Marshall BB-2 Bluesbreaker II

Easy to use. Just set the mode, adjust the controls to your liking & stand back and wail

To my ears, this pedal is really more voiced for rock than blues. However, it can do blues but its more of a higher gain type of tone(think Hendrix). But, afterall it is a Marshall pedal so I guess its to be expected. I usually play a little bit cleaner blues so it took a while to get used to this but it's got its own tone & it certainly has its place in certain songs. I think it can easily cover hard rock like AC/DC or G-N-R. I use this with an american Strat w/ vintage pups and a Les Paul w/ SD '59s. The amps I use are reissue Super Reverb and a Epiphone Galaxie Tube 10. The best combination to me is actually the Les Paul and the Galaxie 10. Makes it sound just like a baby Marshall. Really smooth OD & unmistakable Marshall tone. I wish this pedal sounded better with the Super Reverb since its my main amp but its just so-so. Strangely enough, the Epiphone flat out screams with this pedal. Go figure. The tone I get from the Fender amp is a 7, from the Epiphone a 9.

Had it about 6 months. Its steel & its heavy so I see no problems in the immediate future. Works fine so far....

A nice pedal for blues/rock. Not really voiced for metal because its a bit too crunchy for that IMO. The boost is great for solo work or driving a tube amp's front end a little. Be careful of it's output level when switching between boost and blues mode because there is a huge difference in volume between these settings. I also use a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive which I think is an awesome pedal for blues. If higher gain blues & rock and the Marshall tone is your thang, you'll like this pedal.

Two modes, the usual knob suspects. Easy.

I played a Les Paul through a Peavey Classic 30 to test this pedal out. The boost mode is great. It's crystal clear and gives a nice kick to your clean tone or boosting your lead tone.

However, the overdriven tone isn't exactly what I preferred. There isn't anything wrong with it, per say, just not what I like. It isn't thin or raspy, but the highs were a little too harsh for me. Maybe it was just this particular pedal, but the overdriven mode didn't sound as smooth as I prefer.

I'd give this a 6, but I'll kick it up a point for the clean boost.

Can't comment since I only test drove the pedal, but it seemed solidly built.

Again, no experience with Marshall, so I can't comment.

I play blues/rock mainly, and dabble in just about everything else (from raggae to gypsy jazz to metal to ska). I've been playing about 8 years now, and absolutely love early Clapton. That's why I tried this pedal. EC managed to get a great ballsy sound out of his Marshall and Les Paul while still having that creamy tone. This particular pedal didn't give me that sound. The treble was just a little to grating and brittle. The clean boost was great, though.

Simple. You're either playing with the boost setting or with the overdrive setting. If boost, you just set the volume for your leads. If overdrive, you have level, tone, and volume. How could this be easier?

American Standard strat with fat 50s pickups, Epiphone Sheraton 2 with Gibson 57 Classic pickups, Carvin custom with Gibson Burstbucker pickups into MXR phase 90, BB2, Crybaby to Fender Super Reverb Reissue with Vibrato.
This pedal makes my already incredible strat pickups sound otherworldly. Boost makes my strat explode with fat bright tones even in the notoriously poor neck position that strats have. Makes the out-of-phase positions irresistable. If you have a Strat, buy this pedal, period.
Gives the humbuckers in my Carvin a light natural crunch in boost mode, which is great since the Fender Super Reverb is notorious for being impossible to break up no matter what volume.
Unfortunately my hollow-body just breaks up too much with the boost setting, so that it is like a low level overdrive pedal, not very useful.
The overdrive is the best I've ever heard, bar none. At lower levels it's crunchy for all forms of rock or blues, as you raise the level it sings with greater and greater levels of smoothness, clarity and intensity. It's like having a vocalist that can go from Muddy Waters to Luciano Pavarotti. I can't imagine getting a bad sound out of it. I often change what I'm playing based on what tone I dial in, rather than changing the tone I dial in to fit what I'm playing. It sounds that good.

I've only had it a few months, but it seems pretty solid.

Haven't needed any.

I play mostly rock-funk stuff, but everyone needs a good overdrive. Lately though I've been focusing on seventies melodic lead guitar a la Mick Ronson and Brian May, as well as a little Angus Young just for fun. Oh, this pedal has Angus Young, believe me. I tried a LOT of fuzz boxes, distortion pedals and overdrive pedals, before I tried this once with a strat, and the search was over.
I'll make it simple. The boost gives my clean sounds a life I didn't know they could have, and the drive gives me growl or sing or whatever I want in between. I hate to give anything a perfect ten, but I have no choice. If I could only keep one pedal this would be it, and I have considered buying a second one so I can use the boost and drive at the same time. So, ten it is.

Piece of cake. Good and Helpful manual

Two modes:
Boost: Useful if you have a good lead channel in your amp, so you can...boosts your signal! That's it
Blues: In few words, the best overdrive pedal I had in my whole life..creamy OD, more gain and sing than Ibanez TS9

It's built like a tank.

Never dealt with them.

have 2 natural '79 strats, one with stock pu's and the other with Hot Gold Lace Sensor, 1969 Fender Vibrolux Reverb Amp and 1992 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp.
I have a huge OD/DIST stomp box collection: Ibanez TS9 (Mod one), SuperTube Screamer, FatCat, Maxon OD808, BOSS OD-3, Mesa Boogie V-Twin.
I had: BOSS DS-1, Blues Driver, SuperOD, OD-1, OD-2, Ibanez TS9 dlx, TS5, TS10, Marshall Guv'nor (first edition, made in england), Jackhammer, DriveMaster....so I know a little about OD/DIST
Then I assure BB-2 sounds rich and warm,you can get lots harmonics, sustain, violin sound
My actual setup is guitar-->maxon OD808 (very low drive, just nice crunch)--->BB-2 (full blues drive for creamy leads)---> BOSS DM-3 (analog delay)
I have been playing for 30 years, 15 years part time professional my own compositions (Fussion Rock) and covers songs: SRV, Clapton, Deep Purple, Zep, Rolling, Beatles, AC/DC, Van Halen
You know sound its a subjetive matter, but I think anybody who buys one won't be disappointed. Not for Grunge or Heavy stuff
If it were stolen I buy it again...and again..and again

You just step on it!

Superb warm valve tones. I used to use the GFX 707 for all my effects but it's fiddly and the distortions are ugly and clipped with no real warmth to them. Hence my purchase of this little beauty. Satisfies all my needs for blues, indie/alternative and even hard rock when the mood takes me and the drive is way up!

There's no way i can ever see this breaking...

Never had the need...

I play a lot of Led Zep, Beatles, Stone Roses, Doors, Hendrix, Creedence - that kinda thing and it's perfect! I use it with a Dunlop Standard Cry Baby, a Boss Chorus(soon to be replaced by a Marshall SuperVibe) and the GFX 707 which is a decent tuner after all. If I were to lose this i'd cry, then find and ATM and then go buy a new one.

See my other review.

THIS IS AN UPDATE.
I bought a strat, and also started to play some blues, therefore i starter to use this pedal alot more. And i started to use it alone (without other dist pedals).
What can i say? It sounds GREAT! My strat has a maple neck and fretboard, which make it really bright sounding. The BB-2 really warms it! it adds some bass and mids and the tone control allows to remove the excessive high-end. I use the strat with her tone (treble) pot on 6, and use the pedal on the blues mode with drive on 3 o'clock, tone on 1 o'clock and volume on 12 o'clock, and it really gives that valve sound, perfect for rock/alternative and old heavy-metal (like black sabath, etc; w/ the bridge pickup, 'cause my bridge puckup is mainly mids w/ my settings - treble rolled off), wich are the styles i use this pedal for. Also nails Brian May on the brigde pickup!
I don't recomend going any further that nickleback/iron maiden with this pedal (eg. Metallica, Rammstein) 'cause it does not have enough gain. I use my amp's distortion for that, and the BB-2 on the boost mode for solos and controled feedback.
It's the only OD pedal that sounds good with my strat.
Also sound great with my les paul with emg85 on neck and emg81 on bridge.

See my other review.

See my other review.

Great deal.

