What Makes This Pedal Great? Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

[@wampler_pedals]

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[@bentfishbowl3945]

Hello, it's dylan159! Thanks Brian, for having something of mine here again, I was waiting for this! Sometimes I put out circuits that almost feel like an hard to ignore provocation to the enthusiasts. I'm always curious to get opinions, feedback and further tests from other people, and I have the honor to have that done from a pedal VIP and successful youtuber to boot. I really liked the debunking of some mods I find questionable, even if some were suggested from yourself in the old book. This video is a good demonstration of what matters and what doesn't. Talking about technical things, because you know that gets me excited, my guess for the first pair of diodes not mattering was because of the large attenuation from the fixed tone stack, meaning you'd need to edge on clipping the first stage to hear the faintest clipping and only in a low frequency band. Nice to see that confirmed in practice, it was something I had asked about in the original post.

[@stevep2448]

That is a great sounding circuit.

[@randychambers1704]

I really like the openness and less hair of the Blues Pilot

[@mrbillyjackson]

Idk 💩 about circuits, but having Wampler test your circuit on his channel is 🔥💥⚡️🌟

[@Tomislav_B.]

Dylan, what do you think of Monte Allums BD-2 Blues Stack Plus Mod?

[@bentfishbowl3945]

@@Tomislav_B. it would be nice to have them shown on a schematic, but all that i have found is the original guide and some heated discussion with the seller on diysb. From what I can gather, one of the mods is replacing the op-amp with not one but two 5532 in parallel, which really seems excessive. Then replacing all the diodes, which has been covered in the video (I think even a power supply diode gets replaced for some reason). The capacitor values are the ones that will make the biggest difference, as they change the frequency response. Really, there's nothing that can't be guessed based on what Brian has said already!

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

I'm currently in love with the Boss Angry Driver. Best of both worlds. You do very insightful demos. Bravo!

[@Earthstein]

Brian, I appreciate the videos you produce like this one. As an old, old RCA engineer I just simply enjoy all of your work I've seen.

[@wampler_pedals]

Thank you so much!

[@Theactivepsychos]

Colin?

[@Earthstein]

No sir. @@Theactivepsychos

[@Theactivepsychos]

@@Earthstein damn. I had a guy I used to collaborate with who was an RCA engineer and then sales man in 60s / 70s but I lost his number. Thought it might have been you. We used to deal in stereograms. I’d do the purchase photos and listings and he’d service them. We made so much money doing it it was just brilliant. I wanted to send him something as a thank you but my phone got blasted and I no longer had his number or address. If only we’d emailed!

[@blackstrat7]

@@wampler_pedals @wampler_pedals You should release a “BD Preamp” ala Xotic Effects “Preamps” with the active tone controls. Guaranteed success.

[@carolynshulman]

The BD-2 was the first overdrive I ever bought and is the one that has stood the test of time and stayed on my board. I love its creamy sound, versatility, and responsiveness! It does everything I need in an overdrive.

[@3xcho]

You lucked out. I went through both the DS1 and SD1 before I was able to get to the BD2. Honestly, I would've skipped the first two had I been able to demo them before buying.

[@allenyoung9453]

You always make me feel smarter, Brian. Thanks for the easy to understand explanation of one of my favorite pedals.

[@Seadogstudio]

Brian make me feel smarter for the duration of the video. After the video is done I forget everything and back to me old self.

[@andreasdavour9973]

The BD-2 was my first pedal, and I still love it. There's so much it can do. I didn't know how the circuit worked, so a great walkthrough Brian! Fun that it's doing its own thing, in this era of clones of everything.

[@lordviewer7305]

I wanted you to make this video for a long time, since I got a BD2 and its so versatile it's one of my favorites. And you explain pedal circuits like no one else.

[@jonwanrocks]

LOVED my bd-2 and ds-1 when i was in high school but BOYYYY all the snobs were like why dont you have a tubescreamer? here we are 25 yrs later....

