Boss OS-2 Overdrive Distortion Pedal Review and Comparison

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Listening back to the recording on the distortion sounds, I think I set my amp a little too clean which left them sounding a bit fizzy in the high end. Especially with the MD-2 comparison. I found the OS-2 can be very bright with a lot of presence, adding a bit of overdrive to your amp really helps to round off that high end.

[@zammie01]

If going direct to the mixer, will it help to have a amp simulator pedal like the Joyo American Sound at the end of the chain for the breakup amp sound then?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

@@zammie01 yes definitely, you probably want a speaker simulator too

[@diegopalominoss]

so this wouldn't work as a main drive/versatile range overdrive into a clean amp? i hate having to crunch the amp to use dirt pedals or else i'd just use the amp drive

[@ChorusHunter]

Probably I'm coming in late to this party but just wanna say you did an incredible thoughtful job with your review. I was thinking "who knows how the OS2 compares to this DS1 or the Rat", and you covered all those grounds before I even realised. It really makes your channel standing out compared to other gear-focused channels.

[@felipecassel3826]

You deserve more views, man! Amazing job. Complete and straightforward.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Glad you liked it! More on the way.

[@scooter5005]

Yes, I found your review of the Boss OS-2! Your reviews are meaningful b/c it's evident you take time to understand the pedals first and play excellent tunes during your demos. I had a Boss OS-2 before & was thinking of getting one again

[@andybrown1439]

Wow, a RELAVANT, informative, proper gear review. Great job man and please keep putting decent content out like this!!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Wow thank you! More to come...

[@joshphillips3171]

Seriously dont get why you don't have more views, these vid are so helpful and arent too long like others

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Glad you found it helpful! Yeah, I'm still trying to get the hang of KZbin and finding out what types of videos people respond to. Thanks for your encouragement!

[@rk28984]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar you might try using more hashtags so it's easier for the YT algorithm to suggest your videos and to find them when someone is searching YT.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

@@rk28984 Thanks for the tip! I've been using tags but not hashtags, I thought they pretty much did the same thing, turns out I was wrong. Thanks!

[@jaibruce777]

Very informative! You gave justice to this underrated pedal. I've been using this for 21 years now and yes, the main strength of this pedal is versatility. You can emulate any amps/pedals sound out of this pedal. Great content man! Rock on....

[@bonwana2275]

I actually purchased the Boss OS-2 online about an hour before i saw this video. Looks like I made the right decision. Excellent review/comparison.👍

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Good choice!

[@heztorm]

Amazing review. Just bought a used OS-2, just for the Overdrive mode now. I can see It works fine This vídeo was really usefull for me. So well done. Thanks and cheers!

[@jeanenviedapprendre]

I bought this for an overdrive because the sd1 just wasn't curting it in my rig. The sound I use is quite different than the sd1. I have other distortions, but this pedal has an impressive range of sounds! Plus I got mine used, so it was 1,000% worth it!

[@r.edward5701]

Same here. Great price, couldn't pass it up. Have it before my ratt. May reverse the order coz this pedal has some snarl

[@mendBOT]

This was the pedal that started my Boss Pedal collection, it's really really underrated, you basically have an SD-1 and DS-1 in the same pedal (if you fully turn the color knob either way) or you can have this parallel mixture of them that is pretty nice. Since I'm not a particular fan of the SD-1 (I prefer the OD-3 or the Blues Driver) I might mod it in the future to change the color of the overdrive portion a bit but I definitely like this one.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

That would be a brilliant mod!

[@binface9]

i've been thinking about getting hold of one of these after seeing demos claiming they're shite - I like a challenge. You've coaxed some wonderful sounds from it which makes me think it won't be much of a challenge after all. Nice to see you using an MD-2. I tend to set mine with the boost on full and the gain at around 9 o'clock, with the the bass control almost at 0. I find this gives it a more defined and articulate tone.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yeah I think you'll get some good sounds out of it when going into an already driven amp. Nothing particularly groundbreaking but it's super versatile!

[@KRDZoom1]

The OS-2 was in an auction lot of Boss pedals I bought. I thought it would be a "sell for $20" pedal. Turns out it's priceless!!! This video proves it!

[@sloppyjoe2273]

the best demo of this pedal on KZbin!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Wow! Thank you!

