Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter

If you have used envelope filters in the past, it won't be hard to get it going. If not,good luck. 4 knobs , 3 jacks, pretty simple.

I am using it first in my fx chain, after an Ibanez, Jackson, or Charvel guitar. It is placed before distortion and compression effects. Sounds best with a compressor directly afterwards (to limit volume peaks).
This pedal DOES NOT sound as good as a crybaby wah, however, it gets a great Steve Vai "quack" wah sound.
Noise is almost non existant, and frequency range is excellent.

don't ask, just step on it.

N/A

I play a mixture of rock, metal, progressive, and blues. This pedal fits my purposes to a T. With a little adjustment to the sensitivity control, it can make a convincing "lazy-man's" wah.
If it were stolen, I would try to find another, but considering it's relative obscurity, I would probably be better off getting a MutronIII.
For truly original sounds, this pedal rules!!!!!

Very easy to use, but if you don't know what the knobs do already, it may take you a while. This is essentially an envelope follower controlling a lowpass filter. "sens" controls how much it follows the envelope, "cutoff" sets the initial frequency, "q" adjusts how far it moves, and "mode" sets whether the frequency sweeps down, up, or "manual" which is controlled by an expression pedal (basically makes this thing a wah-wah pedal). Once you fiddle with the knobs a little, you get a feel for how they interact. It isn't very difficult at all.

I mainly use this thing with my guitar, although it has other uses. I play an Electra "Les Paul" style guitar (non-MPC) into a Line 6 Pod (ok, so I'm a cheater!). I think the FT-2 sounds great. I haven't noticed any noise, although if there were noise I'm sure it would be more noticeable with a large amp setup. The effects can be adjusted from a very overdone quacking funk sound to just a slight wah, giving just a little color to the guitar sound. It's great in front of overdrive, especially on the "down" setting, where it gives a gritty, meanacing sort of "oud" sound. Turn the "sens" knob down and strum some chords lightly, then hit one stroke a little harder and you have an instant filter sweep. With an expression pedal (I use Roland EV-5) it makes a convince traditional wah-pedal. I compared with a Jimi Hendrix wah and didn't hear much of a difference. Although this pedal is made for guitar, I've also used it with my Farfisa Combo Compact organ. It can produce some cool "analog synth" effects.

I haven't had any trouble with it yet, although as a rule I treat my equipment very delicately. But, as everyone else says, "It's a Boss." I could probably chuck it against the wall with no worries. The enclosure seems very tough.

Haven't tried to deal with Boss at all.

I'm very much an amateur guitarist, but I think it's good to have amateur opinions as well as pro's... All in all, I think this is a great pedal. It's one of my favorites and it's really fun to play with. I think that's very important. It makes me want to play more, and as a result I become a better guitarist. I think it works for any style of music. It is not just for funk, as some might suggest. The key with this pedal is to adjust the Sens and Q so the effect is just strong enough for your style. I would definitely buy this pedal again, but it is out of production and a bit hard to find. I'm glad I was able to find one in the first place. I don't know how the sound compares to similar pedals, but I did look into the DOD FX25, and the AW-1 that Boss still makes now. I chose to go for the FT-2 because it seemed to have the most flexibility. Neither of the others have the downward dynamic, which I think is very cool and useful. And I think DOD pedals are ugly, anyway...!!

It's dead easy to make to do something, but if you want the box to make something specific, it's a lot harder. So if you manage to make a good sound with it be sure to record it immediately. It's possible that you won't find it again.

I use it mostly after a synth or sampler. Sometimes after distortion. It's the king of weird analog lo-fi fx. Bubbling and squeeks. Organic feel. The manual mode (wah) isn't that useable for synths though. I haven't had trouble with background noise either.

No trouble at all.

Mostly I make synth/sampler-based electronic music. I've used a lot of effect units. This one does just one thing but does it well. It's really great unit for making otherwise dull synth sounds interesting. A little analog mutation. I've tried it with guitar and bass too, but I didn't find any use for the box with them. It's a bit like autowah effect on Yamaha's Samplers etc, but a lot weirder and more organic.

Has four knobs. Sensitivity, Cutoff Frequency, Q (similar to peak on a Mutron)and Mode. The mode knob has three modes...anyway.. they are up , down and manual. The manual setting is like a wah in still position, it has the tonality of a wah but the filter does move. If you hook up a expression pedal (there's a jack for it) it's supposed to be able to act like a regular wah. I never did this, however. This pedal is one of the easier to use than the other autowahs I own. It's easier to set than the Mutron and easier to play than the DOD FX-25 Envelope Filter.

I use it mainly for bass, I have used it to record some guitar parts, though. This is the first envelope filter I ever bought and I had it for about eight years. (That was during the "wah sucks" era.) After that I bought the Guyatone BG-03 Bass Wah, DOD FX-25 and finally the Mutron III+. When I bought my Mutron (about last April) I took out all my old pedals and compared them to the Mutron. When I took out the FT-2, I was surprised to find out the Boss sounded closest to the Mutron. In fact, some settings are very close. It can imitate a Mutron (the reissue at least) with the Low Pass on, with the range up and drive up almost exactly. (It can't get the lowest depth settings on the Mutron). I also noticed that you don't lose much bottom on the bass. On guitar, it doesn't seem interesting enough but I did get a Mick Ronson type sound using a twin blade humbucker (a Chopper T) and the dynamic filter in manual mode. I suppose you could get closer to that sound with a Les Paul. The differences between this and the Mutron are: 1) It is not as sensitive to playing dynamics as the Mutron is. It's not good for switching from two-finger and slap. 2)It's hisses more than the Mutron.

The outout jack isn't grounded, I think. I opened it and couldn't find the problem. It's a bummer because I was planning to use this on gigs so I wouldn't have to bring my Mutron to gigs. (A Mutron III+ reissue in Japan costs about 500 bucks! So I don't like to flash it around that much). I think the output jack failed because of these angle plugs I was using were too long and bent inside the jacks. Other than that, I had no problems.

It's a good substitute for a Mutron. There may be other pedals out there that I didn't try of course. I guess Boss doesn't make these anymore. It's now called the AW-2 or something like that. I never tried it but I know Flea has both Bosses in his rig. I don't know if that is because he sets both on different settings or because they do sound different. If you find one used, check it out.

four knobs, sensitivity, cuttoff frequency, Q, asnd aknob that lets you pick if you want a low or high effet and a manual\expression feature. at first i had okay settings until the next day i had it and got to fuck around a bit it is really easy to find a good sound just screw with it a bit

There is one minor drawback which is if you arent very knoledgeable about the pedal you may get a feedbacky buzz thang goin if you hold a note. other than that it is the collest filter effect i have heard

i would give it a fucking 8 billion in this categori for christs sake IT IS A BOSS

WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN ? YES IT HAS THAT PERFECT BOOTSY FUNKEDELIC SOUND THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE AND WILL WORK FORANY KIND OF MUSIC I DONT PLAY FUNK

Medium, but who likes an effect that is too easy to use?

Very quiet. If you going through a blazing Marshall you might notice a little noise. The effect itself sound great. Makes your guitar sound like a duck!

One of the great features of this unit is that you can plug in an expression pedal & use it as a wah. Although the wah doesn't sound that good

It takes a little fiddling.

It is not truse bypass.

Haven't found an unreliable Boss.

This pedal is as hard to find as the PN-2 and the Vibrato, but it is also as cool. It's the sound you hear on Edie Brickell's "What I Am", on the Chilli Peppers "Aeroplane" (second verse) and on many Dead songs. The Ibanez Auto Filter also does this effect.