Boss TR-2 Tremolo

Typical three knob stomp box. Sick green color. Rate-speed /depth-intensity/ and wave-shape of the waveform. AC adapter port is on the topside where ALL AC ports belong! BOSS battery compartment with the thumbscrew. Typical BOSS quality. Very easy to use. I had my sound going in about 30 seconds. Totally silent switching with a red LED to tell you it's on.

Sounds just like an old Fender circuit. I have no idea what all the volume drop is about. Mine is an older unit and I notice zero drop in volume when I step on it. As for all the mods-it don't need no stinkin mods, amigo.
Les Paul into Wah-wah, into TR-2, into BOSS ME 5, into Roland Blues Cube or Fender Blues Junior or Fender Blues Deluxe RI. For surf-o-licious wobble it kills! I'm perfectly satisfied with it. Compares favorably with pedals costing much more. (our other guitarist has a boutique trem stomper for comparison) Trem circuits pre-date reverb...it ain't rocket science and it's been around for 50 years.
Honestly I cannot fault it in any way. Simple, easy to use and it delivers the sound I was looking for.
Handles bluesy overdrive real well and the cleans are not colored at all, whether the TR-2 is on or off. Very quiet-no noise.

Good stuff...no worries.

You're kidding, right?

I'm playing in a classic rock/surf/blues band. I needed trem for some of the tunes we play. I came here to HC and scoped out a few pedals. The TR-2 seemed like a reasonable unit for a good price ($40-used). No regrets.
I read a lot of reviews here on the TR-2 that discussed the mods on these. I have no need for any improvement, myself. Others swear by the mods-good for you. I try to buy my stuff based on the sound/utlity. I don't swap parts if I can avoid it. Almost all of my gear is stock. In my opinion, no improvement is needed with this pedal. It does exactly what I want it to do with no issues.

Three controls- rate, wave, depth.
Super easy to use!

I bought my TR-2 but in the mid-late '90s and I've run it in several different setups with several different amps and guitars through the years.
Not noisy at all, in fact it runs very clean.
The only problem is what the TR-2 is notorious for; it's volume drop... but even with it's volume drop I'd still recommend it.
If boss managed to fix the volume drop it would easily get a 10 rather then the 7 rating.

Boss pedals are tough... everyone knows this so I'm sure I wouldn't have to try and convince anyone.

It's your basic tremolo effect- it will work well for any type of music you throw at it.
If it were lost or stolen I would grab another over the competition but I would (as I have been meaning to with my current unit) have the keeley mod done (analogman's mod is also very good) and that would fix the volume dropping issue.

3 knobs for rate ,depth and waveform.couldnt be easier.
Tap tempo would be nice but did blackfaces have it as a feature? Of course not !!!!

The volume drop on this pedal is only a percieved drop as all trem effects do this.Its a psychoacoustic thing.
It does a good job of emulating a nice subtle fender amp trem right up to stuttering morello type stuff by way of wobbly surfy cramps.
my only complaint would be that it is a bit hissy but you cant hear it when your playing and you could gate it when your not...problem solved.
overall a very usable pedal which isnt leaving my board any time soon.

its boss so will last a long time.ive had all manner of boss pedals in my time and only one died (a dd2)

never dealt with them

apart from the hiss its a great affordable way to get some swampy wobble into your sound.
you could always spend way more on a demeter or similar but give this a whirl 1st and you may be pleasantly surprised.

This review is for the pre-2008 version. It's my understanding that Boss has corrected the main problem I encountered with mine in the newer version.

Of course it's an easy unit to use. It's also pretty versatile.

I'll do my best to describe as accurately as I can just what I personally encountered with this unit. I wanted a tremolo to make up for the lack of tremolo in my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I sound I wanted was based on the sound Robbie Kreiger got on the solos on Riders On The Storm, not for that song specifically, but to use on some other things. The TR-2 does this sound very well and is actually a pretty versatile unit overall.

Now, there are various reviews on here where people talk about a significant volume-drop. In all fairness to Boss, I have come to the conclusion that this depends on your own personal system. Up until recently, my pedalboard was audio-wired traditionally, that is, one pedal into the next, into the next, etc. In this configuration, I did not notice any volume-drop when the unit was engaged. I used the unit for about four years in this configuration with no problems. Recently, however, I aquired a Road Rage 8-channel true-bypass looper and routed all my pedals into individual channels on this looper. Now, with each effect isolated, I have encountered a significant volume-drop when I engage the tremolo patch. Not just slight, but very significant, to the point where I've had to replace it with a Catalinbread Semaphore.

