The Famous Harshness of the Blues Driver

UnclePsychosis

The name is exactly why I've never tried one. 

If I like it, I may well copy that Bus Driver idea...

thermionic

Just scrape off the s and the r. Blue Drive.

joetele

I've always loved the Blues Driver and never found it harsh when used with various amps both valve and solid state. I've currently got the Mooer Blues Crab and it's really good. And as @smudge_lad says, I used to have a Marshall AVT100 and my old Blues Driver sounded great with that. 

thermionic

Mooer Blues Crab is not based on the Blues Driver though, it’s apparently a clone of the Mk I Bluesbreaker pedal.

joetele

thermionic said:

Mooer Blues Crab is not based on the Blues Driver though, it’s apparently a clone of the Mk I Bluesbreaker pedal.

Well, bugger me. Sounds nice either way! 

monquixote

Blues Mood is the Blues Driver

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

Like a lot of drive pedals with plenty of top-end, it can be harsh into Fenders with the standard reverb mixer section, because there's a cap in the signal path which accentuates highs - unless the amp is really cranked up into power-stage overdrive, which smooths that out again.

It's probably rarely copied because as thermionic said, it's a fairly complex circuit - it's effectively an op-amp but built with discrete transistors rather than just using an IC.

As smudge_lad says, it stacks very well with an SD-1 as well (SD-1 into BD-2).

Probably the biggest thing I don't like about it is the name... I don't really like my gear to tell me what sort of music I should be playing. But I saw one recently which had been creatively modified by its owner by carefully removing two letters, and I nearly bought it.

B u s Driver .

But then it's telling me what vehicle I should drive!

HAL9000

I’ve got one don’t really use it on its own due it sounding on the harsh and grainy side. To my mind the SD-1 is a far better sounding pedal - fatter, smother - and is cheap as chips. Agree with others that BD-2 and SD-1 work well together though. SD-1 for drive, both together for more drive.

TINMAN82

HAL9000 said:

I’ve got one don’t really use it on its own due it sounding on the harsh and grainy side. To my mind the SD-1 is a far better sounding pedal - fatter, smother - and is cheap as chips. Agree with others that BD-2 and SD-1 work well together though. SD-1 for drive, both together for more drive.

That’s why I got rid of mine. Pedals have come quite a long way since the BD2 was released, meaning less stacking is required to smooth them out or tweak the EQ. 

Redlester

I haven't actually owned a Blues Driver, but I have owned two clones. I also own a Marshall DSL. 

First was the Digitech Screamin Blues which @Dave_Mc ; wrote about. I liked it, but not enough to hold onto it. Even with twin tone pots, I found that high end fizz didn't completely go away. To my ears, the fizz really started when I wound the gain up, past about 2 o clock from memory. 

About two years ago, I took a punt on the Mooer Blues Mood, which as you say is essentially a clone of the Keeley BD. In the normal mode I use it more like I'd use a Super Overdrive, into a driven amp, and the fizz isn't really an issue. I've tried that trick of having it 'always on' to add a bit of sparkle to cleaner sounds, and it's good for that too. 

In the extra mode there's hardly any fizz audible at all. I like this setting a lot, and wind the gain full up without getting froth and fizz. 

I think I paid £18 used off ebay. A really good pedal. 

Greatape

Redlester said:

I haven't actually owned a Blues Driver, but I have owned two clones. I also own a Marshall DSL. 

First was the Digitech Screamin Blues which @Dave_Mc ; wrote about. I liked it, but not enough to hold onto it. Even with twin tone pots, I found that high end fizz didn't completely go away. To my ears, the fizz really started when I wound the gain up, past about 2 o clock from memory. 

About two years ago, I took a punt on the Mooer Blues Mood, which as you say is essentially a clone of the Keeley BD. In the normal mode I use it more like I'd use a Super Overdrive, into a driven amp, and the fizz isn't really an issue. I've tried that trick of having it 'always on' to add a bit of sparkle to cleaner sounds, and it's good for that too. 

In the extra mode there's hardly any fizz audible at all. I like this setting a lot, and wind the gain full up without getting froth and fizz. 

I think I paid £18 used off ebay. A really good pedal. 