[@sloppyjoe2273]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar +1 subscribed 👍 Is your pedal old or new? Would there be any difference? I'm looking to buy one and a 2014's pedal appeared for a good price ...

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

@@sloppyjoe2273 thank you! Mine’s an older one. There shouldn’t be any noticeable difference in sound between the old ones and the newer ones anyway.

[@saucybaka4439]

Best demo I've seen for a pedal in a long time

[@binface9]

i've been thinking about getting hold of one of these after seeing demos claiming they're shite - I like a challenge. You've coaxed some wonderful sounds from it which makes me think it won't be much of a challenge after all.

[@CS10015]

thanks for posting this video! this pedal was the very first pedal I ever bought a long time ago and recently I was thinking of selling it, but after watching your video it helped me to get the sounds I wanted out of this pedal and I've even added it back to my main board!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

That's great to hear, thanks for commenting. You're not alone, I found the OS-2 a little difficult to appreciate too until I really spent some time with it and understood its strengths a little better.

[@jimm4905]

Humm... I was going to put this in front of my JC-22, but you don't suggest using this pedal with a clean amp. Guess I need to demo this pedal or do more research. Thanks for such a thorough review.

[@geordiemcbain5412]

Appreciate the “ put it on edge of breakup” I haven’t found “the” sound I need on my practice amp at home. Driving the tubes to natural gain way too loud… this helped me love this pedal. With some good pickups… Duncan 59s this pedal makes the amp sound like it’s naturally at 6 or 7 when it’s really at 3.5 and the gain is at about the same. Power soak down to 5 watts. This pedal makes my amp sound great at 10:30 at night. Good video. Nice work with the color knob too.

[@zammie01]

Thanks for a great demo! Never knew the Od-2 can cover so much ground. Great bending trick at 6.33 too!

[@TVguy9999]

Solid review and great explanation of how to best use this pedal.

[@4034miguel]

Great review of distortion pedals. Absolutely requires listening with good headphones. Thanks for the video

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Hey thanks! Absolutely agree on the headphones too!

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

It’s a quirky pedal and it’s still being produced since 1990 so it must be popular. I think it does a great Keith Scott tone.

[@_viy]

Now that’s how pedal comparison should look like. You did the best so far. And I did the right choice putting OS-2 on a spare spot on my pedalboard hoping for some versatility in sound. It was a blind purchase so I’m lucky to have one..)

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Wow thanks! Yeah the OS-2 is perfect for versatility if you ask me, especially when set correctly and played through an amp or pedal already has a bit of drive. You made a good choice!

[@_viy]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar I actually use it for high gain sounds (drop A) and i barely turn OD-DS selector over 9 o’clock otherwise it adds too much lows and because of the tuning & string thickness i need to duck low freq out of guitar signal to have a clear balanced cab sound. And OS-2 set to OD does this job great. But who knew that I can mimic pretty much any OD-DS pedals with it. Now I’m thinking maybe I should have just an OD-3 whether it’s any better or the same + some DS pedal so i could dial a hi-gain sound plugging to whatever source?

[@_viy]

i guess OS-2 + some DS is the answer))

[@caezar..]

One strange quirk of the OS-2 is the gain knob doesn't seem to add or subtract a lot more gain as you move it up & down. It sounds consistently gainy no matter where you set it. That's because the bass doesn't start rolling in until you get past 2 o'clock. If the pedal sounds overly trebly or thin & spikey doing what seems counterintuitive by turning up the gain adds fullness to the sound. I always left my gain setting at 3 o'clock. The OD side sounds fuller like the SD-1 & the distortion side sounds less scooped since some lower mid kicks in. At first I disliked this because I'm used to controlling pedals by turning the gain down. But this gain knob is more like an EQ & turning up the gain doesn't create the effect we're used to since the bass rolls in. Give it a try. Thanks for the great video.

[@gerardmariano2556]

Thanks for this vid! I really liked how the pedal was reviewed.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@paulgilbert3139]

Try this setting at os 2: tone 11 o'clock drive 12 o'clock od/ds 9 o'clock single coil neck pick up flat clean amp And u will get Andy timmons kinda sound from eleftric gypsy 🤤

[@pulsiondmuerte]

One of the best comparisons I've seen. How did you equalize the amp? I think is the only flaw of this great video.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thanks! I can't remember how I EQ'd the amp, just tried to keep it fairly flat I think. In hindsight I think I should have driven it a bit harder which normally helps round off some of the high end fizz you can sometimes get from distortion pedals. Thanks for watching.