I'm not a technician so I can't say why there would be this kind of difference due only to the audio routing but it is the case, nonetheless. I have not encountered this problem with the Semaphore, which has a volume control.

I used the unit for four years without a problem, and it's in the typical Boss enclosure.

I have never dealt with Boss.

I've been playing professionally since 1974 and still am. It's my job. And I can say with certainty that this sort of volume-drop is not in one's immagination, as suggested in one of the other reviews here. If that were the case, it's doubtful some of the other companies would goto the trouble of building volume controls into their units to compensate for this very thing.

My overall opinion is that if you run your pedals traditionally, you're probably okay using this unit, although I might suggest buying a new, post-2008 version just in case. But if you're isolating your pedals with a looper, I would suggest looking elswhere for a good unit with a volume control.

Very Easy! 3 Knobs, Speed, Depth, and wave shape.

This is a very natural sounding Tremolo. Doesn't color your tone too much and is just subtle enough. I can get a great SRV tremolo sound with this pedal.

Boss... Built like a tank! Nuff said!

I play blues rock. Playing for about 25 years. My signal chain is Fender Strat with Fralin Blues Specials, Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, MXR - Phase 90 - Dyna Comp - Classic 108 Fuzz, Boss Tremolo - Dynamic Wah, Maxon AD-9 analog delay, Korg Pitchblack tuner, into a Peavey Classic 30 combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30.

This Pedal is a perfect compliment to my overall "Power-blues" sound!

Three controls, Rate, Depth, and Wave.

Probably a 10 for someone familiar with Tremolo pedals, 8 for the newbie. It is easy to get a "good" sound out of the unit, maybe slightly harder to get exactly what you're hearing in your head.

The Wave control goes between Triangle and Square wave and is mostly a "color" function to be set after Rate and Depth. [What I'm trying to say is to not be intimidated if you don't have any idea what its supposed to do. :) ]

My rig:

Epiphone Sheraton II >> MXR DynaComp >> Vox 847A Wah >> mXR 10-Band EQ >> BBE Green Screamer >> EH Big Muff Pi (Russian) >> MXR Phase 90 >> Boss TR-2 Tremolo >> EH Holy Grail Reverb >> MXR Carbon Copy Delay >> BBE Boosta Grande >> BBE Sonic Stomp

There is a slight volume drop when the pedal is engaged.

It sounds good on ultra clean settings and light-to-mid distorted settings. Haven't really tried it with heavy gain, but supposedly Tom Morello uses the TR-2 so it must not sound too bad. :)

Unlike a lot of other Boss stuff I've played with this pedal has a definitely personality; also between the three different controls you can go from vintage, 50-60s like warble (Sleepwalk) to the big E minor chord from Mary Jane's Last Dance (Petty) to modern stuff like Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day) or Guerrila Radio (Rage Against the Machine).

Use it as a hammer or self-defense device in a pinch

Excellent tremolo. It is digital and buffered bypass so there is a small amount of tone difference but nothing too terrible.

I'm thining about getting mine modded by Analogman, which supposedly takes care of the volume drop and gives the trem a little more presence.

If anything, I wish this unit had been 25ish dollars cheaper and/or came with a power supply.

3 controls, pretty easy to get a good sound out of...

Since I had never used a tremolo before, the manual was quite helpful in trying out initial sounds. Of course I went on my own once I got the hang of it. I did perform the C4 mod...more on that below

2004 Ibanez S470 into a Peavey JSX head with GT6L6 tubes. For the record, I have my TR-2 placed in the effects loop, not in the main line.

Haven't had it that long, but as we say here on H.C., "it's a Boss..."

Never dealt with Boss.

The main reason that I decided to post a review on this is to let everyone know that it seems that Boss has reverted to the older style boards in the TR-2. I just picked mine up new about 2 weeks ago, and I did have to perform the C4 mod on mine. It has been mentioned on here previously that Boss changed the circuit boards and that you can't perform the C4 mod on new TR-2s/the mod has no effect on new TR-2s. Mine was brand new out of the box, and the C4 mod was needed. I can't say that I noticed any "dirtying" of my tone after the mod, but the volume drop problem is solved by performing it.

