Keeley blues driver vs sparkle

Keeleys own super phat mod pedal is a full range, transparent overdrive, that improves upon that original modded bd2 design to deliver a. I use one through a fender pro jr modded of course. If youre after a new overdrive or distortion pedal and have any questions about. I would go with all three of those pedals, all three have unique characters and places. The java boost is not related to the ts9 or blues driver, or any other distortion or overdrive pedal. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver. After that i grabbed an mxr distortion iii, which i like, and kind of forgot about the blues driver until seeing this thread. I saw a video online of one being played through an ac15c1 and decided i wanted one but the used one i grabbed from the store was defective. Super phat mod keeley engineering keeley electronics. I know both pedals are great as far as dynamics go, but which one is better.

The super phat mod is reported to indeed be the best version of a keeley blue driver. I tried one of these on a loaner for a show when i didnt have my blues driver back from being modded and it killed. Keeley super phat mod full range transparent overdrive pedal. One configuration where the modded bd2 or super phat mod excel. I made the choice and got a bd2w instead, i would love to hear the differences vs the spm pedal. The keeley mod upgrades all the components for a warmer, more dynamic tone. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at.

These are truly classic lowgain transparent drives, particularly when modded to smooth out the top end or changing out an op amp. Not exactly either blues driver or bluesbreaker, but touches on both no embeddable video available yet will update in the future. At high gain settings the blues driver actually sounds kind of like a fuzz pedal whereas the zen is more amplike. The mini driver can either be used to boost other pedals, drive your tube amp or as a stand alone mild overdrive. The fulltone full drive 2 is also a nice pedal as well as the reverend train. Excellent alternative to the colorsound powerboost or for simply adding a bit of life and sparkle to your tones. The mention of the midrange hump in the tube screamer type pedals is true and the description of the edrive as flat and transparent is also correct. I have a sparkle drive and a keeley blues driverused to gig with both. If you want a pure clean boost you can just set the mix all the way to the right and viola. Voodoo lab sparkle drive overdrive w keeley mod reverb. It was done to give players two modes of bass response. And when doing that i use the keeley to push a maxon od9 tube screamer into even more overdrive. The keeley mod also has sweeter highend than the boss blues driver. When the humble boss overdrive isnt occupied with wailing blues licks.

An optional secondary phat mod adds a switch for introducing more bass into the tone. The boss bd2 blues driver is an extremely popular overdrive pedal, set up as a competitor to the ts9 tubescreamer. The company says, the keeley katana blues drive is our most expressive and musically inspirational overdrive pedal to date. To me, it sounds almost identical to a ts9 analogman but a little warmer. Jul 06, 2009 side by side demo of the fulltone ocd v4 overdrive and analogman ds1 distortion pedal with pro midrange mod. Keeley mod i was looking to buy a boss bd2 with the keeley mod but noticed that boss recently released their waza edition. Based on the name of the pedal and the color configuration, it is easy to follow the dots and make connection with the boss blues driver. The keeley was a great pedal but not nearly as smooth as the zen, which i hear as more natural and organic sounding. For single coils the bd with the fat switch on was miles above the sparkle drive, imo.

The other distortionoverdrive pedals on my board at the time were a keeley modded blues driver and a mesa boogie v1 bottle rocket. It has a to20 output transformer and the tp24 power transformer. Jul 16, 2014 the 800 ms range is a good setting for the amount of delay i need. Boss od3 verses keeley modded sd1 telecaster guitar forum.

Was wondering if anyone had a recommendation on which way to go with this one and if one is better than the other. Set the gain high and let your guitars volume control or your pick attack do the work. And from what we can gather from the demo video, it appears that they have a reason to be proud of this new pedal. That pedal show tube screamer, blues driver, king of. 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. Ive always enjoyed that particular sound and have always been interested in the keeley modded version, but never had an opportunity to check one out. The drive remains dynamic and touchsensitive all the way up the dial, thanks to keeleys trademark exclusion of clipping diodes. Best of mini, compact, medium and large blues driver style.

Monte allums 6302018 i just completed a mod for the boss sd2 dual od. I use mine on its own for old school 50s60s overdriven tones. This jfet imparts a little extra sparkle, and dare we say magic to the blues driver legacy, elevating the circuit to one of the truly great drive. Keeley are the most famous brand to modify this circuit, although several. Buffalo fx has boldly tackled the tube driver the overdrive that has defined the tone of david gilmour and eric johnson for the past decades. I play a lot of lincoln brewster and other kinds of blues y rock styles so i want a pedal that is dirty when i dig in and clean when i pick soft. I kept switching between them to make sure i wasnt crazy, but the ultimate drive was beefier than the other two, while perhaps not quite as dynamic as the tubedriven bottle rocket, or as sparkly as the blues. It has never left my board since and i just ended up giving the modded bd to the shop that loaned me this on a straight trade. The keeley super phat mod is our famous mod now perfected with amazing sounding jfets that emulate old tube amps in a unique way. A longtime favorite for its creamy, subtle crunch, the boss bd2 blues driver has found its way onto the pedalboards of famous artists like john mayer and. This pedal features a 9volt jack or battery operation. Ive got a few ods that i can select from like my mesa boogie v twin, voodoo labs sparkle drive keeley modded, boss blues driver bd2 keeley modded, fulltone fulldrive2 mosfet, fulltone rto robin trower od. While the differences may seem subtle, i personally prefer and own the the modded version. Its very versatile covering everything from blues to punk and even dipping its.

