Katana blues drive is a kind of modded sd1 stacked into katana boost style jfet circuit. I bought this pedal to emulate how andy timmons uses a boss bd2 cranked into his clean channel and then rolls down the volume pot on his guitar to get his. Of all the recent boss compact pedal releases, this one had me the most excited. The boss bd2 blues driver with the mammothkeeley phat mod mammoth electronics boss bd2 phat. The fulltone full drive 2 is also a nice pedal as well as the reverend train. By march of 1995, pearl jams better man off vitology had been sitting comfortably at no. An optional secondary phat mod adds a switch for introducing more bass into the tone. A thorough comparison of the classic boss bd2 blues driver overdrive, its waza craft version, and two other pedals based on the famous. The keeley boss blues driver bd2 phat mod overdrive pedal. Considering that i decided to go with mooer series and the fact that they copy famous pedals, then i should choose two pedals overdrive and distortion among ocd, rat, blues driver, bluesbreaker, tubescreamer, boss ds1 and several more which i am not familiar with. A great stock pedal, the bd2 gives of great drive tones, perfect for rock and roll, blues or pop, and can get your tube amp to that special distorted spot that every player digs. The bd2 blues driver delivers the creamy, yet crunchy sound associated with great blues guitar. Blues driver keeley mod vs waza craft vs katana blues drive.
Mammoth electronics boss blues driver phat mod youtube. I will check out a blues driver in person this weekend and might try mixing it with an sd. If you want something really special get the keeley mod on the blues driver i have it and its. In spite of the similar names boss bd2 blues driver and keeley katana blues drive are actually quite different animals. Im going to have a play around with it now, i have it plugged into my classic 50 and a cp 60s strat.
In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver reverb news. Boss bd2 blues driver w keeley mod price guide reverb. John mayers boss blues driver bd2 keeley phat mod used by mayer most notably during the trio era circa 2005. Just picked up a keeley phat mod boss blues driver, whats peoples thoughts on this pedal. I think youll really like the sound of the tube screamer going into the keeley or bd2, whichever you choose.
Guitar pedal x gpx blog 35 of the best boss compact. I am their latest convert and i would like to tell you about the sacred pedal that is the blues driver. Super phat mod keeley engineering keeley electronics. If waza craft is the flag boss is planting to mark its territory in the world of boutique pedals, then it makes sense to include the companys entry.
The modded version adds a phat switch that beefs up the bottom end a bit and gives a little warmth. Keeley boss blues driver bd2 phat mod overdrive pedal. Both tubescreamers, but what are the differences between them. The boss bd2 blues driver is an extremely popular overdrive pedal, set up as a competitor to the ts9 tubescreamer. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive w keeley mod reverb. If you have a few extra bucks to spend, robert keeley offers a modded version of the original boss bd2 blues driver. Save blues driver keeley to get email alerts and updates on your ebay feed. I agree about the blues driver playing well with other od s i play a stock bd2 i had one modded preferred stock on all. Boss blues driver bd2whats the diy version of the keeley mod.
Among the pedals getting a polishing is the blues driver, which is a more recent addition to the boss family than the other waza craft beneficiaries, but its easy to see why it made the cut. I decided i needed another bd2, one for home and one for my grab and go. After more than a decade of building great guitar tone from the ground up, keeley has crafted an overdrive that is destined to be a classic. The keeley bd2 was the first mod that had a switch. For those wanting to set their amp on fire but not change the tone of their system. Keeley boss blues driver bd2 questions do i need the upgrade. The boss bd2 blues driver, whos got one, is it all its cracked up to be. Boss super overdrive guitar pedal sd1 boss bd2 blues driver bundle with instrument cable, patch cable, picks, and austin bazaar polishing cloth. As mentioned, the keeley mod is the fat switch now part of roberts. So i doubt katana blues drive can serve as a good substitute for bd2. A custom japanese rerelease of the much loved bd2 blues pedal, the blues driver is famed for its responsiveness, which is why many blues players flock to this pedal for a tone that can be bounced around and manipulated with the.