[@jrg770]

And now the snobs are BD-2 and Klon owners lol

[@waitin4winter]

And tubescreamers are still more popular and still cheap

[@chrisegg7936]

I won’t say it’s the best pedal I’ve heard but it’s definitely my favorite. From high school ska bands, to punk bands, to post hardcore to stoner metal, I’ve always been able to use it.

[@grosebud4554]

Right? It’s weird, I’ve had expensive gucci type ODs but the one that stays on the board is the BD. It’s got that BD energy.

[@Doty6String]

I’ve been playing electric guitar over 25 years..how have I never owned a blues driver!?! These sound great. I’m getting one

[@TheMountainDemon]

Most underrated gain pedal out there. Versatile beyond description. Works great for stoner rock!

[@mike42356]

I agree!

[@aykinabat]

hello to all of you all them witches fans! Ive been using this pedal all the time. its a killer pedal for sure. İts a great gain pedal also a clean booster and of course give some volume and little gain. Its getting dirtier and heavier, its getting fuzzier. get one of these. You will like it and use it often. promise

[@BrewReview]

It's not underrated or under-appreciated. Lots of famous players use it every day and it's been in production since its release almost 30 years ago.

[@StratsRUs]

The OD-3 is the one that is 'overlooked'.

[@meteor.tonight]

15:19 without the diodes I can hear maybe a tiny amount of fizz on the top. Sounds better with IMO but this is so tiny of a difference.

[@donnieb.6356]

Exactly, I hear it clearly. It seems like the clipping diodes tame the very highest frequencies just enough to make it sound less brittle.

[@rocktorrocks]

The BD-2 is one of my most heavily used pedals. Super transparent and great for boosting my primary amp tone without coloring it too much, also has plenty of gain on tap when I need and it seems to react well to adjusting my guitar volume and tone knobs like a tube amp. Being budget friendly is icing on the cake.

[@gergemall]

Exactly ❤

[@Jef-sj6zc]

A Boss pedal does color your original sound too much , it's a fact . Ever tried for example the MojoMojo from TC ? Far much better pedal with an exellent tone circuit ; Keeps your original sound intact and goes from a little crunch to heavy distortion . The Boss has far too much mid tone that influence your sound too much so your sound is turning into a Boss sound . The T.C is half of the money that you spend on a Boss ............

[@Dam-oH]

Nice video. Nice playing too. I love the feel of the blues driver. The most dynamic of all ODs I’ve played.

[@jimhart1959]

Once I am really figured out and the Blues Driver I find it to be incredibly versatile. Currently I use it on my board as sort-of-fuzzy drive pedal. What makes so valuable is its ability to really clean up when rolling back the guitar's volume. It's almost absurd how well it cleans up.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

The cleaning up via volume is my favorite aspect. I feel like the fuzzy quality increases and changes like a Fuzz Face in that regard. Super dynamic. And it's fun to play something so responsive.

[@teledriver1398]

I picked up my BD-2 back in 96, and it was my 2nd pedal purchase. For years I thought having the gain at

[@garyoneill5648]

My favorite Pedal its part of my core tone - stacks great with the ODR1. Currently have a JB2 (angry driver) in its place on my board but honestly im nearly always on the BD2 setting. Thanks for spotlighting this Brian your content is always awesome :0)

[@guitardave]

I recently added a Keeley Super AT Mod to my board. Really great sounding pedal, the best Blues Driver variant I’ve played.

[@rylieriley]

When Keeley started modding the BD-2 for guitarists, he took a legendary pedal to a new level. I've had one of those pedals for many years and I truly love it. I love all the innovative pedal builders who believe sound can be (and should be) taken to new places. May they never lose their drive and imagination. Also, that Brent Mason Tele is a helluva guitar.

[@chadgraziano5827]

Are you familiar to the Keeley Red Dirt

[@rylieriley]

@@chadgraziano5827 I have a limited edition germanium Red Dirt overdrive in green sparkle 😃. It's great!

[@aznsensation44]

you mean the pedal that is now the Keeley Super Phat Mod, that's a pretty underrated pedal from what I've heard

[@beevee24]

I have the BD2 w the Keeley mod and it is utterly sublime.

[@Place_to_keep_videos]

He does the Waza Craft compare?