Cool pedal really easy to use just a bit of a fag switching between boost & blues. Its not just the knob thing but the volume level difference between the two modes. You have to kkep o the ball. Manual was cool and a helpful

I play my harmonica through this. It rocks. I can get so many different kinds of noise. from quite a nice dry crunch to a really bluesy gravel.Blowing a full chord picks up the knda low level grind, but a solo bending draw note sings and sustains. I don't use the boost much as the sound is a bit clean for my purposes but if i do need to it all ways punches me high over all the the crazzy distortion happening on stage so is great for solos. However, I having to bend down and turn a knob part way through a track kinda dampens my enthusiam for doing that. At th mo I chain it up with a boss Od3 and a cheapy Arion digital delay and am saving up for an Ibanz chorus/flanger or phaser.

Of all the pedals in my box this will be the one to survive the A bomb. The wieght and solid feel of it was a major part of persauding to par with my money. I could'nt believe a cheap pedal could feel so tuff. I mean compare it to the danoelectric crap, one stomp and you got scrambled pedal.

not yet needed any help. Which I geuss is good

Top product for the price, does all i want and more. Would definately consider another Marshall pedal in the range, although different colours would help quick identification on stage. If nicked would be replaced.

It's easy but not very practical. You can't switch between the BOOST MODE and the BLUES MODE with your foot.

Perfect for blues... "Boost Mode" gives a nice sustain and volume to play stronger solos but it's still acceptable for clean blues. Bend&Vibrato sounds perfect in this mode. The "Blues Mode" has a real warm and anti-noisy overdrive. The Mids are awesome. It's good for hard-rock, too.

Like A Stone ;)

don't know...

Probably the best pedal for blues guitar. It can be used everywhere. (gigs, recording, home etc.) BB2 is a professional quality pedal, not a toy. Very good job from Marshall.

Come on... If you can't work out how to use this you need a good long sit down and a think about yourself...

I haven't bought this but I tested it extensively through a Fender Princeton and a Fender Mexican Strat. I usually play a Parker Fly classic through a Laney GH100L or my rack with a Mesa Quad and Mesa 20/20.

I wanted this pedal to give my Laney a better lead sound so that I have my chunky distortion rhythm tone and then step on the pedal to boost it for solos. On the Fender amp I played it did this perfectly - it gave me a really thick liquid lead sound with plenty of sustain (just like John Petrucci). It is a very dynamic pedal which is good. If that's what you're looking for in this pedal then don't hesitate to try it.

When applied to the clean channel it adds a warm bluesy overdrive to the sound which is very useable.

Passive bypass is wonderful too even though if I put this in my rack it will eventually go in a switcher.

Built like a tank - I was more worried about my shoes and the state of the floor underneath the pedal. I wouldn't want it dropped on my foot.

I've dealt with Marshall in the past and they seemed helpful but at the moment (just after the Mode 4 has come out) they are quite behind on orders - my cab took ages to come when I ordered it.

If you want to use this like many people use the Fulltone FD-2, as a boost for solos then get it. I will be buying this very soon as it's a great addition to my amp, effectively doubling the number of channels.

It's pretty small as well which is great so you can just pop it in your gig back / case / pocket / bag and it's there if you need it!

Very easy to handle.
Volume, Tone, Drive and a boost on/off function
Manual is great with a page for noting favourite settings.

Rating down for the boost function not being a foot-switchable button.

I use a Strat and a LP through a Marshall half-stack. The sound is superb. Very dynamic, sensitive to pinch harmonics, nice and fat souding.

Tried it against the BB1, Guvnor, MetalZone, Jackhammer, MXR D+ etc. plus some digital things and it just destroyed them. MXR was closest to being good. Full marks!

Warning: The Boost really boosts the signal into your amp. Really boost. Beware & use the volume control with care!

Note: It says BLUES breaker. If you play Metal with a scooped sound it's NOT an item for you. :)

Yes and yes. It's very solidly built in metal! Knobs mounted in a recessed cavity so you could step on or drop the pedal in relative safety.

I play rock, soul, punk, metal. Would replace immediately if lost.
The perfect one would have a button for the boost on/off function.