Pedals/Effects NPD: Like a BOSS

MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
So, back when all the Covid shutdown stuff started, one of the ways my wife and I tried to help local businesses was buying ourselves gift cards to hang onto until later. Of course my local music store was high on my list.

They've weathered all right, have been open with just a few restrictions, and business has been fine. I decided to let Sandy Claws get me something for Christmas via cashing in that card.

Here's what he brung me:

bd-2 pedal.jpeg

I have a few overdrive pedals already, but not this particular one, and I've been wanting to round out my collection with a "blues standard." Starting today I have over a week off from work and I plan to fire this puppy up and see how it plays with my Spark and my Quilter while I work on my "Soloing Without Scales" lessons.
 
CaptainMoto

CaptainMoto

Blues Voyager
MarkDyson said:
So, back when all the Covid shutdown stuff started, one of the ways my wife and I tried to help local businesses was buying ourselves gift cards to hang onto until later. Of course my local music store was high on my list.

They've weathered all right, have been open with just a few restrictions, and business has been fine. I decided to let Sandy Claws get me something for Christmas via cashing in that card.

Here's what he brung me:

View attachment 13295

I have a few overdrive pedals already, but not this particular one, and I've been wanting to round out my collection with a "blues standard." Starting today I have over a week off from work and I plan to fire this puppy up and see how it plays with my Spark and my Quilter while I work on my "Soloing Without Scales" lessons.
Click to expand...
Cool!
After buying/selling several ODs I've got 5 on the board now but never had a Blues Driver.
I think there's one under my tree today.
 
tommytubetone

tommytubetone

Great Lakes
I seem to recall Griff had a Blues Driver and a Tube Screamer set up for each player at BGU Memphis. I think the strategy was to keep the BD2 on all the time to add a little color, then kick on the Tube Screamer fo soloing. Not that Griff influences anything I do, but I have both of those pedals on my very limited board. :whistle::rolleyes:
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
tommytubetone said:
I seem to recall Griff had a Blues Driver and a Tube Screamer set up for each player at BGU Memphis. I think the strategy was to keep the BD2 on all the time to add a little color, then kick on the Tube Screamer fo soloing. Not that Griff influences anything I do, but I have both of those pedals on my very limited board. :whistle::rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Cool! My plan for the little board that this purchase has inspired me to put together has the BD2 being fed by a Tumnus, for the same rationale. Haven't finished hooking it up yet: some holiday thing seems to be getting in the way. Plan to doink around with it this weekend.
 
D. R. Miller

D. R. Miller

Good News Blues
That is my main OD sound in my rig, I've tried others more expensive than these and always end up with the BD back on the board. I do have it coupled with a TS9 and a clean boost for that extra oomph when needed. I run it into my Peavey Classic 20 mini head usually operating at 5 watts output.
 
P

patb

Blues Junior
MarkDyson said:
View attachment 13307
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I

I have a BD2 set up pretty close to yours. Level and Gain more at 11. Tone at 12. I have tried using a TS9 for boost but can't seem to find TS9 settings to keep the OD under control. Slughand mentioned a clean boost. Recommendations?
NOt to highjack your thread but I also have a Donner Yellow Tail echo that I don't understand. I have echo and fback at 9 and time at ~ 10. It is really touchy and can go off the rails easily. Maybe that's just the nature of a $27 pedal. Suggestions up to and including a better echo pedal appreciated.
Running through a Nace Pro 18.
Thanks
Pat
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
patb said:
Suggestions up to and including a better echo pedal appreciated.
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I have two echos: a Wampler Ethereal and the good ol' TC Flashback Mini. The Ethereal sounds amazing but I decided I didn't like having only one foot switch that turns on both reverb and delay: I'd prefer to be able to have one or the other without twisting knobs.

Seriously, I think the tried and true HOF/Flashback pair is a staple. When you already have an amp with reverb you like (mine is on my Quilter Mach 2) the Flashback is solid and easy to set up for great, well, effect. They've been around forever, so finding a good used one shouldn't be hard.
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
Stinger22 said:
Just got the BD-2W a couple of years ago and the Mini-Tumnus along with a mini-TS rotate a slot on my pedal board depending on my mood. All sorta the same but different and all excellent pedals.
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Yeah, I hear ya. I have a mini TS, too, and it was on the board just yesterday while I decided what direction I wanted to take. The ink's still wet on this board and it may change some more as I spend my Holidays time off of work experimenting with it. For now the Tumnus into the BD is sounding best but I need to try it again after a little Bourbon has passed through my system. :Beer:
 
sloslunas

sloslunas

NM Blues
As you know I am not a pedal person. Went down that rabbit hole and successfully escaped! I will say that the two pedals that I thought were the best of the bunch were the Boss BD2 and the Ibanez TS9-DX. The TS9-DX was by far the best. Happy hunting...

Steve
 
MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
patb said:
I have a BD2 set up pretty close to yours. Level and Gain more at 11. Tone at 12. I have tried using a TS9 for boost but can't seem to find TS9 settings to keep the OD under control. Slughand mentioned a clean boost. Recommendations?
Click to expand...

I mentioned this above: I had a TS (the mini version) on this board yesterday and was experimenting with all three. I found the TS a little harsher overall to my ears, YMMV. I had the gain almost to zero and the level a third of the way up between unity and max. It just had an edge that didn't do it for me, I'm looking for a smoother feel. The idea is to keep my amp squeaky clean and use the BD to dirty it up (and warm it) some, and the second OD pedal kicking in for solos. I still want some smooth to the sound and I wasn't getting it with the TS, even after I zeroed the gain. One hallmark of the large Tumnus pedal is a full 3-band EQ and, though I haven't needed to tweak that much, it's nice to have that much control.
 
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MarkDyson

MarkDyson

Blues Hound Wannabe
sloslunas said:
As you know I am not a pedal person. Went down that rabbit hole and successfully escaped!
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Heh, And you've known me long enough to know about the box of pedals gathering dust in the basement from my crazy escapades exploring those very rabbit holes. For the past year or so I've been doing fine with the clean/dirty channels and built-in boost of my Quilter Mach 2 amp.

I sort of fell off the wagon when I got the idea to buy this BD pedal; going back and watching Griff's AAP videos set the hook and there it is. I'm working hard to keep this board very much simple with just the two overdrives and tuner (the other two pedals are special purpose). Man, when I was digging them out of the box, all those other lonely pedals were pleading to be let out! It was difficult to ignore them. :cool:
 
Stinger22

Stinger22

Blues Junior
MarkDyson said:
Yeah, I hear ya. I have a mini TS, too, and it was on the board just yesterday while I decided what direction I wanted to take. The ink's still wet on this board and it may change some more as I spend my Holidays time off of work experimenting with it. For now the Tumnus into the BD is sounding best but I need to try it again after a little Bourbon has passed through my system. :Beer:
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Mine a fine Irish Whiskey that was a gift!
 
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