Boss MD-2

Its easy to turn the knobs.....thats about it.

Finding a good sound is extremly hard. you will either get a high pitch ear peirsing sound or a low bass sound where you cant destingish the notes. I found a good blues sound....exept for the fact that i dont play blues. I am forced to turn the pedal off every break in between hitting notes because the hum is soo bad. I use a gibson les paul, Ibanez gax-30tr, and a schecter omen. non of them make a difference, so I just use my amp effects on my line 6 spider 2.

Its reliable, no matter what i do i cant get rid of it. If i had any other distortion, I would plain just not use it at gigs, which i pretty well dont, I just use my spider 2 distortions.

never had to use it

I play rock, metal, and slow stuff, i cant use it for any of it, unless i use it for solos in a slow song or somethin.I've been playing for6 years and it was my first pedal, so i just use my other pedals. I am about to buy about $2000 worth of pedals and gear and I am trying to stay away from boss equiptment, because i also have a boss chorus and I dont like it either. I hope it gets stolen. I dont like anything about it. dont waste ur money, spend a bit more on a better pedal.

Hard to get something better than the presets from manual. Some presets are the maximum, which you can get, because then you simple add a bit more gain or something you will get a big amount of noise

It's quite noisy. If you trying to get some metal distortion you will get quite "sandy" sound. The only one decent sound, which I could get was useful for some old school heavy metal or hard rock (listened through Crate GTX212), but there are many better devices for that purpose.

Maybe it could be usefull for some kind of industrial or noise, I don't realy know much of these kinds of music, but it quite useless for any kind of metal.

Boss has managed to create another distortion box, I thought it would be a rehash of their older boxes but I was wrong. The Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion is just that, MEGA gain. There are 3 knobs other than Level, that allow you to customize your sound. The tone/bottom dual knob is similar to that of Boss' Metal Zone Pedal. I think this sounds more versatile and less treble heavy than the Metal Zone though. With a gain knob AND a distortion control, it's very simple to start turning knobs and figure out what sounds, if any work for you and what sounds to stay away from. A surprisingly simple and versatile pedal. Boss' simple little manual is included and gives some suggestions for sounds but it's not needed.

When I shop for effects I don't do so intending to emulate my favorite artists. I like things that have unique abilities, or pedals that do multiple things well. For practice and my 'noise' project, I've been running cheap Squier Strats through smaller Marshall combos at lower volumes. The MD-2 is nice for that, I have found, at higher "live" volumes through Ampeg heads and no-name cabinets that the Mega Distortion is surprisingly competent. I like the fact that when I turn my guitar volume down the MD-2's sound stays true in character at a lower volume, with the guitar volume down, a little of the edge is taken off, but the tone stays pretty consistently the same. I haven't noticed much excess noise, using a power supply or 9 volt batteries. I really like the fact that this pedal sounds good for pop, to punk and all the way down to Drop-D tuned metal like Helmet, and the "New Metal" that kids are playing these days. I play everything from experimental and sludgy to fast and technical and I have found the MD-2 to be useful in every aspect of my music so far. Try it with Boss' old "Enhancer" pedal for even more tone options!!!

It's made by Boss, their pedals are legendary for toughness. I have a Boss Enhancer (as mentioned above, the mint green one) that sounds great after the Mega Distortion that incdentally has been kicked around for 15 years by various careless musicians, and it's as good as new. I would and have used many Boss products to gig without backups and those little bricks never let me down. I've already dropped my new MD-2 twice but I'm not concerned, it works fine and Boss offers a pretty generous 5 year warranty now.

I have never needed help from Boss but I assume that after being in business for so many years, they must be doing something right. I have owned half a dozen Boss pedals over the last 15 yeard and they've all worked as promised, without fail.