Boss bd2 blues driver guitar effects pedal bundle with blucoil power supply slim acdc adapter for 9 volt dc 670ma, and 4pack of celluloid guitar picks boss super overdrive guitar pedal sd1 boss bd2 blues driver bundle with instrument cable, patch cable, picks, and austin bazaar polishing cloth. The pedal you have now is the culmination of many ideas and modifications that i have made to the pedal during the course the years. Born in the boss factories and modified in the workshop of mister keeley, the boss bd2 blues driver overdrive is not a tube screamer copy but a different machine as you will gather. Another option is that keeley has recently rolled out a katana blues drive which is their take on marrying the boss bd2 with a katana booster and throwing a baxandall tonestack on it. Fenderbigotmay 25, picked up a stock bd2 recently and i love it.
I have one slot open on my pedal board and i am thinking about getting a boss blues driver bd2 to smooth out the hdr channel on my vintage modern. And we think youll enjoy this incredible tone we have crafted for you. As the title suggests im looking to modify my bd2 to get the most i can out of it and am wondering is it a big job or can someone whos handy enough with a soldering iron perform it. It was a toss up between a j rockett blue note or the boss bd2w.
The humble boss bd2 blues overdrive is popular in its own right. Home forums other discussion forums the stomp box i should have known. Keeley super phat mod transparent overdrive in its most refined state. Boss super overdrive discussion in the stomp box started by d. Or the excellent mooer blues mood which is based on the same original mod. That same month, the boss bd2 blues driver first hit guitar store shelves, targeting a different sort of player. For a long time my preferred blues driver was actually a mini mooer blues mood which is a clone of the keeley phat blues driver mod. Finally, the keeley mod has a blue light rather than a red light.
Keeley super phat mod full range transparent overdrive pedal. I wanted a little different flavor of bd2 this time. Passionately designed by the master engineers at boss in japan, the waza craft bd2w delivers a premium stomp experience that fans of customized pedal tone will love. If you are familiar with the original boss bd2, you probably wont notice any difference from just taking a quick look at the outside besides the added phat switch and the blue led and thats to be expected as most of the magic in the mod takes place on the inside. His new drive combines all his many upgrades to the bd2 in the form of the. Fender american standard stratocaster and gibson les paul custom podxt fender blackface which. Boss pedals have long been staples on many a pedalboard, and one that i always found to be a real standout is the bd2 blues driver. I should also add that i for some reason have a inclanation to not.
Apr 29, 2017 the boss bd2 blues driver with the mammoth keeley phat mod mammoth electronics boss bd2 phat keeley modsp. When the humble boss overdrive isnt occupied with wailing blues licks. A great basic boss pedal and it suped up cousin, modified by robert keeley, the effects wizard. Also i dont intend on buying another overdrive pedal but would like some advice on settings from anybody who. I would like to have 2 or 3 different options to play around with.
Gpx blog 12 of the best blues driver style pedals guitar pedal x. Boss waza bd2w discussion in the stomp box started by h4ck. My understanding of the bd2 is that it was designed to sound like a tube screamer going. Keeley boss bd2 blues driver overdrive guitar effects pedal p10324. Dec 10, 2017 the epitome of special custom pedals, the boss bd2w waza craft blues driver pedal is certainly a sight to behold.
Pedal boss blues driver bd2 vs boss super over drive sd1 pedal comparison duration. Was wondering if anyone had a recommendation on which way to go with this one and if one is better than the other. This popular pedal provides instant access to the kind of warm overdrive and emotive distortion usually reserved for 30yearold tube amps. That was an original design designed to meet many of the tonal characteristics of the blues driver. Keeley electronices katana blues drive tone report. I found a bd2w on reverb for a reasonable price, made a lower offer and he accepted. Between the keeley and boss, its the keeley by a nose. Blues driver bd2 overdrive pedal modded by keeley official boss bd2 pedal website. One of the pedals that he was famous for improving was the the very popular boss blues driver pedal. Robert keeley first made his name by doing mods on popular pedals making them much better sounding and quieter. Any thoughts, opinions, or experience with this pedal.
