Boss HM2 and jerry's later distortion tones

[claytushaywood]

I am interested in hearing anyone's experience getting good tones out of the boss hm2. I had the opportunity to play one a couple weeks ago... and man... i could not figure out how jerry got those distortion tones in the later years... nineties. I dig the scarlet fire distorted leads and such. I wouldnt consider them "tube like" at all, but man I could not get anything useable out of the boss hm2. Anyone here done that? maybe it was modified? Was it more of an boss OD3 thing?

I'm interested

[tigger]

I must admit that I'm not that well-versed on the era when Jerry used one, but I have had a few HM-2s over the years since they were so cheap. They are surprisingly decent overdrives if you set the EQ knobs around noon and keep the drive knob at 9:00 or lower...above that it turns into a death metal mushfest really fast.

[tigerstrat]

It was the mid-80's and not the only OD in his rack at the time either... who knows how much he actually used it.

90's is all OD-1/ and Turbo OD, with EQ-7's after each.

[claytushaywood]

ahh totally forgot about the eq's afterwards!

[seamones]

Crank the color knobs and barely twist the Dist knob from 0.

[Marleyboy]

I don't understand all the boss pedals.i have never had one I liked.the octave is horrible.

[Smolder]

Yah... Going back to Boss pedals after experiencing better engineered stuff from Analogman and Keeley is about like drinking Folgers after you were weaned on Caribou coffee.

[JonnyBoy]

I like mine and like mentioned above it can go from decent to gnarly in a split second. I keep the distortion gain low, and create a "V' with the EQ the low about 10:00 and the high about 2:00 YMMV... I am always fiddling around with different distortions/OD's and keep coming back to this, because I like it. It sounds great with the rest of the band, sometimes alone it can sound a little too much. I use a GE-7 after mine to get it sounding the way I want tone wise. If I had the funds I would be looking into Brads Earth Drive for sure, and will when the time is right. It does the Lost Sailor, Sampson, Hell in a Bucket thing well.... For OD I have again gone back to my Digitech Hard drive Tube OD. Its active EQ helps me get a transparent tone as if its not even on. It does a good job fattening up the tone without changing it. I have found a good EQ before/after (depending), any decent OD/distortion allows me to get it sounding how I want, as if you went in to change it with different component values. If you have an EQ, I am sure you can find it worthy of use...

[tcsned]

I've got a Boss Metalzone MT-2 Or it might be a HM 2 (I can't remember which) though i never used and it much since I got the T-Rex Dr Swamp it's been sitting at the bottom of my gear bag. The Dr Swamp has two channels and is the best overdrive I've ever used. I'm letting our rhythm guitarist chick use my MXR. I just ordered an Earth Drive from Brad so I should have that in a couple of weeks. I also finally got a pedal board to mount them all on so I can have a few more options. I spent a long time feeling that there wasn't a distortion pedal that could really cut it on stage till I found the T-Rex. I went through a bunch of distortion pedals with no luck. They'd sound great at low volume but wouldn't hold up to stage volume. I've been through a lot of gear changes since then and it might be different with the SMS new speaker cab, etc

[claytushaywood]

Yah... Going back to Boss pedals after experiencing better engineered stuff from Analogman and Keeley is about like drinking Folgers after you were weaned on Caribou coffee.

most of keeley and analogman's stuff are just clones of boss and ibanez pedals, just using better components. definitely wouldnt call these engineering improvements. they both rip off classic circuits and jack up the price

[Smolder]

Yah... Going back to Boss pedals after experiencing better engineered stuff from Analogman and Keeley is about like drinking Folgers after you were weaned on Caribou coffee.

most of keeley and analogman's stuff are just clones of boss and ibanez pedals, just using better components. definitely wouldnt call these engineering improvements. they both rip off classic circuits and jack up the price

Most all innovation is iterative... slight improvements upon an existing theme. I don't think that invalidates the value of improved performance. That's pretty much how every thing works from technology to art. It's a shame that that success (and notoriety) sometimes lead to a backlash and negativism. Worth (price/benefit) is determined by the customer's willingness to pay and satisfaction of ownership... not a parts cost list.

[mijknahs]

I can get great late 80's Jerry distortion tones from my Boss HM-2.

Set the distortion so it just kicks in (barely on). The tone controls about noon (give or take depending on your rig). Set the level so the volume is where you like it (slightly louder than the clean tone or about the same?).

That's it. Classic Hell in a Bucket from '87 or '88. Also gets a good "horn" tone when you roll off your guitar's tone knob all the way.

Jim

[Tony6Strings]

Yah... Going back to Boss pedals after experiencing better engineered stuff from Analogman and Keeley is about like drinking Folgers after you were weaned on Caribou coffee.

most of keeley and analogman's stuff are just clones of boss and ibanez pedals, just using better components. definitely wouldnt call these engineering improvements. they both rip off classic circuits and jack up the price

Three hundred freaking dollars for a "all options" Fuzz Face clone!!!! Two hundred for a modded tube screamer, unless you send in your own to be modded. The prices are ridiculous, and the cork sniffery is almost too much to handle. I'll go with Fulltone any day. Mike Fuller may be a buttmunch (can't really say as I've never met him, but he's gotten a bit of a reputation for being less than kind and not too humble) but his company makes great effects, and none of them are priced too unfairly. Regarding Boss, they make some decent products that have stood the test of time and become pedalboard staples.

[Smolder]

Yah... Going back to Boss pedals after experiencing better engineered stuff from Analogman and Keeley is about like drinking Folgers after you were weaned on Caribou coffee.

most of keeley and analogman's stuff are just clones of boss and ibanez pedals, just using better components. definitely wouldnt call these engineering improvements. they both rip off classic circuits and jack up the price

Three hundred freaking dollars for a "all options" Fuzz Face clone!!!! Two hundred for a modded tube screamer, unless you send in your own to be modded. The prices are ridiculous, and the cork sniffery is almost too much to handle. I'll go with Fulltone any day. Mike Fuller may be a buttmunch (can't really say as I've never met him, but he's gotten a bit of a reputation for being less than kind and not too humble) but his company makes great effects, and none of them are priced too unfairly. Regarding Boss, they make some decent products that have stood the test of time and become pedalboard staples.

I suppose that is why it's a good thing that there are 3000 pedal makers. You have your choice of quality, tone, and providers. Choice is good for the guitar player. I think Brad provided some pretty good insight into the infinite variations on a theme available to smart entrepreneurs. Personally, I don't mind paying a bit extra to a small company providing unique and quality product. They provide jobs... giant corporate exportation companies, not so much. Call me old school... or maybe I'm new school. That matters to me.

[JonnyBoy]

I've tried a lot of pedals and still like the run of the mill BOSS effects, or some of them at least. The worst part about trying out pedals at a store is that I don't have my rig with me. SO much depends on the rest of the setup. What works for me may easily not work for someone else....

Like I mentioned above, save your time and money for mods and get a GE7 to put before or after the effect, it is like modding the pedal every time you adjust the EQ. Most of my boss stuff is MIJ where they were known for having better components in the circuit. If I wasn't going for Jerry tones I would be using some other stuff probably.

I have nothing to say about prices or snake oil offers... That is capitalism at its best and love that we have all the choices available to us. Lots of people swear by Analogman and Keely. I don''t think a re-voiced OD or distortion is worth that either, especially when you can use an EQ! Learn form Jerry!