I have been playing aggressive and experiemntal music for over 15 years, guitar and bass, and this is one of my new favorite effects boxes. I used to own the Boss Metal Zone but it was just too much treble heavy gain and hiss. The MD-2 can go that way, but only if you want it to. There's much more emphasis on low end, which I really like and for a hardcore/metal distortion, the tone is surprisingly warm. It doesn't have that digital fakeness that lots of new 'emulation/modeler' type pedals have. It sounds real. I have been using DigiTech's Clapton/Crossroads pedal on certain settings for metal guitar but the ability of the MD-2 for fine tuning blows it away. If the Mega Distortion were lost or damaged I'd try to find a replacement used, as, like most Boss stuff, it was a bit more expensive. I picked the MD-2 on a whim, as an exchange for Boss' compressor (too subtle for me). I didn't bother to try it out in the store, so when I started using it, it was a pleasant surprise that it fits in with my tone, style and nuances of my picking hand. Boss needs to get some fresh colors for their pedals, as this is ANOTHER orange brick. Seems like they only use shades of yellow/orange, blues and blacks! It's just hard to tell what someone's playing if all you see on their pedal board is an orange pedal, almost the same color of ther classic distortion. A minor gripe though, this pedal works well for me and my heavy handed rock.

This pedal is extremely simple to use. Just mess around with it until your happy.

This is pretty amazing, even without mods, even though I haven't been able to find any. Sound when not playing is very quiet and the distortion is wicked. Little boosts in tone and bottom are perfect. Then turn distortion low and gain boost high for thick rhythm distortion. Then turn up the distortion and turn down the gain and the sustain and tone for soloing is unbelievable. I only wish I had two or some switch so I could use both of the amazing settings. A little bit more tweaking and I could get a ridiculous lead sound so my TS7 (modded soon) and/or SD1 can be my rhythm.

It's built like a rock, like all Boss pedals.

Haven't dealt with them.

Between my TS7 and this, I choose this all the way. It's very versatile and I am amazed at how many different tones you can get out of it. I used to use it as a tone boost through my Crate VC3112 tube amp but I am away from it now and just have an old Kawai 60 watt keyboard amp. The tones I am getting are awesome. If only I had a good solid state amp with nice speaker and I'd be perfect.

I think it is very easy to use. But of cpourse you need to spent some time with it to figure out in what way the controles effect each other. Bur it took onmly about ten minutes to get a good first sound out of it. Fine Tuning took a a little bit longer.....

I was looking for some sound pointing towards Rammstein. This pedal does that well. It has ways more distortion than anybody will ever need. The sound cuts through a band mix quite well and is very agressive. It sounds very powerfull and strong but it might tire the ears after a while. The basic sound of the MD-2 is great for powerfull guitar work (Nu Metal and Rammstein sort of style)but not really designed for high speed stuff. The tone is not clear and well defined enough for that IMO. I like it for rhythm work but I would never use it for soloing.

I give it a ten even I just own it for 3 weeks. But due to the excellent reliability experiences I have made with Boss pedals all over the years I guess a ten would fit.

Never had to use cause i never had problems with any Boss pedal.

The style of music I play is somewhere between Rammstein, Black Label Society so sort of the Metal and Heavy Rock area. I use the MD-2 in front of the clean channel of an Marshall DSL 401 tube amp. This amp gives great Rock sounds but is not agressive enough for the metal stuff. The MD 2 is the perfect solution for that cause it sounds like the Marshall DSL 401 would sound like designed for metal. What I`m trying to say is the basic sound shape is similar. Thes two match and fit perfectly!!!! I play an Zakk Wylde Custom Les Paul (Epiphone) with EMG 81 and 85 pick ups and some other pedals (Morley Tremonti Wah/ Boss DD6/Boss CE5).

its easy

This is the worst sounding,most useless piece of circuit I have ever heard,no joke.It does nothing well,chunky palm mutes.fat leads,chords,forget it.I have tried everything to get a decent sound outa this thing on guitar,and bass,and didnt find one.The gear I tried it with was a 73 strat,and a 77 precision,and 81 squire jazz bass,amp was a 67 traynor yba-1,67 bassman+hiwatt dpr-504 into orig hiwatt cab w/purple back fanes.Bass rig was bassman head svt-810.For bass it overtakes your tone,and is muddy to the max.I have lots of the best pedals made,and always A/B them to new ones I take home.Even if a pedal only does one thing useable,I will keep it.I bought this pedal on saturday and returned it monday.I have never returned a pedal before.It may become a future collectible,because if BOSS is smart,they scrap this garbage,and nobody will own them.