Keeley modded boss bd2 blues driver n stuff music product. There are very few overdrives i would choose other than a bd2, but none of them are better. The boss bd2 blues driver overdrive w keeley mod takes midrange overdriven character of the original factory pedal and infuses it with new handselected circuitry and components for improved response and fidelity. With this mod, keeley upgraded all of the components for a warmer. The tube screamer is a nice pedal and i think if it was between a stock bd2 and the tube screamer i would choose the tube screamer. Keeley katana blues drive dynamically rich the all new keeley katana blues drive. When it comes to boss overdrive, the bd2 is my first and only choice. Boss bd2 blues driver keeley electronics phat mod posted by pedal of the day on wednesday, november 25, 2015 in boss, keeley electronics, overdrive distortion boss pedals have long been staples on many a pedalboard, and one that i always found to be a real standout is the bd2 blues driver. Im learning the blues and this seems the obvious choice and the demos show it up good but are there alternatives worth checking out. I play blues through a fender blues deluxe and a vox vavetronics. Clean chord work, blues, blues rock, rock overview keeley has proposed to take a standard boss blues driver bd2 and upgrade several of its components, change its clipping saturation simulation characteristics, and widen its frequency range to be more transparent. Between the keeley bd2 and the waza, that i own, the waza has more range and openness even on the classic switch, the custom side is similar to the keeley fat switch, but the gain is smoother, and again, more range increase and just better.
The bd2 phat mod is the overdrive pedal with full range sound. The sonic dna from the original katana boost is clear and strong with the katana blues drive. Introduced back in 1995, the boss bd2 blues driver still remains an. Review boss blues driver pedal and keeley mod justinguitar. I just landed both of these pedals whitch one should i keep and whitch one should i trade. Waza pedals are true bypass and have top components, vs keeley modded ones. Phil gates takes you on a guided tour of the bd2 blues driver.
An ab guitar pedal demo between a fulltone ocd and keeley modded boss blues driver. Review boss blues driver pedal and keeley mod difficulty. The new super phat mod takes off by duplicating the keeley phat mod partforpart with the exception of our new super jfets. I got a wampler pantheon last week thinking that was the greatest drive pedal of all time but it really is incredible and can do one thing this pedal cant, but the boss wins it all as my i need one. You can control all the drive you want by setting the bd2 gain high and using your volume control to instantly dial in the rest. The keeley mod also has sweeter highend than the boss blues driver. Robert took the blueprint from hits own boss bd2 modification fat mod and has improved and evolved that and incorporated into his own blues driver style pedal. The keeley mod upgrades all the components for a warmer, more dynamic tone. Blues driver keeley mod vs waza craft vs katana blues. The boss bd2 blues driver is one of the bestsounding overdrive pedals ever made, and modifications to it are entirely unnecessary gilding of the lily. I have a bad monkey but am not really liking it so was looking to get a blues driver.
Crafted with an ear for highly refined sound, the bd2w takes the classic blues driver grit to a new level with alldiscrete analog circuitry. Boss bd2 blues driver keeley electronics phat mod pedal. By jconway, october 7, 2006 in effects and processors. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive and distortion pedal, with boss bcb30 case. May 17, 2018 of all the recent boss compact pedal releases, this one had me the most excited. Keeley bd2 boss blues driver phat mod overdrive pedal modified. The bd2 that john used was modified by robert keeley altering the sound significantly from the stock model. Boss bd2 blues driver guitar effects pedal bundle with blucoil power supply slim acdc adapter for 9 volt dc 670ma, and 4pack of celluloid guitar picks.
Boss bd2 blues driver fender stratocaster guitar forum. Dec 11, 2014 robert keeleys vision of the perfect boost pedal has begotten an overdrive so transparent and dynamic, one might think of this new baby blue box as an extension of the amplifier. No longer any point in getting the keeley modded blues driver, you may as well get this instead. After the super boutique bb preamp and the more mundane boss sd1, the next tube screamer alternative to be featured on guitar tone overload is somewhere in the middle. Jun 23, 2012 an ab guitar pedal demo between a fulltone ocd and keeley modded boss blues driver. Keeley mod i was looking to buy a boss bd2 with the keeley mod but noticed that boss recently released their waza edition. While the differences may seem subtle, i personally prefer and own the the modded version. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver.