Introducing the BOSS IR-2 Amp & Cabinet | Secret Weapons Demo & Review

11 amps. Killer Celestion IR's (or the option to add your own). Stereo effects loop. Classic, compact Boss design. Oh and it's got a headphone jack.
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Signal Path:
29 Pedals EUNA
Bondi Squish As
1981 LVL
Benson Boost
BOSS IR-2
UAFX Starlight and Golden
Timecodes:
00:00 Intro Song
01:51 Review
06:54 Sound Samples
07:52 CLEAN
13:04 TWN
18:43 TWEED
24:31 DIAMOND
28:50 CRUNCH
32:29 BRIT
36:06 HI-GAIN
41:17 SLDN
45:21 BROWN
47:36 MODDED
50:06 RFIER
52:46 AMBIENCE
Recorded in Universal Audio LUNA
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[@AdamStachelek]

I give you lots of credit for making a demo that really shows how the IR-2 can fit into an overall finished tone. Using the Benson in front and the Starlight in the loop really highlights how the IR-2 would be used in a more substantial signal chain, using all the features of the pedal. I have come back to this video quite a bit to see what the tonal range is of this pedal as I think you really covered all the ground really well with really tasteful musical playing. I bought the IR-2 in a large part due to this video, but man the backorder queue is HUGE! Very eager to get this in my hands. Great work on this demo.

[@victorb656]

Thanks for this! So nice hearing someone who knows what to do with a clean sound.

[@subixbarbarasson6052]

This is an awesome and well done video. Thank you for taking the time to just chill and explain the different features. I really appreciate it. Great job man.

[@DanTheDiggler]

Flawless demo, just what I searched for. Thanks for covering all the sounds and varying the playing so we hear the dynamics of this thing. And short informative talking. Keep it up!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Hey I love you for being the only person in history to describe my talking as short.

[@patrickkoenigsfeld1253]

Oh my, that Diamond setting hits me right in the feels! The responsiveness was demonstrated perfectly. Absolutely love your sense of tone and talent to show case it! Sharing this with everyone I know who would be interested. Thanks Mark for another amazing video. Really can't thank you enough.

[@MRxr400]

i like the room ambience. just gives it a amp in a room subtle sound. excellent tones in this unit.

[@nj1255]

The Twin, Tweed and Modded channels sound really good. Perfect amp sim for a lightweight and portable pedalboard you can carry with you anywhere!

[@heleomopi]

I just got mine. Can’t wait to try it out! Cheers

[@iansmirna5183]

I'm dying to hear a demo with more clean tones. All the internet is about overdriven sounds or demo with side pedals on so we never hear the amp-in-a-box sound by itself without being pushed or affected by third party FX. I'm pretty sure most pedals would still use their own overdrive/distortion unit in front of this kind of pedal. All the models seem to overdrive pretty fast though.

[@cox9909]

that is true, not enough clean sounds, I think it is because all these amps in box are not so good for fat clean or very low gain,I tried some of them but I came back to real amps to get blues sounds

[@fakejosh]

That's what I was hoping to get in this video but the "clean" amp never got really clean (just turn the gain knob a LITTLE bit more, maybe?) and same with the Twin Maybe it's just us

[@larrydering1598]

I own 2 tube Twin Reverbs and a Tonemaster Twin, this isn't even close. I love Boss stuff but my GT1 and Pocket GT does a better Twin.

[@amiskalo]

Amazing review! Thanks

[@garyatkins4479]

Got mine yesterday Great demo and your right the settings for each amp type need to be adjusted for them to each sound their best All the same setting does not do the amp type selection any favors I can get good tone out of each but each need to be adjusted

[@jessehutchings]

After i bought my Artist combo i started trusting BOSS for all of my guitar equipment besides the guitar itself and my lucky pick I've had for almost 20 years. I don't have a lot of stuff but it says a lot when a brand name inspires people to trust it wholeheartedly for their needs especially in a creative arts field

[@MrJbangoy]

Appreciate you going through everything so thoroughly. I was hoping for 1 good clean 1 good high gain to run my pedals into and use the plethora in stereo and this fits the bill perfectly

[@johndoyle325]

10:56 - I am constantly surprised by what is considered "shy of edge of breakup." To my ear, with the gain dimed on the Clean setting there is definitely hair. it sounds glorious.

[@TheGuitarslinger1992]

I thought the same thing! I’m only to the second setting in the video, but that dimed clean sound is gonna be hard to beat!

