Let's Talk About The Boss Blues Driver

Why do I use a stock Blues Driver...and have for my entire career?
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[@guitargygax]

It is great when people review gear they love and use instead of just seeking views. I love this video, great job! I'm getting one and they should pay you.

[@graemehumfrey3955]

Finally someone has the sense to demonstrate his amp sound prior to using the pedal , thanks much appreciated.

[@atltom331]

+1000 Drives me nuts when people don't do this. Which most don't

[@F3502000]

This is one of the best pedal videos I've ever watched. Fantastic! 👏

[@LIGHTintheHALLS]

Right on! The best example of why this pedal is special I’ve seen. Great playing ✨🔊✨

[@janbuyck1]

I worked in a guitar store when the BD-2 was released, and I said it would become the new ‘Tube Screamer ‘ at a lower price… and it did!

[@starshot5172]

Have it and tried it and I'm not really sold on it. Doesn't change much in terms of its sound, fucking expensive tiny ass change to my guitar's sound

[@janbuyck1]

@@starshot5172 : It’s more an alternative for the ‘ Tubescreamer ‘ freaks. It’s at it best as a booster avoiding the tone change ( which TS909 lovers desire) . In those days, the price of the BD-2 was way under those of the TS’s variants, even second hand ones.

[@jonthehermit8082]

I’m more of a rocker, just slightly more dirty, and if you’re going stack your drives this one is probably perfect, works great with screamers, boss ods, or Klon types equally.

[@RyanFixesCars]

​@@starshot5172something isn't right with your gear then.. The BD-2 is an excellent pedal with tons of tone.

[@jetcheneau5811]

I wouldn't call it that. I like the BD because to me it responds so differently than a TS would. I've never liked TS pedals or their clones.

[@chinomedina88]

I love how this pedal brings your guitar to life, I always run solid state amps and this blue little guy just makes everything more enjoyable, a truely "always on" pedal. Boss really nailed it with this model and it's so underrated...

[@martinjames6148]

Your guitar work is incredible, love your playing so much, and of course all them witches

[@starshineraiser6729]

Of all the $2-300 boutique overdrives, if I could only have one, it would be my Waza Blues Driver. It’s so crispy and fun to play.

[@angusorvid8840]

I love running a Blues Driver in front of an amp that already has a bit of grit. It helps you get a smooth, musical distortion that cuts through and helps retain great note separation. My second favorite boss pedal is the SD-1, followed by the old DS-1. The Blues Driver is the smoothest of all and the pedal I'd recommend to most players.

[@gregmock6808]

I love this pedal....I use it all the time with a Boss eq and a DS 1 and between those three pedals I can get any gain tone I could ever use. I've used the same 5 boss pedals for many decades...they are indestructible. Great demo!

[@ekredel]

what are the other 2?

[@gregmock6808]

Boss DS 1 and Boss GE7 my board has those two plus the Blues Driver BD2 a Boss DD2 digital delay and a Boss Dimension C (chorus) Sometimes I'll put a Boss compresssor in the front of everything but my main board consists of those 5 pedals...a tuner and a power supply..it all sits in one of those old molded case BB6 pedal board cases. I have now other Boss pedals to plug in but rarely do such a wah wah and reverb and flanger. I use reverb on my amp and rarely use the other's anymore

[@CoffeeConversationMusicGear]

Great video and tones! Love your tonal examples. I’ve had my BD-2 for decades and it’s always on any iteration of pedalboards I make. Definitely a go to and staple in my sound. I also used the Dude pedal from JRockett. Those two with a boost pedal created my rhythm and lead soundscapes. For a while I was using an ODR-1 too but it’s not currently on my board. That BD-2 delivers every time!

[@lancenunez8252]

Nice. Thanks for posting. Been listening to All them Witches for a few years now. You guys are awesome. 🤟

[@markbeavers5747]

Love your sound, love your tone. I have used a BD-2 for 12 years and love it!!

