BOSS OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion Pedal Review by Sweetwater Sound

[@mutantbass2883]

Thanks, this was one of the best reviews of this type that I've seen - you really examined how individual controls affected the sound instead of just showing off with some flashy riffs like many reviewers do.... Also pedal seemed quite versatile.

[@ricklachaine5406]

This guy does great demonstrations and is a great player as well. Thank you for your great work.

[@mindcontrol67]

Thanks I try.

[@6672rock]

I had one of those pedals. Kind if wish I kept it now. I really like the way it seamlessly goes between overdrive and distortion sounds.

[@endezeichengrimm]

Good thing is, you can still buy them.

[@protronix]

I got this when it came out in the late 90's. I would usually keep it at a sweet spot right before noon on the color knob. It was the only pedal I had at the time and I enjoyed it. It's a good pedal.

[@Thomasplaysguitar]

This was the very first pedal I bought seven years ago and I still play the hell out of it! I love it as well as the fact that people still care enough to demo it!

[@AndyNyle]

Basically to me the color knob seems to scoop the mids making it more suitable to use with different amps. Not many pedals have the mids knob and this makes os2 truly versatile

[@jaibruce777]

It's a great pedal! It depends on how you dial and listen. You can simulate any preamp sound; a versatile pedal capable to play any genre. I used and been using it for years! After all, the bottom line is your playing anyway.

[@angusorvid8840]

This, the Super Overdrive, the DS-1 and the Blues Driver are my favorite boss overdrive pedals.

[@jaibruce777]

It's a great pedal! It depends on how you dial and listen. You can simulate any preamp sound; a versatile pedal capable to play any genre. I used and been using it for years! After all, the bottom line is your playing anyway.

[@uriahroseii1026]

I use one of these alot into a Princeton Reverb to kinda get a Mike Stern tone. I love the lower gain tones these have for old style fusion.

[@kevinvezina6535]

Man,Don does the best pedal reviews on youtube...He gets right to the point of the pedal..

[@Johnnypoundcakes]

Sweetwater you guys are the best, the absolute best. Love your reviews, had a chance to meet you at the Namm show in January. So helpful, solid no nonsense reviews and nice guys. If I could work anywhere, it would be sweetwater.

[@sweetwater]

😊👍

[@TheDaybid]

Great review, especially for a beginner like me. Now I am going to buy it.

[@pablobaleani2756]

That PRS is heaven...

[@guitarmangamerdude1897]

I use this in conjunction with the EHX Operation Overlord and the MXR Superbadass Disortion. Between the three of these pedals I can get almost any over-driven tone I want including a fuzz sound if I really need one in a pinch. However, relying only on this pedal as your distortion/overdrive box is probably not the best use. This pedal is pretty much always on in my setup, set to a very low clean gain, and then I use the EHX & MXR to really get distorted. The lack of separate bass, mid, and treble EQ knobs really require you to have another gain pedal with those knobs instead. All that being said, I do love this pedal.

[@RS-hz4mt]

So you use it as a booster, correct me if I'm wrong

[@moustachio334]

This should be the first dirtbox anyone buys. I don’t have one but need it. It’s like stacking a DS-1 with an SD-1.

[@thomashouston4329]

I've had the OS-2 on my board for years. Great for leads and has a nice over drive sounds. Its a little thin on the low end though.

[@qpine4621]

I kinda dig that though. I have a pretty thumpy amp and this pedal rounds it out nicely. Plus it was free, so....

[@jaibruce777]

It's a great pedal! It depends on how you dial and listen. You can simulate any preamp sound; a versatile pedal capable to play any genre. I used and been using it for years! After all, the bottom line is your playing anyway.

[@chumbawampa]

I have one but i really got it for the distortion but they didnt have the DS1. So i just keep the color knob on full distortion, drive on the lower end and tone at about 11 oclock. That gives the most pure distortion . Pretty much exactly the way he had it. I usually dont touch the drive knob much .