It was perfect for players of strats and teles who wanted just a small push without being muddy. The keeley ka tana blues drive picks up right where keeley s legendary katana boost leaves off, retaining the high headroom, ultratransparent nature of the original katana, and blending it with a. Aspects of this same design eventually resulted in the popular keeley katana blues drive. This pedal as a stock boss pedal is a great mild overdrive but with the keeley mods it is taken to another level. Guitar overdrive pedals your ultimate guide from andertons music. May 02, 2012 voodoo lab sparkledrive wampler mod vs hbe powerscreamer vintage and modern tube screamer kinda pedals using a shure sm57 anderson drop top drz maz 18 112 stack enjoy the video. The bd2 blues driver is one of the earliest keeley modified pedals. I strongly recommend the robert keeley modified version for a smoother and. Mar 10, 2017 tube driver bias with yugoslavia 12ax7 and tube driver chandler sylvania jan 12au7. Finally, the keeley mod has a blue light rather than a red light. I personally have 3 of these pedals two versions actually of the ds1 both black 40th anniversary editions, one of them jhsmodded, then my favourite iteration of blues driver the keeley freak fuzz modded version, and the ds1x mdp distortion. Keeley modded boss bd2 blues driver andy ferreira youtube. Dec 10, 2017 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 flick of a switch.

Depending on the pedal, such as those by tc electronic, mxr, and electroharmonix, you can get anything from a warm, rich overtone to a harsh and. Theyre both on the shelf at the moment, as i currently favor a mini tube screamer as an alwayson pedal. I then also use the keeley blues driver in a 2 od pedal combo. Blues driver discussion in the effect effect started by. Tc electronics spark booster pedal is a versatile digital overdrive, with three. After trying to like it for a week i gave up and traded it and some cash for a nib boss bd2 blues driver. I have featured both the keeley freak fuzz modded bd2 blues driver and twilight zone modded mt2 metal zone on this site several times before. The sparkle drive is a great pedal to begin with but after the keeley mod was done, it opened up and really sings. Then, when i roll the volume back on my guitar i get a beautiful creamy clean. Keeley electronices katana blues drive tone report. This is how blues players prefer to use overdrives, to push the front end their amps. The harmonist isnt strictly a doubletracker its of course officially a pitchshifter with as many as 3 part harmonies in major and minor keys with all manner of funky footswitched effects it can be used as a digitech whammy style effect with ease but if you use the detune mode with the rise time turned down and a complementary key, you get a very usable doubletracking effect. Gpx blog 12 of the best blues driver style pedals guitar pedal x. For any price they are exceptional sounding pedals with little reason not to have at hand if you play with lowdrive.

Vintage british stack tones from a pedal powerful, tonesculpting 3band eq dual footswitches for effect onoff and boost onoff bright switch for added sparkle bass switch takes your sound from an openback cab to a 4 x 12 cab. Germanium super phat mod handbuilt edition starts shipping monday, february 12, 2018. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive effects pedal wkeeley phat mod modded modified. Voodoo lab sparkledrive wampler mod vs hbe powerscreamer. September 2017 marks keeleys 16th year designing pedals. Plus they are so dang cool looking my own favorite is the original keeley phat mod which you cannot get done anymore least not by robert, but. Tube screamer discussion in the stomp box started by jason r. Java boost treble booster custom shop edition robert keeley. Jun 22, 20 this blues junior has the billm basic mods, cathode follower, presence, and sparkle controls, plus the clean boost. Dec 29, 2016 blues tone with blues junior and keeley bd2 blues driver duration. Mar 03, 2015 and btwi have a sparkle drive as well as a keeley ts9 and an earth drive and although they are very different animals, i just cant give a decent verbal description.

Capable of producing anything from clean boost to near fuzz, the bd2 is. Sparkle drive vs blues driver telecaster guitar forum. I have used a blues driver for 10 years now stock, i know a lot of folks prefer a keeley or other mod, but im leaving mine alone, specifically because i do happen to think it sounds a lot like an overdriven fender and its great for a variety of music i play a blues jr. That same design is also available via the micro toggle on the super phat mod. With the slight boost, it was called the phat mode. Guitar effects pedals have become the default way guitarists and other musicians expand and enhance the sounds of their instruments. Though it is specific to the amp to a point, cranked gain stages of the katana blues drive remind me of a jtm 45 run to the hiltwhich is a welcome, serendipitous slice of sonic life. A pretty faithful mini reproduction of the celebrated keeley phat modified blues driver with bright and fat modes. Best of mini, compact, medium and large blues driver style pedals. Boss bd2 blues driver overdrive w keeley mod reverb. Sweet spot johnny hiland super drive overdrive batch 2. Wampler plexidrive deluxe overdrive distortion pedal features at a glance.