[@aliasdandavisofficial]

Great Video! Still one of my fave pedals. /// Random question: You've mentioned a few times (over the years of videos & pods) something about the Tube Screamer circuit & the possiblity of doing it without blending any clean back in (right after the bit about the non inverting op amp & right before I start to feel like I'll never quite "get" electronics). Did (does) anyone make one of these? Do you? You've likely at least breadboard this once, right? Did it sound usable? Same thing for the Klon Circuit (a Centaur w/ no available "clean" blended in at all). 🤘🤘🤘

[@wampler_pedals]

I don't think i made that in a production, but basically it's just subbing a non inverting OA buffer into an inverting OA which has the clipping diodes in the inverting section of that OA (that's one way of doing it anyway....). This is because non-inverting OA's always have a bit of clean mixed in, just due to the way they work.

[@wampler_pedals]

also, thanks for the coffee Dan 🙂

[@aliasdandavisofficial]

​@@wampler_pedals🙏

[@ruiseartalcorn]

I think that the BD2 is a truly awesome pedal and fits with any amp. In fact, in my experience, it seems to bring out the unique qualities of whatever amp I'm using. I never play without it! :)

[@asdf9890]

Yep even with gain all the way down and volume up, you get an awesome boost that adds colors to the sound. Got mine for $30 at a pawn shop.

[@skylerrizzi]

I love my Blues Driver. I’ve used it for both guitar and bass in hardcore and death metal bands, it works super well to boost my Peavey 6505 and my Ampeg Micro SVT

[@Richardgreenmusic.]

I love Boss pedals however lately my go to overdrive/distortion pedal is the Wampler Plexi Drive Mini. I run it through my amp's clean channel and it sounds amazing. If you've not tried it then I highly recommend getting one.

[@JHKNVY02]

I love the BD-2, just does stuff really well. Period. And not expensive!

[@bw5260]

"Must-have" is right. Thanks for educating me on something I've been using for a long time and why I love it so much. I think this was the first or second pedal I ever bought, and it will always be on my board. I 100% agree with your list at the end of what makes this pedal great... I think those things add up to make this the platonic form of a OD pedal. If I knew how to mod/create pedals, I would love to "clone" the Boss JB-2 variant of the BD-2. I'd want the same exact abilities that the knob on the right gives: 1. Run each circuit independent 2. Run the BD-2 into Hard-clipping 3. Run Hard-clipping into the BD-2 and 4. Run both circuits in parallel. But instead of the Angry Charlie/JCM800-style circuit found in the JB-2, I would swap it out with a Rat style circuit, AND I would add a 3-band EQ. Basically, I would be trying to create one of the most versatile dirt pedals ever made. Maybe I'd call it the Rodent Motorist or something. Brian Wampler, if you reading this, I'd pay a good chunk of change for something like this.

[@EmeraldStargazer]

BD-2 was my first ever guitar pedal which I didn't understand at the time and eventually sold. But now I'm hopefully wiser and it's the only pedal which stays permanently in my pedalboard no matter what I play. If you know what this pedal is capable of, you'll always find ways of how to use it.

[@swissarmyknight4306]

Perma BD-2 players unite! Its always on, even if it isn't doing much besides adding a little sparkle to my "cleans".

[@AlexH8280]

Here's why the Blues Driver was made in the midst of all the wildness of the 90's pop culture: bar gigs never changed, and remained how 99% of musicians around the world performed. And though Pantera and Spice Girls were shaping the popular music scene, locally everyone was playing Blues and Rock covers and guitarists just wanted better useable tones out of their amp on stage without and nice overdrive without dime-ing their volumes.

[@CatharticGuitar]

So cool being in the room with Brian experimenting with him and him explaining the process!

[@marce211275]

Excellent video Brian!!! Now we are waiting for the Wampler version of this great BD2 !!! Please do it!!! It's gonna be phenomenal!!!

[@nathanricher1647]

It will be a phenom-inal Triumph.

[@garyburginjr1366]

Boss already makes a really good one.