[@piperofsimms]

Hi Ben, Thanks for reaching out to us. Love my BD2. Tucson, AZ

[@jarededlund2052]

Thank you! I am a Stratocaster player. I just got a huge appreciation for the Les Paul!! Now i want separate volume controls for my pickups. I liked the simplicity of your filming. I love flash but sight distracts the ear. I was already going to buy a blues driver but I just got a great perspective using the pedals I already have. Thanks for making my Sunday afternoon!! Jared Keene NH, USA

[@pablodebiddlybo3771]

Wonderfully demonstrated and very inspiring Ben . Thanks

[@butnut3455]

Stellar playing..and tone! Gonna look into one of these now.

[@williamlive7252]

Great video Ben, big fan of ATW, great to hear all these familiar licks dude, next video let’s see you playing brother. All the best ❤

[@stephenwhiting6475]

Thanks Ben. I have the BD2 and like you use it as my main drive pedal but have never utilised it like you do so will be trying this out with my LP and Katana set clean 👍

[@60smodorange]

Best guitar pedal demo hands down. Thanks!

[@paulw2604]

A superb video about a superb pedal, with some pretty cool playng to match. Thanks!

[@paulbloyer1300]

And...now I need one. Thank you Ben! 😁

[@andreabolinelli]

thank you for sharing your knowledge and your personal ideas, thank you very much

[@jello-tarzan]

Great demo and playing! Thanks for the tips.

[@PeteEllson5656]

Thanks for making this video. Always loved your tone, especially on Diamond. Killer song by the way. I was thinking about getting a Blues Driver, I have a few other ODs but they are either too mid range heavy or they don't clean up the way I want with the guitar volume. After hearing you talk about the way you use your Blues Driver and hearing the results, wow. I think I'll have to get one. Great video. Love your band. Thanks again

[@markosimonic]

A very good presentation of this awsome pedal. I also love it and it is my always on pedal as well 🤘

[@CouchEconomyTX]

love these videos!!

[@Jess-iq4xv]

The best pedal, I used to look down on them because of the title and the color. One day in a shop i tried one just the laugh, and I felt extremely stupide. Haha now it’s on my board, one in my gig bag for jams, i was so excited when I saw you were using one!

[@chicochicoshukor7184]

Amazing sound.

[@ParaBellum2024]

This is a great illustration of a good stage setup: clean amp, and BD-2 set in the sweet spot where it cleans up with the guitar volume control. I use mine with remarkably similar knob positions, most recently into a 1989 Peavey Bandit.

[@bluesrocker91]

I do exactly the same... Same settings, and for the past 9 months I've been running it exclusively through a Peavey Bandit. Albeit one of the newer ones.

[@Jack.Valentine]

Thanks, nice tip with the selector switch at the end

[@tomblaze2]

This video has changed my approach for live blues rock guitar 🎸- I play a SG --> Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

[@TheMountainDemon]

This and the Digi Screamin' Blues are my to favorites. Great video!

[@benwell905]

What a gorgeous looking thing ! I would love one myself 😊 yes its a lovely rug ( and i like the pedal too )

[@kevincritchlow5910]

Every time I see you guys play I’m the one screaming “MORE BLUES DRIVER”. I just can’t help myself.

[@tommedvedich]

Such an awesome video!

[@neilevans6229]

The only pedal I own that I can never be without and they are Affordable. Great review

[@catmoonmedia8223]

Great video. Along with a clean amp with reverb, the Blues Driver and the CE-2W is all I need. I’m now playing through a Bkackstar Debut 50. Though solid state, the BD adds warmth and a nice tube like breakup.

[@Unusednickname_1970]

Great demo. Everyone should have a Blues Driver. One of the best dirt pedals ever IMO.

[@louisdombrowski4198]

Great video BD2 stock & Johnny Hiland sweet spot super drive. Are my favorite 🎸

[@np1294]

such a versatile pedal, can function as a clean volume boost to an almost fuzz pedal and everywhere in between the clean compression and tube amp-like sparkle it adds honestly makes this my favorite to place at the end of the gain section as a vol boost to push the amp just past break-up into that musical distortion range that just sings!

[@ivanlongo8725]

New to electric guitar here,I know nothing about pedals but this to me sounds amazing from one pedal Great review 👍

[@bobgracia3318]

Ben has Tone Tips and Talent !!