[@juanshaman3177]

Awesome and clear review. Thanks a lot.

[@AntHenson]

Exactly what ya need from a review! Great playing, demonstration, and comparisons. I've subbed for more🤘

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Hey, thanks. Welcome to the channel!

[@PrincePloppy]

You do the best reviews! Why can't other people do reviews like you? Cause they ain't Yorkshireman I guess🤣 you rock man!

[@davidsharp9805]

Brilliant demo. Your videos are really well thought out and practical. D#

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Wow thank you!

[@brunobrockway]

Amazing review!!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thank you!

[@ashleymorton9623]

This channel is so good

[@liamlavelle7188]

I have the Beringer version. I love it. Think a lot of the hate\disappoinment comes from people that expected an OD, SD one purchase solution. It's nothing like that. More like a tube screamer and a Rat, in abox, having a fight.

[@edgarparada3946]

I do admit I had to watch this video 5 or 6 times, with headphones and different speakers, so to figure it out their sound small differences. I agree with you about this Boss OS2 be versatile. The sound is almost identical to each one you compared. Depending what music genre you play, it fits for most music genres. What amplifier did you use for this test? I have an overdrive distortion and mine sounds a little bit different than yours. Perhaps it is due to different amps or cabinets. My amp is a small 15 W generic amp.

[@Freeontheland2030]

Very helpful review, thanks.

[@keithrowe1007]

Wow. Fantastic. I have the OS2 and it consistently sounds like boiled buttholes for me. I think I’ve been using it on a clean amp is my problem. I’ll definitely try some of these settings. Thanks.

[@johncollins5552]

Great demo video. Can I get something close to an arbiter fuzz tone with this pedal, I play an epi LP special with twin humbuckers that sounds similar to your guitar with a solid state Peavey amp, so no real valve breakup on my budget, thanks!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Hang on, do you mean the Arbiter Fuzz Face or the Maestro Fuzz Tone?

[@johncollins5552]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar The Fuzz Face tone ,thanks.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

@@johncollins5552 Not in my experience. I tried comparing the OS-2 with my Dunlop JDF2 Fuzz Face and it couldn't get close enough to warrant including it in the video. The EQ is very different even when manipulating the colour and tone controls of the OS-2. The sustain is a lot longer on the Fuzz Face than the OS-2 and just generally has a different character. Also the volume control on the guitar responds completely differently to the two pedals as well. How the volume control responds when using a fuzz face is one of the distinctive features of that pedal for me. I hope that helps you anyway.

[@johncollins5552]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar Thanks that helps a lot, there was a guitar repair store I could try out a pedal in but they are forced to close to the public since 2020. I haven't played a gig since Christmas 2019 nobody knows when the next one will be, I reckon in Ireland it will be near Christmas!

[@stevenburvenich168]

Although downtalked by many years ago, your video is a pure ode to the pedal. As you explain, It turns out to be a very versatile thing. What single (analog) pedal sounds like an SD, MD, DS and Rat?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yes I agree, the OS-2 isn't talked about very often but really gives you access to a lot of classic sounds, all in one easy to use analog drive pedal. Thanks for commenting!

[@JasonAyalaSpare]

Nice licks (around 5:30).

[@leandroviegas7917]

una pregunta puede usarse con un amplificador a transistores poniendo el overdrive en posicion 1 o 2 ? o solo suena bien para amplificadores valvulares?

[@leonardomichelli1979]

Exelente video Bro...gracias🤘

[@danfango1333]

This was the first overdrive I ever bought. Admittedly I was playing into a clean blues junior, but I was disappointed. Like everyone else, I've spent the last 10yrs buying new overdrives. Fun isn't it?🌵

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yeah it was my very first overdrive distortion pedal purchase too! Plugged it into a clean amp and always thought it sounded a bit cheap. After doing this deep dive into it I have a new found appreciation for how it sounds into an overdriven amp.