If your starting out and not sure what to buy,please dont buy this pedal.If you want Boss get 3 pedals,sd-1,ds-1,and the metalzone,in that order.Also a graphic eq pedal after these or any combination of these will get you anywhere you want to go.Even just a ds-1 with eq after it,will make the md-2 mega distortion, sound like the joke that it is.The best distortion pedal I own is a Doobtone DS-1 mod.The Doobtone with a sd-1 or ts-9 etc. in front of it,into a point to point tube amp,and your search is over.My review is negative,but its my opinion.If you like this pedal,try a Doobtone ds-1,and then tell me I`m full of shit.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

Not really that hard, for me.

if it is your first pedal, you might want to read the book that comes with it, to get an idea of how to use it.

Set up was as easy as most of the pedal out there; input, output, and power conetions (if you are using an AC adapter).

How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

Boss is great, when it comes to manuals.
It will explane everything to you ever wanted to know about "how it (the Boss MD-2, in this case)works".

I like the fack that they somehow managed to put a few sample settings. This gives me an idea of what the techs had in mind and what pedal is ment to sound like. It also gives you something to work from, if you are new to pedals all together.

It's a no-brainer, even for people who need one.

It has pictures!

A word to the buyers of the new units:

You will have to sort through the mess of papers that come with it, in order to get to your manual.

I went into "the lab" and pluged the thing in, as soon as I pulled it out of the mail box. I got it new off of e-bay and was waiting to pounce on the mail box, as soon as the mail truck rolled up, but I was out of town (on business) when it came (Doh!).

I had know idea what kind of sound I would get from it. I had a dim view of this pedal, when it came out on the market. Like the famed Bosss XT-2 and PW-2 (It sold for only nine months), I thought it would be short lived. I thought that Boss was following the trend of the "nu-metal" craze and that this pedal was going to be D.O.A. and flop out. "Take a picture... It will last longer."

I don't even know why I bid on it. It must have been two in the morning and I was half there. I picked it up for about $30 (US Dollars). In the world pedals, this is cheap for a new In-box pedal. Hey... I could always turn aound, sell it, and double my money. I could also traid it in on something else.

So...(to make a long s t o r y l o n g e r . . . )

Can I get the sound of my favorite artists?

To my wounder, I was able to do a lot with it. At low settings, you can get overdrive. If you crank the "Gain Boost" and "Dist"(Distortion), you will get a good fuzz-like that sound alright.

I played some Zep. though it and it came out sounding good.

Who are they?

Led Zepplen was the one used in the test.

Is it noisy? On what settings?

If you crank the thing up to "11", you'll get some noise(Fricking Duh!).

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) am I using this with?

I was playing my Custom Fender Standerd (at least it was at one time) Strat. I ran through, a Boss FV-500H Volume pedal, into a Dunlop JH-1 Jimi Hendrix Wah Pedal, through the Boss MD-2, into a MXR phase 90, through an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and in to the amp(a Fender Blues Jr.).

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?

Hey... I'm a beliver (I don't like something this much, all the time)

The low-end comes through and the highs don't mud up, but you don't get a "metallica buzz-crunch" out of this, But an EQ might get you there; However, I did not use one in this case, I wanted to see how it stood on its own. It held up and I did get a phone call from next door.

It could be used by roachs, after a nuclear attack.

I ware Biker boots, My pedals get stomped like crazy.

It is a Boss and Ive never had anything go wrong with a Boss pedal... Yet.

They must be over in India with the guy who helpped me fix my fathers dell.

I will let you know, if there is any truth to that statement, if I ever need to call.

What style of music do I play?

Rock, Blues, Metal, and Grunge.

Is this pedal a good match?

Yes, it is.

How long have I been playing?

Around ten years, now


What other gear do you own?