[@kennethhoneycutt4513]

Thank you so very much. I own a blue driver and have? Been. Having issues of getting? It to sound right but there's really no videos that offer any tips or tricks except for this one. I really appreciate it I am going to try these settings. And say hi it works out for me again thank you have a blessed day

[@zoltanszabo9930]

I have always been wondering why it was called Blues Driver, it has way more gain than needed fro blues or even blues rock. Regardless, it is my most important pedal. It almost always stays at the end of the signal chain, it is brilliant with a Fuzz Face, they clean up really nicely. I mostly use less gain, around 9-10 'o clock-ish with an Ibanez 335 copy, sometimes I run the Fuzz Face followed by a modified DIY Range master into the Blues Driver to get a gnarly sound, sometimes I feed it with a Shred Master and it is always great. It is also a great booster set at low gain, like Tubes Screamers, different sound though. It is also a problem solver in muddy sound situations as it probably has some low-cut. I use a Boss Katana MK1 sometimes, it's clean channel is rather muddy, the Blues Driver makes it usable somehow. Boss magic, love it.

[@johnshandloading7907]

I just bought this pedal and started experimenting with it after researching. It is exactly what I needed. The tone is important to the overall sound just dial it in and then adjust your guitar volume it works perfectly. I have a 2 channel 5150 combo amp and this adds a third channel between the clean and the highest gain, then adjustable almost infinitely. It is awesome.

[@gerritwhite7308]

One is arriving the day after tomorrow. Can't wait. Boss pedal breaking? I have an original Chorus CE-2 that I bought in 1980. Still works great. Thanks for this really useful demo.

[@drj602]

Wow Ben What a helpful video this has been. I just discovered U 👍

[@mikedenkinger9570]

I have about 15 boost pedals (many boutique)and the BD-2 consistently stands up against the ones I paid 3x as much for. Everyone loves the SD-1, but I have the SD-1w and I think the BD-2 drives my Mesas with a "wider" group of frequencies.

[@coaldoubt2879]

I don't know why I took so long to get one of these. They're awesome.

[@SandauxBeats]

I paired this with ProCo Rat, though. I didn't like it boosting the Rat. :( Unless I didn't know how to set the knobs of BD-2 and the Rat. But I tried every settings and still doesn't sound good. However, I paired the Rat with a blues breaker clone and it was spectacular! So maybe I just need a low gain drive to boost the Rat. BD-2 is considered as a mid gain drive yes?

[@francescocagnacci]

You use this to boost your mesa? I recently got a Mesa studio pre from my uncle..I'm having a tech take a look at it and then buying a power amp and cab...gonna try to use this pedal with it. I loved this epdal with my hiwatt combo

[@Rongitaar-abc]

I have an burgera 5 watt tube amp and this direct warm overdrive Sound from the burgera is even warmer and better than my boss blues driver the soft dynamics are insane even if you boost it up to maximum but i believe nobody knows it, cause boss having the big name and also the direct out recording from the bugera takes automatically the warm tube sound into your daw system i bought this amp on amazon for 180 euro's i recorded the same solo's with both and nobody believed the sound was from the 5 watt bugera!!

[@mrtambourineman6107]

I have about 17

[@Williamk492]

Came for the Blues Driver, but I stayed for the music 👍🏻

[@jimhart1959]

I bought a used Blues Driver a couple of years ago and it didn’t find its way onto pedal board. It’s a great pedal and you are correct - it cleans up incredibly nice when backing off the guitar’s volume. And I my settings are pretty close to what you’re using.

[@chrismathewsjr]

this was the first distortion pedal i ever got. it made my pawn shop '67 valco head sounds sick. it whipped sack

[@paulsimpson1514]

Clever stuff with switching pickups for clean and distorted 👍

[@SandauxBeats]

I'm using this after the EHX SoulFood or any other Klon-type OD. Even though I don't use it so much on leads, because I'm in a punk/alternative band, I use it in rhythms.

[@londonmmc]

Nice I use SoulFood as a drive going into a Tube screamer acting as a boost. Nice lead tone.