[@jimmyjames2022]

Awesome demo of the IR-2 and grateful you spent a lot of time on each amp. Reason I (back) ordered this it has such a great Clean, great Fender sims and the various Boss Katana amps. Along with awesome Celestion cab IRs and the FX loop that even the Katana 50 combo misses. This is the perfect Boss Katana amp for my use case. Since it's so popular, I wonder how this will eat into Kat 50 (and Kat Mini) sales. I could never convince myself to buy the Kat 50 due to it's lack of FX loop but bought the IR-2 as soon as I noticed it's amazing capabilities.

[@summercameron3505]

I will also be on the lookout for Boss IR-2 / Strymon Iridium comparisons just to see - thank you! ☮

[@matthewsouza383]

That's a proper pedal demo! I want to get all three

[@thegourmetchef30]

Getting a real Jim Ward/Sparta feel from the opening. Love it!

[@sons7429]

I’m surprised by how good this sounds but I probably shouldn’t be . Boss is the king for a reason.

[@Digosaurus]

Oath

[@brandoncrimmins6296]

Meh, MXR is better in my opinion. But I’m also really impressed with this little thing. The feature I think is most interesting is the integrated interface.

[@adilO.o]

Bulls Eye 🎯 Boss !!!! By the way great playing and vibes in this videos

[@lets_rock_it]

Hello Mark. I ussually dont watch to gear demos,nothing against it ,i just am on a point i dont need nothing atm,but after i seen so many videos about this pedal on my feed i randomlly clicked on your video thinking like well let me see whats all about this pedal,and iam glad i did,great intro very nice playing very melodic you just show how less can be much more.Thank you.

[@shanewhite3820]

I like the form factor…sometimes I just wanna dial in some tones. The functionality and modern convenience for the price is fantastic and the tones are killer. Well done Boss, getting the fundamentals right!

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

I have OCD, therefore, I can only collect Boss pedals (I love the compact pedal design, as well as the twin pedal format). My first pedal was a Boss DS-1, elegant design, functional, and almost bulletproof. Any pedals after that had to be Boss. I am trying for a complete collection.

[@shanewhite3820]

@@scramblesthedeathdealer Nice, well my first foray into guitar was doing the Nirvana thing which of course was predominantly BOSS and Electro-Harmonix. Kurt was right, the EHX pedals were temperamental as fuck, the BOSS pedals sounded better through a solid state and the Japanese Strats had better action than their American counterparts for that style of guitar. Those were the days. Now it’s all about stereo, state-of-the art and/or analog boutique perfection, if it ain’t as warm as a wet fart in a sock or doesn’t cost more than my car it ain’t worth buying haha! Kudos to BOSS for keeping it real lol!

[@onenotesolo256]

@@scramblesthedeathdealerit would be funny if you made one exception for a certain Fulltone pedal.. 😊

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

@@onenotesolo256 What pedal would that be?

[@tiagodungo]

😆@@onenotesolo256

[@Crazy_Dave]

Nice to see Peter Green doing well.

[@CLaw-tb5gg]

I’m not being flippant when I say that companies who do modelling tech haven’t embraced brainlessness as much as they should. I honestly think a large part of why people enjoy using amps instead of modellers is because of monkey brain. Having like 8 knobs to deal with instead of 379 parameters is intrinsically more appealing. Most people just don’t realistically want loads of different sounds: they want like 4 or 5 max, in a way that’s simple for recording, in a nice little box, that sounds great straight away. If Boss have cracked the caveman factor with this, they’ll be on to a winner.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

This is a big reason that Milkman has done as well as they have with their The Amp series. A lot of players out there really just want to feel like they’re dialing something exactly as complicated as a traditional amp and no more. All the extra stuff can be so useful and versatile but some people just don’t have the patience or interest.

[@DanAddison]

100% agree, I’m so sick of wasting the time I used to spend playing and composing and recording, on option paralysis knob twiddling and menu diving. This pedal seems almost perfect for me because it has everything I need (except for guitar and cable) in the smallest simplest package. Literally a one pedal complete rig. But even then, I’d prefer a cheaper version that had no more than 4 amp/rig options and no effects loop or stereo capability. Then it would be like I designed it myself for all my various purposes and my meagre finances, with zero extra fat.

