Name: NS-2 Noise Suppressor
Brand: Boss
SKU: 3329
Rating: 4.6 (42 reviews)

tom.schryer.9

Very helpful ally against single-coil hum

Published on 10/06/14 at 11:43

I love my NS-2. Single-coil pickups (IMHO) have a purer sinusoidal waveform than humbuckers since a humbucker has two rows of pickups which are slightly out of phase but then combined. However, single-coils are noisy (60-cycle hum from lights, etc.). What to do? NS-2! Techy point: the unit can be noisy (less effective) with some power supplies so be careful about that (see below).

UTILIZATION

nobs are a little mysterious but not really a problem. I use it so my soft passages are free of 60-cycle hum. Ever hear Buddy Guy live? Quiet passages can be real attention getters.

SOUND QUALITY

Mainly 2 "Strat" clones: both single-coiled ChordBenders, one in Nashville tuning (which I...…

I love my NS-2. Single-coil pickups (IMHO) have a purer sinusoidal waveform than humbuckers since a humbucker has two rows of pickups which are slightly out of phase but then combined. However, single-coils are noisy (60-cycle hum from lights, etc.). What to do? NS-2! Techy point: the unit can be noisy (less effective) with some power supplies so be careful about that (see below).

UTILIZATION

nobs are a little mysterious but not really a problem. I use it so my soft passages are free of 60-cycle hum. Ever hear Buddy Guy live? Quiet passages can be real attention getters.

SOUND QUALITY

Mainly 2 "Strat" clones: both single-coiled ChordBenders, one in Nashville tuning (which I think of as "mandolin sound" & just have to use as sonic spice).

OVERALL OPINION

Boss regulates the price but some NS-2 dealers offer free stuff (like a power supply that actually gets along with the NS-2) so include “free” when you Google for where to buy one. The knobs control a lowest usable volume & once your signal falls below that you get silence so balance that limitation with noise control. Very sturdy. My effects board has a noise controller but the NS-2 is much better.

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MGR/Superdown Ritual

Boss Noise Suppressor NS-2

Published on 05/18/03 at 15:00

100$ at Sam Ash. Got it because I have a psychotic DOD pedal called Death Metal Pedal, its not the name it was the feedback and noise it gave while youre not playing it and when I put that psycho DOD with my precious and clean Boss V-Wah - not a good mix, like the two pedals arent made for each other -theyre not.

And I like the fact that the Noise Suppressor brings the DOD and the V-Wah together and eliminates all the size noise and feedback. Now I am actually able to put the DOD full volume without blood coming out of my ears. And also it acts as a power supply, so I bought a daisy chain for 15$ and hooked up my Zoom Drum machine, Zoom 606, DOD, V-Wah all together, so now I only have...…

100$ at Sam Ash. Got it because I have a psychotic DOD pedal called Death Metal Pedal, its not the name it was the feedback and noise it gave while youre not playing it and when I put that psycho DOD with my precious and clean Boss V-Wah - not a good mix, like the two pedals arent made for each other -theyre not.

And I like the fact that the Noise Suppressor brings the DOD and the V-Wah together and eliminates all the size noise and feedback. Now I am actually able to put the DOD full volume without blood coming out of my ears. And also it acts as a power supply, so I bought a daisy chain for 15$ and hooked up my Zoom Drum machine, Zoom 606, DOD, V-Wah all together, so now I only have one adapter in the outlet and all of them are working, instead of unplugging and plugging 4 adapters into 2 outlets.

Dude, its a Boss, you have to love it. No you dont. Seriously, its a noise suppressor what wouldnt u like about a noise suppressor? It does its job, my case was extra hard, I dont think MXR Gate would do the job.

Its a Boss, ahem a Tank! And the quality is smart, the whole noise eliminating thing works great, for 100$ is kinda a lot, but if it will last me a life time, its golden.

If youre dealing with insane pedals, example: trying to have 2 low-end distortion pedals on at same time without getting a headache, its possible!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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MGR/dj

Boss NS-2

Published on 12/16/01 at 15:00

Paid $35 through internet auction.

The unit is very easy to use, and very effective. It has a very useful decay knob that lets you control the gating action.
The gating is very smooth unlike traditional gates. I have owned rocktron rack pieces and I prefer the Boss NS-2.

I'm pleased with everything.

Like all Boss pedals, it is built like a tank. It should provide many years of reliable service.

If you need to quiet up a high gain rack or pedal board, you couldn't find a more effective, and reasonably priced unit than the NS-2.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com…

Paid $35 through internet auction.

The unit is very easy to use, and very effective. It has a very useful decay knob that lets you control the gating action.
The gating is very smooth unlike traditional gates. I have owned rocktron rack pieces and I prefer the Boss NS-2.

I'm pleased with everything.

Like all Boss pedals, it is built like a tank. It should provide many years of reliable service.

If you need to quiet up a high gain rack or pedal board, you couldn't find a more effective, and reasonably priced unit than the NS-2.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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King Loudness

Fair enough noise gate

Published on 01/31/12 at 17:51

The BOSS NS-2 has been one of the standard "go to" noise gates or suppressors since the late eighties. It's pretty simple to use and very common to see in guitar rigs regardless of style or gear used, just to cut down on that ever present hum and buzz that many players are fighting in their rigs. It has a threshold control, as well as a rate control and a knob to select whether you want the pedal to reduce your noise or act as a mute, very cool feature for sure. Otherwise it's pretty standard BOSS as far as the features go and there isn't much to say about it. The construction is the standard stomp box fare and it really has a durable feel that will last for a long time.

UTILIZATION

The BOSS NS-2 has been one of the standard "go to" noise gates or suppressors since the late eighties. It's pretty simple to use and very common to see in guitar rigs regardless of style or gear used, just to cut down on that ever present hum and buzz that many players are fighting in their rigs. It has a threshold control, as well as a rate control and a knob to select whether you want the pedal to reduce your noise or act as a mute, very cool feature for sure. Otherwise it's pretty standard BOSS as far as the features go and there isn't much to say about it. The construction is the standard stomp box fare and it really has a durable feel that will last for a long time.

UTILIZATION

The setup of this pedal is either easy or difficult depending on your angle. I'm a huge fan of the ISP Decimator gate, which has a more gradual sweep and doesn't cut your tone off so staccato. That's really the biggest thing I find with setting this up. It can be more difficult to get it so it doesn't completely choke off your sound with its gate, whereas the ISP unit is more about keeping the tone and just removing the noise and not cutting off your signal. That being said, each has its place and if you want that sort of very abrupt cutoff, the NS-2 is a great pedal for thaat.

SOUND QUALITY

This pedal is really best used in situations where either you're in a noisy place playing, or if your rig is high gain and has a lot of inherent noise issues. This particular noise gate would probably be of interest to a lot of thrash metal or death metal players where you can get those nice quick cutoffs and not be left with a wall of noise. Many players actually prefer the feel of the BOSS unit, but for me where I play more of a standard hard rock style and like having my tones sustain, I prefer a unit like the ISP which has that more gradual cutoff for the notes.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the BOSS NS-2 is a decent noise gate for someone looking for a basic stomp box noise suppressor with a nice fast cutoff and more controls for adjustment. If you just want something to get rid of hum and don't need that fast attack, I would have a look at the ISP Technologies Decimator which does that job well and has served me quite nicely for a few years now. It really depends what you're looking for, but for most applications the NS-2 will do fine.

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Very helpful ally against single-coil hum

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Boss NS-2

Fair enough noise gate

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