Modified Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Standard
In my opinion the Blues Driver is a fantastic overdrive - it can do anything from clean boost to distortion for lead playing, with long sustain and plenty of apparent overtones. But of course even the sun has its spots... For starters, the tone control seems almost redundant - it doesn't seem to do anything at all, and if you don't like the fact that the base character of the BD-2 is trebly, there's not much you can do about it. Furthermore, the Blues Driver can also be perceived as a bit harsh, which simply has to do with the fact that Boss uses cheap, extra small components, which doesn't quite cut it. Time to bring out the soldering iron... But not without giving credit where credit's due: Robert Keeley more or less wrote the book on how to get the most out of the BD-2, and it is his research, groundwork and ideas that are the basis for these mods.
Stage 1 modification
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The
indicator LED is replaced with a nice yellow one - not that it makes
the pedal sound any different, but still... It will make the pedal easier
to identify on stage, at least. -
All coupling capacitors - they function as "bridges" between the different parts of the circuit - are replaced. Boss are using extra small electrolyte cans, and I replace them with rather expensive (at about 10 times the cost, actually) tantalum capacitors. This step brings a little roundness to the sound, and takes some of the harshness out of the pedal.
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The input stage is modified to let more bass into the circuit.
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The tone control is modified to be more useful, and now works smoothly over its whole sweep.
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The clipping stage is modified, to produce a more natural overdrive with more 2nd order overtones.
Stage 2 modification
In addition to the mods done in stage 1, I also add a micro switch below the gain control. This switch selects two different ranges for the tone control. Set to the left position, it has the same response as a stage 1 BD-2. Flip the switch to the right, and you get a subtle bass boost, while the tone control is shifted to control the upper treble range.
...and the end result?
After the modification, the pedal is even more sensitive to your picking nuances than before, and it will blend beautifully together with a tube amplifier. With the gain control set high, the pedal takes on a hint of fuzz character, while more moderate gain settings are even more dynamic. If you set the gain control to, or close to, zero, the sound will be almost completely clean, with just a little more urgency... and there's still enough output volume left to take an unsuspecting amp by surprise! No matter where you set the gain, the tone control works over its full range, and nowhere does it really start to sound bad - it's all up to your taste and the tone of your amplifier! A Stage 2 modified pedal also has the option of yielding yet more bottom end - via the mini switch - for that extra low end "whack!" that keeps the audience awake and on their toes...
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