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Frequently Bought Together
Manufacturer's ID: JB-2
What we say:
In something of an unheralded move, BOSS have teamed up with boutique pedal manufacturer JHS pedals to create a model that takes a little from both companies, making something uniquely special as they do so.
From BOSS’s side, they’ve brought their classic BD-2 Blues Driver to the table. JHS have thrown their awesome Angry Charlie pedal into the mix: together, we have the Angry Driver!
Not just a clever name, the Angry Driver kind of does in one box what both of these pedals otherwise do separately. You get the superb low gain tone of the BD-2 with the higher gain Angry Charlie sounds too, depending on how your set the unit. Indeed, you can have both at once, each with independent settings due to the dual-concentric control knobs.
There is a six position rotary knob for selecting the mode: one cool feature is to be able to have the Blues Driver signal going into the Angry Charlie and vice versa, whilst another is a Parallel mode for having tonalities from both pedals available depending on picking strength. This dynamic idea makes a lot of sense on a pedal like this and we applaud BOSS for putting so much thought into it.
The sounds are uniformly excellent: regardless of how you decide to use this, you will enjoy some excellently expressive tones, rich in harmonic structure. This is a most satisfying pedal to play, regardless of whichever genre you play.
Could this be the only distortion pedal you need? For a lot of guitarists, that may well be a resounding ‘yes’. It’ll certainly not be a mistake to buy this and attach it to your pedalboard without hesitation!
Specification
The JB-2 Angry Driver features three dual-concentric knobs that provide independent drive, tone, and level control for each overdrive type. Via a six-position mode selector, you can use each overdrive independently, or combine them together in series and parallel configurations. With the ability to blend the Blues Driver’s famously expressive low-to-mid gain tones with the Angry Charlie’s aggressive rock voice in any combination, the JB-2 Angry Driver delivers unmatched range and versatility from a single overdrive pedal.
- All-new overdrive pedal with massive tonal range, jointly developed by BOSS and JHS Pedals
- Combines the voices of the BD-2 Blues Driver from BOSS and Angry Charlie from JHS Pedals
- Three dual-concentric knobs provide independent drive, tone, and level control for each overdrive type
- Mode selector for choosing individual overdrive types, two series connections for stacking, or parallel connection for unique new sounds
- Also includes a mode for toggling between BOSS and JHS overdrives with the built-in pedal switch
- Remote switch jack for controlling pedal modes and bypass from an optional footswitch or effects switching system
- Multi-color LED indicator shows BOSS mode (blue), JHS mode (red), and both together (purple)
- BOSS five-year warranty
The idea to develop the JB-2 pedal was born of the friendship between
BOSS President Yoshi Ikegami and JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott, and their
shared passion for innovative pedal design. The Blues Driver has long been a
favorite pedal for Josh, and he credits it for leading him into designing
his own pedals and starting his own company. “I got into pedals because, as
a player, I used two Blues Drivers together for years and years. One day,
one of them broke. I opened it up and realized it was just a simple
soldering fix. It really sparked my curiosity and that just took over my
life, and JHS pedals came into existence out of repairing that pedal.”
Yoshi and Josh regularly visit with each other at the yearly NAMM shows,
and they had discussed the idea of a collaboration a number of times. With
BOSS celebrating the 40th anniversary of the introduction of the compact
pedal design throughout 2017, Yoshi felt the time was right to develop a new
pedal together. “In the 40 years of BOSS compact pedal history, this is a
first,” Yoshi said. “I think it's a wonderful thing that two companies have
collaborated based on a great mutual respect for each other.”
“We’re
very excited to collaborate with BOSS, one of our heroes, with the JB-2,”
Josh relates. “I've said for years and years that BOSS pedals are my
favorite pedals. For JHS to jump into the story of what BOSS has done for 40
years is a real honor, and really beyond anything I would have ever
imagined.”
After discussing a number of ideas, BOSS and JHS Pedals ultimately felt
that combining the Blues Driver and Angry Charlie would be the ideal match.
“When this plan came up, we used the ES-8 switching system to try
numerous combinations of our pedals with the JHS Angry Charlie,” Yoshi
relates. “I thought a combination allowing each pedal to complement the
other would be interesting to try. The sound of the Angry Charlie is exactly
what BOSS didn't have.”
“It stacks amazingly with the Blues Driver,”
Josh adds. “What's great about the Blues Driver is it covers low gain
phenomenally, and it does boost really well, and that accents what the Angry
Charlie is. The Angry Charlie is always angry, so the Blues Driver helps
mellow it out and do different things.
“To experience working on a
product with a company that has done this thing so well for so long has been
really inspiring,” Josh continues. It’s just amazing to see such talented
people that love what they do.” Josh is very pleased with the way the JB-2
turned out, saying, “I am 150-percent satisfied. I love it.”
“For
several years, we have been continuing to take on new challenges with the
keyword “Breakthrough,” Yoshi said. “I think it's very refreshing and
thought-provoking for our engineers to work with such an up-and-coming
company and get inspired.”
With its two drive types, dual-concentric knobs, and six modes, the JB-2
packs an enormous amount of overdrive range in a single-space pedal. The
Blues Driver is the lower-gain side, carrying everything from boost to
overdrive, and the Angry Charlie carries the medium-high overdrive all the
way to distortion.
The six-position mode selector provides
flexibility to use the overdrives in numerous creative ways, from individual
operation to series stacking and even parallel operation. In series mode,
one overdrive works as a booster for the other, while in parallel mode, the
overdrive character expressively changes in response to picking nuance. A
remote jack extends the pedal’s versatility even further with control from
an external footswitch or pedal switcher.
“In this small format, you
get this amazing switching system that is out of this world with series and
parallel,” Josh relates. “You have six controls for two pedals, but the six
controls in parallel become six controls for one new pedal, and that is
very, very cool. So you have the Angry Charlie that people know, and the
Blues Driver that people know. But when you put them together, the six
controls all interact and there are hundreds of sounds. I think that's a
fantastic product.”