Pretty simple -- 3 knobs. Rate, Depth and Wave.
Wave is square or rounded. Didn't take 2 minutes to figure out how to do what I wanted to do.
The manual has some sample settings that I liked: Vintage Tremolo, Electric Piano Sound, Swtiching Technique Sound, Rotary Speaker Sound. Didn't care for the last one: With the Rate turned up all the way it sounds like Outer Space setting, but the rest are useful.

This is the category that prompted me to write this review.
The only trouble with most of these reviews is they're all about about the C4 mod. Sounds like spinal surgery. I bought mine new in July 2008, today.
After reading the reviews I decided to thoroughly A/B it. I play a '99 Les Paul Studio into a Fender Twin. I put the TR-2 into the effects loop and my guitar straight into the 1 input, switch down for 25-watt sound instead of 100-watt (hey, I'm in my living room).
I had my wife repeatedly twist the Mix knob from 10 to 1, wet to clean.
With the effect turned off, I noticed no change in tone, playing full E-chords, A and B chords; playing chords further up the neck; noodling up high on leads. Don't know if it's a true bypass, but it's close.
I think the effect is at least an 8 on transparency even when on, playing in all those situations (chords or single notes, bass or treble). No dropoff in volume and tone was preserved between clean and tremolo. Maybe it's a 9 or 10, but I'm reluctant to claim that.
I'm playing a Gibson Les Paul into a Fender tube Twin, so tone is important to me. This pedal passes, at least the 2008 version.

It's a Boss. I've had my PH-1R since '84 with no problem, so I'll say this one is probably reliable.

Hope I'll never find out.

I like this pedal more than I thought I would. "Until We Sleep," from Dave Gilmour's first album: Set the Wave to square and the Depth all the way up, Rate about 1 or 2 o'clock and you're there.
I like Rate about 1 o'clock, Depth around 1 o'clock and Wave around 11 o'clock for an average setting.
I'm thinking this might be one of those effects I use most of the time. Set all the setting shallow and it's a nice background vibrato.

It's easy enough to use. No problems. I have no idea if there are upgrades available. I doubt it.

It works and does what it's supposed to do. I'm not that much of a tone freak to know if it's the best one available. There may be better trem units out there, but I haven't found a better one yet. If I do, I'll buy it. I use trem on maybe 2-3 songs per night.

Boss's stuff is bulletproof. Or so they say.

The first TR-2 I bought died after about three days. The second one didn't work right out of the box! In a fit of anger, I called Boss directly and after some difficulty (I had to go "up the ladder" to the director of customer service), they sent me a replacement direct from the factory. This one, finally, worked fine.

It's very good, obviously.

If it were lost of stolen, I would check out other trems before buying this one again. If the TR-2 turned out to be the best one, I would buy another. I wish it oscillated faster. That's my only complaint, but it's not such a big deal.

Very easy to use.

This is on the new TR-2:

In 2007 the Boss TR-2 has undergone some significant changes in the cirquit design. The new version is easily recognized by a "R" sign on the box. The new model is still all analogue.

But finally Boss has reacted on the complaints about volume drop. What have they done? They have exchanged R9 for a trim pot. The way it is set up from the factory (around 2 o'clock on the trim pot) there is no volume drop. By turning the trim pot counterclockwise you can further boost the volume level. By turning it clockwise you can set it to unity gain like on the older models (which had no volume drop at all, by the way. It was all just psycho acoustics, as a trem is supposed to sound weaker because of the drop outs during the pulsating).

The C4 Mod can be done on the new models, either. But there's no need for the C4 Mod anymore. I did the C4 to both - old and new - models and I can assure you, that it is the wrong way. It doesn't boost the volume but increases the transients and just makes it sound harsh, sterile and cold. Totally useless. Takes all the warmth out of your guitar every time you step on the pedal.

The folks at Boss may be dumb, but most folks on the internet and in the forums are even dumber. Everyone with an ear or two should hear the negative efffects of the C4 Mod. Just snipp one leg of the capacitor - then put this leg in an out of the board and listen carefully. Everyone who has done it this way has soldered the C4 back in again asap. Do yourself a favour and keep the pedal intact. There's a need for this capacitor in the cirquit, otherwise Boss would have dropped it.