[@jaibruce777]

This pedal is versatile depending on how you dial the knobs. It can emulate any distortion and overdrive pedals...or any amp types. The color knob is the key. You can make it sound like a booster, fuzz, crunch...and bluesy overdrive. Rectifier tone for metal?...yes! (w/ the color knob @ 3:00. The amp you use also matters with the overall sound. Great demo by the way. Thanks!

[@Frankinsteinguitar]

Don, your reviews are the BEST! Thanks.

[@dvamateur]

Looks like this is all I need for my distortion indulged Jan Hammer style keyboard solos. :) The rest of the pedals are stereo chorus, delay, and reverb. That's it. Phaser and Flanger for future explorations, but no more distortion circuits needed, OS-2 is perfect.

[@jorgetome7089]

and a tube screamer to push the OS2 in the solos

[@bruhriobro2481]

os2 was my very first pedal.... can't stop missing it since the day I sold it

[@sardomaitland8156]

01:50 - instant Knocking on heavens door

[@mfaridzzibran9806]

Everytime i hear G chord, i always remember that song 😂

[@patrickh.1658]

I got one of these laying around from the 80s. Thank goodness I do because I had to sell my Maxon od 808 for some money for food. Was using it to just boost my hi gain amp.

[@creatorshadow8343]

really great review I liked it this the only one that actually showed how the knobs actually work

[@WFKTHETHIRD]

Very nice for the price..Does not seem to be noisy which is a big plus...I like it...

[@kayakchrispy]

Sounds like a Nashville resident to my ear ;) thanks for the info I own this pedal and maybe can use it to it’s full potential now as I try to get different drives for different songs I play . I haven’t adjusted my sound on it in years

[@peterbrusch1493]

Best review around the place.

[@j_wah3084]

Finally, some solo guitar in the vid intro that is actually VALID and tasty. Thanks, Don.

[@tph197666]

I bought this pedal used for $60. It’s not a bad pedal. I can see why people don’t care for it though... I would take it over most BOSS pedals.

[@monno2600]

This is a great review over all

[@CAPTAINFUZZY]

Would it be a good choice paired (when needed or not) with my Boss DS-1 Distortion for playing Southern Rock and Metal only for this set-up, or should I look toward the direction of another Boss Overdrive pedal? I'm hooked on keeping my DS-1, so I don't know if another Overdrive would be needed or if this would be fine for that boost with some range of sound/tone still left? Anybody with hands-on experience with this set-up or with my question your advice is greatly appreciated.

[@Junior1385]

I have this pedal, sound great

[@Kietel28]

Is this an Overdrive and Distortion combined in a single pedal.? Please share.

[@MyGuitarArtistry]

So....... Does this pedal go in front of the amp....on the clean channel.......like a distortion pedal?? Or does it go through the effects loop, like an overdrive pedal??

[@sweetwater]

Hi, Jason! Thanks for your message, hope you're well and safe. Typically yes, this pedal goes after your guitar and in front of the amp. Placing it in the effects loop is tricky but possible if that's part of the sound you're looking for. Watch your gain and volume if you decide to try it out. Start low. Please contact us direct with other questions as you have them! Robert Williams, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 2371, [e-mail]

[@terenceflood2861]

Can this pedal turn my squire into a Flying V.....

[@larslevinberget9558]

Why pay loads of cash for boutique pedals or mods when Boss have pedals this great? Not so much SD1 - DS1, rather OD1 - DF2 and a RAT in between

[@Nickmuenzner]

Great video!

[@rionbaruah2076]

Best review. It was really helpful☺

[@zulhelmi2096]

Can i get the sound of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Blink 182, Sum 41 with this pedal? Need some answers. Thanks.

[@LeviBulger]

Depends on your amp

[@zulhelmi2096]

@@LeviBulger Thanks

[@john-zw9rw]

The Drive control is the amount of Drive... Another sweetwater selling point.. Think of these funny commercials as COMEDY..

