In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver. The bd2 is very dynamic and works wonders with the volume control on your guitar. Posted by matt helm on sep 10, 2014 in blog, news 1 comment. It doesnt sound like it did on the sound clips from they didnt have one avalable to try out so i thought with a 30 day return policy. So i doubt katana blues drive can serve as a good substitute for bd 2. Using the unit safely and important notes separate sheet. Phil gates takes you on a guided tour of the bd 2 blues driver.
The bd2 is arguably one of the best boss pedals right out of the box, and with a few precision adjustments from the fromel laboratory, this pedal can rival the. Hi all, i was just wondering, for any of you gilmour junkies out there who use a boss blues driver pedal, what settings do you use for that dark side. That same design is also available via the micro toggle on the super phat mod. I like the bd 2 because its pretty easy to use in combination with my guitar knobs. But i think its a pretty versatile pedal, and i dont think it has to be just for blues. Page 1 of 2 boss bd 2 posted in effects, amps and their settings. You can control all the drive you want by setting the bd2 gain high and using your volume control to instantly dial in the rest. The gain of the boss bd 2 is all in all subtle to midharsh, it can be crunchy but will not distort, hence the name, blues driver. Here jack gives you an overview of the boss bd2 blues driver pedal, explains how it can effect your sound and runs over some basic settings. Boss bd2 blues driver fender stratocaster guitar forum. Hello, im opening this thread to talk about a specific issue of this popular pedal. At lower settings the strat blues driver combo sounded very. The fulltone full drive 2 is also a nice pedal as well as the reverend train. It cleans up nearly all the way when the gain knob.
Ive usually got it set up with the tone at 10 oclock and the gain at 10. Page 2 thank you, and congratulations on your choice of boss bd 2 blues driver. I sent a bd 2 and a ts9 into robert at the same time, in 05 or 06 maybe, so i used the two together all the time when i got them back from keeley. The keeley bd 2 was the first mod that had a switch. I still have the keeley ts9 flexi, but kinda wish i still had the bd 2 also. Getting the bd 2 to sound good is an easy task, with knobs like gain and tone you cant really go wrong and in general the pedal is pretty much player friendly, it sounds good and creamy. The bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. Standard mode captures the classic bd 2 tone while custom mode delivers new body and sustain.
Just wondering what settings you guys run to get a long drive lcw sound. The pedals tubelike response is due to the level of distortion being proportional to the picking strength. Boss bd2 blues driver pedal demo wfender stratocaster. Also i dont intend on buying another overdrive pedal but would like some advice on settings from anybody who has used a bd 2, im finding it good using it as a boost for soloing, i keep the pedals gain way down and have the level. The boss bd2 blues driver is an overdrive guitar pedal. Npd boss bd2, excited to stack this with my soul food. My regular bd 2 mod has a slight mid boost and a little less gain than the bd h2o mod. At 1 and even 2 its still remarkably clear for the amount of gain its adding. Katana blues drive is a kind of modded sd1 stacked into katana boost style jfet circuit. You can control all the drive you want by setting the. It was done to give players two modes of bass response. Recently i bought a digitech screamin blues, which i could buy for almost free, and from my readings, this is a 1.
The bd 2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. It was perfect for players of strats and teles who wanted just a small push without being muddy. I have a bad monkey but am not really liking it so was looking to get a blues driver. Boss realized the need for a pedal that could produce a bluesy vintage tube amp tone and in 1995 they came up with the blues driver. The only problem is the gain at an high value, but if you work with the guitar volume, the problem disappears. The boss bd2 blues driver is a relatively inexpensive overdrive pedal featuring high quality boss construction. The bd 2 was been a success from it first went on sale and its still one of the best selling boss pedals today. Boss bd2 effects, amps and their settings guitarzone. The bd 2 delivers the creamy, slightly crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar.
If you play guitar and have looked at all into recreating isaacs early mm tone, you probably have this pedal boss bd 2. Compared to our regular bd 2 mod this mod has a much flatter eq. You get that little bit of crunch and level boost at the low gain settings, but it. The tube screamer is a nice pedal and i think if it was between a stock bd 2 and the tube screamer i would choose the tube screamer. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps.