[@stevenmeger3798]

Moxie took on the TS, next on the block the BD!

[@mdmusic2130]

The Wamplerization of the BD2 should have a powerful 3 band EQ section, a choice of buffer/ true bypass button, a specific clipping toggle switch, a different gain stages possibly access and an extra Boost complementary foot switch channel to stacking for real epics lead guitar tones! 🔥

[@sexyguitarboy69]

​@@mdmusic2130This would result in just one more drive pedal on the already oversaturated market. But the basic idea behind the Boss would be killed by such amendments IMO. The finest drive pedals come with only a simple tone control or treble rolloff. No need for a 3-band EQ or a clipping selector. Keep things straight and simple and try to only improve the tone of such a great ancestor without too much ado.

[@TrashHeapCustodian]

I've got a JB-2 and I absolutely love the Blues Driver part of it, and of course when I wanna make it REALLY crunchy I can kick in the Angry Charlie circuit and layer em together series or parallel (I really like the sounds I get with the parallel), hella versatile, would definitely recommend a Blues Driver at the very least

[@pyratoothNL]

I love this pedal for it's versatility!

[@vinivola]

Thank you Thank you Thank you for this episode as I'm just winding down my day of close to almost 10 hours session(8.5 of those powered by the Tumnus) and while dinner is in the oven I find this gem of a video talking about the BD,life is so good and everything in this video is straight facts. May you all have the best musical journey for you yourself.

[@sim0n17]

the BD-2 is the best workhorse pedal I have used - great and wide range of tone/drive. Does not lose high mids and I love/use the Keeley Super Phat Mod as well. for me, I just never liked the TS tone and it seemed to lose the highs... Different horses for different courses. I have played and used loads of drive pedals, mainly in a live environment, but the BD-2 is a trusted workhorse and my favorite.

[@samaitcheson7057]

Totally agree about the value of an EQ pedal with a drive pedal. It's saved me so much pedal board space. And money.

[@thedoyleharcavy]

I just recently went back to the BD-2 after almost a decade after selling mine. I love this pedal and never used it as a “blues overdrive”. Early on I didn’t have tube amps and this made my solid state setup sound closer to a tube amp. These days I love running it through a super clean fender twin for garage rock/ indie guitar

[@Dr_Reason]

Compressor into a low grit overdrive into BD 2 sounds like Boston even with a clean amp.

[@RockJawRicky]

I have a stock original I bought in '95. Still love it and will never retire it. To me a Tube Screamer just doesn't compare but as you said it's different and has it's place. I have both on my pedal board and feel I have the best of both worlds.

[@GaryAppledale]

I wouldn’t mind playing as well as Brian 🙂 I love my BD2 but have very little understanding or interest in how it achieves its magic, until someone like Brian starts talking about it - the joy of listening to people who really know what they’re talking about

[@steveangarthal9601]

Great video Brian! I found the tone without op amp more Dynamic and definetely loved the eq option!

[@lynyrddeville]

You did a very convincing job in your playing demonstration of showing that the diodes in a blues driver circuit don't really seem to do anything which makes me a non-expert in electronics, but one who does understand margins and profits vs. expenses need to ask the simple question, why does Boss have those diodes in their pedal at all? If they don't offer any tonal benefit, why are they there? Every component costs money and while i would expect those diodes to cost Boss next to nothing, eliminating them from the circuit would eventually add up to a cost savings. You are a formidable guitarist by the way, I respect your musicianship highly.

[@EricLino]

The BD-2 is hands down my favorite drive pedal, ever. I got it in Uruguay. I remember I was around 18 and I had absolutely no idea what it meant. I didn't know of any famous players that used it or anything. I just wanted a Super Overdrive like any other teenager, but that was all they had on stock. hahaha Anyway, thank you so much for that video! I know nothing about electronics and pedal-making, but it is so interesting to see circuits getting recreated and old myths tested. That was very thoughtful of you, so thanks!

[@Xyrium]

Brian's always bringing the insight. Great stuff as usual, especially the acknowledgement of the "pseudo psych" impact to many mods out there. I would love to see frequency response measurements of each design! Thank you, sir.

