Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

[fretburner]

get one to eliminate hum?

I get a little hum with my Guyatone FLIP series PowerDrive so I never use it on a gig. I was thinking maybe the NS2 is the solution but I'm afraid it will color my sound too much? Boss claims it will "preserve the tonal characteristics of the original input signal" but I would love to hear it from guys who are actually using it live.

Thanks!

[Destroying Angel]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

I've used my NS2 live for over two years. With both my tube rig and my solid state set up it removes any hiss/hum/unwanted feedback like a charm. I've never noticed any tone loss with either of my setups. I don't see myself getting rid of this pedal any time soon.

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

I've used my NS2 live for over two years. With both my tube rig and my solid state set up it removes any hiss/hum/unwanted feedback like a charm. I've never noticed any tone loss with either of my setups. I don't see myself getting rid of this pedal any time soon.

Cool.

I've been reading in harmony central though and some say it cuts sustain? And even worse it cuts the peak of the note when you to some weird bends? Or those "wanted" squeals? How true?

Thanks!

[lex666]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

Cool.

I've been reading in harmony central though and some say it cuts sustain? And even worse it cuts the peak of the note when you to some weird bends? Or those "wanted" squeals? How true?

Thanks!

I've been using my NS2 for several years now. It really does work great. I've read those reviews on HC too, and I don't understand why some people claim to have bad experiences with it, cuz I don't.

When set corrrectly, I eliminates alot (I wouldn't say all) of the hiss I get from my Marshall. I play loud and at high gain. If I were to stop playing, there would be alot of hiss from my amp. The NS2 eliminated more than half of that hiss. Tone and sustain are not affected at all. Because of the bad reviews on HC, I was somewhat convinced that it was squashing my tone, so I was constantly switching on and off between songs. But then I realized, I'm not actually squashing my tone at all because tone was not affected. I was actually adding noise back into my signal by switching it off. Now I just leave it on all the time. If you feel that it is squashing your tone somewhat, that can always be compensated with the eq on your amp... Sustain is not affected at all with the decay set correctly. Same thing with feedback. You can set the threshold to allow as much or little feedback as you like. Overall, its an essential part of my rig now, and I highly recommend it.

[joelap]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

I can see and hear what the reviewers on harmony central are talking about... when your volume is LOW. Yes, it will cut off notes, but ONLY when your volume is low enough where you dont even NEED an NS-2. I only use my NS-2 at band practices or live. At home, the amp isn't loud enough to squeel so I don't use it. If you are trying to get rid of hiss or buzz even at home (like the 60 cycle hum from single coils), then just turn the threshold down.

Honestly, the NS-2 is the best pedal I've ever bought. I run my guitar into my Wah pedal, then into my NS-2, and put all my other pedals in the loop of the NS-2 and then into the front of my amp... it's VERY quiet. Highly Recommended.

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

So it won't cut off the hum I'm getting with my tube OD pedal then since I notice the hum when I'm practicing at home, i.e. low volume?

Or maybe my tube OD was just getting a lot of interference?

I used to have this crazy hum (made it unusable) with it but was partly solved when I changed adaptors... but then, considering my amp volume and i still hear a bit of hum, though usable in practice, it might just blow out of proportion if i use it in a gig! You think the NS2 can solve this?

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

I've used my NS2 live for over two years. With both my tube rig and my solid state set up it removes any hiss/hum/unwanted feedback like a charm. I've never noticed any tone loss with either of my setups. I don't see myself getting rid of this pedal any time soon.

+1 to that.. i also use it and it works like a charm.


good luck!

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

+1 to that.. i also use it and it works like a charm.


good luck!

If I tried it in a store, would that approximate the live gig situation? i.e. Should I be getting about the same tone (read: not much/or no coloring of my tone) and noise "eradication" at store level volumes and in live gigs?

Thanks!

[lex666]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

It still effectively removes hiss for me, even at low volumes. I would still recommend it. Why not buy it from a reputable dealer and see if it works for you? If it doesn't work as desired, you can always take it back...

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

It still effectively removes hiss for me, even at low volumes. I would still recommend it. Why not buy it from a reputable dealer and see if it works for you? If it doesn't work as desired, you can always take it back...

There's some guy selling his "mint" NS2 cheap... I was thinking of trying it out in a store, and if it works, I will get that used pedal and save money.

[neosadist]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

I have a Boss ME-50 that includes a noise surpressor onboard, based on the NS2 (supposedly). It works great and I have no complaints.

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

Cool. I guess I'll "test drive" that NS2 this weekend then

[Monty-Jay]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

Buy an ISP Decimator instead, it works much better than the Boss

MJ

[fretburner]

Re: Boss NS2... should I or should I not...

Buy an ISP Decimator instead, it works much better than the Boss

MJ

Reading through descriptions and reviews, it does seem to be "better"... they're not sold in this part of the world though... and MF doesn't carry it (I might go to the US in April and I only know GC in the cities I'm going)