The Ultimate Overdrive Pedal Blindfold Challenge - 5 Contenders - £40 to £300 Shootout!

[@kochjb32]

Series name: Cheap to Steep

[@andertons]

We might have to use that... 😉

[@horrorview]

@@andertons Dross to Boss!

[@lueymeteora1410]

Or how's this...Worst to Best 😃??

[@ampcruz2540]

Or what about loss to Boss ????Lol yessss !!!

[@gyrosphinx]

So... We have learned that Rabea with a strat and an overdrive sounds like Rabea with a strat and an overdrive.

[@MrMordor74]

he has a very distinctive bluesman vibrato for young metalhead :D

[@mervunit]

Quality consumer advice

[@harmonicseries6582]

This video is about tone though, not sound

[@neighbourhoodmusician]

The one thing I've always liked about Lee is that he always shoots pretty straight with his opinions on products... whether he likes it or not, whether he has a financial interest in it or not, and differentiating between the objective and subjective. Good man. I've never gotten the feeling from the Captain that he's being anything other than truthful about his opinion of any piece of gear.

[@andrewmcdonald5704]

True. He won't slaughter a product but he's pretty honest in what he doesn't say and the comparison tests give us a real chance to make our own minds up.

[@raphmonty9878]

Very true, there's no bullshit there which I think a lot of people respect. Especially today with all the sponsored segments and things on KZbin.

[@neighbourhoodmusician]

I have a hard time trusting other KZbin channels opinions but I feel that Lee is giving his honest appraisal.

[@drdre4397]

@@neighbourhoodmusician JHS and wampler are two other great people. Always pump other brands up, no ego and honest.

[@HIGHTOP203]

also respect that they call "cheap" pedals "affordable"

[@MichealBT]

I’ve never been more proud of my stock Blues Driver 💪

[@LordBransty]

Me too!

[@averyavenue]

Ditto to that. Mine's kicked on right now!

[@nicknickson3650]

what's funny is that the stock blues driver even beats the Waza Craft version. Stock blues driver is still king

[@silviolutti1522]

The Bd-2waza Craft made in Japan sounds exactly twice as good as the stock model. In custom mode then, the Waza Craft literally destroys the stock BD-2.

[@nicknickson3650]

@@silviolutti1522 does it still sound fizzy at low gain like the stock BD2 does? That's why I switched from a BD2 to a shinjuku drive.

[@JG-ux7of]

I had a BD2 went down the boutique rabbit hole, sold it and bought several more expensive OD pedals and years later bought a BD2 again and realized that it's exactly what I was looking for and is one of the best Overdrive pedals you can buy. It has a lot of range but I use it as an always on boost/light overdrive that thickens my tone and breaks up when I dig in.

[@patmurphy7266]

just getting into pedals, bd2, soul food, and muff have become faves of mine

[@darklight4815]

I've owned and currently own many dirt boxes,built them and am finally ready to buy my first Blues Driver...it really sounds great and has a lot more gain than the name suggests

[@chrisegg7936]

to hear what is BY FAR the most important takeaway whenever someone is comparing pedals to other pedals, skip straight to 7:25

[@RobChappers]

Ha ha this is awesome, get Pete to do the exact same test!!!

[@dantudormusician]

Hey Rob. Missing you on the Andertons channel 😢

[@Holtenstein]

YES

[@ontheroad579]

Rob, king of blind testing.

[@davidg4726]

Rob Always wins blindfold challenges! As Rob is Amazing with his ability to blindly Know pickup brands and guitar types/ brands consistently! So, Rob would Know which was most expensive and cheapest! Hi to Rob!!!

[@shawnhockey4841]

Sup Malta 🇲🇹 man! 🎸🤘

[@Dke2219]

I agree with Rabea too...boss sounded the best

[@LexanderMiller]

I disagree. The brown one sounded best for sure, he just didn’t explore the options well enough. The silver one seemed like it had unlimited possibilities though he couldn’t explore it.

[@Silber7]

If you aim for that klucky Strat tone the Boss seemed to have that the easiest

[@andyjreid]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Blues Driver is Boss' best mass production pedal.

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

Dd3 is laughing along with ce2, tr2, sd1, ge7 and bf2.

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

@Trent Walker ok... 🙃

[@eugenedevere7687]

Na. The re2 by far.

[@RG-yz8ov]

Yeh I bought a belle thinkin it would be better and take it's place but noooooo.