A lot more than I can list here

If it were stolen or lost, would I buy it again or get something else?

I would Buy another, as soon as I could do so.

What do I love about it?

I has a lot of gain, it keeps the low-end, and your highs don't get lost.


What do I hate?

I didn't get one befor now.

What is my favorite feature?

the gain boost

Did I compare it to other products and Which ones?

No... I did not really know what I was testing, let olone what to do a side-by-side with.

Anything I wish it had?

A sweepable mid (like the Boss MT-2).



Does it help me make music, or does it get in the way?

I like each pedal that I own. Each one gives me another tool or flavor to work with, I play many styles of music and need a wide selection to get the sound I want. If I have a pedal that "get's in the way" I sell it or traid it.

Where as most standard distortion pedals will go from a lite overdrive sound (that sounds muddy), to a mid-level distortion; this pedal will run from a mild distortion, to a high-gain distortion.
If I had to pick the top ten distortion (non-overdrive or fuzz) pedals on the market, this would be on it.


Anything else I'd like to share?

If you are in to Boss pedals, "this is a must have". It deals with the people who are always knocking the Boss MT-2. They think it sounds to thin (yes I said they think... They have not played around with it enough and set the EQ right). This pedal is also high-gain, and it is centered more for people who want more what I call "muffed-boom", then then "metallica-crunch". This is a pedal to make all the nay-sayers happy. I still think it's funny how these people knock the Boss MT-2, and yet, at the same time, it is Boss' best selling pedal ever (One Million units and counting). Someone is using it!

I like mine. I own a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier... am I selling my MT-2? No! I think it sound good going through my Fender Blues Jr. I can't play my half-stack at two a.m. and it is easyer to fit it into my Honda.

pretty simple to use just 5 knobs, really is no need for the manual unless you like using the suggested settings

you can get alot of diff. types of distortion out of this pedal, i play mainly hard rock/metal and some alternative music, i can get some good godsmack/deftones rythms out of it and i can get zakk wylde-esque pich's and squeals out of it, i'm into really heavy low-end distortion, so if your a "shredder" and like lots of highs and mids in your dist. then you probly wont like this pedal because it really favors the low end maybe something like the metalzone would be better for you......i'm using this pedal with a 2006 schecter c-1 hellraiser with EMG'S 81&85 in it, peavey valveking 100 watt tube head valveking 4x12 cab and ashdown FA 4x12 cabinet board is...this pedal IS noisy at gig level volumes, but it's not really a problem with feedback for me simple solution...step on the noise gate when your not playing...it's not very noisy if you keep the gain boost and dist. knobs pretty modest, but why would you want to be getting a pedal called "MEGA" distortion and then not turn the dist. all the way up,, just turn the pedal off, turn down the volume on your guitar or step on your noise gate when your not playing and you want have any unwated feedback ...with certain settings i can get tones that almost sound like they have some chorus or flange in the dist.with them, i think it's pretty cool actually...anyone else have that problem?

looks and feels really dependable, really solid pedal...i'd most likely use it without a backup

haven't dealt with them

i've been playing about 5/6 years i try to play a little of everything but mainly i play hard rock music and this pedal gets along with me pretty good it smokes the hell out of my ds-1 and the dist. on the valveking the metalzone and the heavy metal2 can hang with it to a certain extent, but i like the md-2 the most if it were lost or stolen i'd consider getting another one or probly try something else like the rocktron rampage dist. just for the hell of trying out since i've tried everything else but if i didnt like it i would send it back and get anothe md-2...the only thing i wish it had was a knob to control your highs, but i guess i can live without it...IMO it's a pretty good pedal if your considering buying this pedal it's def. worth a try if you dont like it then just send it back but i think you should atleast give it a chance to prove itself in stead of crossing it off your list because you read a couple bad reviews on it

5 simple knobs: Level, Tone (sharpens tone), Bottom (increases bass), Distortion and Gain Boost (for even MORE distortion).

When I first set this up I was blown away. Using the basic settings in the manual that came with it, I was nu-metalling it up like Korn on a bad day.

