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Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

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  • Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

    This is a long time coming. I've had a BD-2 from a fellow forum Bro (thanks, Artie) for a while comparing it with a bone stock OD-3. As mentioned in the title, the BD-2 is Keeley modified. More bass, feels like slightly more drive too. I've used both of them through the same amp settings (slightly broken up 70's Marshall-esque sound) at band rehearsals and at home. Most of the time I have only one OD in the chain but for the sake of the comparison I ran both in the chain for easy changing being them, sometimes within the same song.

    The BD-2 still has that same sound and breakup it's known for, but the mods give it a little "more" and there is clearly more bass coming through. It's a little tighter than stock form (from what I can recall) but not much. I found it really good for rhythm work. Very crunchy and warm with fat notes. Really good harmonics too. Keeley does great work so I expected nothing but excellence from it and that is what I got.

    The OD-3 comparatively is tighter, has more cut in my setup and is a bit quieter (less noise with the gain up). I like the OD-3 better on an even cleaner setting vs. the BD-2. It excels at lead work and though it has plenty of cut, it's not as much as a Tubescreamer type pedal would have. It's smoother than TS and with the tone knob rolled back the notes can be nice and fat. Crunchy like the BD-2 with more bite is how I could describe it.

    Both them are great overdrives in their own right. If you are more of a rhythm player that plays occasional leads or doesn't need a lot of cut, the BD-2 is a great choice. If you tend to play faster leads, and need to cut through the mix, especially in a 2 guitar band, the OD-3 might be the better choice. Both are great. I like the OD-3 for what it does out of the box (I have 2 now, one I use and one stashed away).

    Yeah, not a lengthy review like in the guitar rags but I'd rather get to the meat and potatoes about how they worked for me during the comparison than add in extra fluff just to fill up a page with a few ads.

  • #2
    Re: Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

    Great comparison!
    Originally posted by Bad City
    He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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    • #3
      Re: Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

      That is a great comparison. FWIW, the OD-3 probably has more in common circuit wise with the BD-2 than the SD-1. The OD-3 is a great pedal that doesn't seem to get as much love as the BD or SD.

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      • #4
        Re: Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

        Dammit! Now I'm searching on OD3's again!!!!

        I did have a Boner for a BD2 Wawa, but I can get a Mooer.
        Originally posted by Bad City
        He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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        • #5
          Re: Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

          The BD-2 is a pretty flat frequency response OD, I always thought that the OD-3 had a little more of a mid hump. Mid humps are fantastic if you have a moderately to heavily overdriven amp and want to boost/cut through a bit better. Being pretty flat, the BD-2 just adds more gain, which can make cutting through harder in this scenario. (Actually, worse case it just eats up your dynamics and almost makes you sound smaller/quieter)


          I like the BD-2 because I can kick it on with the gain at 3 o'clock and roll my guitar volume up and down to switch between almost fuzz, heavy distortion, and light OD. It seems to work best into a crystal clear, or just barely breaking up amp sound - where it can provide a nice kick and a little 'more' of your guitar + amp sound. In this scenario there's a volume boost, and the gain is needed so it works great.
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          • #6
            Re: Boss OD-3 (Stock) vs. Boss BD-2 (Keeley Modified)

            Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
            The BD-2 is a pretty flat frequency response OD, I always thought that the OD-3 had a little more of a mid hump. Mid humps are fantastic if you have a moderately to heavily overdriven amp and want to boost/cut through a bit better. Being pretty flat, the BD-2 just adds more gain, which can make cutting through harder in this scenario. (Actually, worse case it just eats up your dynamics and almost makes you sound smaller/quieter)


            I like the BD-2 because I can kick it on with the gain at 3 o'clock and roll my guitar volume up and down to switch between almost fuzz, heavy distortion, and light OD. It seems to work best into a crystal clear, or just barely breaking up amp sound - where it can provide a nice kick and a little 'more' of your guitar + amp sound. In this scenario there's a volume boost, and the gain is needed so it works great.
            Weird, I was under the impression that the Blues Driver had more mids. But I didn't try them at the same time, and my memory has never been great, but that was my impression. Both are great.
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