BOSS SD-1 OverDrive vs BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver into a Marshall JTM-45

[@EverettVernon72]

I love that you’re playing them in a mix! Most people don’t realise how in different tones sound in isolation to a mix

[@octoplod]

Thanks! I think pedals should be demo'd / compared in the context that you are going to use them not just in isolation

[@silviolutti1522]

Due to the very different circuitry, the Boss bd-2 has more high frequencies than the sd-1. You cannot use the same settings on both pedals. On the bd-2 boss you must start with the tone check at 09:00. Anyway, even if in this video the adjustments are not done properly, it is clear that the more the boss sd-1 lowers the gain, the more he cuts the low frequencies. So it's not an overdrive that you can use on the completely clean channel, otherwise the sound becomes too thin. It's a pedal that works well on the crunch or edge-of-breakup channel, or as a boost into another overdrive. The bd-2 instead does not cut the bass and you can use it safely on the completely clean channel. So there is no winner in this video: it depends on how you use an overdrive.

[@octoplod]

Thank you for your comments. You have raised some very interesting points. Just for clarification, I set the controls the same on both pedals just to show how each pedal sounds at that setting. I'm not trying to match the sound of the pedals with each other. I am showing how an sd-1 sounds with the drive set at 12 o'clock compares to a bd-2 with the gain set to 12 o'clock. You can then look at another of my overdrive vidoes and see how a different pedal (for example Boss os-2 or od-3) compares to the sd-1 with their gain at 12 o'clock. Also I use the same settings on my amplifier for all the overdrive videos for consistency. There's never a winner in my videos, only differences (or not) 🙂

[@ALTheGuitarViking]

Great comparison!! Great video! Subscribed! ❤

[@octoplod]

Thank you!

[@guitarnerd99]

I wouldn't swap my BD2 for anything. It can do distortion, fuzz and great clear tones. Its versatile and my goto pedal. The SD1 is more akin to a tube screamer, with its rough edged fizzier tone. Both great pedals, but BD2 is superior in my opinion.

[@octoplod]

It is certainly a pedal that rewards any time you spend learning how to get the best out of it with your guitar/amp.

[@tmoss89]

I like both sd 2 is a god send in the studio and blues driver is a god send over all

[@DanielS10291]

My blues driver is so fizzy in the top end. Im recording straight into an interface and it sounds like the level is clipping. Very disappointed as i only got it today In terms of the comparison ive had an sd1 for years and have always loved it

[@octoplod]

The BOSS BD-2 can sound fizzy if you are not going into a least a slightly overdriven amp (or amp sim). You can even try running it before another overdrive pedal, that sometimes reduces the fizzyness. The BD-2 wasn't a pedal I immediately bonded with either as (like you) I was very used to the SD-1 but there is a lot to explore at different levels of pedal gain combined with amp gain. It just takes time to experiment. The best thing is, if the BD-2 isn't for you then there are hundreds of other overdrives to enjoy trying out. Good luck on your pedal journey 🙂

[@DanielS10291]

@@octoplod next thing ill do is try it with an amp! The reason i DId it is i was trying to get a tame impala tone and i know a lot of the tones are DId with a phaser going into the overdrive. Unsure how the fizziness is managed though. Yeh you’re right, i have so many overdrive pedals but heard this one is quite different. To be honest i got it for £30 so cant complain! Thanks

[@octoplod]

@@DanielS10291 I just looked this up for you. To get the Tame Impala tone 'for recording it's all DI with a radial di box'. You may already know this, but if you don't this may help you out - you need to use a DI (direct injection) box to go straight into your recording interface. If you try to record without it (plugging a guitar pedal straight in) you will get an impedance mismatch and it will sound bad (thin and fuzzy). You don't need an expensive one (the radial di box) there are much cheaper ones to try but it will help you get the tone you want. Of course, if your recording interface already has a channel to plug your guitar directly in (some do) you can safely ignore everything I've just said 🙂. Anyway good luck finding your tone.

[@3rdStoreyChemist]

@@DanielS10291 It’s done with EQ essentially mimicking what a guitar speaker does. That said, the vast majority of recorded guitar will be DI’ed because this allows for options like reamping (basically routing the signal back out to an amp) and having a recording of the direct sound from the guitar or pedal makes life a lot easier. Best thing to do is run through an amp sim.

[@joemorenobosque-hl9jp]

muchas gracias💯💯💯💯💯💯💥💥💥

[@regissousa2936]

Great vídeo!!!! Congratulations!!!

[@octoplod]

Thank you 🙂

[@davidstafford1071]

I bought an SD1 with a TS808 mod. It's the best of both worlds.

[@CC-fi3pp]

Both are sweet, slightly prefer the SD-1.

[@rareform6747]

Good your , running into a Real Tube Amp .

[@lomoholga]

Huge qualitative differences- the Blues Driver is dramatically more ‘fizzier’ and sounds like a borderline fuzz compared to the SD-1 which is a very ‘present’ sounding overdrive For my tastes the SD-1 is the do it all generic overdrive- can dial in cliche edge of breakup sounds, 70s rock and some 80s hard rock depending on the guitar and settings etc People love the blues driver though!

[@octoplod]

The comparison was interesting to do. I had never noticed how low the gain is on the BD-2 compared to the SD-1 at the lower setting and yet the gain is much higher on the BD-2 than the SD-1 at the higher setting. I will have to make a longer video to see if there are differences in the tone controls as well.

[@robertmcmillan3638]

​​@@octoplodWhat I can remember about using an SD1 years ago is that the Drive didn't increase much, if at all, beyond a certain 12 or 1 o clock position and had a particularly noticeable mid range boost to its sound which was catered for lead but not rhythm guitar. Probably why some people used the pedal as nothing more than a booster for lead solos when playing live. Probably the least expensive Boss pedal during the nineties helped make it a popular choice for many as well. Not something you would necessarily want as your main overdrive sound though

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

So why is it generic? Because it's cheap and came out a long time ago that make it generic?

[@Lomoholga2]

@@BkBk-gy6vrlook up the definition of generic. You interpret it as negative. Its not.

[@BkBk-gy6vr]

@@Lomoholga2 You look it up because this pedal doesn't fall under the definition of generic just in your generic mind.

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

That blues driver can do distortion and fuzzyness as well. On low gain I use a DS-1 and RAT as a booster for the Warm audio Jet Phaser. With and without the fuzz of the JP it adds anouther sonic spectrum 😊. As said in another comment SD-1 is more a bread and butter od and the BD-2 is a lot rougher at gain past noon.

[@rdanalytics9197]

They sound very similar to me.

[@col145]

🤪sound near enough the same to me