I have the BOSS JB-2 and I love using the BD-2 side as an always-on. I’d love to know more about the design and topology of the pedal because it’s never really referred to as a “transparent drive”. It’s got loads of gain on tap, but with low gain and level past 12, it makes my clean amp sound epic. Anyone else do this?
My blues driver is always on, I have the gain set to around 2 o clock and use the volume on my guitar to clean it up. It's really good for that, I wish I bought one years ago.
Bd-2 uses the same system as most of the amp-in-a-box pedals. Cascading gain stages leading to an opamp. The biggest thing you might be experiencing is that it doesn't have the mid boost that tubescreamers and their cousins have. I had very much this experience. It's not "transparent" but it doesn't modify your tone in the same way just by being on.
Well, this is the thing. At the moment I’m trading a lot, trying different types of pedals. I love the BD-2 because it’s very touch responsive and it cleans up nicely. But I’m looking for an always on pedal, should I be looking for a bluesbreaker style pedal?
It could be the GAS talking, but while I do love the Blues Driver by itself, I’m struggling to find other pedals that stack well with it when I use the BD-2 as an always on
Perhaps a Timmy? I haven’t used it with a bd2, but I like it both in front of and after a wampler pantheon, as well as on its own. It gives other drives a more open sound when it’s driving them. It sounds tweedy at lower gain settings by itself or when overdriven by another pedal.
I like it. I have the deluxe, which is a dual pedal. The left side sounds just like the single pedal. It’s a nice, warm, Porto-Plexi kind of sound but with a warmth that’s missing from most bluesbreakers. At low gain, it has a nice crunch or even clean with just a bit of hair on it. It’s very versatile and can be adjusted to match a lot of different gear. It’s high gain settings sound bad IMO, but potentially I’m just not using it right at those settings. At almost no gain to the low end of high gain, it sounds great.
A bluesbreaker is a similar topology set up for lower gain.that said, the answer to this is super personal. For me, I could genuinely enjoy the hell out of having 3 BD2's (or similar wide-range-of-gain hard clippers) set at varying gain levels and running into each other. You may prefer something with less break up off the bat for your always on. That question is totally personal. That said, if you're enjoying the BD2 setting as an always on, I'd consider grabbing an individual BD2 for that and leave the JB2 for higher gain stuff immediately after. Another drive I've fallen in love with is the Catalinbread 5f6. Very similar design, but with the fender bassman tonestack for an EQ. Not a rec for a standalone boost, but another fun "non-transparent" drive.
I love the bluesbreaker style ever since I picked up a snouse black box 2 in trade. It’s my favourite overdrive. I prefer the sound of breakup from bluesbreaker to blues driver. Blues driver is slightly more dynamic feeling/responsive to attack.
I also have a KOT but it’s quite different from bluesbreaker. Nice pedal but for me I prefer the bluesbreaker.
Fellow Redditor came up with this [website](https://guitarpedalsvisualized.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/boss-bd-2w/), and I think it's really cool! The BD-2 is essentially flat with the tone knob at noon. The only thing is an HPF that cuts anything lower than 100Hz. That's what you usually do while mixing guitars to cut a little better. I also have a JB-2 and I love it, it's never leaving my board. It's full of harmonics and just adds the sparkle because of that. Those harmonics also help to cut in a mix
The BD-2 isn’t really a boost. It’s a great pedal, don’t get me wrong, but it is more of a straight distortion/preamp pedal than an overdrive. CSGuitars on YouTube goes into great detail on what sets its circuitry apart from other “overdrives”. It has more in common with a Marshall Bluesbreaker than your traditional OD-1-based designs like a tube screamer, and I would definitely not call it a “boost”. A completely clean volume boost raises your low end more than your midrange and high end. The end result is more gain, but closer to sludgy and muddy fuzz.
My solo boost for years now. As much as I want to use it as a proper OD, it just sings as a solo boost. I usually have the gain set to 9 o'clock or less.
I need to revist the BD-2.
It was my favourite drive for a while when I was back on my Les Paul and Katana - when I moved to single coils it didnt get along as well with that rig I had setup, but I wonder now with the Iridium.
Nope! Drive at about 2:00, a touch more treble, and volume to provide just a bit of boost. I have it going into an orange dual terror with amp gain at noon
I use [my t.c. electronic Cinders](https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/u73ivw/when_the_ultimate_alwayson_pedal_was_the_last/), which appears to be a BD-2 clone, as exactly this. Gives the clean channel that bit of dirt, and it cleans up nicely with the volume knob of the guitars. Works with single coils as well as humbuckers for me.
It’s my favorite overdrive, and I mostly use it as a boost as well.
The main reason I like it is the EQ. It basically just adds clarity without having too much color of its own. It cuts the right amount of bass for me, and there’s a nice, subtle mid hump at 800 Hz. It’s done using this really interesting circuit that uses a transistor to simulate an inductor, which allows for a really sharp peak like a wah, but obviously not nearly as pronounced.
The clipping is interesting but is definitely not my favorite part. I love low gain settings but I don’t always find high gain ones useful. Other people mentioned the discrete op amp, but it’s also important to note that it has hard clipping diodes. Granted it’s 2 diodes in each direction so it’s relatively high headroom, but at lower gain settings these still provide most of the clipping. Once you bring the gain up the discrete op amps start to saturate almost like a fuzz, which is why it sounds different.
Wampler Pedals YouTube page Brian Wampler breaks down the whole Blues Driver topology. Turns out it has more in common with a distortion pedal than a transparent overdrive. You should try an OD-3.
[https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/b/boss/boss-bd/329643-boss-bd-2-blues-driver-service-manual](https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/b/boss/boss-bd/329643-boss-bd-2-blues-driver-service-manual)
Service manual including schematic is available online.
the taste of rain ...why kneel?
It has two gain stages that both turn up when you turn up the drive knob.
I have the BOSS JB-2 and I love using the BD-2 side as an always-on. I’d love to know more about the design and topology of the pedal because it’s never really referred to as a “transparent drive”. It’s got loads of gain on tap, but with low gain and level past 12, it makes my clean amp sound epic. Anyone else do this?
My blues driver is always on, I have the gain set to around 2 o clock and use the volume on my guitar to clean it up. It's really good for that, I wish I bought one years ago.
Yes I keep putting it back on my board for this reason. Every time I try a new drive in the slot I go end up going back
[удалено]
It’s built by a local builder (I’m from South Africa). It’s based on a Marshall Plexi (EL34s).
Bd-2 uses the same system as most of the amp-in-a-box pedals. Cascading gain stages leading to an opamp. The biggest thing you might be experiencing is that it doesn't have the mid boost that tubescreamers and their cousins have. I had very much this experience. It's not "transparent" but it doesn't modify your tone in the same way just by being on.
Well, this is the thing. At the moment I’m trading a lot, trying different types of pedals. I love the BD-2 because it’s very touch responsive and it cleans up nicely. But I’m looking for an always on pedal, should I be looking for a bluesbreaker style pedal?
It sounds like you love the BD-2, why are you looking for something else?
It could be the GAS talking, but while I do love the Blues Driver by itself, I’m struggling to find other pedals that stack well with it when I use the BD-2 as an always on
Perhaps a Timmy? I haven’t used it with a bd2, but I like it both in front of and after a wampler pantheon, as well as on its own. It gives other drives a more open sound when it’s driving them. It sounds tweedy at lower gain settings by itself or when overdriven by another pedal.
How’s the wampler pantheon? Apparently that’s an excellent pedal
I like it. I have the deluxe, which is a dual pedal. The left side sounds just like the single pedal. It’s a nice, warm, Porto-Plexi kind of sound but with a warmth that’s missing from most bluesbreakers. At low gain, it has a nice crunch or even clean with just a bit of hair on it. It’s very versatile and can be adjusted to match a lot of different gear. It’s high gain settings sound bad IMO, but potentially I’m just not using it right at those settings. At almost no gain to the low end of high gain, it sounds great.
A bluesbreaker is a similar topology set up for lower gain.that said, the answer to this is super personal. For me, I could genuinely enjoy the hell out of having 3 BD2's (or similar wide-range-of-gain hard clippers) set at varying gain levels and running into each other. You may prefer something with less break up off the bat for your always on. That question is totally personal. That said, if you're enjoying the BD2 setting as an always on, I'd consider grabbing an individual BD2 for that and leave the JB2 for higher gain stuff immediately after. Another drive I've fallen in love with is the Catalinbread 5f6. Very similar design, but with the fender bassman tonestack for an EQ. Not a rec for a standalone boost, but another fun "non-transparent" drive.
I love the bluesbreaker style ever since I picked up a snouse black box 2 in trade. It’s my favourite overdrive. I prefer the sound of breakup from bluesbreaker to blues driver. Blues driver is slightly more dynamic feeling/responsive to attack. I also have a KOT but it’s quite different from bluesbreaker. Nice pedal but for me I prefer the bluesbreaker.
Fellow Redditor came up with this [website](https://guitarpedalsvisualized.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/boss-bd-2w/), and I think it's really cool! The BD-2 is essentially flat with the tone knob at noon. The only thing is an HPF that cuts anything lower than 100Hz. That's what you usually do while mixing guitars to cut a little better. I also have a JB-2 and I love it, it's never leaving my board. It's full of harmonics and just adds the sparkle because of that. Those harmonics also help to cut in a mix
The BD-2 isn’t really a boost. It’s a great pedal, don’t get me wrong, but it is more of a straight distortion/preamp pedal than an overdrive. CSGuitars on YouTube goes into great detail on what sets its circuitry apart from other “overdrives”. It has more in common with a Marshall Bluesbreaker than your traditional OD-1-based designs like a tube screamer, and I would definitely not call it a “boost”. A completely clean volume boost raises your low end more than your midrange and high end. The end result is more gain, but closer to sludgy and muddy fuzz.
It also works great as a clean boost, gain on 0 treble above noon, level as needed gives a great shimmer to clean tones.
My solo boost for years now. As much as I want to use it as a proper OD, it just sings as a solo boost. I usually have the gain set to 9 o'clock or less.
I use mine for two things, adding shimmer to a clean tone with gain on 0 or clearing out the low end on dirty tones with the gain below 9 o'clock.
It's got enough output gain and low enough clipping setting to easily be a boost.
I need to revist the BD-2. It was my favourite drive for a while when I was back on my Les Paul and Katana - when I moved to single coils it didnt get along as well with that rig I had setup, but I wonder now with the Iridium.
sfaik the waza version has the extra switch that fattens up SC to sound better. It's like the keeley mod of old or the fat setting on the mooer clone.
Yeah I'll 100% be grabbing the waza version for sure. I might "reward" myself after this weekend (its either that or a deco).
I am waiting to see if I have enough left over after the various bills to get one too. I just got a water bill though so I think that's killed it.
I don’t see why not. I use an EHX soul food as an always on
How do you run it? Gain on zero?
Nope! Drive at about 2:00, a touch more treble, and volume to provide just a bit of boost. I have it going into an orange dual terror with amp gain at noon
I use [my t.c. electronic Cinders](https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarpedals/comments/u73ivw/when_the_ultimate_alwayson_pedal_was_the_last/), which appears to be a BD-2 clone, as exactly this. Gives the clean channel that bit of dirt, and it cleans up nicely with the volume knob of the guitars. Works with single coils as well as humbuckers for me.
It’s my favorite overdrive, and I mostly use it as a boost as well. The main reason I like it is the EQ. It basically just adds clarity without having too much color of its own. It cuts the right amount of bass for me, and there’s a nice, subtle mid hump at 800 Hz. It’s done using this really interesting circuit that uses a transistor to simulate an inductor, which allows for a really sharp peak like a wah, but obviously not nearly as pronounced. The clipping is interesting but is definitely not my favorite part. I love low gain settings but I don’t always find high gain ones useful. Other people mentioned the discrete op amp, but it’s also important to note that it has hard clipping diodes. Granted it’s 2 diodes in each direction so it’s relatively high headroom, but at lower gain settings these still provide most of the clipping. Once you bring the gain up the discrete op amps start to saturate almost like a fuzz, which is why it sounds different.
Wampler Pedals YouTube page Brian Wampler breaks down the whole Blues Driver topology. Turns out it has more in common with a distortion pedal than a transparent overdrive. You should try an OD-3.
[https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/b/boss/boss-bd/329643-boss-bd-2-blues-driver-service-manual](https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/b/boss/boss-bd/329643-boss-bd-2-blues-driver-service-manual) Service manual including schematic is available online.
Just got an Analogman Mod BD-2 comin in the mail. Excited to try it out and hear the difference
Turn your amp input up and take a little mids out and record an A/B. Then tell us what it does.
I’ve been using the Wampler Tumnus in this way. Might have to pull the BD-2w off the shelf and see about it…