I used a Parker P.42 into a Laney LX65R on the clean settings. I wouldnt go higher than 12 o'clock on the Gain Boost though, because the amount of distortion you get beomes stupidly high (think a hissy, white-noise like version of 'Here To Stay' by Korn and you'ra nearly there.)

Built like a bloody tank, this'll last you YEARS!!! Even once nu-metal is out of fashion....oh wait....

*points at Reliabilty section*

I play a lot of hard rock, nu-metal and the like. Within minutes I was getting tones along the lines of Korn, Tool, CKY, Deftones and more. It does take some getting used to with the tone/bottom dials, but its a pedal I would gig with and not need a back up.

This review is being written for all those Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue Amplifier users that are having a difficult time in achieving a decent distorted or overdriven sound because their amps are so clean. Moreover,I am amazed by the low rating of this pedal at 7.7 out of 10. I have tried numerous pedals Boss OD-3, OS-2, SD-1, MT-2, Boss GT-5, as well as HAO Pedals, Ibanez Tube Screamers, the Jim Dunlop line and others. I simply could not achieve a sound that I could live with. Some were too noisy, scratchy, too expensive or just did not perform well with the clean nature of this amplifier! This Boss pedal is like all pedals produced by this Company - easy to use, well built, etc. Let me explain the set-up to achieve the sound I wanted using this amplifier.

I want some Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue users to try out the following amplifier and pedal settings listed herein, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If your trying to get a Marshall sound (which I was without buying the expensive Marshall Head)) you can to some degree with the aforementioned pedal and amplifier. In fact, it sounds much similar to the Marshall JCM 2000 Dual Super Lead using this pedal. If you want a sound like "So Excited" by SRV; "I Don't Need No Doctor" Humble Pie, etc. you can get it with this pedal. I had a Boss MT-2 which was excessively noisy and I was not impressed with it with this amplifier. The MD-2 pedal is NOT NOISY with this amplifier. Finally, I can hear what I'm playing without that loud background noise! Also, it gives you a nice sustain on notes.

The following are the settings used. Please be advised that you might have to tweek these settings to achieve your desired tone.

FENDER 65 TWIN REVERB REISSUE:

Use the NORMAL CHANNEL INPUT NUMBER 1:
On this channel, I have a Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb Unit set low on reverb. Probably less than 3 setting. That is, just enough reverb to be noticeable. Remember the Normal Channel on this amplifier does not have reverb.

Volume: Set at 3
Tone: Set at 6
Middle: Set at 5
Bass: Set at 7
Please note these values are set for a room environment. You would, of course, adjust the values differently for playing out in a larger venue.

MD-2 PEDAL SETTINGS:

Level: 10 o'clock
Tone: 9 o'clock
Bottom: 1 o'clock
Distortion: 10 o'clock
Gain Boost: 11 o'clock

Like all Boss Pedals they are built to last. Never had a problem with any I have owned. Currently I own 8 Boss pedals - Line Selector, Wah, Phaser, Flanger, Mega Distortion, Reverb, Octave, and Delay unit. Easy to use and sound great when used with the appropriate songs.

I currently play Surf and Blues. I use the above amplifier with two Ibanez 5 string guitars, and currently use a Boss Line Selector to split the "7 BOSS PEDALS" into either the NORMAL CHANNEL or REVERB/VIBRATO CHANNEL of this amplifier. The nice thing about this amplifier is that you can have the SURF SOUND on the REVERB/VIBRATO CHANNEL and the BLUES/HEAVY METAL SOUND on the NORMAL CHANNEL. The latter is achieved by using overdrive pedals or, as stated herein the MD-2 on this channel. Please be advised that you might have to get an additional reverb unit (Boss RV-5) for this channel to give you at least some reverb on blues tunes, etc. As stated previously, I have gone through numerous pedals trying to get something that works well with this amplifier. I believe this pedal suits the Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue Amplifier when used on the Normal Channel. I have been playing professionally and non-professionally for 30 years.
Hope this review helps........