Blues Mood is very good. I kind of feel they should mix a bit of TS DNA in with the blues driver. 

UnclePsychosis

So how does the Waza version compare to the stock one?

My (stock) one arrived today and I *think* I like it a lot. It does get a bit raspy at higher gain, but a lot of drive pedals do that. Intrigued as to how the Waza changes the sound. 

monquixote

UnclePsychosis said:

So how does the Waza version compare to the stock one?

My (stock) one arrived today and I *think* I like it a lot. It does get a bit raspy at higher gain, but a lot of drive pedals do that. Intrigued as to how the Waza changes the sound. 

The Waza pedals are made of very high quality components so they have a lower noise floor but otherwise sound the same in standard mode.

Custom mode has more low end and more gain.

Johnnyseven

UnclePsychosis said:

So how does the Waza version compare to the stock one?

My (stock) one arrived today and I *think* I like it a lot. It does get a bit raspy at higher gain, but a lot of drive pedals do that. Intrigued as to how the Waza changes the sound. 

The standard mode is pretty much the same as the OG BD2 but it has the advantage of lower noise plus it has a better buffer circuit so sounds better when off.

ICBM

Johnnyseven said:

The standard mode is pretty much the same as the OG BD2 but it has the advantage of lower noise plus it has a better buffer circuit so sounds better when off.

Don't say they've actually fixed the not-quite-unity-gain problem with the standard Boss buffer?! That would be remarkable given that they've consistently failed to address any of the well-known issues with any of their pedals until now... although from what I understand, the bypass bleed issue with the SD-1 is also fixed in the Waza version.

dano

I've used a Blues Driver on and off for 15 years, had a couple in that time. I love it, done the usual mods to mine, with the gain at about 2 I pull the tone down so I don't get any harshness. Works great with my LP. If I switch to my Tele then I need to adjust the tone down lower, so I tend to run an OD-3 for my Tele.

For £70, or whatever they cost now, it's a good piece of kit and it's no different to a boutique pedal really.... hand wired ! But better build quality.

Johnnyseven

ICBM said:

Johnnyseven said:

The standard mode is pretty much the same as the OG BD2 but it has the advantage of lower noise plus it has a better buffer circuit so sounds better when off.

Don't say they've actually fixed the not-quite-unity-gain problem with the standard Boss buffer?! That would be remarkable given that they've consistently failed to address any of the well-known issues with any of their pedals until now... although from what I understand, the bypass bleed issue with the SD-1 is also fixed in the Waza version.

I don't know if they've fixed that specific issue but all the recent Boss pedals i've had (incl the BD2W) seen to have a clearer bypass signal.

ICBM

Johnnyseven said:

I don't know if they've fixed that specific issue but all the recent Boss pedals i've had (incl the BD2W) seen to have a clearer bypass signal.

That sounds like quite a likely correlation. The NQUG problem manifests itself as a very subtle, normally undetectable volume drop, which your ear/brain interprets as a slightly duller and less defined *tone*, not a change in volume - this is a well-known psycho-acoustic effect.

The *actual* tone of even the NQUG buffer is in fact pretty transparent - you can demonstrate this easily with a level-adjustable loop switcher.

TimmyO

I had a (Keeley mod) Blues Driver on my board when I was in a rock covers band - used it for medium gain rhythm parts and it was fab - the demos I've seen of the Waza one seen really good. 

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

Johnnyseven said:

I don't know if they've fixed that specific issue but all the recent Boss pedals i've had (incl the BD2W) seen to have a clearer bypass signal.

That sounds like quite a likely correlation. The NQUG problem manifests itself as a very subtle, normally undetectable volume drop, which your ear/brain interprets as a slightly duller and less defined *tone*, not a change in volume - this is a well-known psycho-acoustic effect.

The *actual* tone of even the NQUG buffer is in fact pretty transparent - you can demonstrate this easily with a level-adjustable loop switcher.

I'm not sure whether it's in my head or not, but I always think I can "feel" Boss pedals in my chain- almost like a slight compression. I guess that would tally in with the "NQUG" thing? EDIT: Older ones, I mean, I don't have any newer or WAZA ones.