[@scramblerland2648]

Fun fact is that your preset is so similar to the "blues american" preset that comes with the pedal papers. With the exception that you turned down a bit your tone. That was my very first pedal, and I LOVE IT!!!!

[@michaelcantwell316]

I love my blues driver! Use it all the time.

[@guitarzan0515]

This is a great video!! Never had one, maybe I should get one. Currently I have a pure sky into a tube screamer into a crayon, into various amps, works great, But, this may be a sweet addition!! Thx!💥👍

[@ricklanders]

I've really come to love this pedal. Just like you say, it cleans up great. I mainly play strats, teles, and jazzmasters, and it fills out the low end beautifully, not too much, not too thin, but always sounds rich and full, which is surprising in a way, considering the top end can be very present, too. I've tried dozens of other dirt pedals, but I couldn't find that BD-2 sound anywhere. Usually you do have to keep the tone down, about 10 o'clock is exactly what i've found works best in most cases, also. But on darker amps you can go to noon and it's no problem, so it's nice to have that headroom available. Gain at noon works for me, and level a little lower, 10 or 11. The one negative I'd add is with the tone and gain set too high it can sound "fizzy," but if you know how to dial it in and keep the tone in check especially it's no problem. Great video and demo on a great pedal!

[@TonyAlbert]

Great video! 👏🏼👏🏼🔥🎸

[@NashTurley]

really great! I use the exact same always-on approach but right now using MojoMojo overdrive. It also cleans up really well and I think is less compressed than BD leading to more volume variation between the clean and full gain sound.

[@michaelmitchell5909]

Great video man. The jhs @ pedal is damn goo as well.

[@dr.rafaelortizzavala4426]

I have this pedal it works in many styles and I like because of this and when I use together with the feedbacker booster in solos is pretty Good todo.

[@ric9452]

Dyaaamn , that thang is saucy !!!! Love that pedal

[@blackshamrockstudios5104]

Excellent video. Do you have a video all about your twin reverb? That would be so useful. Thanks!

[@sparkyguitar0058]

I like the BD-2 a lot. Enough to have 4 of them. Only 1 is factory stock. Borrowed a friend's to learn how much I like it. Found 1 on Ebay used. Modded by Alchemy and only $80. Great! Now after getting this I kept seeing videos with the Keeley sounding so nice. Found 1 of those used $124. Nice. Week later a Waza used $93. Hey had to get a stock 1 $45. Now I got 4. Did my own comparison test and ended up liking the Alchemy the best. Since I stack drives on my board and have 3 different types on there. The Alchemy doesn't add switches or anything. I use very little gain on my 3 on the board. Gain is noise especially through a board. The Alchemy gets the best low gain tone of any of them. Maybe switches? I don't know. But my 1st choice was best and is on my board 4 yrs later.

[@MRxr400]

i get the love for this pedal. but i'm helping a mate sort out tone with his twin. Twins have massive headroom. the idea of an od pedal infront is to give a little compression to smooth out attack and help balancing things out when playing live. also cutting through in a mix. so some colour, mids, helps too. i also like a very clean compressor with a slow attack and fast release. the new prs compressor sounds amazing, or one with a blend option so you can blend in unaffected signal.

[@antonix_81]

nice video, love the bd2 ! i find the ds1 too is a underrated pedal , ok not an od , but if you set the tone right it works the same way with the volume pot. Another od i really find the cleanup is great is the skreddy screwdriver

[@danabiondo9243]

It Does Sound Ahh Ma Zzzzzzing!!! ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️ Great Demo. Thank You !

[@jerryhorton5708]

While I love my Browne Amplification Protein, my Blue Driver 2W has a special place in my heart. Getting ready to put it back on my worship board

[@markferguson3745]

There are only a couple of Drives that I prefer to the BD2; ; the Hudson Broadcast, the Benson Pre, and the Big Sound Small Sound Mini.( The Bondi Sick As & Breakers aren't terrible, either)Because I use a couple different Fuzzes, which I think are more compatible with the above, I switched from using the Boss a while ago, but otherwise, I recommend it often, especially to players that haven't arrived at any specific preferences.It is a serious option. Can't imagine a better sales representative for the pedals charms.ATW are one of the best things going.

