Best version of the BD-2

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Shadoweclipse13
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat Dec 24, 2022 1:24 am

I can't comment to a comparison of models, but I had a Keeley-modded BD-2 (with a "fat" switch) and it absolutely killed.
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Sat Dec 24, 2022 2:06 am

I found this a useful comparison vid:
https://youtu.be/ox3L6_UBEP8

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by ryanthellama » Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:11 pm

Unicorn Warrior wrote:
Fri Dec 23, 2022 7:24 am
Current amps are Matchless Spitfire and JC-40. Only gain I’m actively using is a Benson Germanium Fuzz. I do plan to incorporate, my rat back in at some point.
Have you tried any Blues Driver with your JC-40 before? I tried a regular BD-2 with both my tube amp and my JC-40 and I found that it sounded a little fizzy on my JC in a way I wasn’t liking. Something about the breakup felt more artificial coming through a solid state than through my tube amp. Might be worth trying one from Amazon or somewhere you can easily send back in case it doesn’t react the way you want. Of the Boss overdrives I tried (BD-2, SD-1, OS-2, OD-3), the OD-3 sounded most natural through the JC to my ear, for what it’s worth.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by JSett » Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:50 pm

ryanthellama wrote:
Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:11 pm
Unicorn Warrior wrote:
Fri Dec 23, 2022 7:24 am
Current amps are Matchless Spitfire and JC-40. Only gain I’m actively using is a Benson Germanium Fuzz. I do plan to incorporate, my rat back in at some point.
Have you tried any Blues Driver with your JC-40 before? I tried a regular BD-2 with both my tube amp and my JC-40 and I found that it sounded a little fizzy on my JC in a way I wasn’t liking. Something about the breakup felt more artificial coming through a solid state than through my tube amp. Might be worth trying one from Amazon or somewhere you can easily send back in case it doesn’t react the way you want. Of the Boss overdrives I tried (BD-2, SD-1, OS-2, OD-3), the OD-3 sounded most natural through the JC to my ear, for what it’s worth.
That's likely due to the fact that the BD-2 is designed to be pretty transparent so you'll still hear the tone of your amp...JC's are artificial and sterile sounding by design. A BD-2 is just giving you that, plus distortion. The OD-3 is colouring your amp to sound more like a tube amp
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Sat Dec 24, 2022 11:41 pm

ryanthellama wrote:
Sat Dec 24, 2022 10:11 pm
Unicorn Warrior wrote:
Fri Dec 23, 2022 7:24 am
Current amps are Matchless Spitfire and JC-40. Only gain I’m actively using is a Benson Germanium Fuzz. I do plan to incorporate, my rat back in at some point.
Have you tried any Blues Driver with your JC-40 before? I tried a regular BD-2 with both my tube amp and my JC-40 and I found that it sounded a little fizzy on my JC in a way I wasn’t liking. Something about the breakup felt more artificial coming through a solid state than through my tube amp. Might be worth trying one from Amazon or somewhere you can easily send back in case it doesn’t react the way you want. Of the Boss overdrives I tried (BD-2, SD-1, OS-2, OD-3), the OD-3 sounded most natural through the JC to my ear, for what it’s worth.
Thanks for that suggestion. I actually used to own an OD-3 and a JC-120 at one point. It was an okay sound, but it seemed a bit too tube screamery for lack of a better way of describing. I did use it a lot though and wouldn’t be opposed to grabbing another.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Sun Dec 25, 2022 4:19 pm

I use my Cinders with my JC-22. I like the sound – suits the sort of thing I’m playing lately.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by Embenny » Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:51 am

tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Sat Dec 24, 2022 2:06 am
I found this a useful comparison vid:
https://youtu.be/ox3L6_UBEP8
That's a phenomenal comparison.

The Cinders blew me away. It basically does everything the other BD-2s can do, at roughly 1/3rd the price of a standard BD-2 and 1/4 the price of the Waza. The only thing the demo didn't compare was the bypass mode. The Cinders appears to be true bypass while the BD-2 is buffered, right? That honestly puts the Cinders a cut above in my books. A decent buffer can be desirable, of course, for people with big pedalboards or long cable runs. I just don't need that.
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:54 pm

Well, after complaining that cheap secondhand BD-2s are basically nonexistent here, I found a totally mint unused one for $80 (~£40) not far from where I live. Grabbed it for no other reason than it was cheap. :D

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by JSett » Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:24 pm

tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:54 pm
Well, after complaining that cheap secondhand BD-2s are basically nonexistent here, I found a totally mint unused one for $80 (~£40) not far from where I live. Grabbed it for no other reason than it was cheap. :D
Wow, perfect serendipity!
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by OffYourFace » Wed Jan 04, 2023 12:53 am

I find that my BD-2 sounds excellent with my Roland Cube 60 in JC mode. It's a little harsh with my '76 Deluxe Reverb's vibrato channel (has bright cap) and smoother with the normal channel.