The sound? Nice vintage style tremolo.
Just two minor complaints: It can't do the more extreme helicopter throb kind of thing and there's a little hiss, but that's about it. All in all a great pedal.

It's a Boss.

I play since 30 years and had it all. This is a good tremolo. Not the best, but it's rather cheap and a great value for the money. No volume drop on the new models and an internal trim pot. What more could you ask for?

Very straightforward, although i'm not sure if it's really ok in very high speeds - sounds out of tune somehow. To me that's not a problem, i want it between 10 and 1 o'clock anyway.

I did the C4 modification because most people recommend it, i even got an older TR-2 to be able to do this and did it right away after testing. Can't say if it's better because i didn't listen to it properly before. Anyway, after that - no volume drop, no loss of frequencies, maybe even a bit better with it on and depth on 0 than off... As for the sound - there is a discussion if it's vintage enough, i was disappointed on my small Fender transistor amp (FM25DSP or something like that), even thought about upgrading the tremolo, but using it with my Peavey Classic 20 which has been out of use for long but today got new tubes, it's lovely for being a modern pedal - don't think i'll bother to upgrade now... With the Peavey and my vintage SG i get the mid 60's English R&B sound i want, so next thing would be a proper reverb...

No doubts about this although i've had other Boss pedals causing problems in the past...

No experience

Only thing against this is that it - like all Boss pedals - is a bit ugly. When will they give up on that large square switch in favor of a more distinct and better looking vintage switch? If i would replace this it would be either if it stops working or to get a prettier pedal - and god knows only Behringer makes them uglier.

This review is for the older TR-2, the new one seems not to be reviewed yet!

I think the sound quality is very good. I also have a Behringer Ultra Tremolo UT100, which I think is excellent value for the money, but the TR-2 is superior, some in sound based on the amp sound I like, but much better in construction. I bring this up as well because of the mod issue. When I did the mod I found that my TR-2 started to sound more like the Behringer unit. I put back in the capacitor, or whatever the part is, in my TR-2 after I found that I did not like the sound of the mod. The volume difference was almost not noticable. The people at Boss are not idiots. That part keeps the pedal sounding more like a real tremelo sound you'd get out of an old amp. It keeps the sound more mellow and less artificial. Yes, I agree that the mod creates a more pronounced effect sound but I prefer the sound to be more subtle and less artificial, or digital. If some of you are having problems with your pedals, such as major volume drop, then I would say go for it. In my case, the pedal sounded fine to begin with, with no major volume drop or other issues. If your pedal sounds fine and has just a small bit of a volume drop, and you like the older more realistic sound that you get from an old Fender amp, don't bother messing with your pedal. I think the people at Boss weighed the difference and thought the pedal sounded better the way they set it up. I agree.

Based on my limited knowledge, I'd give the pedal a 9 because it does everything I'd expect it to do pretty well. I base this on the fact that you get a good deal on it as well, if price vs. value is implied in this category. In my case, I got a very good deal. I would say that used goods such as pedals, but especially amps where a lot can go wrong, shouldn't go for more than half of what you can buy it for new, if it is something currently being sold new and available. This does not mean half of list price, this means half the discounted new price that anyone can get online. People always make me laugh when they say that what they are selling is a good deal because it is half off of retail.

I found the controls to have a good usable range and to do what was expected.

This review is based on a test I carried out in a music shop's demo room, using a USA std strat straight into the TR-2 and with the output of the TR-2 fed into a 100w valve amp combo, set to give a warm, clean tone.

I liked the controllability and range of the controls, but found the tremolo effected sound quite thin. I was also testing another tremolo pedal in the same demo session, as an A/B (a T-Rex Tremster). The other pedal gave a far warmer sound with far more bass response.

On closer listening it transpired that the TR-2 was effectively cutting out most of the low end bass of my guitar signal.

However.... this was not the reason why i'm giving it a 1 rating, as one could argue that a thin sounding tremolo is what is required/desired (for some uses).