[@marcsullivan7987]

I do the same technique w fuzz face style Fuzz pedals (Fulltone 69, for example, or even Carcosa if set right): I set unity gain with my volume rolled down, so that it’s basically a “clean” sound (although, with a fuzz, it usually still has a bit of hair, but it’s a really great tone: think “Little Wing” clean sound), and then my volume knob adds more and more gain until full Fuzz.

[@iancurrie8844]

Imagine using a tube amp and then getting all your breakup sound not from overdriven tubes but from an analogue pedal circuit.

[@JHKNVY02]

I love the BD-2! I had it mod'd to get it slightly fatter, and it IS amazing. Sounds and plays a lot like an amp, 100% agreed!

[@hhonez6538]

Thank you for this. I ordered a used one yesterday. I have a pirate "keeley" modded Tube Screamer and a Bad Monkey. I think the Monkey is probably better. More transparent. The thing is that clarity with less volume you mentioned. That sounds exactly right.

[@jamesshackelford3702]

That sounds great

[@graysaw]

The best pedal, I agree , I have a tube screamer too , it sits on the shelf

[@gratefulpipeandcigar3239]

I’ve had a tube screamer for quite a while now and lately I’ve realized that I need to acquire a few more overdrive pedals to give me some more gain stages. So I recently added the boss, blues driver and I’m pretty darn happy with it so far. It’s nothing weird or spectacular, just a good solid over driven sound.

[@jordanpratt3821]

Try boosting the bd2 with the ts9.

[@bryannotbrian]

Randomly clicked on this video because, well, I wanted to talk about the Blues Driver. First riff sounded very familiar, but didn't think much about it. Same as the 2nd riff. 3rd riff and I'm thinking, this guy really has good taste in music if he's using ATW songs as examples. Then I exited full-screen and saw the name. Subscribed...

[@coolsoundsoftom4090]

Thanks for this video, Ben! I've settled on the Blues Driver too. I have two of them on my board. One set exactly as you have yours, except for the Tone and I will certainly try your Tone setting there. The other is set to lower Gain. So many great suggestions and information in this video! I'm using a Fender Deluxe Reverb ToneMaster. BTW, what are the tone setting on your Twin?

[@markerf16]

I like the EHX Glove - it does everything but I still have a Boss Blues Driver and I go back and forth between a Caline Pure Sky and the Blues Driver. Between those three pedals I get it all.

[@unabonger777]

never was a big fan of these, but you make a good case for it. It seems better suited to humbuckers. Now that I think about it, I suspect that this pedal internally mixes in some of the clean signal with the overdrive, and automatically dials back the drive when the input signal is lower. but I'm just making that up. It's always jaw dropping when you hear a player whose tone you admire tell you that the secret to that tone is a pedal they keep on all the time that you have always sort of thought was junk.

[@jperryfan]

Great pedal also love my Fulltone OCD

[@Compass2101]

Love my Angry Driver. I use the Boss Blue Driver settings mostly without the JHS MIAB switch on.

[@therollband1290]

Cool video! I read an article by Josh from JHS pedals describing how the Blues Driver works and it is really interesting and unique. Worth a read.

[@cantaluri]

Hey, man, I got curious. Do you have the link of the article or at least where it was published?

[@therollband1290]

The article mentions another pedal by Danelectro of the same design “Transistor-Based Overdrives Without an Op-Amp” that uses mosfet transistors. Now I’m curious what that pedal sounds like!

[@therollband1290]

I found it: Danelectro Roebuck Distortion Pedal

[@nicknixdorf]

I have a blues driver on my combo acoustic and electric pedal board. Use for my electric guitar and as a boost for acoustic for lead runs. Just have to adjust a little when I switch over

[@lightsjohnson8253]

I use 2 BD one set like your settings. The other set with the level set like the gain and the gain set like the level. Works great with the guitar volume.