[@brentdoncliff2845]

I really like these explanatory and educational experiments.

[@InsolentMusicalPeasant]

This is my favorite overdrive pedal. Been using one since the 90s, and it's never left my board.

[@ZEGO24x]

Hey Brian, great video, very explanatory, and love how your guitar playing has improved so much over the years!

[@oicsaywhat]

Why I love your Tumnus Deluxe because of the EQ section, so many tonal options with the the gain stages. Probably the best drive od pedal I ever owned. And I agree have a eq section makes a world of a difference

[@chipsterb4946]

With a Tumnus Deluxe and a Pantheon you can mimic many, many overdrives. You’re right - having the TMB tone controls lets you do so much.

[@jeffbriggs4268]

This is a great review, especially the summary from a competitor's product! I have a great respect for anyone who can do this. I have a couple of great overdrives that are great but there's always room for one more, right?

[@PerpetuallyTiredMusician]

I bought mine in 96 maybe or maybe 97, my memory is a cluttered desk and everything I need to remember seems to be buried beneath something else... its a great pedal that will do the job on bass, guitar and various keys too. That said I do love that tele thats the real thing I want a rundown on now, that and I feel a parts tele itch coming on. Peace and take care

[@bluesrocker91]

I never could get on with Tube Screamer style overdrives, and for a long time I thought the only choices were that or a deafeningly loud, cranked amp. So I always went with the deafeningly loud amp option, which tended to piss people off slightly. Then a mate recommended I try the Blues Driver, so I picked one up. That was about 7 years ago, and it's been in my signal chain ever since. In fact, it's never "off" at all while I'm playing... The guitar's volume control can take it from completely clean to as dirty as you like, at any level you like.

[@nedhartford2111]

The BD-2 has been my go-to overdrive for literally 25 years. I have two on my board, one for light overdrive, one for distortion. I use a Pinnacle for a high-gain sound. That's it for OD/Dist. I have a switcher so I can stack them if I want to, and have a Source Audio EQ to boost and sculpt. I love the warmth and simplicity of the BD-2. Oh, and the two BD-2s on my board are the two I bought 25 years ago. Same pedals. Tanks. Affordable and amazing sounding.

[@amoser8589]

Could you break down your recording setup? Your tone is one of the best recorded tones currently on KZbin!! Love the video!

[@wampler_pedals]

Thanks so much! I spend a LOT of time trying to get that part right. In this video I'm going from the amp to two notes captor, into my DAW then using 8 different IR's. 5 of those being cabinet "mic" IR's (two on front, close up, sm7 and Royer 121)/ one on rear of cab / one out front at 6' ) then lightly blended stereo room IR's for depth and "amp in room" tonality. On top of that is a spring reverb IR that i've converted to stereo that's just barely mixed in. It's a delicate balance but sounds massive through my DAW and more importantly sounds like what I'm hearing with the amp in the room. It took me quite a while to work all that out!

[@petedazer3381]

I bought one a few weeks ago, and really like it. Great presentation Brian!

[@vk_]

Love BD-2. It’s my “always on” pedal, even for clean sound.

[@SoloSi2024]

Great pedal. Wouldn't dream of modding it. Gives just the right amount of bass too.

[@peaceman7321]

It's still on my pedalboard & getting PLENTY of use during gigs!!! Thanks, Boss - thanks, Brian!!!

[@williamroder]

For me it's the best "a lot in one" pedal. You can get a clean booster, a treble booster, dirty booster, low gain, classic gain, even a plus classic gain and some fuzzy tones with gain knob in 10. Until in my accoustic guitar I can use it to give some boosting for solos. Everything in a low cost box.

[@jcugnoni]

Thanks Brian. your circuit analysis / breadboard demos are the best ; really dig every episode you put out. Very valuable knowledge for all of us guitarists / fx junkies ;-)

[@stevebeck3164]

I bought mine in 1996. Paired with a Fender clean tube circuit, it's magical. After much research, I did a Keeley-like mod (swapping electrolytic w/ tantalum, ceramic w/ silver mica, diodes, etc.) added a whole new dimension, way more transparent and articulate. I love how Andy Timmons uses it with the gain fairly high but rolls off the guitar volume.