[@variok]

It's not so much brainlessness, but I value my time & I'm not a sound engineer, nor want to be one. I want plug & play because I want to spend time playing and being happy with the tone without obsessing over it. In many ways, having limits & constraints forces you to focus and live with what you have. Boss watched all the other brands do this, and listened to what people wanted and made a best of class version of the product. 👏

[@DanTheDiggler]

Spot on 🎯 Totally agree! Sometimes I wonder if all that menu diving is just a simple excuse for people who are to lazy to develop thier PLAYING. I hope more developers go in this direction with more simple and intuitive knob layouts. Bells and whistles can be hidden away under the hood and accessed through bluetooth and a simple mobile app. Another brand that have realised this is Universal Audio. Cheers!

[@gaborkovacs7134]

A Fender Twin Reverb would never break up like that. The magic about the Twin is that when you crank it up, you get the full tubey harmonics associated with an overdriven tone, but no (or hardly any) dirt. AmpliTube's Fender package imitates that fairly accurately, and my Fender Mustang GTX-50 is also pretty close, particularly via the in-built speaker. (I've never tried a ToneMaster Twin Reverb or the ToneMaster Pro, but with that price tag, they must be even closer to the real thing.) Boss appears to have taken a different route: I noticed this when I spent a few hours exploring the IR-200, after which I ended up buying the GTX-50. Boss seems to take inspiration from these historic amps, and they do not focus on replicating their sound and response as closely as possible. If that were their goal, I'm sure they'd be able to do it. Instead, Boss intends to take each of these historic sounds as an idea to start from and then develop something that carries a recognisable quality of the original, but at the same time sounds modern and really-really good. That's a completely different direction to take. I think we should be glad that there are so many different approaches to amp modelling. A good product is simply one that gives you the sound you like, and I'm sure a lot of people will like the sounds this unit can produce.

[@sjoerdknol]

Have you ever heard a Twin Reverb on 10? It’s extremely fizzy and distorted. It’s also extremely loud. But it staying clean is just not true at all. People think this because in the usable loudness range it definitely stays clean with headroom. It can get extremely distorted though, which is probably too loud to ever use, but hey it’s totally possible. It is however way to boxy for a twin though.

[@poesybeat]

For a second I was disappointed that amp and cab selection aren't separate dials...but then I realized I prefer that. Zero thinking - just amp and cab pre-matched - simple, just how I like things.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

And you can load your own irs which means you CAN match any cab you want ahead of time and then fuss with it in the moment.

[@jessehutchings]

Thanks for this in depth video and comment replies. I'm trying to get a good idea of what this unit should actually be used for so I don't have unrealistic expectations but it really does sound like it can step up to the plate when playing open mic or gigs. ​@@markjohnstonofficial

[@christianboddum8783]

Sounds like a homerun for BOSS!

[@anomalousresult]

Have you tried the headphone out while not plugged into an interface? Some of these types of pedal suffer with grounding and have hiss on the HP out.

[@AmbientEndeavors]

even better the second time.

[@SpaceJockey805]

Yeah, that’s not what a Twin or Soldano sound like but they still sound great. Awesome review my man!

[@sebastiangutierrez2962]

Hey mark, great video, in your opinion is there a model that resembles like a jtm45 or an early Plexi on the Boss Ir-2? (edge of breakup Hendrix kind of cleaner tones)

[@KyparissiPerry]

Have not tried this thing but I would think the TWEED with a different IR would get you close. Maybe an IR with Greenbacks, V12s, or V30s instead of the 4x10 IR that is paired with the tweed.

[@TherealBrandonHatcher]

Well I was thinking Iridium or Tonex, now this? What's your preference after messing with this pedal.

[@rocknbiodj8671]

Is it possible to put a clean boost in the fx loop and make a volume boost for solos in live situation ? Is it work like a true amp ?

[@kingarthur2430]

Would I need a direct box to record in to my Apollo interface? Thanks

[@AmbientEndeavors]

heyyyy we're back.

[@ptalley316]

30:27 there it is! Very nice:)

[@compucorder64]

Sounds quite good. I guess one issue would be that the HoTone pedals sell for only about $100 more than this, on sale, sound equally good or better and do a lot more. But mainly, I think this is good for recording players because hopefully the likes of UA will see this and bring out a line of Deluxe UA FX amp modeler with an FX loop with stereo return. And maybe at least allow people to buy additional amp models for a UA FX platform pedal, even if they were to charge say $150 for each model. Would be better for the consumer and cut waste. But maybe not so good for UA FX profits so ...

