All about modern commercial stompbox circuits from electro harmonix over mxr, boss and ibanez into the nineties. Mar 04, 2020 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. Despite the fact that the text above comes directly from boss the sourcedesigner of the bd2 i kind of take issue with the crunch characterization of the blues driver. The boss blues driver is one of those pedals that everybody has owned or at least played through once.
The bd 2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. After succeed moding bd2 with tight bottom and highs, which named bd2 sexymod. View online or download boss bd2 blues driver owners manual. From schematic to stripboard september 2012 the keeley mod also has sweeter highend than the boss blues driver. Crafted with an ear for highly refined sound, the bd2w takes the classic blues driver grit to a new level with alldiscrete analog circuitry. The bd2 blues driver is a pedal that offers overdriven tones from creamy leads to crunchy rhythm sounds, specifically tailored for blues guitar. Boss bd2 effects, amps and their settings guitarzone. Inside the updated bd 2 is a far smaller pcb indicating that the manufacture of the blues driver has gone to fullysmd based fabrication. The boss bd2 blues driver pedal gives you the classic, bluesy sound of an overdriven vintage tube amp in a compact pedal.
The bd2s distortion may be a little abrasive to some ears unless you shell out extra for the keeley phat mod. The bd 2 gives you all the textures you need to scream, sing, or cry. Far more than a merely modified bd 2, the boss completely redesigned the bd 2w, using premium discrete analog components and adding a customized signal path that you can access with the flip of a mini toggle. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive pedal thursday gear video duration. 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 bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. Maybe that refers to the sound at higher gain settings, but the author kind of glides over how nice of a lighter natural breakup you get from the pedal at low gain, imo its. If your pedal could be one of these, please open it before sending it in. Oct, 2008 the blues driver mod that i probably do most often is the brent mason modification. It was done to give players two modes of bass response. This is a very versatile pedal offered at a great price. Where does boss s bd 2 fit in as far as a family relation.
It was perfect for players of strats and teles who wanted just a small push without being muddy. View and download boss bd 2 blues driver owners manual online. A part of the waza craft line from boss, the bd 2w blues driver gives you iconic tubeamp overdrive with two distinct voices. Passionately designed by the master engineers at boss in japan, the waza craft bd2w delivers a premium stomp experience that fans of customized pedal tone will love. If you have a few extra bucks to spend, robert keeley offers a modded version of the original boss bd2 blues driver.
View online or download boss bd 2 blues driver owners manual. It also responds to your playing dynamics, so you can pull. The modded version adds a phat switch that beefs up the bottom end a bit and gives a little warmth. While there is a complaint that some have regarding the pedal being trebleheavy, this is otherwise a wellrespected overdrive pedal that can also veer into distortion tones when the highest levels of gain are dialed in. Standard mode captures the classic bd 2 tone while custom mode delivers new body and sustain. It was the first distortion pedal made by boss with a distinctive hardclipping sound perfect for high gain rock and metal still keeping the character of the original guitar. 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 what do i have to.
Phil gates takes you on a guided tour of the bd 2 blues driver. Id venture to say its nearly as popular as the beloved tube screamer. Im selling my boss blues driver bd2 and wanted to see how close i could get my axefx ii to sound like it. There are modifications of the bd 2 that can change the tonal character of the pedal. Im able to get it to sound almost identical until i change pickups and then i have to tweak it again.
Special edition waza craft pedal delivers the ultimate boss tone experience. It is meant to give an idea of where the tone can be improved or changed. A a view fullsized, printable schematic from here, the signal goes through a fairly standard tone control very similar to that of. Phil gates takes you on a guided tour of the bd2 blues driver. Standard mode captures the classic bd2 tone while custom mode delivers new body and sustain.
While many players like the sound of the stock pedal just fine, many other guitarists like the basic tone but just want it bettermore organic, responsive and dynamic. 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. The boss version strikes a great balance between affordability, durability, and versatility. And after a bunch of experiment, now i finally finishing this modification of boss blues driver, now with more smooth and more thick. The boss ds1 is a distortion guitar pedal released in 1978 by boss. Funny thing is, ive heard other bd2 mods and didnt dislike them, but the mods that i was told to try sound fantastic. Where does bosss bd2 fit in as far as a family relation. In the middle of 2017, boss appears to have changed the pcb that hosts the bd 2 circuit. Apr 24, 2017 this is a boss bd 2 clone in two versions. The bd 2 blues driver is a pedal that offers overdriven tones from creamy leads to crunchy rhythm sounds, specifically tailored for blues guitar. Premium sound based on the classic 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. The keeley bd 2 was the first mod that had a switch. Im learning the blues and this seems the obvious choice and the demos show it up good but are there alternatives worth checking out.
There are very few overdrives i would choose other than a bd2, but none of them are better. One of the pedals main features is that the level of distortion is proportional to the picking. The bd2 gives you all the textures you need to scream, sing, or cry. The keeley mod also has sweeter highend than the boss blues driver.