[@MrNeurotix]

Same here, bought this pedal about 25 years ago and played it into my marshall lead 12. It probably sounded really bad, but then my playing wasn't that great either :) I like the versatility, that you are able to choose between overdrive and distortion. The fact that it is copied by Behringer means it isn't bad at all

[@diegocastro5114]

I want a os-2 now haha. the low gain settings sounds very good

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

I know! I feel the OS-2 doesn't get enough love sometimes. Glad you like it!

[@frantic1987]

nice gain and sustain.

[@tansiri8473]

Really nice review, great pedal

[@Junior1385]

The master tutorial about how to use a Boss Os-2 i have that pedal but only i use for combine Overdrive with distortion on mix to Left channel to Right channel

[@klfdqjmqboiklnkq]

So it's a booster if it must be plugged into a dirty amp or into a drive pedal.

[@leftundersun]

Instead of the amp "in the edge of breakup", can I use another overdrive pedal maybe?

[@dnews9519]

Thanks this video help me go with the sd1

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Glad I could help, SD-1 is a classic!

[@padawan9127]

Great review

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thank you!

[@budforler9705]

Nice review

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thanks! Hope you found it useful.

[@JohnMichaelBurns]

Based on this video alone the other boss pedals all sound nicer to me than the OS2. I'd rather shell out on a good OD and a good Distortion than expect a 2-in-1 pedal to give me exactly what I want.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yep, nothing wrong with that. If there's space on your board then there's less of a need for more versatile pedals like the OS-2. Hope the video helped anyway and thanks for commenting!

[@johngregorowski]

Haven’t played one of these. Great review, answered all the questions I had about this pedal. What’s the technique where you were bending strings with your right hand at around 6:54? Very cool.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thanks John! Glad you found it useful. I've been messing around lately with the limits of how far you can bend a string, inspired by Dave Gilmour type bends but trying to take it further. I might do a video on it maybe...

[@valentinch0]

The riff @5:06 👍👍👍

[@Supernautiloid]

Can this unit mimic OD-3 type overdrive sounds?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

That's a definite no from me I'm afraid. With the colour knob on the OD setting the EQ is heavily mid boosted, which makes it great at simulating an SD-1 but the OD-3 has a much flatter and natural sounding frequency response. To get closer to that type of EQ you need to put the colour knob higher up but that also introduces a distortion character which sounds very different to the smooth overdrive of the OD-3. Hope that answers your question anyway.

[@Supernautiloid]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar Ok, I see. Yes that helps, thanks. I already own an SD-1 and I like it, but I’ve always wanted to try the OD-3 and DS-1. I was hoping the OS-2 could cover that ground but apparently not. May I ask you another question then? Say if I was to sell my SD-1 and get the OS-2, do you think that would be a wise decision? In other words, could the OS-2 replace my SD-1 with similar tones and more versatility?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

@@Supernautiloid The OS-2 can get you similar sounds to the SD-1 on the settings that I use for the SD-1 in this video anyway, which are pretty typical and how I think a lot of people commonly use the SD-1. If you use very different settings though then the OS-2 might start to sound quite different. The SD-1's aren't particularly expensive pedals though, if it were me I'd keep hold of it in case I changed my mind in the future and wanted to go back to the SD-1 for a bit.

[@sadboisean2927]

What if i stack the os-2 into the sd-1 while im on a clean channel, will that work?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

I just tried it, the SD-1 is very very mid focused, so it cuts off a lot of bass and treble from the OS-2, a bit too much in my opinion. A more neutral/flat sounding OD pedal like the OD-3 would reacts a bit more like the overdrive from an amp, it colours and focuses the sound of the OS-2 without without completely changing it's character. The Catalinbread foundation range or Origin Revival Drive are other pedals that do this well but if you want to stick with the Boss brand I'd say OD-3, if not that then the BD-2. Hope that helps!

[@sadboisean2927]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar it does help a lot!! Thank you so much!! Ive been trying to find a distortion pedal that would stack well with my sd-1. Kinda having a hard time to be honest haha. Anyways, Thank You so much!!

[@Neil-Aspinall]

Mich did you build this guitar yourself?

[@theWARMJET]

used by Joey Santiago of the Pixies in the 90s

[@randychambers1704]

nice passage at 5:22

[@micahmccuistion4457]

What guitar is that?

[@s4ndw1ch65]

wow amazing video

[@Junior1385]

With that pedal how you get the tone like Green Day Dookie Pedal?