[@suede__]

It's also good for new players who don't have the money and want good enough tones without breaking the bank. I think comparing it to something that costs $100 more _when it's on sale_ is missing the point, to be honest.

[@compucorder64]

@@suede__ definitely. Although, on the second point it's not so much the new vs on sale. Just that more general thing on kit when it comes out being usually sold at it's RRP. But, after a year or so, digital gear tends to get discounted almost across the board, most sellers, most of the time. Then, it's relevant, because a buyer only cares about what price something is now. An example being say the UA FX Dream or Ruby or Woodrow now being a much better value proposition than the UA FX Lion. Unless you are dead set on a Marshall. So, I'd tend to just choose one of the older ones. Similar with this new Boss, the equivalent from someone else from a year ago will be better value. Except, there isn't really equivalent because the FX loop with stereo return is kind of unique at this price point making it good value, when pedals twice it's price don't have that feature.

[@qddk9545]

One thing that strikes me is that you can record directly from this pedal to your USB plug on the PC. No sound card needed.

[@MusicChannel-rf5zz]

UA is good but not for the price point when you get the Axe FX tones on FM3 for a 1000 bucks these days!

[@jessehutchings]

36:45 I own a Katana Artist combo and I love this sound. I'm still unsure if the IR-2 can produce all the effects i normally use internally or if I would have to buy a delay and boost pedal to go with it

[@zhoujunlineric4219]

I just got a IR-2 and I do own a Katana 50MKII but I connect the IR-2 to my HeadRush FRFR108. And I just ordered a TR-9 as the booster and am planning to buy a boss RV500. The Ambience embedded in IR-2 feels very weak to me.

[@kevinlong4657]

The amount of options for amp in a box is overwhelming. I already have the Friedman IR-X and a Tonex and now I want this, and all the UADX amps too.

[@bobisadrummer]

This is a pretty neat little pedal. I could use this, the DC-2w and the RE-2 and be completely content with a 3 pedal set. At first I didn't get why they bothered with an FX loop, but I'm assuming this allows you to run stereo effects and hear them in stereo if you use the Headphone jack.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Exactly. And I think it’s super high value to be able to put delays behind the amp but ahead of the cabinet I.e. tape delays that have their own preamp clipping option. Stuff like that can be fizzy if you don’t run it into something like an ir or cabinet to roll off the junk.

[@trahnettilhcs]

Help me wrap my mind around how stereo effects work in an effects loop like this. I can’t visualize how to set it up and get a stereo image.

[@robdavies9478]

​@trahnettilhcs fx send sends a mono signal out from the preamp. The effects you put in the loop (if they are stereo effects) take that mono signal, make a right and left signal, which is then returned to the IR-2 which runs the (now separate) right and left signals through the cab IR and to the right and left outputs respectively (and the headphone out).

[@robdavies9478]

And if your stereo effects do different things to the right and left signals (I.e. a delay that applies different subdivision to each side), then you'll hear something different in your left headphone than you do in the right.

[@compucorder64]

​@@trahnettilhcs Usually what you'd do is run your volume pedal/fuzz/wah/compressor/boost/drive into the mono input of this pedal. Think you'd take a mono out (TS cable), from the pedal effects send, into a stereo effects pedal chain. That would be things like usually modulation pedal first, like say a TC SCF+, Boss CE-2W, or DC-2W, MXR Stereo Analog Chorus etc... Or maybe a mono in, stereo out delay like the new Boss DM-101. Then after that first stereo output pedal, you'd run a chain of stereo in, stereo out pedals. These are more often digital pedals, delays like Strymon Timeline, Meris Polymoon or LVX, Empress Echo System, UA Galaxy. Loopers/granular like Hologram Microcosm or Chase Bliss Mood mk.II. Stereo delay/reverb like say Source Audio Ventris, UA FX Golden Reverberator, or Meris Mercury X. Then the last stereo pedal feeds back into the stereo effects return of the pedal. But, I think it will often be stereo TS-TS output from the last stereo FX pedal back into the stereo TRS FX return input of the Boss (though Meris, Chase Bliss often use TRS cables for stereo too - then you would go Stereo TRS -> Stereo TRS). Then like Mark said, your send effects run after the gain pedals, after the preamp of the pedal, but before the emulated power amp and cab sim, so it doesn't sound so muddy; especially at higher emulated gain. It doesn't matter as much if the emulated sound you are going is an very clean Fender type sound, but a dirty high gain sound will turn the sound of the effects chain to mush, if something like the Boss is driving hard at the start of the chain.