The reason I'm giving it a 1 rating for sound, is that I then moved on to test the TR-2 with it in bypass mode. I found that the same low end rolloff was happening in bypass as well. I'm not talking about a slight bass frequency drop here, but something pretty major. I tested a stright connection to the amp and also a A/B comparison with the T-Rex unit, just to check I wasn't mistaken, but sure enough in bypass mode the TR-2 losses a whole load of low frequencies.

I don't use phrases like 'tone suck' because they mean nothing descriptively. I'm talking about a severe bass frequency rolloff at I'm guessing anything below about 200hz. It would be interesting to hook a frequency sweep test set up to a TR-2 in bypass an see what happens at the lower end of the guitar's frequency spectrum.

Unless the TR-2 unit I tested (brand new) is faulty -adding this in your effects chain is going to ensure your guitar's signal is well and truely altered (for the worse). I can't see how anyone can use this unit effectively unless it is put in a side effects loop and swiched in/out when needed - even then, when you switch it in you are going to get a thin, bass light sound, which does not resemble the guitar's original signal or tone.

My advice - steer well clear of this unit. there are far better choices available.

I'd class the TR-2 as being unusable for serious guitar usage, for the reasons stated above. I know some 'name' players use the TR-2, so perhaps there is a mod I'm not aware of, or perhaps they use it in a switched loop and make do with the thin sound? I've used other Boss effects in the past and enjoyed them, so the TR-2 is a real shame.

Totally easy to use; no manuel needed! Speed/Depth/Waveform
end of story

Sound isn't colored much by the Boss TR-2 Tremelo. This unit isn't very noisy either. I can't give it a 10 on tone sucking or noise, but
pretty decent. Now before I removed the C4 from the circuitry it was warmer, but had a smothered sound. After the C4 "mod" it is opened up
more responsive, more powerful, not quite as warm. But removing the
C4 is definetly the way to go. The square wave could almost jerk your amp while pulsating, slow it down to a snail's pace if wanted, or hyper speed if wanted.

Boss has a reputation for solid, reliable units. I did have to insulate the battery wires; they were worn by stepping on the footswitch and had a naked space on it.

I have always liked tremelo. It's not going out of style like say
flanger, ring modulator, or space sounds, I'm content totally with the (modified) Boss TR-2 Tremelo. I have no plans to buy another brand or look elsewhere for any other tremelo unit.

Start with all knobs in the middle position. Sounds great - your standard tremolo sound. Start tweaking from there.

My pedal does NOT have the volume drop problem. I'm guessing that Boss heard about all the griping and fixed it in the newer models? Mine sounds great. Doesn't suck tone too much (at least not recognizably in live situations - but it probably does a little bit... as much as any other non-true-bypass Boss pedal).
The tremolo effect and tone is very tasteful and useful IMO.
In case you're wondering, my signal chain is: Strat -> Homebrew Power Screamer -> Maxon OD9 -> Boss DS-1 Keeley Ultra Mod -> Boss TR-2 Tremolo -> Vintage EHX Electric Mistress -> Ibanez AD9 analog delay

it's a Boss. Never seen one break yet.

don't know.

I play rock, jazz, pop... whatever pays the bills. Been playing 20 years. I'm not a huge Boss fan, the only other Boss pedal i use is a Keeley modded one. But this sounds great, and doesn't suck as much tone as I thought it would. I was pleasantly surprised, and this pedal has found a home on my board. I don't mind spending $$$ but this is an awesome value for $40 used. (Again, mine doesn't have the volume drop problem - maybe it's because it's a newer model?)

Dead easy. 3 parameters which provide a variety of very use able tremolo timbres. No need for a manual.

Ive just done the C4 mod.

Before C4 mod: 7/10

The overall effect was good however, my overall guitar tone was 'sucked' and a noticeable volume drop occured when the effect was switched on. This was especially noticable when playing loud through an amplifier. This was all due to the C4 capasitor. (Capasitors by definition have a 'mellowing' effect on a circuit....apparently!)

AND SO...

After the mod: 10/10

All my gripes with this pedal are gone! The volume drop has disappeared and now the pedal sounds much fuller, with a slight emphasis towards the bass frequencies, which I really like!

It's a Boss pedal - it will outlive me. 'nuf said.

(in a gig situation, my backup rig is a Pod XT so I wont be buying a backup pedal.....even if I could afford one......im quite poor!)

