Boss IR-2?

[BlackhawkRise]

I feel this is a pretty substantial innovation. 3 band eq, drive, volume, and reverb with 11 amp/cab/ir combos that can be powered on a 9v for less than $200?

Plus if the JC120, Twin, and Tweed settings are anything like the actual amps, you can use it for bass pretty well too.

What do you guys think about it? Any experience with it?

 

[Napthol]

My friend just told me about it. I think it's definitely worth buying and trying it out. If you don't like it enough just send it back for a refund.

I do wonder though if it will have an onscreen editor to make it easier to set things.

 

[Coma]

I'm still hauling a 100w tube head around (admittedly increasingly reluctantly), so I'm not in the market for it, but I don't really get the hype. How is it any different from the myriad of cab sim/IR loaders that Mooer, Strymon, Walrus, UA and their ilk have been offering up in the last few years?

Don't get time wrong, a good product is a good product, but people are talking about this thing like it's sailing unchartered waters, boldly going where no pedal-sized amp has gone before etc.

 

[Napthol]

I don't think any company has put an amp emulator with all the settings in a regular sized stomp box. Yeah there are floor pedals amp emulators, but they are big. This is the same size as the other Boss stomp boxes.

 

[Masta' C]

I'm still hauling a 100w tube head around (admittedly increasingly reluctantly), so I'm not in the market for it, but I don't really get the hype. How is it any different from the myriad of cab sim/IR loaders that Mooer, Strymon, Walrus, UA and their ilk have been offering up in the last few years?

Don't get time wrong, a good product is a good product, but people are talking about this thing like it's sailing unchartered waters, boldly going where no pedal-sized amp has gone before etc.

It's largely the size, features, and quality for the price that are driving most of the interest in this product. The general functionality of the unit isn't necessarily a "game changer", but it combines some of the best features of much more expensive units into a truly compact package that can also be run on batteries.

At the end of the day, it's a hyper-portable, professional quality unit that can fully replace a proper "amp" in most settings and is equally great for practicing and recording. It comes loaded with a solid spectrum of amps and basic effects, including some of the best models from the successful Katana line. Plus, it's backed by a name that many people know and will likely see a good community of support moving forward.

There's really not much else that can compete with it under $200 USD, although I see the Atomic Ampli-Firebox MKII has dropped it's price to compete (now $199 from $399 USD: LINK)!

 

[Chistopher]

My friend just told me about it. I think it's definitely worth buying and trying it out. If you don't like it enough just send it back for a refund.

I do wonder though if it will have an onscreen editor to make it easier to set things.

The IR-200 is a larger version of the same thing, and it has a screen.

 

[Napthol]

The IR-200 is a larger version of the same thing, and it has a screen.

I'm talking about an online editor so you can use your current computer screen to make all the adjustments. I have a feeling they did not make that for this product.

 

[Seashore]

The IR-2 drops the 3 bass amp models from the IR-200 in favor of 3 different guitar amp models.

I wonder how much "better" these units sound in the real world than a Line6 POD or any of its successors.

 

[Chistopher]

I wonder how bass would work on one of these? Apparently the "clean" setting is a model of a JC-120, which I've found works pretty great with bass. I may look into one of these eventually. I don't really need this type of thing at the moment

 

[Napthol]

Yup, it's all about how good the amp models sound. I personally use a JCM-800 most all the time. I have a POD X3 which has a great sounding JCM-800. I haven't found any other amp emulator that can beat it.

 

[ErikH]

That's sweet. No screen editor (even via computer hookup) other than the IR Loader software. Honestly, don't see the need for much more than that in this form factor. Gain, Level, 3-band tone stack, Ambience, and amp sim selection. Different IR's can be assigned to the amp sims in the IR loader. Perfect. This is something I may look at.

 

[DankStar]

That's sweet. No screen editor (even via computer hookup) other than the IR Loader software. Honestly, don't see the need for much more than that in this form factor. Gain, Level, 3-band tone stack, Ambience, and amp sim selection. Different IR's can be assigned to the amp sims in the IR loader. Perfect. This is something I may look at.

Are you sure you can load IRs? I think they are attached to the amp models.

 

[ErikH]

Are you sure you can load IRs? I think they are attached to the amp models.

Watch the video. He mentions downloading and loading IRs starting at 6:47. He downloaded a Celestion Greenback IR to his computer from Celestion and loaded it in to it.

 

[DankStar]

Watch the video. He mentions downloading and loading IRs starting at 6:47. He downloaded a Celestion Greenback IR to his computer from Celestion and loaded it in to it.

My bad, thanks for circling back. Cool feature and sounds good to me

 

[RanchManSandy]

So it's like the amps in my Katana but crammed into the boss compact format, that I could pair with a Powerstage or use as an audio interface? uh, yeah, I'm into that

 

[Mincer]

So it's like the amps in my Katana but crammed into the boss compact format, that I could pair with a Powerstage or use as an audio interface? uh, yeah, I'm into that

Yeah, that is the idea. Lots of pedal-based IR loaders (or IR preset) pedals out there now that could benefit from a PowerStage and a cabinet.

 

[marcello252]

The idea of being ampless always fascinated me, but by now , without air pushing me , is still a weird feeling .
Something in my old fashioned mind continues to whisper to me "...Marcello... feel the Fakeness" I have to get over

 

[8eezrule]

My thing with all the digital sims and all that is, a lot of bands are recording with them....and a lot of bands have exactly the same sound.

 

[Aceman]

Just to put a little perspective on this "Amazing" new thing.

In 2005-ish, I got a Roland Cube 30. I still play the crap out of it today.

JC120 sound was really great
Nice Blackface Twin clean
The Tweed...just not my zone. Can't say
I dig the Vox AC30 for Pop-rock
Classic stack is meh
The 5150 sound, however, is awesome for a range of metal
And the recto setting, doesn't have a real Mesa character, IMO, but it can bring TuH BruuTahlZ

So other than better IR's for the cabs...this is not really new. Good sounds are good sounds.

You can do a lot with Bass/Mid/Treble and a Gain knob on a base sound...

 

[Mincer]

My thing with all the digital sims and all that is, a lot of bands are recording with them....and a lot of bands have exactly the same sound.

I thought the same in the 80s with the JCM800.