[@AmbientMelancholy]

Amazing demo, Mark! I bet you've already answered this question before, but what do you use for your drums/percussion? I am looking for a simple way to add some drums when I am playing around. I have an Alesis SR18 that I got a few months ago, but haven't really messed with it yet. The Alesis seems a little cumbersome, when I just want to create a simple beat to play over. Perhaps I am just being lazy and need to figure out how to use it, however, I just wanted to ask what you use for your tracks. Thanks!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I use Mixwave Aaron Gillespie for my library and play it all on on my keyboard. I have a video on the channel about my drum workflow. Some choices are out of date but the workflow is still largely the same.

[@AmbientMelancholy]

@@markjohnstonofficial thanks for sharing! I'll look into it 😎

[@mikegentry1193]

The “drumming” kinda kicks ass though… Great job letting it breathe around the groove. Really, really cool.

[@elektriskduvel8835]

Hi Do you know if I can plug a synthesizer, like Korg Volca in the input ? As is also an audio interface

[@Thomsonthetube]

Im so bummed. I just got mine and cant get it to work. Light comes on, but otherwise, no signal. No channel change when I hit the pedal. Any advice is appreciated

[@dash4786]

Could I run this into a line 6 power cab on the raw setting without it sounding like a flea fart? Awesome video by the way very clean video work in your videos man.

[@yashinisuki]

I'm thinking about replacing my Spark 40 with this since I pretty much use headphones only to practice and I am quite disappointed with Spark's limitations like lack of looper or spring reverb. Obviously I would pair it with some other pedals like overdrive, reverb etc. Do you think that this would be a good choice?

[@scottnoricsson2023]

to my ears, Spark's Plexi simulation is dead-on accurate whereas Boss's isn't. I know cause I have both

[@Thrive-Off-Grid]

Im going to replace my Spark, HeadRush MX5 and NUX MG-30 with this pedal. The Spark does not have enough control to dial it in and the NUX and HeadRush are just way too much you need a college coarse to learn how to properly dial them in. This Boss pedal seems like its already dialed in and you can just use the knobs to fine tune.

[@Thrive-Off-Grid]

@@scottnoricsson2023 How did you get an IR2 before the rest of us? The spark plexi sounds like shit compared to the HeadRush MX5. The spark sounds like you are playing guitar with static dubbed over the top of it. God that thing aweful.

[@el34hvb]

Are there right out of the box good sounds to make with the I.R 2? I got everything Android ,so buying different cabs would not be possible?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I used some third party IRs in the intro song but everything else from then on out (all the sound samples) ONLY use the stock IRs that come in the device. If you are concerned about single IR limitations but like the amp choices in the BOSS one, I would say to take a look at the IR200 as well. You can mix and match cabinets and there are as bunch of additional EQ controls to allow for a lot of in the box flexibility.

[@BenEvansUSA]

You give some pretty high praise to the IR-200, yet you seem to prefer the Dream/Ruby combo or sometimes the ACS1. Any particular reason for that? Or do you just find those to be more inspiring than the Boss?

[@mariotbird70]

Awesome vid! Has anyone used the ir-200 with extended range guitars?

[@Pablo-nc6qu]

Does the fx loop still work when the pedal is bypassed? Nice demo bro

[@MagicPants647]

can you get that glassy clean twin tone with it? you didn’t really bring the gain down below 10:00

[@brothertoughlove]

Bass sounds really good. What setting is that? 👍🏿

[@compucorder64]

Was thinking, maybe Roland/Boss should do a modular JC50/100. Where the head can detach from these monopod cabs, lego style. And also maybe could have monoblock power amplifiers, so maybe basic model could be a 50 watt monoblock, that snaps into a single 1x10". But you can snap together two 50 monoblock heads, and two 1x10" speakers to get a stereo JC 100. Then maybe do the speakers in 8", 10" and 12" size for practice/recording, rehearsal and larger gig. And with different flavours of speaker too. Maybe a modular snap in chorus too, that can be a CE or a Dimension. A slot for a real spring reverb, tremelo. Would be nice for beginners to start with something useable like a 50W and single mono 1x10", with no effects, and expand it all the way up to a large gig volume JC100 2x12" with a CE-2W and a spring reverb and tremelo, emulated DI out etc... Because it's hard to find one amp style that works for four common usages (practice, recording, small/medium gig, large gig) and also it's hard for a beginner to afford an amp that won't become a bit throw away later. Which is also wasteful. Could even allow weird and wonderful 3 amplifier/3 speaker wet/dry/wet setups all on one amp. A Friedman style tube preamp snapin would be be ace too.

