Product Boss BD-2

Category:

Distorsions/Overdrives/Fuzzes for Guitar

Brand:

Boss

Distributor:

N/A

Avg price:

$88.57

Avg used price:

N/A

Characteristics

Utilization

Sound Quality

Overall Opinion

List of user reviews Boss BD-2

Boss BD-2 By moosers on 02/22/2009 Music is my profession

Characteristics

The Boss BD-2 Blues Driver is an overdrive guitar pedal. It is an analog pedal and has a 1/4 inch input and output. 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. It is not a rackable unit and as it is a stomp box.

Utilization

The general configuration and set of the BD-2 couldn't be easier. It has three knobs - one for level, one for tone, and one for gain. After a few minutes of playing around with this, you should be able to figure out what everything does exactly and get a quick good sound from it. It is easy to get a light, subtle overdrive or to get a nice thick tone. I don't have a manual for this, but like most Boss manuals, it is probably pretty thorough. This being said, the pedal is easy to figure out and most probably won't need a manual.

Sound Quality

The Boss BD-2 has a really nice tone quality to it and is usable for other genres besides blues. I have only use this with guitar and I probably wouldn't recommend it for use with any other instrument, although it would work fine. I just think the specific tone this has it probably best with guitar. It is great for playing blues lead lines and also works great as an all around rhythm guitar overdrive.

Overall Opinion

I've been using the Boss BD-2 for about four or five years. While I don't use it all the time, when I am looking for a specific type of overdrive, this can work like a charm. Boss has a reputation for make quality products, and this pedal definitley fits that bill. It would be hard to break and has a great overall tone quality. The price, like most Boss pedals like this one, is quite cheap and players on all budgets could probably afford one of they wanted it. If you play blues and are looking for an overdrive that isn't too heavy, I definitley recommend taking a look at this.

Boss BD-2 By phraseland on 12/11/2008 Music is my profession

Characteristics

Well this is a very basic distortion pedal by Boss. You get to adjust Gain, Level and Tone - the whole unit is built into the famous Boss casing - nearly indestructible.
The Bluesdriver is powered by a 9V Battery or an external power adaptor (not included).

Utilization

Setting this effect up is quite simple. I usually put it right in the beginning of my chain - right after the Tube Screamer. Once you have it hooked up just dial in the tone you want and make sure that the volume doesn't drop when switching. Of course different gain settings give you different sounds - just trust your ears.
I don't think a manual is needed - maybe a piece of paper to jot down your own presets.

Sound Quality

I really like the Bluesdriver. I have read on other reviews that they thought it was a bit too bassy and didn't have enough punch. I can see how people can feel that way and it really is a matter of taste. I use an old Fender Twin and run my Stratocaster through it. As these guitars don't have a lot of low mids by themselves this pedal complements my sound quite nicely. When I want crunch I switch on my Tube Screamer. Only occasionally do I use the Bluesdriver as a first overdrive - there I don't like the sound too much. But when I want a nice lead tone with endless sustain I switch on the Bluesdriver and together with the Tubescreamer it delivers just that. I also like that both have rather big pedals as it allows me to step on both of them at once during a gig.

Overall Opinion

I have been using the Bluesdriver for about two years now. I think eventually I will update it with an effect by T-Rex. They just sound better - period. I do think the Bluesdriver is not for everyone and even I wouldn't use it as a single pedal very often. But together with my Tubescreamer (or a similar pedal) it really gives my signal a very nice, creamy sound that can hold notes for hours!

Boss BD-2 By Audiofanzine FR on 11/06/2008

Characteristics

(Originally written by Dlz/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

Boss pedal with standard PSU.
Only three controls (vol. - gain - tone), no bass boost or switch for the modulation.

Utilization

With only three controls, it's plug and play.
The controls bring a certain versatility but the sound quality decreases with extreme settings.
An overdrive pedal is often used as pre-boost for a distortion but the result with this pedal is not convincing.

Sound Quality

The sound is ok with basic settings but its quality rapidly decreases when the gain increases. The last turns of the gain knob produce a mushy sound...
You'll hardly be able to use the unit as a pre-booster because its frequency response is less than ideal. I chose this pedal because I was very happy with my SD-1 as a pre-boost effect and I hoped to get the same quality but with a fatter sound.
The sound is fat indeed but I regret its poor definition, precision and overall quality.
While the SD-1's frequency response isn't totally flat (it has a slight boost in the mids), the DB-2's frequency response actually alters the sound. Therefore its use as a booster is very disappointing, specially if you consider that the SD-1 is a lot cheaper.

Overall Opinion

It's probably not a good idea to purchase a BD-2 if you already own an SD-1. Its fat sound can be interesting for some applications but the good old SD-1 seems a better choice to me.

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