One configuration where the modded bd2 or super phat mod excel most is when used as a boost pedal set before another favorite overdrive. Although i liked the modded version much better than the stock one at 4. Boss bd2 blues driver simple, direct and efficient. Can also be used for warm distortion with a higher level of responsiveness than most distortion boxes. A a the boss blues driver is one of those pedals that everybody has owned or at least played through once. The bd2 is an excellent overdrive, warm and natural. The bd 2 is also ideal for practising at home as it creates the necessary tube distortion even at lower volumes.
The bd 2 is designed to be more of an overdrive pedal. The ts808 is more vintagey sounding and i think is better used for low gain settings. One of the pedals main features is that the level of distortion is proportional to the picking. Keeley bd2 boss blues driver phat mod overdrive pedal modified. It is an analog pedal and has a 14 inch input and output. The boss bd 2 blues driver pedal gives you the classic, bluesy sound of an overdriven vintage tube amp in a compact pedal. The only mod ive made to my blues driver is to replace the original red indicator led with a blue one, other than that mines all stock standard, for me, i find that the boss bd2 blues driver is a bit like the ibanez ts9 tube screamer, although the circuits are completely different, the blues driver doesnt have the midrangeyness of the tube screamer, i tried the british blues sound settings.
Any thoughts, opinions, or experience with this pedal. It is much tamer than its orange cousin the ds1, but it can put out a fair amount of distortion with the gain knob cranked up. With the slight boost, it was called the phat mode. It takes a 9 volt battery or can be powered by the boss tu 2 tuner pedal if you have the power supply and daisy chain. Before using this unit, carefully read the sections entitled. The bd 2 blues driver produces a bluesy vintage tube amp tone that blues players have adored since 1995, and its still one of the bestselling boss pedals today.
This edition of the blues driver the bd 2wincludes the originals controls for volume, tone and drive and, as with the other waza craft pedals, it includes a switch to activate standard mode denoted by the s or custom mode indicated by the c. In spite of the similar names boss bd2 blues driver and keeley katana blues drive are actually quite different animals. The boss bd 2 blues driver is one of the bestsounding overdrive pedals ever made, and modifications to it are entirely unnecessary gilding of the lily. Keeley modded boss bd2 blues driver n stuff music product. There are very few overdrives i would choose other than a bd 2, but none of them are better. Boss blues driver bd 2 whats the diy version of the keeley mod. However, the sound is very valid, and this is the most important thing. I have one slot open on my pedal board and i am thinking about getting a boss blues driver bd2 to smooth out the hdr channel on my vintage modern. The bd 2 gives you all the textures you need to scream, sing, or cry. If a nofrills, earthy blues and rock sound is desired, youve come to the right place with the bd 2 blues driver. Crafted with an ear for highly refined sound, the bd 2w takes the classic blues driver grit to a new level with alldiscrete analog circuitry. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver reverb news. When it comes to boss overdrive, the bd 2 is my first and only choice. This mod opens up the tone so your guitars natural tone remains pure and articulate.
The boss bd 2 blues driver pedal is my tip for someone starting on guitar who wants a bluesy crunch, light overdrive or an indie sound with a bit of bite. I just ordered a bd 2 off of reverb and am excited to try it out. From about 3 oclock on it gets less dynamic but i think thats as much due so much gain being in. Ive set the bd 2 up for a fairly high gain setting, with. Both mods remove the shriek highs and splaty gain of the stock bd 2. Ive set the bd 2 up for a fairly high gain setting, with the volume slightly above unity 10. Boss bd2 blues driver modifications fromel electronics. I dont really run into that at 1 2 oclock on a blues driver. Granted, i do like blues guitar, and was a big stevie ray vaughan fan in my formative playing years. I had a keeleymodded blues driver and sold it after abing it next to my arion tubulator which is a ts circuit. The bd 2 is arguably one of the best boss pedals right out of the box, and with a few precision adjustments from the fromel laboratory, this pedal can rival the best boutique stomp boxes on the market. The splaty gain of the stock bd 2 is a common gripe i.
The bd 2 is a very convincing and easy to get alternative for davids 70s colorsound power boost and the 80s90s00s tube driver tones. It is not a rackable unit and as it is a stomp box. Bd 2 blues driver guitar pedal the perfect tone for blues the bd 2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. For nailing that timehonored strato tube screamer sound, the bd2 doesnt quite measure up. Guitar volume is usually around 7 for more of a light overdrive, this way i still have some room to get grittier when i turn up my volume knob. Im learning the blues and this seems the obvious choice and the demos show it up good but are there alternatives worth checking out. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually.