Boss Blues Driver (BD-2) - Guitar Pedal Review

Boss is probably the most well known creator of guitar effects in the entire world because of their skill at mass producing effects that sound good while still being affordable. Boss also has found a niche with their effect boxes' distinctive look and size. If an effect looks like a perfect rectangle, it is most likely a boss pedal.

What is the BD-2?

The BD-2 or Blues Driver by Boss is one of its most successful pedals. It is an overdrive pedal designed to give light distortion to your guitar tone. Overdrive pedals are more subtle than distortion pedals or fuzz boxes. The Blues Driver was specifically designed to be used for blues music--particularly for playing the trebly, thin blues leads that the BD-2 does so well.

What is special about this effect?

The BD-2 is a pedal that has been used by many different guitarists over the years, not just blues musicians. Most pedals on the market tend to go too heavy on distortion, but the Blues Driver (along with its main competitor the Ibanez Tube Screamer) is an example of a light touch on tone distortion. This makes for a great level of control for guitarists, especially in live situations.

With an overdrive pedal like the Blues Driver, guitarists can distort their tone in stages, using this overdrive as stage one. Then, they can use a distortion pedal on top of it to move their tone into a more advanced stage of distortion. This stacking technique is very popular for the BD-2 and so many guitarists use it as the first effect in their chain.

Why get the Blues Driver?

If you are a guitarists who plays either blues or rock, this pedal is definitely worth your time and money. It cannot give you the full on distortion that other pedals can, but what it can give is a natural sounding overdriven amp tone. The pedal has knobs for gain, volume, and tone, so it can be easily used as a volume boost or for a change of tone during solos. With so many options, this pedal really is worth its weight in gold.

On top of everything else, it is also one of the cheapest effects out there, at only about $80 new. Some guitarists also buy modified versions of this pedal that have had transistors replaced for an even better tone. If you're looking for an overdrive pedal, this one or the Tube Screamer should be your choice.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_Corporation