[@RG-yz8ov]

Bd2 sd1 and tumnus. I need nothing else drive wise

[@The_austinmiller]

Pete’s laugh after his hEHeEE has made my entire day and I just woke up

[@pngmemes8519]

Rebea’s weight loss is insane congrats man

[@mr.deafeningguitar1547]

Couldn't agree more!

[@imagzz4942]

I think it would be interesting to end these types of videos with 5-10 minutes of Rabea (or whoever is in the "hot seat") to tweak all of the pedals to their liking just to see what the full potential of the pedals are. I feel like that's a big part of it too.

[@Muzikman127]

great idea, I think this would add a lot to the video

[@MrBealvie]

lee + rabea = win everytime:)

[@Michael-pm1tq]

+ Pete laughing like a maniac in the background

[@brandonlesko3126]

Lee & Pete or Lee & Rabea. Doesn't matter. The vibe is good with these three.

[@Bellocks1]

RaLeea

[@jroobz]

Agreed

[@brandonlesko3126]

@@Bellocks1 RaLeear when you add the intrusive "r".

[@fankhauserg]

Next time, just give Rabea the GigRig so he can more easily dance back and forth. The GigRig makes the test blind (longer cables needed). In either case, yet more evidence that most of the sound comes from the fingers, not the gear!

[@Muzikman127]

good shout: he can ask Lee to dial in more/less gain/treble whatever but flick between them himself

[@Caleb13M]

My thoughts exactly

[@cminty6805]

Idea: How about each member pulls together the best rig they can for £1,500. Totally up to them if they want pedals etc, I'd like to see what would be the big differences in your approaches. You could theme it, first is lockdown rig obviously.

[@RockOfGreece]

Do it

[@lmcf_gtr]

Bea, if he's going for full comfort zone rig, he'd go for his Standard range Chapman ML-3 (£650), a nice fuzz of some sort, possibly an octave pedal and more than likely a Katana Artist MK-2 (£569).

[@lordmanshaft1112]

I'd like to see em stretch that budget. 2000 would give them a LOT more flexibility in terms of amp selection. 1500 is pretty restrictive at this point

[@larrydj549]

They did that

[@PNWGuitar]

I already know what I'd do :P

[@kennethh2430]

There is a reason Boss has been 'Boss' and continues to stand the test of time!

[@monco3512]

Not the first time the Blues Driver's made a good impression. I think it's such a 'tasteful' sound that it's easy to associate with 'expensive'.

[@motokev2727]

"They all sound the same" I been saying that for years

[@martinc76]

Hahahahahahahahayahahahahahhha

[@Caleb13M]

Bro😂

[@thorpenator9148]

I know, but they come in different colors, and we need them all...haha

[@DobDog151]

This actually says a lot about tone/price and how they are so subjective. Nice video this.

[@fernank017]

I watch a lot of the Andertons videos in a non-chronological order, and I always find myself in awe of Rabea's weightloss journey! Good stuff dude!

[@papersquares]

Why not just listen to number 1 first and number 2 second and so on?? Randomising the order serves no purpose other than making it more confusing.

[@sarniaguitarguy9405]

"Nearest to Dearest" might be one title for a these kind of segments.

[@frankmchale2877]

No surprise to me as the BD2 is my always on pedal and the only one here (IMHO) that sounds dynamically rich. All the others seem limited in their range, no headroom and are either too thin when the gain is backed off or too saturated when cranked. Thorpy for the eye candy, Tone City for the pocket, JHS for the company, but Boss for the all round workhorse. 👍🎸

[@Ben.StevenswithaV]

I have no pedals (yet). These sessions are perfect to get an understanding of what different pedals do, within each category. Love it.

[@TheCoronaMortis]

Three things to take from this. 1. Rabea should do these more. 2. He needs to do the silly voices more. 3. More behind the scenes of Pete laughing.

[@dharleyfan1]

The Blues Driver does something better then ANY OTHER OD pedal I've ever played, and I have played a lot of them, and own a lot of them. The BD2 keeps your dynamics intact EVERYWHERE it is set, but most importantly FOR ME, it cleans up THE BEST, just by rolling my volume off, and that is a VERY USABLE commodity. The dynamic range of the BD2 is the best for going from clean to dirty, without sounding harsh or cheap anywhere in that range.