[@shader26]

It’s obviously a personal decision and all, subjective too, but what you mention works WAY better for me. I got influenced by the many folks saying they use the BD-2 as a clean boost like pedal, always on. Often the same folks that don’t like the fuzz/fizz at higher gain. See, to me that is just the wrong way. For one thing, it’s hard for me to get excited about a boost pedal into an amp. I jus think “why not just turn the amp up?” And get the same. It isn’t pushing the amp really, no different. Also the thing that always get mentioned with the BD-2 is how well it cleans up with guitar vol. So why limit that by having gain all the way down? I was disappointed in the BD-2 when I tried it as boost. Sounded nice but I could get the same by EQ and vol, on my amp settings. But increasing gain, I can STILL clean up with guitar vol, and can get all points in between. As far as the “fizz” to me that is the kind of thing that gets swallowed up in the mix when playing with a band, and also the thing that lets guitar cut nicely in the mix.

[@jesusfreakster101]

Love your education- I could never get stock bd2 to sound and play well with cab sim and mains until I got Monte Allums H2O Mod. It transformed the sound and response tremendously. Also learned Josh’s Morn Glory isn’t same as BD2. I had both pedals on same board but pulled MG because I thought they were too similar. Thanks Brian!

[@ASM881]

That’s your problem. Computers are for emailing and Tube Amps are for pissing off your neighbours.

[@ComeInAlone00000]

Hey, Brian. I made a post in a facebook pedal group about the bd-2. You mentioned you were working on this video and I was looking forward to it. I forgot about it but finally, I got around to it. Thanks for all the info! love your videos

[@jkf9167]

The BD-2 replaced a RAT on my board a couple of years ago and I have no regrets. I use it as a regular distortion pedal. I also have a Mooer Blues Mood, which is a BD-2 clone with a flat mod a la Keeley. I use that on bass sometimes. On guitar, I prefer the non-fat tones of the stock BD-2. Great pedal. I love the fact that its mid profile is completely different from a Tube Screamer, or Marshall or Dumble Style pedal, or even a Rat, although I love the mid profile of the Rat as well, and I love the way you can turn it all the way up to near fuzz. I think a lot of the confusion around the BD-2 is a result of its name. If you're looking for stereotypical "bluesy" sounds, you're not gonna find them. At least not without some tweaking. The BD-2 can sound bluesy, but it's certainly not the first pedal I'd go to for a bluesy OD. Most of its best sounds have more gain than that. I think it sounds best for rock, indy rock, punk, shoegaze, just about anything. It just doesn't have the mids that people expect when they talk about a "blues" pedal. It doesn't hear picking subtleties in the same way as a tube screamer. It likes to make a little more noise.

[@CardinalPhonics]

R10 is the slope resistor. Swap it for a 100k potentiometer and you have way more control over how aggro the tonestack can feel. I implemented it in my own variation of the BD-2 (called the Skyline Drive) and it’s SOOOO handy.

[@vanessajazp6341]

I got one of these in ‘98 and to this day it's still my favorite dirt box. Also, a great way to get a fuzzy tone out of the stock pedal is to turn its tone knob all the way up and then turn your guitar’s tone knob all the way down. Like buttah!!

[@Toobzilla]

the early '90s saw an uptick in blues type music at least here in the north east. i think the rise in SRV's popularity & his sad, untimely passing, gave the whole industry a shot in the arm. amp companies were making tweeds, strats were selling, etc there were blues type open mic night's all over the place. i went to 3-4 of them a week.. so this may explain the BD-2. ive never owned one, this video is making me re-think my interest.. Good job, Wamp. im a nuts & bolts guy & appreciate your circuit dives.. 🤜🤛

[@alanmay6172]

An sd-1 into a bd-2 was my go to sound for years and years

[@evanwilliams8908]

Very cool. Great video. Love the videos that play with a bread board. I hope a “blues fuzz” is a product we can buy in the future.

[@CL_Audio_Tuning]

Definitely like it when you added the EQ in front of it! Love your channel and information! Keep it going!

[@jamesfetherston1190]

I have a half dozen or so overdrive pedals, and the Blues Driver --one of my first--is still my #1. With drive down low it is an excellent boost, and with it all the way up you are in pour distortion.

[@JohnMaag-f3t]

Well I bought a Boss BD-2 today and after about 10 minutes I'm really liking this pedal. I play only in my apartment nowadays and at very low volume too. The BD-2 is giving me great overdrive through my Marshall Origin 20C combo amp. Really killer Blues tones and mojo too. Boss has done it again.

[@BiffFPV]

the BD-2 is a must have. it doesn't stay on my board often, but whenever you're having trouble finding " the sound" with your other dirt pedals the bd2 will have it.

[@skatertrev7]

More like this, please! What a great video

[@jagercaster]

If I have to choose only one pedal, for sure It wll be the BD2. I bought mine in 2000 and It works so good. It's so versatile! not only for blues. The best Boss pedal ❤

[@jeffbeck6501]

The best Boss distortion pedal. But if I could only have one Boss pedal, it would be the CS-3 compressor. It is fairly low noise, and fairly transparent. I use it with a my amp or modeler settings using a low gain for clarity and high volume for punch and dynamics, and when I need it to hold the note and fill out, then I stomp on the Boss CS-3 compressor. I get all the fire I need, while retaining the clarity and dynamics. After many decades of playing, that is my magic formula. For rock, I prefer to have a humbucker at the bridge. One last thing, ...sometimes I roll off a tiny bit of volume on my Stratocaster and it seems to clean up and tame the entire chain of distortion and compression. I get all the fire, but without that extra over-the-top noise dirtying up the sound, and hurting the signal to noise ratio.

[@jallamusic2319]

Awesome information! I would love a video about the OS-2. It's often overlooked although you can get some nice tones out of it if you spend some time with it.

[@littlebritain64]

Yep, please help us to solve that volume issue with pedal "on", pleeeaseeee!👏

[@DHJ81]

Thank you for the incredible clarity! I always learn so much from you, Brian! Thank you thank you thank you! Love my Tumni! (I got both large and small :)))

[@kaindog1007]

I put a Monty Allums mod in mine many years ago. Great sounding pedal.

[@douchecraft3113]

My favorite type of WAMPLER content 🤘

[@robcampion4579]

The BD-2 is a great pedal for getting David Gilmour tones in studio and bedroom settings. He, of course, uses BK Butler Tube Drivers, which are great for stadium settings (and those with unlimited budgets). The BD-2 is a budget friendly alternative to get those Gilmour clean blues tones as well as a rich boost before the RAT, Muff or even another BD-2 with the gain turned up (which is how Gilmour used multiple Butlers).

[@RobSmith-rn3ie]

God, please do *not* try to use a RAT to play Gilmour! 😢 The Blues Driver is a fine choice for the quieter stuff but if you're going to stack it with something for the solos just get a Muff. It's cheaper than a RAT anyway and that sound just does *not* belong in Floyd.

[@robcampion4579]

@@RobSmith-rn3ie The RAT is used for select songs only, but it's definitely been on David's Pink Floyd boards. Particularly his Pulse/Division era boards. I agree with your assessment regarding the BD and Muff. In my home studio setting I have the BD2 before a Russian Big Muff Pi, followed by the Soul Food. The BD2 and SF as substitutes for the Butlers. I'll use setting from Gilmourish as a start and dial in from there.

[@bangitsmom6855]

I finally got my BD-2 last year, and . . . omg, it's exactly what I've looked for FOR YEARS. lol After 30 years of trying all kinds of combinations, this has what I want.

[@mkv2718]

I loved that thing from the get go, but never owned one until recently (with the Waza release) cuz I never had the extra cash. Used to go to the local guitar center and play it every time

[@LoCoGuitars]

I remember reading your BD-2 mods long long ago. Thanks for the inspiration! To really deep dive in this topology, check out the Boss TM-7. It's not a pedal. It was marketed as a some kind of desktop amp simulator. You can find the schematic out there. No buffers, no clipping diodes, and the fixed amp style eq is left on potentimeters. Interesting concept! It seems it did not catch on.