[@Wardell43]

The OS-2 is highly underrated and used ones can be picked up for $25 or $40.

[@leorodeiguez3839]

I love sweet water they send u candy as well :3

[@ElSolitarioPerpetuo]

Can I use it for the bass or is only for guitar?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, Joel! I do not typically recommend using guitar overdrive/distortion pedals on bass, since the frequency ranges that sound good on guitar don't typically sound good for bass. Check out the Boss ODB-3 for a really great Boss bass-specific overdrive pedal: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ODB3--boss-odb-3-bass-overdrive-pedal Thanks for the interest! Kevin Spunde, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1732, [e-mail]

[@nikosdevrikis7686]

I am a new guitarist I like playing classic rock n roll, hard rock and a little punk i am between overdrive and distortion. Is this pedal better solution?

[@closertotheheart]

For the price, it's an excellent solution. With the combination of the right guitar, amp and possibly other pedals , this thing can sound really good for the styles you mentioned.

[@bleromafia]

hard rock and punk definitmy distortion

[@douglasfreeman3229]

Bands like the Pistols, if you are into old school punk, originally just "overdrove" the amp. I think Steve Jones did this with his Fender twin. I find overdrive sounds better for punk, but I guess it might be personal taste. I find distortion on this pedal a little harsh.

[@marcotuliolascasas9528]

muito obrigado pelo review . ajudou muitoooo

[@karlbass7004]

is the distortion mode the same sound as ds 1 ?

[@larslevinberget9558]

Similar but smoother, more like the DF1 Super Feedback & Distortion pedal

[@karlbass7004]

@@larslevinberget9558 Great !!!! Thank you !!!

[@bryceevans1692]

Very nice review.

[@Mordecai06]

Can you tell me if the circuit of this pedal is analog or digital? thaks.

[@sweetwater]

Israel D, it is an analog circuit. Thanks for your question! Don Carr

[@StormJH1]

Hate to be contrarian, but this was my distortion pedal for about 10 years, and I hated it. Now, much of that was the crapiness of the amps I used at the time (since upgraded), but the OS-2 did it no favors. BOSS, despite all the hate, actually makes a number of very good distortion/OD pedals, including the BD-2 Blues Drive and OD-3 Overdrive. The OS-2 tried to be everything but seemed to do nothing well. Sounded decent in this video, as I suspect would a DS-1 or virtually any passable dirtbox fed into a quality amp. But given the explosion of affordable pedals (MXR Super Badass comes to mind), there are better alternatives nowadays.

[@JK-nr2eu]

And why did you keep it 10 years again?

[@plamanbutak2225]

can it use as booster likes Boss Super Overdrive?

[@SprunkCovers]

of course you can, sounds amazing imo, I have compared it to my Blues Driver and sounds great

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

I use this pedal as a solo boost line and SD1. When the color knob is fully on the OD side, it works just like a SD1

[@rjc7289]

All the knobs at 12:00 produce a nice tone with plenty of sustain.

[@BowserSpaceLaser]

I use a swollen pickle for fuzz ( can not stand big muff) and this for a more "normal" distortion sound. good shit.

[@kiddboifr3sh219]

Can I sound like godsmack with this pedal????

[@pridenjoy9437]

can i play metal with it? also i had tube screamer & equalizer,is it any good if i mix these 3 guys?

[@theabsolute23]

You can definitely play metal with it, distortion's got a fair crunch with some pickups

[@manualofalternativemusic]

I don’t know if it still matters now, but you can totally get some thick metal tones with and equalizer, a tube screamer and this! I recommend placing your tube screamer before the os2 to push it, and the eq last in your chain so you can cut some mids and boost some mid-low frequencies. Sounds great

[@klauswhitedreamer]

@@manualofalternativemusic you are right ! 😊

[@lwkimbley2]

Looking at this or blues pedal

[@carlos_al]

me too...which one did you go for?