[@mariossargianos3139]

What both Rebea and the Captain said... "all sound so similar". That video proves that we pay more attention in chasing the best drive tone, believing boutique is better , more expensive is better etc, but what is more important is playing the instrument itself. All i was hearing is a stratocaster guitar through a bluesbreaker type pedal with slightly different EQ each time. I m happy i stayed anti-bootique all those years and for having a Boss BD-2 in my board. Honestly now, how many more TS or Klon or BB variants do you guys need? Get a Rat or a DS-1 and play the shit out of it. End of story

[@kitoyobeni1]

I've always preferred amp distortion, just using a pedal to boost or shape, so I've only tried a couple, a tube screamer and a Seymour Duncan pickup booster. Both have served me well, but I rarely use lower gain tones other than my slightly driven clean tone.

[@ManuelPassarella1]

I basically have a TS, a BD-2 and a clean boost. All the flavours an overdrive can have.

[@theozamparo]

In love with the BD-2, most transparent overdrive ever. To be completely fair, all the pedals showcased here sounded really great !

[@MotoNoir]

I cannot get over how much Rabea has transformed himself. Looking lean and mean. Those Boss Blues Driver pedals are a classic for a reason, even in its basic form.

[@tortugulaproductions]

Rabea's facial expressions tyring to process what Lee says while looking at the camera are priceless

[@PaulieHo]

So glad you're doing more of the "game show" style content again. Love it.

[@raf_the_riffer]

Love how Rabea is still a BOSS advertisement without even knowing what he’s playing lol

[@metesev]

Captain puts his hands on his belly when laughing at 7:29 when Rabea says all sound the same, amazing to watch :)

[@EliseoCaporale]

Been waiting for Rabea to do a Blindfold challenge since I started watching Anderton's!!!

[@markfuller6464]

Sort of proves paying boutique prices for pedals and you get better pedals is a bit of a myth.. Thorpy in last place and Boss in first, point made. Great vid, need to do more like this.

[@muluman88]

This segment should be called: Rabea in the dark.

[@ajaykumargoel9398]

Or how about "Bea of the dark" (like fear of the dark lol)

[@EnricoCicilloni]

I am a proud owner of a Boss BD-2 and I freaking love it, I would never trade it for another overdrive!

[@duncanboyle244]

Rabeas catchphrase impression was incredibly accurate. Bravo!

[@RabihSaadguitars]

When i first saw that the Boss blues driver is in the set, i knew its gonna win. Probably the best sounding overdrive pedal out there. i use it infront of my Carvin Legacy3 lead channel to tight the tone up and give it that tuby sound.

[@pieve5516]

Blind shootouts are simply the most informative and entertaining. It also gets me to add more pedals. Rabea was terrific. Probably wondering how the Captain talked him into the skit. More please. Happy new year!

[@stefannita3439]

I just bought a BD-2 today, so this makes me feel great haha. It's one of those pedals without a bad sound in it, even the extremities of the pots sound great.

[@markerf16]

The boss blues driver sounds great I agree - however I have found it's a bit warm and doesn't cut through the mix as well as other drives. By itself - its awesome!

[@narglefargle]

I've been playing through a BD-2 forever. Still my absolute favorite overdrive.

[@formulajuan5762]

One thing I've learned from watching a shitload of these blindfold challenges over the past year (I binged all the old ones when I found your channel) is that Dunlop and Boss punch way above their weight, and basically you can't go wrong with affordable gear from either. Great video!

[@vanedwards968]

The JHS and the Blues Driver are my favorites.

[@JareddarArt]

You can call the feature, " Beat the Fro". Rabea has such a great touch on the guitar. Him and DP together are an epic combo.

[@christopherhansford6876]

It is refreshing to hear someone say, “they all sound the same”…I thought it was just my untuned ear. Then again, the BD did have a distinctive sound.

[@KimonFrousios]

The thing is, most of the price has to do with where (labour and location costs, import duties) and how (people or robots, case materials, decorative elements) a thing is built, and its availability (which relates to the other two). None of those things have anything to do with sounding better or worse.

[@ruiseartalcorn]

Great fun! :)The BD-2 is my favourite pedal of all time and space!

[@sunson69]

Really great BD2 with exceptional clarity overdrive tone, I love it so much!

[@thorpyfx2679]

Looks like I need to dust off some certain skills from a previous career....... ;)

[@karllongbottomguitars9192]

I think that they are saying that you're a wookie

[@karllongbottomguitars9192]

Also the gunshot is great, I've had one for years

[@mrc2662]

@@karllongbottomguitars9192 I was playing my Warthog here - awesome pedal

[@karllongbottomguitars9192]

@@mrc2662 I also possess a warthog, another awesome pedal but for me the gunshot pips it.

[@ROAMZ101]

The Gunshot is my number 1 pedal followed swiftly by the field marshal. Truly shines buddy!!

[@ChessGuyMichael]

Rabea looks good! Has clearly been putting in the work! Respect my dude!!

[@nebpenney8010]

I have never wanted to work for a place more in my life! This is the dream job. Lets be honest! Thank you Andertons for making my lockdown exsperience less depressing than other peoples. I must have watched 6 or 7 videos A DAY! Even the oldies! Absolutley love the content❤ Happy new year!

[@billgreen3629]

That Jan Ray sounds amazing.

[@ianseward9928]

I have a Keeley bd2 and it never leaves my board . If you put the Keeley comp pro before it , it sounds even better . For some reason the bass switch is really prominent compared to without the comp . The bd2 is very clear . He’s right .

[@SRone45]

Yep, the Blues Driver is staying on my board.

[@domagojzagorac6186]

Boss pedals are great. If you do not have money for revival drive custom you shouldn't get rid of Boss.

[@incognito2246]

Amazing ! I have the BD2 and the Jan Ray on my pedalboard ; I like the two... but the BD2 still my desert island overdrive :-) Note : the Jan Ray have a dry/OD mix « Blue » trimpot that is drastically change the sound and the feeling of this pedal.

[@Wild_Haggis]

If you're channelling Brucie, how could you miss the chance to say "good gain, good gain"?

[@adylp7818]

Brilliant!

[@Fretter18]

I was thinking the same.

[@njsmwalker]

“ hope you played it at home....” 😉

[@Just_lift_anyone]

Brilliant!

[@BoozyBeggar]

I wish you'd have had the BOSS OD-3 in there. I love that pedal.

[@0826man]

That blues driver pedal sounds the best

[@RantVoidTiggs]

I think what this shows is that when it comes to the basics, most pedals of a similar type do the same sort of thing equally well. Where the extra cost/value comes in is in things like the extra variations from other knobs, how far up and down from “12” you can go and the durability of the casing. Two pedals may sound and work if identically but if the one at three time the price can withstand the rigours of heavy gigging then it is likely to be worth the extra for someone on the road a lot.

[@adrianfripp404]

You don't need to worry about getting anything "wrong". It's great to hear an expert such as Rabea bringing his ears to bear in a critical -- albeit somewhat contrived -- context. That is both valuable and entertaining. The truth is that they do all sound similar. And the truth is also that in a real world application (gig in a bar, say) you might very well discover why the Thorpy is worth the money. So no flies on you guys. Keep it real.

[@jamesrobinson529]

Rabea did great! I loved the versatility of the Thorpy FX Gunshot Overdrive!

[@johne1599]

Thank you, Rabea! The Boss Blues Driver has always been a great pedal. Nice pick.

[@DoveSimon]

Rabea could make a 5 watt gorilla amp with an amazon overdrive sound like gold. Great video, really fun to watch!

[@xcaptainflash2000]

More vids like this please. Just goes to show when it comes to pedals, there really is not much difference between them. A friend said to me once that the Blues Driver is the only pedal you need because it's so good. Rab & Lee just confirmed it.

[@CastlesMadeOf...]

25:36 for the truth! Well done chaps thoroughly enjoyed that 👏

[@larrydj549]

This is my favorite video since covid started. And its "I feel pretty " from West Side Story, the opening jam

[@jonbradbury3843]

Andertons TV back at its best, would love to see more of these with Bea please

[@StephGV2]

I like that Durple pedal. It makes some sounds I really like, with minimal pedal real estate at an impulse buy price. I think it'll compliment my TS.

[@smantis10]

For the record you turned up the volume on the Jan Ray not the gain. The gain knob is the top right one and then there is a saturation trimmer on the top.

[@johnmagee8195]

Thank YOU! for lightening the pain of the last months. Rabea and Lee (and all of the Anderton's folks and guests) have brought joy into so many homes. When we go on our UK/Sweden/Switzerland trip in a few years, I'm bringing the family to Anderton's to say thank you.

[@WeDoAdventure]

As someone who just got himself a second-hand BD-2 I think Rabea did very well. Purchase validation achieved!

[@ewetoo]

I think it confirmed for me how similar overdrives can sound with a single coil guitar unless you're doing something specifically different with the pedal or the guitar, there's only so much you can do with breakup.