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

That pedal is apparently based on two 100w Marshalls being run at the same time, one with a mid scoop and one with a mid boost. A way you might like to try getting the same result with this pedal is set your amp to a mid focused overdrive and then set the colour knob on the OS-2 quite high for a mid scoop sound, set drive and tone to taste. Hope it works for you!

[@Junior1385]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar i have Boss Katana MKII 50 watts, that amp have clean, crunch, Lead and Brown Channel, also have many pedals on booster, overdrives, Distortions, Metals and Fuzzes. For example if i want Country Tone, i just put clean channel. Vintage Precense on 50% with Blues drive on gain to 30%, Bass 30%, Mids 50% and treble 50%, single coil simulator for bridge humbucker on Strat, or if i want Rock Tone i just put the Os-2 on clean channel all the drive on both overdrive and distortion but its sound for me like a Rat Distortion or High Gain Crunch, Middle Distortion i want more like nott Fuzzy sound but also not cleaned sound some like more with gain with more drive but not like an overdrive more just like distortion but not like a metal distortion, like the Dookie green day pedal.

[@endezeichengrimm]

The OS-2 sounded better than the SD-1 or the screamer. This might be an overlooked Jem.

[@SpencerJMusic]

That’s pretty good playing for a dude wearing that type of shirt

[@brandonjackson5865]

You’re wrong for that man lol , I wouldn’t suspect he was a guitar player in line at the store. He was the kid you handed your guitar to at a party pretty confident you were the best player there. You didn’t even know he played and were expecting Wonderwall or maybe a butchered Dave Matthew’s riff . Then when he starts playing your jealous of his crisp open chord changes and realize he probably knows more theory than you and sure if you had your amp and electric you could show out but the dude in the old navy pull over sweater jacket just cut your head on your own acoustic guitar in front of your friends. Did that ever happen to anyone else or just me ?

[@makotoendo1506]

Thanks for your guidance Michael. I got an OS2 $229 NZ(120GBP？). It works really well both tube and solid state amps. I have OD1X, SD1, DS1 and RAT. However the OS2 is the best(at moment). Music instruments are getting expensive here in NZ😢

[@waynegram8907]

MICHAEL BANFIELD< try using the Boss OS-2 has a low gain EQ pedal stacking it with a low gain big muff Rams Head using it also as a low gain EQ pedal = Gilmours Animals DOGS tone. Try to make a video lesson about this. You're using the pedals as low gain EQ pedals and stacking them

[@mtm105]

After 20 years I grew tired of SD-1. I needed a little more oomph. This solves my problem. I’m into DS-1 tone without total commitment. DS-1 very polar. Very appreciated and very disliked.

[@patrickolson8558]

I own this pedal (along with a slew of other BOSS drives and distortions). This is a fine pedal in my opinion, but my biggest gripe with it, is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Now, that could be a benefit to some people who just want one pedal that can do many things. But for me, having the OD-3, SD-1, DS-1 and DS-2, and MD-2; I feel that the OS-2 is my least go-to pedal as all the others do that one thing that you want them to do but a little better. Whereas the OS-2 does everything good, just not as good as the specific drives or distortions. I think I would use the OS-2 on a pedalboard if I wanted a very small board footprint, and one jack of all trades type drive/dist that would cover many things. However with other options available to me that I own (such as having a product like a PodGo as an all in one solution), I don't find much of a use for the OS-2 other than having it as a cool collectors piece. That's just my take on it.

[@DenDV75]

бля! чувак просто классно играет! в его руках любой дисторшн звучит классно!ё

[@empireentertainmentevents1353]

I like how one dude commented in another video about OS-2: OS-2's sound quality is like recording what you hear on the radio on a cassette tape and then hearing it back. Yes, it is THAT bad.

[@kimholland9316]

As clear as mud

[@jonkerrmusic]

This was my first pedal, and I regret the day I got rid of it

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

I know, I regret almost every bit of gear I sell.

[@thomas79marshall]

Looks like it has been discontinued.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

hm... It's still in stock and on the Boss website here in the UK. It would be a shame if it did get discontinued though.

[@goodman1127]

This pedal sucks comparing to other Boss pedals

[@vovagreen7414]

неплохо...лайк и благодарность!🙂🙂🙂

[@sanfordsanford295]

Great demo