[@HRSP725]

Hi Mark, what IRs are loaded on your IR-2?

[@dsrecords22]

Im about to run to guitar center to play with this thing. I am devoted to boss pedals, lol.

[@jeffreythomas5736]

You won't find it . I ordered mine on January 11th I just got it today. But it is a great pedal.

[@holmanconde]

Can you do a video covering the IR200? I feel like you would be able to get some crazy tones out of that thing.

[@jacobterrazas3147]

Thoughts vs the UAFX stuff?

[@MorghanStark]

Is it possible to run this thing directly in a cab ? Or does it need something more before the cab ?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

You’d need to run it into a FRFR powered speaker or the like

[@jackloganbill605]

I was very surprised on the fender twin I would really like a pedal that created a great clear twin tone and in real life you got to crank that thing to reach the breakup distortion point and in your demo it seemed like it was breaking up right off the bat..why can't they emulate a nice clean pure deep Fender twin???

[@gaborkovacs7134]

I've just posted a comment making the same observation. It's nice to see other people have noticed this as well. The "twin" tone in this unit sure sounds great; but other options are available for people who are after a full-bodied, round sound with the characteristic chime of the Twin Reverb.

[@bludworm1]

What do all these pedals get connected to? A speaker cab? A combo amp? Where is the sound coming from?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

The IR-2 is a digital recreation or representation of the amp/cabinet combination. It’s meant to simulate the tone and feel of an amp but in a format the you can run directly into your PA or recording interface and hear via your headphones, monitors, or the PA system at your gig.

[@faust_apes-hl1ku]

Looks great! Only disappointment for me is the absence of bass amps - which I think the IR200 included - so the bigger unit would still be the one to go for if you only have space / money for one board for all your bass and guitar effects

[@notben7]

You could always try running a bass through anyhow, it might still sound good!

[@faust_apes-hl1ku]

I guess that's the benefit of using a sim - you can try daft ideas like that without blowing up your guitar amp speakers :) @@notben7

[@RJ_HTx]

There is a video of this running bass. They do turn off cab sim though. Maybe Boss will update software to allow Bass run through this.

[@qddk9545]

The TC IR loader only has cab sims, but it sounds very good for bass.

[@tanguydelooz2881]

Well, you don't risk blowing up the cabinet speaker if you try lol

[@dansomerville]

Hey Mark, what is your honest opinion on this vs the Dream as a clean pedal platform. Is the dream really any better?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

In a pure convo about “clean pedal platform” I’d go with this before the dream. The dream is going to sound more like the fender it’s based on but that is also gonna come with lower headroom and more breakup faster. Using this on the “clean” mode is nothing but clean tone basically

[@dansomerville]

@@markjohnstonofficial Thanks for replying. I generally play vintage fender amps anyways with a fairly basic effects chain up front. I’ve been interested in getting a Dream for a direct solution but this seems to tick more boxes with the loop, interface and headphone out. If the sound quality was much better though I’d maybe stick with the dream, I get the sense that the differences are probably pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Would you use either in this context and be happy? Or is the dream worth it? I don’t care about the cost difference really

[@robertzumberge6470]

I just returned my Dream 65. Really wanted it to be my solution for live gigs without carrying around my Fender Princeton. Used the Dream for a live gig and the Bluetooth did not sync, got confused. Sounded great and was fun at home studio. However, It also did not seem to play well with my other pedals. This is all I need . Boss seems to take their form factor to another level here.

[@garysalazar493]

Does anyone know if the phones output audio includes the fx loop?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

It does

[@jeanlawson9133]

I need one ❤

[@craigoriopequeño505]

Great demo Mark thank u! Is it possible to reassign the stock IR’s or is that only for 3rd party uploads?

[@fluffkiller]

I just bought one. For 2 bills you can’t really go wrong. It sits in my travel guitar bag w a battery and a set of headphones.

[@JulienFERRAN]

Awesome pedal ! Is it possible to use it as a head and to plug it i to my cab ?

[@moarbutterythantoast]

You'll need a power amp to do that

[@wonderz_808]

I have a katana amp head. would i plug this into the fx loop?@@moarbutterythantoast

[@1973asdf]

stupid question, but does it also replace a preamp?

[@qddk9545]

It replaces an amp a cab and the recording mics. So yes also the preamp.

[@cecilmusick8629]

does this use their COSM modeling or something different?

[@joellebrodeur1015]

COSM is essentially dead. This uses much better emulating tech now.

[@ambrosechau2747]

Hi. Could it use as a preamp connect it to an amp s effect loops? Thanks

[@myhapylife]

"when boss set foot into amp and cab world 2 years ago"? Or more like decades ago. Great sounds.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Apologies if that’s unclear; I was talking from the perspective of the pedal world, not things like all in one floor controllers, rack gear, etc. we’ve covered a LOT of individual amp pedals on this channel over the last few years and I was talking about that space specifically.

[@myhapylife]

Actually boss had pedal GP-20, just amp and cabs released in 2006 or something like that. It was similar to this just didn't had IR to load.@@markjohnstonofficial

[@samsschool3639]

I have a dream, that somebody play something with an acoustic guitar, magnetic pickup on the Twin amp sim on his pedal

[@andrewmorin898]

What IRs are you using in the intro though??

[@markjohnstonofficial]

It’s a blend or DynIR, ownhammer, and some bespoke stuff from friends.

[@benligil]

I am torn between this and Nux Amp Academy both excellent units

[@dumalucky]

I would not go with the amp academy. Very reliant on computer connection for editing. No battery option. The Boss is a brick mobile headphone amp as well as other uses.

[@dumalucky]

Two Notes C M+ better than both and not a lot of money used..in my opinion.

[@aristevons6389]

Ok Two Questions. Can I plug my backing tracks into it. And number two can it drive 10 inch speakers? Just answer the question if you wanna sell this pedal Bro!!!🙂

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Yeah I don’t actually care about selling the pedal. I make these videos to try and provide a ton of info and sound samples so you can walk away from it knowing if you’re gonna like it or not. I’m not remotely trying to get you to like it. Having said all that you can plug it into your computer or iOS device as an audio interface, and no it can’t drive a cabinet.

[@beaulieumickael2190]

Do you recommend this or UAFX ?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Im very much a proponent of “it’s almost always going to be specific to what you need.” If you prefer being able to select from a library of IR files you like for cabinets, want multiple amps in a single enclosure, need a headphone jack, are budget conscious, or want some very modern high gain sounds this is going to cover much more of that ground (and will do some stuff UA just straight up can’t). Conversely if you want a specific amp, want a more accurate control scheme of that amp, and a… ugh “more realistic and amp like response” (someday I’ll make a video ranting about that) then the UAFX stuff is currently the name to beat in this world.

[@gear_ant]

In the intro you played a bass. Did you load a bass IR?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Ir-200 for the bass parts

[@gear_ant]

@@markjohnstonofficial thanks for the info.

[@cobowe]

I've watched 7 demos of this pedal today.... It's got "Brown" "Modded" and "Soldano" But I've not heard great Gary Moore, Satch,Vai,Nuno, yngwie Kossof,Page tones without an overdrive pedal before it yet!!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I can save you some time on my hour long video and warn you that you'll likely never hear anything in the vein of any of them here. Now if you want some mid 2000's emo / post hardcore nonsense you've come to the right place.

[@cobowe]

Your in the Foo Fighters territory ( no bad thing) due to your BrokenChord riff choices 👍

[@987654321ck]

Dang

[@babyblue4824]

What i dont like about this pedal amp cab sim is the background noise & the likelihood of inbuilt noise suppression + compression which sucks some of the tone beforehand. Of course its overall good sounding, but some prefer the full tonal range..... Gotta try it still, I've always been a Roland fan boy.

[@gaborkovacs7134]

There is indeed a built-in noise gate: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooichGavmLmGbLcsi=29jW0Blfj4Vb3jI7&t=1502

[@babyblue4824]

@@gaborkovacs7134 yes. You can hear it every time the first note is played, on both the clean & crunch. Tone suck happens.

[@robbieschuyler3371]

what does IR stand for ???

[@markjohnstonofficial]

impulse response

[@cadeoadrian7556]

Can I plug it also in a real guitar amp?

[@qddk9545]

Why would you do that? It is and amp/cab simulator with a hint of reverb.