[@liontone]

Just got a BD-2 on a pedal trade a few months ago. I like it!

[@houseofshred3725]

I absolutely love my BD-2!

[@kevinkohler7997]

Hi Brian, When creating this video, did you consider breadboarding the Waza version too for further comparison??

[@aaronherdman5008]

This couldn't have come at a better time for me! Just built a BD-2 clone that sounds great, but doesn't clip, so it's acting as a colored boost rather than a drive. Was going to look at the diodes, but now that I know it's not the diodes, I double-checked the cap values. Turns out I mistakenly swapped a 6n8 for a 150n and vice versa. I also mistakenly substituted a 5n6 for a 56n in two different places. Gonna swap in the right values when I get home from work and see how it goes!

[@canyondepths]

I gigged with a standard BD-2 for years. Used it as a boost for solos. I had it set so it was fairly transparent tone wise but with some extra drive for sustain. It sounded so good with a cranked amp, better than a couple more expensive boutique-ish pedals I've got to replace it over the years. The reason I sold my BD-2 was it just sounded extremely bland and I never liked for practicing or recording, it was so uninspiring in those situations. But using it on stage in front of a cranked amp, it was always fantastic and full of mojo.

[@lysaarvideo]

It's funny how differently we hear things. I did a whole album with the BD-2 as the go-to dirt pedal. The only other overdrive I used was a pedal called "The Blues" (no particular relation to the BD-2) by the long gone Swedish brand Gollmer.

[@OceanGrenade]

The BD-2 was the first pedal I purchased and has stayed on my pedalboard since I bought it (in 1997). The only other pedal that I have kept on my board that long is my DS-1 with your JCM-800 mod published in Guitar Player way back in the day.

[@osoblues]

i’ve used this on an acoustic at around 10 or a 11 o’clock. loved it

[@mikevincent7836]

I own a Boss BD2 Keeley custom since 2009 its been in my pedalboard its a great pedal the keeley version is even better then the stock version !!

[@benligil]

I had the BD emulation on my Katana MK2 head and it works fantastic results on clean channel that becomes another drive channel

[@OssianEMills]

I just added it back to my pedalboard two days ago. So this video gave me reassurance.

[@dorkwithsometork]

I use the donner blues driver I believe it sound almost identical

[@TheSoCalRJ]

I really enjoy the videos on this channel. Thanks for the great analysis and understandable tech breakdown.

[@richclayton5785]

One of your best vids and my favorite pedal to mess with! Thanks!

[@matt926uk1]

I like what this pedal does even with no gain, I use it on clean tones too.

[@1974zah]

Brian, a Wampler take on the BD2 with active EQ would likely be something I would buy! I did not bond with Klon style pedals until I discovered the Tumnus Deluxe.

[@3mstudiospalmdesert]

I use the BD2 one way. Volume at 2 oclock, tone at noon, and gain at 10 oclock into a Marshall four holer or something like it cranked up to crunch. Magic.

[@adamkrauss303]

Very interesting. Would have liked to also feature the Waza version and explain the mod there.

[@scottcurry4116]

Love these videos. Thanks for posting them.

[@paperhanger29]

Fun trick. Use the tube screamer in the typical metal way to tighten up the gained out BD2. Metal heaven.

[@mike42356]

Yup, the bass pre-distortion makes it fuzzy. Cutting that out using a separate od/booster can make it chug wonderfully. 😁

[@dylandenney3980]

Just got one after wanting to try it for years. Didn't even play it at the store coz I knew I'd like it. Might be the best overdrive any of the big boys ever made

[@scootertrasher1369]

The problem is finding a used one that's not surface mount, can't check the serial number for a date on a Reverb pic with the bottom covered in Velcro, I'm leaning toward one of those American made Wampler Triumph pedals for my next purchase, that guy has been so generous with sharing knowledge, I can't think of anyone in the pedal business I'd rather give my money to!