[@JonathanCooperGB]

You can tell so much planning and thought went into the prep of this video - specific wooden table for pedal tone wood, even the lack of blindfold for a blindfold challenge just to not affect Rabea's tone.... Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@FrankensTone13]

This is great, both for entertainment AND for outcome ... leason learned: trust your ears!

[@cjleavitt17]

For $99 USD the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver is a very surprising tool. I understand why Prince would use this pedal. I have played a lot of pedals ( I lost count) but the BD-2 can do it all.

[@NigeSavage]

Lee is definitely absolutely hammered in this video. Love it!

[@adamburnett3629]

I think the buffer on the boss might be skewing the results, the others are true bypass and so is the switcher, so when you are switching the boss pedal in you are also adding a buffer, and a buffer can make all the difference to clarity!

[@tomyates2551]

I can't be the only one who'd pay a reasonable fee to have a go at one of these contests? Andertons: the theme park/ride, anyone? Prize of winning a pedal if you sweep the guesses.

[@garrettodonnell4177]

With respect to the Boss pedal, I think the best it can do is a close 2nd to the Tone City. That thing is a beast and I'd play it all day if I could. Judging from the sensitivity to Lee's touch on the controls, It even sounds like they "solved" the bad pots issue from the previous TC generation. Well done, Tone City.

[@attillal4821]

Well well well .. that was awesome .. just because something isn’t expensive doesn’t mean it isn’t good ... let your ears do the judging , not the price tag. Fair play andertons and Rabea !

[@peik5569]

The Thorpy sounded insanely nice!!

[@JDMVman]

I play pretty much everything with a blues driver in to a modelled ac30. Literally everything from death metal to blues. Bd2 is set to noon pretty much always. All tone change with volume knobs and pickup selection. Tone has never been better.

[@East_Coast_Ghost86]

This was great fun, thanks guys. Reminds me of the blindfold challenges with Rob, back in the day. I respect Rabea's ear immensely. And this just goes to prove that good tone is seriously subjective. A cheap pedal doesn't always sound bad and an expensive one doesn't always sound good though we may try to tell ourselves that.

[@j.a.s.1416]

I wonder if Rabea's decision was influenced by using a lot of pluggins at his home studio? Would like to see Pete do the same challenge with different pedals. A ton of good laughs on this one. 🎸

[@deckert618]

The Blues Driver clearly sounds different than all the rest. That's why it's been my favorite for 30+ years. It's just different.

[@stevefearon9337]

Bea convinced me that he did well! So that’s all that matters. Happy new year

[@db_on_drums]

Thanks Rebea man I was looking for a somewhat transparent overdrive for clarity and I guess I‘ll go buy a Bluesdriver now

[@Aaronhenrymusic]

"It's all in the Hands, ...or Not?" That similar tone they all seemed to share Rabea's Tone! Great video!

[@Godisnotmyshepherd]

I really love how bea digs into his guitar What a distinctive way of playing!

[@nevillegreg1]

Yes, they are all samie, but what you've shown is why the BD2 has been the main stay on my pedal board since it came out. It's not a crazy overdrive and does the job, with the added benefit of being great at pushing the amp with nice clarity when you want to do so. Most times I don't want the mids boosted like the Tube Screamer does.

[@vladrapchan5330]

Guys! Blind tests like this are an amazing idea! It goes to show how mystifying the whole pedal market can be! You should do this with all types of pedals! Cheers!

[@yrj77]

Loved the video. I hope you do more of them.

[@JosipAngeloBorovac]

Had probably a billion ODs and drives thus far, sold and bought all kinds of shit in this domain, however, Blues Driver (BD2) never left my board. There is probably a reason for that :-) Love these blindfold challenges from Andertons!

[@GUITARCODES]

A captain on fire ! more blind test like that ! it was great !

[@MarcosRosa01]

You guys should also do a "blindfold" challenge trying to guess the oldest guitar. Something like modern guitars going back to real vintage ones (2020 LesPaul X 59 for instance). Greetings from Brazil!

[@stephenjames4937]

What lovely playing, and Rabea is so natural in front of the camera.

[@Guitar_Smasher]

I'm sure glad I have my Boss BD-2w. Rabea exclaimed, "I like this one!" every time he heard it. I gotta agree!

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

I was jonsing for a Protein dual overdrive until I saw a video in which Shane from In The Blues said he listened back to years of his live performances and said that he could hear little to no difference in his tone while using different overdrive pedals.