Essential Boss pedals

builttospill

TU-3, OD-1 or OD-3 and an early 90's CE-5, 

builttospill

and a DF-2 for laughs!

ICBM

builttospill said:

and a DF-2 for laughs!

The DF-2 isn't just for laughs, it's my favourite Boss distortion of all, even without the feedbacker part. The feedbacker is also surprisingly useful once you get the hang of it, if you're playing at too low a volume for consistent real feedback.

BintyTwanger77

TU-3, BD2W, SD1, DM2W, DD7, RV6

Funkfingers

Not one of them is essential. I have my favourites but it is possible to get by without them.

Lestratcaster

For my current band TU-3 and the NS-2

JezWynd

TTBZ said:

DD7 and SD1 for me. And a TU3 when my pitchblack dies. I really want to try an FZ2, sounds like an awesome fuzz for the kinda stuff I play. Hoping they do a waza version. 

You could try the Behringer Super Fuzz to see if it's worth shelling out for a FZ-2, it sounds identical.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-SF300-SF-300-Super-Fuzz/dp/B000T9PE9E

Gadget

No love for the DC-2?

Teetonetal

Gadget said:

No love for the DC-2?

Needs to be stereo really so not essential in my book.

JezWynd

Gadget said:

No love for the DC-2?

When I played guitar I loved the DC-2 and still have one. As @Teetonetal says, it really excels in stereo. Since I moved to playing bass mostly, I use it far less, I find its effect is too delicate for bass chorus. The CE-5, with its more defined effect and tone controls, works well with bass and guitar.

JezWynd

Have to confess to being a bit of a Boss freak ...



They're all essential.

builttospill

ICBM said:

builttospill said:

and a DF-2 for laughs!

The DF-2 isn't just for laughs, it's my favourite Boss distortion of all, even without the feedbacker part. The feedbacker is also surprisingly useful once you get the hang of it, if you're playing at too low a volume for consistent real feedback.

What's the distortion like on the DF-2? And would it work well on a fender amp, there's one up on ebay that I've been watching with interest. I'm intrigued especially the feedback effect at low amp volumes 

ICBM

builttospill said:

What's the distortion like on the DF-2? And would it work well on a fender amp, there's one up on ebay that I've been watching with interest. I'm intrigued especially the feedback effect at low amp volumes 

It's like a chunkier and less overly-EQ-sensitive DS-1 crossed with a fuller, less spiky and midrangy Rat. While it doesn't sound like an amp, I find it's quite amp-like in terms of response. It works well into Fender amps, in fact for a while I used one with a Super Champ and never turned the pedal off - just used the guitar volume to clean it up.

The feedback takes a while to get the hang of, you need to practice playing a note cleanly (it doesn't track well on chords) and then pressing the pedal just afterwards - it's not feedback as such, it's actually a monophonic synth oscillator that locks onto the note and sustains it for as long as you hold the pedal down, even if you then do other things with the guitar! Which can be quite good fun for drones and such.

builttospill

ICBM said:

builttospill said:

What's the distortion like on the DF-2? And would it work well on a fender amp, there's one up on ebay that I've been watching with interest. I'm intrigued especially the feedback effect at low amp volumes 

It's like a chunkier and less overly-EQ-sensitive DS-1 crossed with a fuller, less spiky and midrangy Rat. While it doesn't sound like an amp, I find it's quite amp-like in terms of response. It works well into Fender amps, in fact for a while I used one with a Super Champ and never turned the pedal off - just used the guitar volume to clean it up.

The feedback takes a while to get the hang of, you need to practice playing a note cleanly (it doesn't track well on chords) and then pressing the pedal just afterwards - it's not feedback as such, it's actually a monophonic synth oscillator that locks onto the note and sustains it for as long as you hold the pedal down, even if you then do other things with the guitar! Which can be quite good fun for drones and such.

Thanks for the heads up on the DF-2 @ICBM. Really really intrigued now... It's on my Boss wishlist.

builttospill

ICBM said:

builttospill said:

What's the distortion like on the DF-2? And would it work well on a fender amp, there's one up on ebay that I've been watching with interest. I'm intrigued especially the feedback effect at low amp volumes 

It's like a chunkier and less overly-EQ-sensitive DS-1 crossed with a fuller, less spiky and midrangy Rat. While it doesn't sound like an amp, I find it's quite amp-like in terms of response. It works well into Fender amps, in fact for a while I used one with a Super Champ and never turned the pedal off - just used the guitar volume to clean it up.

The feedback takes a while to get the hang of, you need to practice playing a note cleanly (it doesn't track well on chords) and then pressing the pedal just afterwards - it's not feedback as such, it's actually a monophonic synth oscillator that locks onto the note and sustains it for as long as you hold the pedal down, even if you then do other things with the guitar! Which can be quite good fun for drones and such.

Does the DF-2 work well at lower gain?

ICBM

builttospill said:

Does the DF-2 work well at lower gain?

Yes, although some people find it runs out of usable volume like that - it barely gets above unity when the gain is right down, with a loud guitar. There’s a simple mod to give it 20% more volume, which is useful if you use it like that.

Grunfeld

Gadget said:

No love for the DC-2?

Plenty -- and it does a really great chorus.  But it's four variations of one sound.
But for a covers band I'm using my CE-2 because it does more -- at least four different, useful chorus sounds.

I've had a small all Boss board:
TU-3 -- best tuner
CE-2 -- workhorse chorus
SD-1 -- overdrive (Pedalmods.com mods -- is that allowed?)
DA-2 -- because it can go fuzzy;
(FZ-2 fuzzy alternative)
Echo - tricky...
RE-20 - probably this one, cos it is brilliant
DD-7 --  but this if I needed smaller
DD-20 -- because it has four memories which is all I need and is super practical

skunkwerx

Hmm. 

I’f I had an amp with an effects loop then I’d be able to use more pedals. 
Being able to only run my effects through the front limits how or what I can use.
Currently I use a Tu-3 and an Oc-3. 

Lets presume I did have an effects loop then... 

I’d have a:
Tu-3
Oc-3 or Oc-2
Ce-5
Rv-6
Dd-7
Te-2 Tera Echo
and although i’ve never had a fuzz pedal,
The Fz-5.

Teyeplayer

Tu-2 and frv-1. Kind of topping and tailing the board.

ICBM

Teyeplayer said:

Tu-2 and frv-1. Kind of topping and tailing the board.

Which will very effectively buffer it.