Boss bd2 vs boss sd1 fender telecaster on suhr badger. Introduced back in 1995, the boss bd 2 blues driver still remains an active part of the boss compact pedals range, in fact it was joined exactly 20 years later by the waza craft version which offers up a 2 way voicing toggle with standard and custom modes and improved internals components. This edition of the blues driverthe bd2wincludes 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. When it comes to boss overdrive, the bd2 is my first and only choice. New boss smt pedals we cannot modify in 2017 or so, boss started building the bd 2 with tiny smt parts on a tiny circuit board. Free boss diagrams, schematics, service manuals schematics. The boss ds1 together with the tubescreamer and the proco rat cover almost all the spectrum of tastes. That same design is also available via the micro toggle on the super phat mod. There was some people discussing its merits and if they should buy one. Despite the fact that the text above comes directly from boss the sourcedesigner of the bd 2 i kind of take issue with the crunch characterization of the blues driver. This popular pedal provides drive ranging from warm overdrive to emotive distortion that responds both to your playing style and dynamics, similar to the responsiveness and tone of a vintage vacuum tube amplifier.
The bd 2 blues driver simulates the sound of a vintage tube amplifier, giving you instant access to timeless tones. Boss bd 2 wiring schematic moreover tr pdf electronics. Boss bd2w waza craft blues driver pedal sweetwater. View and download boss bd2 blues driver owners manual online.
Premium sound based on the classic bd2 blues driver. Highly responsive to picking dynamics and volume changes. Boss bd2 blues driver mods robert keeley this is not allinclusive in what can be done to the blues driver. The bd2 was been a success from it first went on sale and its still one of the best selling boss pedals today.
It is a fet based overdrive that offers a nice alternative to all the tube screamer and klon based clones. 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. Discrete opamp and well designed jfet sound in compact box. Since the beginning, the engineers at boss have been committed to achieving the. All of the changes are subtle but when packaged together offer a nice improvement. This mod opens up the tone so your guitars natural tone remains pure and articulate. It was a modification that i did in response to brent masons request for better tone from his blues driver. Earlier this year i was hanging out in guitar forums, go figure and i saw a thread about the boss blues driver. Boss diagrams, schematics and service manuals download for free. Classic blues guitar tones with tube amp simulation. Boss bd2 blues driver modifications fromel electronics.
The boss bd 2 blues driver guitar effects pedal delivers that creamy yet crunchy sound youve heard countless great blues guitar players call up and at a great value. Boss bd2 blues driver fender stratocaster guitar forum. 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 best boutique stomp boxes on the market. The boss bd2 blues driver, whos got one, is it all its cracked up to be. Our bd2 has been modified with a parts kit as detailed in modifications, below. Oct, 2008 the boss blues driver is one of those pedals that everybody has owned or at least played through once. Can also be used for warm distortion with a higher level of responsiveness than most distortion boxes. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps. The pedals tubelike response is due to the level of distortion being proportional to the picking strength. I have a bad monkey but am not really liking it so was looking to get a blues driver. Although im not deeply in love with boss boxes, there are a few designs that i find interesting and usable at the same time. The boss bd2 blues driver is one of the bestsounding overdrive pedals ever made, and modifications to it are entirely unnecessary gilding of the lily.
This popular pedal provides drive ranging from warm overdrive to emotive distortion that responds both to your playing style and dynamics, similar to the responsiveness and. Page 1 of 2 boss bd2 posted in effects, amps and their settings. There are a ton of ts, rat, and blues breaker clones or mods like the hbe screamer, green rhino, kot, as well as those of the nobels odr1 variety like the open road or the chicken soup. This mod is very easy, and only requires changing a few parts. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver. Id venture to say its nearly as popular as the beloved. Its probably the most transparent boost, smoothest overdrive and just plain best distortion pedal ive ever built or owned, and ive built a lot at this point. It offers a massive range of gain from a nearly perfect clean boost an almost fullon distortion. The boss bd2 is one of the most loved current production pedals. Bosss new waza craft line finds the venerable pedal pioneers updating a few of their select classics with discreet components and additional voicings. Among the pedals getting a polishing is the blues driver, which is a more recent addition to the boss family than the other waza craft beneficiaries, but its easy to see why it made the cut. Introduced back in 1995, the boss bd2 blues driver still remains an active part of the boss compact pedals range, in fact it was joined exactly 20 years later by the waza craft version which offers up a 2way voicing toggle with standard and custom modes and. A trusted source that reads schematics like childrens books insisted that the blues drive and digitechs screamin blues overdrive was a direct copy of the bd2.
Gear diy pedal projects november 2008 boss boss bd2 mods. The bd2 blues driver from boss is a pedal that offers overdriven tones from creamy leads to crunchy rhythm sounds, specifically tailored for blues guitar. The boss bd 2 blues driver pedal gives you the classic, bluesy sound of an overdriven vintage tube amp in a compact pedal. Boss bd2 vs boss sd1 fender telecaster on suhr badger 18. With the slight boost, it was called the phat mode. Newly revised, allanalog discrete amplifier circuit. Nov 14, 2004 page 1 of 2 boss bd2 posted in effects, amps and their settings.
D3 change this 1ss3 to a different 1n4002 diode for asymmetrical clipping. Jan 19, 2009 boss bd 2 blues driver overdrive pedal thursday gear video duration. The keeley bd2 was the first mod that had a switch. Funny thing is, ive heard other bd 2 mods and didnt dislike them, but the mods that i was told to try sound fantastic.
Download free boss bd2 blues driver schematic software. The bd2 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. The ones we can modify have a large circuit board that fills up the pedal. New boss smt pedals we cannot modify in 2017 or so, boss started building the bd2 with tiny smt parts on a tiny circuit board.
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