It might work great with the Matchless. I think I like the BD-2 better with Vox style amps tbh. Think Adam from Swervedriver, he makes that combo sound great. The Spitfire has a Vox style power section and tweed style preamp. Give it a go and let us know. It's a great pedal, it's way more 'clear' than the OD-3. I have both and recently compared the two. I prefer the BD-2.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Wed Jan 04, 2023 1:40 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Tue Jan 03, 2023 11:24 pm
tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Tue Jan 03, 2023 8:54 pm
Well, after complaining that cheap secondhand BD-2s are basically nonexistent here, I found a totally mint unused one for $80 (~£40) not far from where I live. Grabbed it for no other reason than it was cheap. :D
Wow, perfect serendipity!
It really was! The seller was even kind enough to hang onto it for a few extra days till I got back from Christmas hols.

-

I A/B'd the BD-2 and Cinders for about an hour this afternoon and came back to it again this evening to re-test my first impressions. They're really very close. Toss a coin to decide which one sounds best. Then get out of bed on a different side and your opinion would probably change.

The BD-2 gets loud sooner, and the gain kicks in sooner too. That's just different pot taper, I think – you can replicate the sound of one on the other with enough fiddling, and at max vol and gain they're near enough identical. The BD-2 has maybe 5% more presence, which some might perceive as sounding a little brighter/spikier/harsher. Again, we're talking fine margins. The Cinders is maybe a little bit easier to 'dial in', but it could just be that I've had more time to get comfortable with it.

I can't say I prefer one over the other. The Cinders does what the BD-2 does every bit as well. The BOSS will probably stay on my board just because it's indestructible and its side jacks play a bit nicer with the rest of my pedals.
Embenny wrote:
Mon Dec 26, 2022 11:51 am
The only thing the demo didn't compare was the bypass mode. The Cinders appears to be true bypass while the BD-2 is buffered, right? That honestly puts the Cinders a cut above in my books. A decent buffer can be desirable, of course, for people with big pedalboards or long cable runs. I just don't need that.
I checked the bypass mode of both. There's maybe the slightest loss of high with the BD-2, but I didn't notice anything wildly different otherwise. FWIW, I've got a small board of just five pedals.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by JSett » Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:54 am

I found having Boss pedals in my chain always kept the high-end better intact thanks to their buffer (which I am a fan of).

Regardless of all the chatter, the best version of the BD-2 is mine, and I will die on this hill...

Image
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Fri Jan 06, 2023 12:04 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Wed Jan 04, 2023 2:54 am
I found having Boss pedals in my chain always kept the high-end better intact thanks to their buffer (which I am a fan of).

Regardless of all the chatter, the best version of the BD-2 is mine, and I will die on this hill...

Image
My brain automatically inserts 'lawyer' after the word 'blues', so burying that association under a few layers of paint is certainly appealing.

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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 06, 2023 1:25 am

tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Fri Jan 06, 2023 12:04 am
My brain automatically inserts 'lawyer' after the word 'blues', so burying that association under a few layers of paint is certainly appealing.
Mine does the same. Fortunately I don't actually know the minor pentatonic scale. Or any scale for that matter.
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Re: Best version of the BD-2

Post by MrShake » Fri Jan 06, 2023 6:25 am

johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Jan 06, 2023 1:25 am
tequila_in_teacups wrote:
Fri Jan 06, 2023 12:04 am
My brain automatically inserts 'lawyer' after the word 'blues', so burying that association under a few layers of paint is certainly appealing.
Mine does the same. Fortunately I don't actually know the minor pentatonic scale. Or any scale for that matter.
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And same. As a '90s teen who happened into a BD-2 accidentally, I definitely covered up the label a few times back in the day when I was trying to grind out "serious" "alt rock".

Luckily, the closest I get to a scale is that bit in "Rumble".

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