Robert keeley has of course modified more than these three boss pedals yet i personally feel that these are the ones really worth having. Germanium super phat mod hand built edition robert keeley. I run a keeley blues driver into a 1980s keeley ts. It follows the pattern of the red dirt which is the pinnacle of keeley tubescreamer modification. Keeley guitar pedals are topoftheline pedals and well worth the expense. I think i have probably 20 pedals at least, so im probably not the best example. I know this one has jfet but i dont even know what is in the blues driver, so i guess side by side they should sound different. Its an amazing pedal, and for some, its a great tool. In praise of the humble, underrated boss blues driver reverb news.

It is a wonderfully complex circuit that has many layers of tube amp simulation. It touched on my central premise of covering the major overdrive, fuzz and distortion types by degree or level of gain present for that pedal type. So a little over a year ago i wrote a piece entitled 12 degrees of saturation key guitar overdrive, fuzz and distortion sounds which has gone on to become my most popular guitarpedalrelated blog. That wider use also colluded with a growing pedal mod movement, as the bd2 was a prime candidate for tweaking due to its affordable price and solid tone. Boss blues driver bd2whats the diy version of the keeley mod. Boss bd2 blues driver w keeley mod price guide reverb. The internal power supply boost turns your 9 volts into 18 fet clean tones that are tubelike when they overdrive or clip. I also have a sparkle drive and that provides a great clean boost as you can mix the clean and overdrive in any way you like. And one for playing steel guitar, which im not particularly good at. I found that i liked it for rhythm playing as it has good separation and a bit of brightness that adds sparkle, whereas i.

David gilmour, and others like him, often combine or stack two or more gain pedals. Strings ernie ball medium or heavy picks custom cables made by shure wireless system. Guitar effects and pedals for sale used guitar pedals reverb. Wampler plexidrive deluxe overdrive pedal sweetwater. Oct 21, 2009 modded boss blues driver hermida audio technology zendrive keeley compressor and katana pedals line 6 m with 12 presets for tremolo, vibrato and other effects modded dunlop wahwah. Yes i know theyre different types of pedals, but its a demo to show how the pedals. The blues driver not only quickly captured its targeted audience, but its versatility and character helped it to transcend genres equally as hastily. I have owned just about every od pedal under sun at least once or twice in my. Guitar pedal x news robert keeley boss mods trifecta. Aug 26, 2017 the harmonist isnt strictly a doubletracker its of course officially a pitchshifter with as many as 3 part harmonies in major and minor keys with all manner of funky footswitched effects it can be used as a digitech whammy style effect with ease but if you use the detune mode with the rise time turned down and a complementary key, you get a very usable doubletracking effect. The original pedal was a great design that features tubelike amp stages, tube amp tone stacks, and a variety of tone shaping circuits to. Guitar pedal x news bosss other nonoverdrive and non. Dating back to the 1960s when players like jimi hendrix began using fuzz and wah pedals in performance and recording, the sheer volume of available effect types and pedal models has expanded dramatically.

The trex tonebug overdrive go look up the gearmandude demo for this one on youtube and tell me that you dont immediately fall in love with it. Voodoo lab sparkledrive wampler mod vs hbe powerscreamer vintage and modern tube screamer kinda pedals using a shure sm57 anderson drop top drz maz 18 112 stack enjoy the video. The legacy continues with the super phat mod, which progresses the blues driver circuit even further, delivering more of everything you expect out of a timetested keeley design. Id say the keeley modded versions of the sparkle drive, ts9ts808, sd1, or bd2 are your best bet without spending a fortune. I had an original blues driver i used during the 90s in front of a fender amp. The keeley bd2 was the first mod that had a switch. I like to use keeley modded blues driver, keeley modded sparkle drive, and fulltone ocd with my modified fender pro jr. I have a 2nd one that is keeley modded that i use as a single pedal that i can easily take to blues jams and or let friends borrow or whatever. This was my favourite overdrive for the best part of 2 years its wonderfully expressive and fullbodied and contrasts rather significantly to the majority of the more thinner sounding overdrives this is capable of being properly meaty and has a great range up to the upper. The pushpull speedo knob is side mounted so that you can adjust it. Maybe some can see it as cheesy, but dan and mick have both been using keeleys modded blues driver, and tube screamer, for years. I never use the gain side tho, even on the keeley sparkle, i keep the clean knob cranked all the way to 3.