JHS began their adventure back in 2007 as a result of a DIY repair on a BOSS Blues Driver.The company now produces quality guitar effects pedals – many of which are based on other popular pedals as listed below. Their headquarters is located in Kansas City, Missouri.
For our first Pedal of the Week, we're reviewing the ubiquitous Boss Blues Driver. If you've got one, or a clone of one, write a detailed review.

God I'm gassing for a blues mood, a bd-2 keeley clone for 44$ and delivered to my door is so hard to beat. Just got a pure boost maybe ill man up and get the blues FiestaRed869, Nov 11, 2012.

Customer Reviews

Super Versatile
This pedal is either the sole source of my gain tone or the foundation. It will do a wide range of tone from a clean boost to a raunchy rock and roll face burner. In times of monstrous tone requirements, I like to layer it with a Fulltone OCD. I will say, the Blues Driver is warmer and controlled. It's much more responsive to attack than some of the other pedals I've fooled with.
I traded some other distortion pedal for this one on a whim and it's been in my rig ever since. over 150 shows with the same pedal it's still going strong.
Just what the doctor ordered
Just the right amount of crunch and sustain without getting dirty
Sweet Blues Tones
I mostly play my Yamaha Revstar502 when I've got the blues. I love the sound of the P90's but I needed some overdrive to round out my tone. The BD-2 is the ticket with no frills and the exact tone I was looking for. The price point for what this pedal delivers is a bargain too. You can spend a lot more on tweaking your tone, but there's really no need with this pedal onboard. I play through a 200w, 6-band equalizer bass head with active input and 15' cab with horn. With this pedal, there's hardly a guitar/amp combo that I can't duplicate. From BB King to Jimmy Page and everybody in between. No disappointments. I Love it.
The tone I was missing
This pedal along with the Ibanez tube screamer gave me the sound I've been looking for.
BD 2 1 of Boss' best
Had this for a couple of years and love the dynamics you can pull out of this little blue(s) box. Didnt buy it from Sweetwater but since they are the ONLY online music store that doesnt make me wish I had more than 2 middle fingers, I will gladly help them serve their customers anyway I can.
This Boss pedal, one of my many, is so smooth and touch sensitive I can set the gain at 12 o'clock and just by varying the pick attack I can go from almost clean single notes to almost heavy crunch chords. I have SS amps and this make it sound more tube like than any other pedal I own. But as stated but an old rock star in an interview in the 90s. 'Are you really getting tube amp sound when you are using SS pedals to drive it?' Yes with the BD 2 I feel like I am even thought I am not. But my little Katana 50 just loves this thing.
Wont replace the BD 2, unless it dies, since I can go from boosted cleans to hard dirt with a small turn of the dial and a change it my attack. Pull back the gian and push this with the SD 1 and you get screaming well defined lead tones all day long, add just a bit of reverb and a simple drum beat backing and you can sit and play slow solos all day long and never find a setting on the BD 2 that you wont like. Buy it you will see what I mean.
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver Pedal
Awesome! Finally tried it out today. Defiantly what I needed and wanted. Excellent design, durability and sound. The only thing Rated better is the staff and especially Chris Sanders and the whole Sweetwater team and business.
My Favorite Dirt Pedal
I love this pedal. It has always found it's way back onto my board over the years and I'll never not own one. Sounds great alone and stacks well with other dirt and fuzz pedals. I can get everything from good clean boost to saturated distortion/fuzz. My number one pedal for getting that throaty blues lead tone.
Pretty dang good.
You get what you pay for. Mess with it for awhile you'll get the sound you want. Good pedal, decent price, every blues player I've met has had one on their pedal board at some point.
Favorite pedal
The Boss BD-2 is a great pedal, I can't complain. It is everything I need for what I play.
I love it! but you...?
I love this pedal, but it's 'specialized'. It's not for everyone. I play a lot of blues based rock and love classic rock from the late 60's, and throughout the 70's. I also play mostly Fender Stratocasters. As I've played around with this pedal; I have learned that it is excellent for single coil pickups, but not so great on humbuckers. Now, it can be played on a humbucker just fine, but feels like it's really made for single coil pickups. I love it with the level at about 11 o'clock and the Gain at about 2 o'clock on my middle and neck pickup; then I dial down the volume on my guitar to about 7 and get a full body bluesy grit I just love to use on lead. Kind of a Kenny Wayne Shepherd sound that make choirs of blues angles come down from heaven and harmoniously echo praises from the blues gods. Now if your looking for a heavy distortion, I would stick with the DS-1 or other Boss pedals. But if you want to muddy it up a bit and get just the right blues bite, the BD-2 is for you. Of course, your guitar and amp will be different. If you're new to boutique pedals, you need to know that it can take a while and you'll really have to play around to find 'that sound' but once again if you want to play the blues... This IS a must have!
one of my favorite BOSS pedals
If you could pick only ONE overdrive pedal for your pedalboard, this would be it! Okay, if you need super-tight metal precision, this is NOT the pedal for you... this is loose, dirty and abit raunchy(if you want it that way ;0p). I have used it thru an already crunchy tube amp to approximate Electric Wizard's fuzzed out doom epic 'Dunwich', but one can certainly dial it back and do some Clapton 'Slow Hand' licks as well. Now that's versatility! It responds to volume knob roll-back and picking changes, AND it doesn't squash the inherent tone of your guitar - a Strat still sounds like a Strat, etc. As always, the bullet-proof BOSS durability is there in spades, so you won't have to worry about the rigors of touring affecting this sweet(naughty) box of WIN. Who needs to pay $200+ for overdrive bliss? BOSS has got your back!
True blues
If you only have one pedal this would be it it's a true overdrive pedal scaled-back it gets real bluesy sweet sounds. Built like all boss pedals like a tank versatile tweak it to your own sound distortion to thick bluesy sounds people will ask you how do you get that sound all from one little pedal
Great little box
This is a great pedal when played with my strat with single coils, not so much with my double hum bucker USA Jackson SL2. When played through a Mesa F2 50 watt it sounds just as it does in the demo so if you like that sound and have a similar set as I have mentioned you will not be disappointed.
Thick blues
I run mine through an old USA bandit, tweak it, small variations make big differences. Boss doesn't disappoint, it will push you out front when you want to be. Great pedal but you have to tweak it, and you'll find bluesy sound you want! Thanks for listening
Outstanding
I had a Blues driver before which I bought from another company for years and it finally died, so since I've been happy with Sweetwater, I wanted to buy another one..
Thank you Sweetwater
Shaping guitar tone since day one
I love this pedal so much! I wasn't happy with my guitar tone until I snagged up this pedal, and let me tell you it makes a huge difference in my tone. So much that I leave it on all the time. I just use it as a boost, but my guitar has become alive paired with the soul food, my guitar tone is unstoppable.
My favorite pedal!
This is my favorite pedal in my pedal board. You really can get just about any tone you want out of this pedal. The bite,the overdrive, just the killer sound you can get from this! Just love it. Also - love the service fro

Customer Reviews

Super Versatile

Just what the doctor ordered

Sweet Blues Tones

The tone I was missing

BD 2 1 of Boss' best

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver Pedal

My Favorite Dirt Pedal

Pretty dang good.

Favorite pedal

I love it! but you...?

one of my favorite BOSS pedals

True blues

Great little box

Thick blues

Outstanding

Shaping guitar tone since day one

My favorite pedal!

Blues Driver Clone