Never dealt with them.

To test the effect this mod did to the pedal, I recorded my PRS Custom 22 into the TR-2, then into a Pod XT and finally into Pro Tools LE 7.3 via an Mbox. This was then monitered through a pair of Beyer Dynamic DT-150s (sick headphones! buy some lol). I was careful to use exactly the same parameters on all the equipment involved to make this a fair test. I recorded a simple chord sequence and then a lead part to examine 2 different ways this pedal could be used. This was recorded twice; once before the pedal was modded, and once after. (and yes I did my best to play with the same velocity)

The results were great! after listening o the modded tremolo sound, I was really impressed. Looking at the Pro Tools session file also showed that the waveform from the modded recording was larger than the original signal, proving that the volume drop has been removed.

This pedal is a fantastic addition to my effects arsenal! Now that the C4 mod has been done, the TR-2 will be on my pedalboard for a very long time! Dont get me wrong, I am not a tremolo pedal expert and no doubt that Fulltone or EHX or whoever probably make a better tremolo, but FUCK IT. I like this one and for the price I payed, who can argue! End of.

Completely idiot proof. I got mine's second hand (the previous owner modded it) unboxed and without a manual and was having fun with it within seconds. There's even a handy diagram of the wave shapes next to the middle knob.

Sounds great but suffers from a slight volume dip without the mod, definately get this done if you have one of these pedals or are considering getting one. You can change the shape of the wave and get some pretty cool surfy sounds out of it. I play a Mexican Fender tele' through a solid state Laney head and marshall 2x12 which sounds ok, but i've also messed around with it through my mates Orange AD-30 and it sounds just grand.

Boss stuff in general is pretty solidly built and dependable.

n/a

I'm not a massive gear head or anything but this sounds, to my ears, as good as anything i've heard and is pretty fairly priced. I don't think a pedal twice the price of this one would be 100% better. I spent about a month mucking about with mine's til' i started using it legitimately, I really hitting chords with this plugged in after a delay pedal and mucking about with the knobs on both. Great fun!

Good Pedal. Simple to use. I recommend doing the C4 Mod (see other reviews) - makes a good pedal even better.

Sound good. No noise. Nice tone (espedially after Mod).

Boss - verywellbuilt - even my taiwan model is - just as solid as any of my other Boss pedals.

Never had to contact Boss.

Does just what I want it to do - nice vintgage type tremolo tone - even better with simple mod (clip the C4 capacitor - takes 30 seconds - and I am a techno idiot). And with the square wave option and a little ditortion you can even nail the "How Soon Is Now" sound byt The Smiths.

Very simple. The wave form knob is subtle. I got authentic tremolo sound right away, very much like Fender vibrato.

I thought the effect was bold enough right out of the box. It could be that mine is a newer one or perhaps I better understand the perceived sound level of a tremolo (half on - half off) since I've had the gold standard Fender Super Reverb vibrato.

Mine has some hiss when engaged (on the "on" cycle of the modulation). Mine is in a board with four others though. It's not heard when playing, only when quiet. Not good for a quiet recording.

It's a Boss-virtually indestructable. I was considering cheaper pedals but this Boss matches my other Boss pedals in my array.

I've never used them but I hear they are responsive.

I play classic rock, country, some light jazz. This sounds nice on old surf instrumentals and pretty chord melody stuff. Only a handful of hits used this but I use it more than I thought. I like this pedal.

Look at it. It does not get any easier than this.

I have never modified any piece of music gear before today. I don't even know what a soldering gun looks like, but I know when a tremolo pedal sucks tone. And before 10 minutes ago, my TR-2 (purchased new in the fall of 2006) sucked the life out of any guitar that I ran through it. It was actually purchased for me by a company paying me to play in a musical theater show with all 60's music. Six months later (after not using it since the show) I was about to put it up for sale on Craigslist when I decided to check out this "C4 mod" that I read about last fall before I told the guys which one to buy. There were on a budget and I figured the TR-2 would at least not malfunction.

So I followed the instruction below which I cut and pasted from a review that's listed just a few before mine. Believe me, I was a bit nervous before I snipped. Who am I to be modifying effects pedals?
I snipped the C4 capacitor, plugged it back in, and suddenly it's my new favorite pedal. Holy crap. It sounds fantastic. I can actually hear the tone in my Strat neck pick-up... LOUD and CLEAR. Do it folks, follow these instructions. I'm rating it a 9 because I never tested any other tremolo pedals.

HERE IS HOW YOU PERFORM THE C4 MOD:
Materials:
(1) Phillips-head screwdriver
(1) Bowl or cup (you don't want to lose any screws)
(1) Pair of small scisors, wire cutters, or nail-clippers.

-Take the battery out of your pedal, and/or unplug it from a wall outlet adapter.
-Unscrew the bottom 4 screws from the pedal, and put them in your cup or bowl.
-Take the bottom panel and plastic covering off underneath that.
-Pull out the circuit board, keeping in mind you will have to pull out at an angle so the 9v adapter box can slide out of its hole with ease.
-Locate the larger of 2 small "silvery pillow" objects (capacitators, if you know what they look like) and cut/clip both leads from the circuit board.
-Tape the C4 inside your pedal somewhere so that you don't lose it. (Encase you decide that you hate a good sounding pedal, you can solder it back in.
-Put the circuit board back in, replace the plastic cover, screw the bottom panel back in, and you're done!

I have 3 Boss pedals now. They are strong and reliable.

Haven't needed it.

Like I wrote earlier, this pedal is fantastic after the "C4 mod." I will be using it tomorrow night for a gig. But it's the only tremolo pedal I have ever used, so it's gets a highly satisfied 9.

It has three knobs, two more than me, it's that simple

I tried it out with my U.S.A Telecaster and a Vox VR30 amp.
At first it sounded pretty tinny/empty, I've just done the C4 modification, and it's been brought back to life.

I'd give it 2 before the mod, 10 after, i'm really pleased with it.

Since the C4 mod, it responds better than before, it's got a nice warm "worn in feel" like a good pair of shoes.

It's a Boss pedal, so it's really reliable, if it ever did die on me, i'd buy another and use this one as a doorstop.

Never had any call to use Boss support

My style varies a lot, i play 60's, Punk, Indie etc. I'd definatley buy another one if it was stolen.
The only thing is know, is to sort out my other Boss pedals, is there any diy mods you can let me in on.

3 knobs, easy.

SINCE I DID THE C4 CAPACITOR...... lovely and warm, very smooth old school sound, wraps you up in a mellow tremolo sound.

BEFORE THE C4 MODIFICATION..... sucked out all my vintage gears tone. I use '60's Fenders with '50's Fender amps and as with 99% of new Boss products it 'moderned' my sound to much.

It's not as good as old tube or boutique tremelos, but you wouldn't exactly want them on your used and abused pedal board! I was about to sell this Tremelo when i stumbled across the modification.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF A GREAT GUY A FEW REVIEWS DOWN FROM THIS, BUT IT ONLY WORKS ON OLDER TR-2's.

***** CHEERS FOR THE HELP MATE *****

Boss = RELIABLE. Most of my Boss pedals are pre 1985 and still work as they did then.

Never needed to use them.

But, in the 'Boss Book' the founder of Boss says that the new ones are just the same as the old early Japanese ones... we all know thats B.S.

Now i've modded it, i'm chuffed as punch. If you like the old school and roots, you will too.

Before that, just another 'ok' new Boss pedal.

If you don't know what i mean, Pepsi challenge the new Boss against the old.

Important update on the C4 mod...

I wrote the original C4 mod instructions back on 11/27/04, and apparently many HC readers have been happy with the results. However, I started getting emails from people saying that the couldn't find C4, and that their circuit board didn't look like the picture I sent them.

From what I gather, Boss has "upgraded" the TR-2 to a new design (possibly all digital). therefore, YOU CANNOT DO MY C4 MOD ON THESE NEWER PEDALS! I do not have a new TR-2 myself, so if anyone out there has more info on this issue, please email me or post it on HC.

Unfortunately, you cannot tell the difference between the old style and new style from the outside. You have to open the unit up and see if it has the new board or the old board. If you really want this mod, I suggest you find an older TR-2 from Ebay. I just saw a bunch listed, including units with the C4 mod!

Email me if you have questions. I can send you a picture of the old style circuit board showing where C4 is.

Three dials....it doesn't get any easier, just listen, rotate to taste and serve.