[@fuechse7848]

You mentioned more boutique pedals. IMO the Southland Harmonic Overdrive from Greer Amplification has better cleanup than the blues driver, meaning a slight change in picking pressure allows you to go from strumming all 6 chords cleanly to having distorted sounds on a single string at similar sound pressure levels without even needing to touch the volume or pickup selector, let alone the pedal, and the breakup has better clarity, when I A&B-ed them. Have you ever played it?

[@AmbientMelancholy]

at 12:10 I love the way that melody sounds.

[@backlom]

Great recorded guitar sound. The vocals could be better, but that’s only secondary. Thanks. Makes me want to put it back on the board for a stint.

[@juanbalsas4381]

Ben, me hiciste comprar este pedal. Está de más. Gracias.

[@glennhagerman4133]

My favorite also. Agreed very underrated since True bypass became a thing.

[@calebtar]

Love my BD-2 man! Mine has a “galaxy mod” but WHATEVER. Still sounds the same to me 🤣 if only I had the chops you have lol

[@Richard_Lush]

Getting one. I use the boss super overdrive now but it’s a bit too much. Thanks for the tip. I love boss. Always look for effect pedals from Boss. Never had one break on me either.

[@dahliafiend]

The sd1 just sounds to 8os hard rock to me.

[@jasonnorris5298]

Okay, first off, very good video about a very good pedal, I love the boss bd2, and I have a boss DS1 I got in 1979, back around 1985 I had a few panels and and a 6-way power strip for pedal Supply actually mounted to a actual board wooden board, and it fell out of the van on the freeway going about 75 miles an hour, that destroyed my crybaby wall and big muff as well as the power strip and the board itself, the DS1 was ran over by several cars, and must have been dragged on the pavement because it is gashed up scratched up broken knob, but still works like a champ! I also have a boss chorus ce2 that I got in about 1985, and a boss compressor CS3 that I got when they first came out, and I love every one of these boss pedals, I have a boss Mega distortion, that I do not like, if you have any ideas about how to set it it would make a great video, but back to the blues driver, I get rolling the volume knobs back on your Les Paul, SG, humbucker equipped Electrics to clean the sound up, but how do you compensate for the volume loss at the front of house, does your sound man bring your volume up and down on the mixing console? Cuz when you dime that bridge pickup, well it is very loud, and, when you roll that neck pickup back, you get a big volume drop out front, how do you compensate for that? Peace and love, the jaybird

[@GRBAquatics]

Very Cool, Thankyou. I have recently got a Boss BD-2 and Enjoyed your demo/Review. All Good but Big Difference between Guitar Volume and Voice Volume could be improved. Cheers

[@grahamt33]

Boss should pay you royalties - you sure sold this pedal to me !

[@haroldglover8221]

I have a Dd-3 that just quit working and a metal zone that did the same thing. Both were working fine, I took them off my board for a while and when I went back to use them again I got nothing out of them. Both at different times but exact same thing. I love my boss pedals. I use mostly boss but for some reason both quit working. Neither while I was using them. Only after they sat for a time. I do believe they are simple fixes but that’s just a gut feeling. Had them both for YEARS! I still use a boss distortion from the 80’s … I think… I’m getting old!

[@-Pol-]

Have you tried new batteries? 😜

[@andreaslundell7807]

Nice demo, agree its a really good pedal, one of the best. (Some times the your talk was a little low compared to the guitar.)

[@Bernz66]

I’m not a fan of overdrive or distortion pedals but I had to get me a Blues Driver…… The other distortion pedal I like is the Marshall JH-1 JackHammer…… Bought my BD-2 for 50 bucks too……. I agree….. Boss pedals last almost forever…. Bought the DD-3 Delay in 1988….. still works today….

[@fiddlefolk]

I still have my boss DD3 delay I bought in 1989 and it still works flawlessly and sounds just as great as the day I got it. My boss tremolo from that same time period has a filter cap or something that is bad and you can here the clicking of the rate. I don't use it anymore.

[@Bernz66]

@@fiddlefolk those DD-3s are built like a tank!!!!

[@fiddlefolk]

@@Bernz66 Yes they are and they sound great!

[@jonhawkins2374]

I love that Fender twin reverb what year is it ; also love the Boss BD-2😮😮😮😮