[@neilj3310]

Joe Walsh from the Eagles uses this pedal

[@luisquinones3395]

whatelse is needed for connection and how Thanks

[@ronaldpaulraagas1858]

Can we used this for Back in Black AcDc?

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

Ronald Paul Raagas You absolutely can. I’ve dialed a good AC/DC sound with this pedal.

[@miserablecherry7651]

Would i be mistaken in saying, tone at 0, distortion at 100 would make a fuzz sound?

[@theresnoway440]

Well if you don't have a shop near you I'd say maybe. Might not sound good

[@klauswhitedreamer]

Yes, you are right, it sounds like a fuzz !

[@aidilasaharocha9122]

Thank you

[@rainbowslushy223]

great review. you look weird al if he wasn't weird lol

[@swagnostic132]

Standard Al

[@faronoid]

Ordinary Al

[@eti313]

Norm Al

[@pecahndasmu]

Awesome Al

[@immanuelsiahaan8960]

can i get a black sabbath sound with this?

[@hierarchyofscares]

immanuel siahaan sure, but try the catalinbread sabbra cadabbra, it's Sabbath in a box

[@bradt.3555]

Wow, I got a black 513 too. os 2 also. Guitar GREAT! pedal not so.

[@Jon77777]

If I turn up my drive knob just a little the amount of hiss I get is ridiculous

[@lRetM]

can I get with this an guns n roses sound?

[@agepejota1863]

i'd recommend an MXR distortion + for that

[@rorysstuff5129]

Does this have a overdrive/distortion switch or something?

[@YomYestreen]

The "Color" knob on the right is the one that blends between the DS-1 and SD-1 circuits within this pedal. :)

[@francescod.9025]

Hi, can I set it for a Brian May sound or close to it?

[@sweetwater]

Hi, Francesco. The OS-2 is great for the money and you get a wide variety of sounds. That being said, Brian May's sound came from an AC30 with a treble booster in front of it. Probably the best pedal for accomplishing that sound would be the Catalinbread Galileo. That was designed with that specific Brian May sound in mind. Thanks for your interest! Charlie Davis, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1320, [e-mail]

[@zammie01]

Why isn't this guy writing the Boss manual for this pedal? 6min explained years of tweaking for me.

[@leftundersun]

The tone control on this pedal could be improved

[@sumesh25586]

Can we get same sound on Yamaha electric guitar?

[@jessejafrnd]

sumesh m if it has a humbucker pick up I'd say yes. PRS' usually have higher output pickups so a Yamaha might not sound quite as juiced as this. I have one of these and it has its limits if your trying to get a real edgy Randy Rhoads or even EVH sound it's not going to take you quite there. I have a Blackstar amp and I use it's Overdrive Channel for these tones. Since I got the amp I mainly use the pedal for boost or to combine with other drives to get fuzz type tones. But when I was relying on this pedal alone I found my self looking at MXR and Marshall pedals trying to find a more "metal" drive pedal. But if you're into Stones,ZZtop, Zeppelin or blues/classic rock tones its a sufficient tool. In short it's good for rock but leaves you short for metal. Hope that helps.

[@mahoganymarco9199]

Yes you do, Yamaha has a big range of guitars but mostly you do. Great guitars and great pedal

[@SmartStr33t]

Dirty School Bus, lol.

[@valdiarief]

this pedal,why is it so cheap?!

[@bubbabigschlong6277]

Ha....my feet are so big I hit about 3 buttons at once. Its better if I put it on a small stand and work it with my hand. I never use the wah anyway so it doesn't make any difference.

[@midtown3221]

_Dirty School Bus_

[@JWCFB]

I bought one. It totally sucks.

[@messybluesboy371]

Dude Looks Like A Lady LOL Great Review!

[@larslevinberget9558]

Looks like an old rocker who knows the ropes...

[@rogerrabbit710]

talk less sir