Well I was very cautious about this magical C-4 modification to stop the slight drop in volume. I had thought maybe the folks doing this mod really did not remember the old trem sound as I did.
OKAY, I bit the bullet and did the simply snip, snip on the C-4 and OH am I glad I did. The sound really cleared up and became much more vibrant so I'd have to recommend this modification to this pedal to anyone. I'm using it currently with a Roland Blues Cube BC-60 and with a Fender Highway 1 Strat, Samick SAT650 (355 clone) and a Tele.
All sound very very nice. Smooth.....like velvet. Tremolo is a very nice effect IF used selectively. I used it with a touch of delay and a little chorus and it surprised me and sounded like Danny Gattons Magic Dingus Box......well...close.

As they say 'Like a tank'. I have seferal OLD Boss pedals and they have all stood the test of time.

Never had to use it.

I've played a variety of music in several bands for more then 30 years. If this pedal got away from me I'd get another (and do the C-4 simple mod). Great value for just the amount I ws willing to spend and then some.

-Three knobs (typical boss pedal set-up), Rate, Depth, and Wave.
-A "check" light tells you if the pedal is on or not.
-Two 1/4" jacks for input and output, which are CLEARLY labeled.
-9v power adapter port on the "back" of it.

This setup (like all other boss pedals) is about as basic as you can get. My only complaint with ease of use is with the wave knob. If I did not know what they were referring to with the use of the word "wave," it would not be self-explanatory. Although everything is clearly labeled and explain in the user's manual, this could possibly concern a lesser-educated musician who perhaps bought the unit used and without a user's manual.

SEE "SOUND QUALITY RATING" BELOW:

I bought this pedal to get a "warm-and-fuzzy" feel for the softer songs by my indie rock band. First plug-in, and I felt like the pedal fails. I noticed a definite output level drop when the pedal was turned on. At first I figured that I was imagining things, as the pedal was MADE to swell or alter the output, but I clarified this by turning the rate/depth knobs all the way off, (which causes the pedal to do nothing) and the output was in fact lower.

The actual tremolo effect itself seemed to be dry and boring, almost as bad as some low-end digital effects. I took the time to research the pedal online, hoping I just got a defunct one... which is when I found out about the C4 mod!

HERE IS HOW YOU PERFORM THE C4 MOD:
Materials:
(1) Phillips-head screwdriver
(1) Bowl or cup (you don't want to lose any screws)
(1) Pair of small scisors, wire cutters, or nail-clippers.

-Take the battery out of your pedal, and/or unplug it from a wall outlet adapter.
-Unscrew the bottom 4 screws from the pedal, and put them in your cup or bowl.
-Take the bottom panel and plastic covering off underneath that.
-Pull out the circuit board, keeping in mind you will have to pull out at an angle so the 9v adapter box can slide out of its hole with ease.
-Locate the larger of 2 small "silvery pillow" objects (capacitators, if you know what they look like) and cut/clip both leads from the circuit board.
-Tape the C4 inside your pedal somewhere so that you don't lose it. (Encase you decide that you hate a good sounding pedal, you can solder it back in.
-Put the circuit board back in, replace the plastic cover, screw the bottom panel back in, and you're done!

Benefits of the C4 Mod:
-No output drop when the pedal is on
-Warmer, more vintage tremolo sound (think 60's/70's psychedelic records)
-Less "hiss" from the TR-2 in your pedal chain

SOUND QUALITY RATING:

WITHOUT THE C4 MOD: 4

WITH THE C4 MOD: 9

It's made out of some kind of heavy alloy or metal, so the casing won't break. The inner circuitry is protected by some soft plastic, and is held tightly in place, so its not going to wiggle around inside the pedal. Overall, I trust the dependability of this pedal 100% and wouldn't even think to ever need a backup.

I've never dealt with boss's support line, but I've heard the good the bad and the ugly about it. I'm sure it's on a case-by-case basis that you get good or bad service.

Coming from a guy who plays anything from jazz to heavy rock, I find this pedal pretty useful and versatile. I believe in moderation and variation of effects, so I try no to over-use them in my music. The great thing about this pedal is how many different sounds you can get out of it, from a warm-and-fuzzy love song feel to a heavy Mars Volta jam-esque sound, this pedal is a must-have in my opinion.