness, just, ah, depth, dimension (which is in fact written right on it). A shimmering, a breeziness. I use it on acoustic guitar (Gibson J-45>>MXR 6-band EQ>>Boss DC-2>>Kustom PA) for some of the songs in my solo set, and it sounds absolutely beautiful. It does chill out the sound a little--you might want to tweak the lower frequencies with an EQ--but by and large the results are spectacular. Not "effecty." Just really, really nice. I'm told it's great on synth but have no firsthand experience with that. I like preset 2 best.

It's all been said before. Boss makes sturdy pedals.

Get this--I got mine used, and the rubber grommet through which the thumbscrew passes was all fouled up--I called Boss, they told me it would cost $2.30 to replace, and it would take a few weeks to get to me. Well, the woman on the phone said "Nah, never mind, I'll just send it to you," and it came to me for free about four days later.

My favorite pedal (I'm not much of an effects guy, though). I wish they'd made the DC-3 analog--that is, a tweakable version of this one--that said, the DC-3 is supposed to be good anyway. Whatever. I love it. I play acoustic indie-rock, and whenever I need to sweeten up the song, I use this. If you steal it, I'll just have to activate the nuclear self-destruct function I've built in...

This is the perfect chorus!!!! Plug in, push the button you like and play. It can't be easyer!!!! Perfect for 2amp-owners (it's stereo)

I'm using an '80 Fender Lead 75 and a Epiphone LP Junior, a Squier stratocaster and a '76 Gibson Firebird III with Bill Lawrence L-500 pick-ups. It;s sounds great. I always using push-button #2. Not to much, not to less. Once i've playd with 2 amps with the STEREO-DC-2 and it sounds so beautifull!!!!

its's a Boss, it's suvives an air-attack, a tornado, everything

Never

it;s simpel, it's rare, it sounds great, it's stereo. If you find one, and you are a chorus-man/woman, BUY IT!!!!!

Plug in, power up, and press one of four preset switches.

This pedal produces a subtle chorus effect which is a plus. when it is on i know it, and when it's not I miss it, yet it is not overpowering. It works nice in combo with other modulation effetc to fatten them up.

It's Boss, so it could withstand a Nuclear strike. I have never had any problems with this or any other Boss pedal.

Never had to call them.

Great subtle effect. Great for the kind of music I play: Heavily processed shoegazer sound ala cocteau twins, slow dive, etc.

4 pre set switches, touch one and play

i was surprised by the lack of reviews. this is a very luscious sounding chorus. it is somewhat of a collectible, i own a NOS one i found stashed i an ancient music store. of its four setings I like two alot maily for clean settings and best in stereo. i have heard that some famous artists used this on vocals

its boss

you got me

it is a wonderful pedal to own, I'm sure like anything else it depends on what you plug into it, but to my ears it has a wonderful liquid sound and shimmers nicely. i own several classic choruses (a CE-1, an mxr micro, ibanez bc-9 and DCL) and several digital types and this is my favorite for bright clean

The four button selection system is distinctive and easy, you can try pressing down a few if you remove a little bit of plastic from the selector apparently, bit I havn't had the heart to butcher mine.

I bought this originaly for guitar, but I hated it. The effect sounded insubstantial and vague in an 80's clean pop kind of way. hen, I plugged it into my old prophet 600, and loved it. It gave the keyboard a fat juno style sound that I love. I think boss made a mistake marketing this as a guitar pedal, as it works so much better on keyboards, probably why it sold so few. It sounds a lot better in stereo as well, and very few guitarists use two amps.

I love boss pedals for reliability, never had any problems. The build quality is ten times better than any other effect.

Bought it second hand!

I would not use it on guitar, but on almost anything else (including drum overheads!), I've had some good results. I'm still looking for the rack version as well, as its even better!