[@joepecora94]

I was wondering about that as well. I can definitely see it being a great way to have multiple drive/sonic options. Like having a couple of distortion and overdrive presets.

[@garyatkins4479]

Yes it can , download the manual and check out the options available. I have it set for input into a single 12 tube amp .. works great

[@georgesilveira4936]

For that Price range there’s more Options, with more sounds staff etc . Like the Nux amp IR can .

[@alecpalmer9714]

Holding my phone sideways during the last portion of the video was quite the experience lol.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

I’m not sure what that means

[@alecpalmer9714]

@@markjohnstonofficialgo to the 56:04 mark, and turn your phone sideways…Maybe it’s just me? But it does this awesome panning effect where I can hear specific things in each of my ears lol

[@markjohnstonofficial]

Ahhh for some reason I went to a visual thing. I tend to listen to anything stereo with headphones so thanks for appreciating that 👍🏼👍🏼

[@athomeontwo]

Am I seeing you not running 100% wet in the effects loop?

[@markjohnstonofficial]

The loop is series, not parallel

[@boimesa8190]

l was watching this and suddenly it stopped...

[@sirrobert23]

Probably fixed the audio

[@TherealBrandonHatcher]

I mean how much of my money does sweetwater want?

[@Jghosn13]

199 plus taxes...

[@anniedarkhorse6791]

Starting with the basic operation would have been nice, rather than attaching it to 14 pedals and an effects loop.

[@kenichi407]

was looking forward to the "diamond", but honestly, my $30 vox amplug sounds pretty much the same ... if not better than this sim. (what?)

[@VacancyOfDisco]

Got excited and then mono input only 😢

[@dansomerville]

It has a stereo effects loop? Do you have stereo overdrive pedals or something

[@seanmcdoodlenoodle]

In total agreement. What a bummer.

[@seanmcdoodlenoodle]

Though at this price point you could buy two for a stereo rig... but then get the IR-200 I suppose.

[@seanmcdoodlenoodle]

Never mind, also mono in!

[@VacancyOfDisco]

@@dansomerville yeah, ive got some source audio pedals, plus i want to be able to use it with synths.

[@damonkatos4271]

You did an outstanding review, but the pedal sounds like a boss pedal in a Celestion. The sounds are way too overdriven and homogenized. The lower gain settings which is most unlike many vintage amps. The UA stuff seems to have more character

[@astrarivm]

Sounds okay, but not more. Like Iridium, for example.

[@palodine1]

Am I the only one not on crazy pills? This sounds thin and weak. Or muddy; Yet, not "full" sounding. Two dimensional sounding unless other effects are added; but still not full bodied. I'm an "older' dude who grew up with amps and this----- is NOT that!!

[@ricknelsteel]

This thing sounds cheap

[@pariaheep]

The eternal American obsession of talking about "secret weaponry" when it's musical gear annoys me no end. Exporting War & weaponry is indeed what America excels at, while keeping us, customers, enslaved to their techno culture of "$tomp"-boxes.

[@markjohnstonofficial]

It’s not that deep dude

[@docf.n.t.2310]

I thought you were gonna sample the pedal, not the entire stock of Guitar Center !!! Jesus christ, your guitar signal chain sounds like a Jimi Hendrix christmas list ! WTF !!!!! How about sampling the pedal your talking about ? We want to hear what PEDAL can do, not what YOUR ENTIRE RIG can do !!!

[@markjohnstonofficial]

The intro song utilizes a full pedalboard because that’s how I, and most people who watch this channel, would use it in the real world. The sound samples talk through the other pedals that were used to provide adequate context but are all bypasses unless shown or explicitly stated to be otherwise which means it IS just showing the pedal in question.

[@MarshallSetUps]

BOSS has really screwed up with this product. I purchased mine on December 8th, 2023, and was told I would receive it Jan. 2nd, 2024. It is now four months later, and no IR-2. I will never buy another BOSS product. After thirty years of being a boss customer they have lost my buisness. Be aware of the companies you are endorsing.

[@1loStu]

Dude what is wrong with your ears and musical taste? How is it possible to keep bass knob at 9 o’clock?? Incredible…

[@bradatherton9369]

Maybe because he is playing on a hollowbody.

[@VikingWizard]

That's not the bass. That's the ambience knob.

[@1loStu]

@@VikingWizard You probably just forgot about the bass, because there is much more bass in other similar videos.

[@christianbettinelli5004]

So far to be a real musician……..