Mark my words, Cordy is about to reach that YT tipping point and see his sub numbers explode. Best guitar channel by a long shot. The playing is disgustingly good and the content is unrivalled in it's lack of bias and just general authenticity. JNC for the win.
@@tonystartup3817sort of. The pedal is spec'd at 160 mA which, although possible for a 9v battery, won't last but 2-4 hours. OK if you're in a pinch, or only doing single sets.
Got one today. Plugged it into my audio interface and started recording with it. Instantly gratifying. Great to be able to just tweak knobs to get the sound I wanted. I'll definitely be building a small board around it for live use.
@@RafaelAbiSaber Definitely. I've now built a stereo board around it that sounds amazing and is really flexible (although it's not as small as I'd intended). Almost everything on the board can be adjusted with a switch or a knob. No waiting until a break when I can hook up a phone or laptop to deep-dive into menus for a setting. I can just bend down while I'm holding a sustained note and give myself a notch more mids, adjust reverb etc. The only thing with presets on the whole board are the two on the IR-2 itself, and those are simple enough for me to remember what I'd set.
To be fair, the Iridium “room reverb” wasn’t meant to be a reverb effect per se. It was meant to simulate the position of the mic relative to the cab, from right up close to pulled back in the room. It accomplished exactly what it was designed to do.
That's true, and it was very good at that, but a few of us that had iridiums (including John) felt that we'd probably have preferred just a normal reverb. Or at least an option to have one instead of the room
So glad to hear the clean tones of something other than the Clean model. Every other demo I've seen had the gain cranked up at least half way for every tone and I just wanted to hear that Fender clarity. And... there it is. SOLD.
got me one and i have to say, after owning a headrush gigboard through an FRFR speaker this is the best thing i could get for a backup solution or even small gigs on unknown pubs. Nope, i still prefer my tube amp but damn me if this is nor usefull to have. No need anything else amp/ir. Great job BOSS! Also great Review!! Thanks Cordy!!
Picked this up last week, stupid simple to use, sounds pretty good, plugging headphones fighting into my pedal board is really nice. I plan to load a few IRs to it. The marshal setting “Brit” nailed it
They nailed the feature set for this. It's a "single" pedal size. It has stereo in and outs AND a stereo effects loop. It has multiple decent sounding amps sims. It lets you load your own IR's, and use it as audio interface. It has a headphone out. Not one, but 3 different types of reverb to pick from. Two "channels" you can swap between. And it can run off a single 9v battery? They're not really missing anything on it. Being able to assign two different amps to L/R would be nice, but that might be too much for it. I think the IR-200 can do that? I think I'm gonna get one and put a DC-2w and RE-2 in the FX loop in stereo and have a nice little 3 pedal board.
This is pretty amazing. I'm a devoted strat player myself, and the tones that you are getting straight into the pedal are unbelievably good! The input of the pedal is taking your Blues Driver just like an amp would. I currently have a Tonex pedal that I use for direct applications, but I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. You might have sold me on the Boss. Great playing, by the way.
It’s nice to hear how this sounds with other pedals. I’ve been looking for ages for a way of recording good guitar sounds on garageband on my iPad that allow me to use the pedals I’ve already got. Almost like a pedal platform/audio interface. This looks super efficient and simple, and sounds great
Bought one a week or so ago. Sounds are really good and reacts well to gain pedals in front of it. Looking forward to using it live in the near future. Put on my Nano board with an Angry Driver and the Boss BP-1w clean boost.
This was a very well thought out product. Killer form factor, all The bells n whistles needed 4 recording and live. Added effects loop was a great addition 4 those that wish to run their time based and or modulation effects through. The only thing I say that could have been added was an onboard DI ala Amp Academy/ Atomic Amlifier box. Might have to pick up 2 of these bad boys. I think this will become one of Boss’s all time best selling pedal… up there w DS-1 and Metalzone… just watch!🤘🏾💣
The things I love most about it are the things that are missing from the Iridium: stereo effects loop before headphone output and usb aux input so you can play along to anything your iPhone plays
John. Sounds great and is arguably a Katana in a pedal. I noted however that you were using an HX Stomp in the effects loop plus a blues driver in front. Understand you did this to test the functionality. However, couldn’t you have got all the sounds and functionality you demonstrated just using the HX Stomp in half the space?
Its brought me back to practice more. Ease of use! I have a Katana that has sat idle so much that I am using this into the Katana’s power amp only. But you can use pretty much any flat response amplification…
Just got home from a gig where I used the boss rather than my blues junior for my trio using midis.. I got the sound to 90% of my amp sound. I use discrete pedals in front and the effects loop for reverb and delay… one setting on the boss… it sounds great…
Hey Jonathan. Thanks for your playing and for sharing your curiosity with us. Or rather, that you have the same curiosities as we do, but that you pursue them and let us be part of that journey. However, I have a question that was already on my mind during the first video: You mention that you don't quite get on with the concentric double buttons. Is there something different about them compared to the Boss(JHS) JB-2? As far as I remember, that was a drive that you had on the board for a while. Or had you already then mentioned that and I just missed it? It's pure curiosity. I'm glad to have stumbled across your channel.
Hi John, you say that there isn't much in the way of clean sounds out of the Boss. However, in dismissing the WA ACS1 regarding headphones and reverb you overlooked the fact that all three ACS1 amp IRs are essentially clean (designed as a pedal platform). Easy to run modulation, delay and reverb into the front end; no need for a loop when practicing with headphones. All the best, Dale Harris
This is a premium amp emulator for a budget price. Now lets take the new Kemper at a cool $900 after taxes, maybe more, I bet in a blind test no one can pick out the "better" one. I feel like buying one when possible just to support Boss for putting out a high end product at a low end price.
It really can't be understated how good of a product Boss has put out here. The IR-2 is the best thing out there now for gigging musicians who don't/can't carry around amps and go direct, people who live in spaces where loud amps are not admissible and headphone practice is required, and even home studio work where you just want to plug into your computer and lay down a guitar track. All this, and it sounds phenomenal, has built in reverb, has that classic Boss reliability and form factor, and for the same price as a good overdrive pedal. Not to mention that it's the fraction of the price of the UAFX/Iridium/ACS1 equivalents. I ordered one the day they announced it and it delivers on everything it claims.
@@JaredPitcher But it does not sound as good as the UAFX/Iridium/ACS1. It's a good thing Impulse Response technology has come so far that it can be put into a familliar Boss style enclosure, to be put at the end of your pedal board just in case. I think that's the main reason people are so exited about it, however you still get what you pay for. I recently ordered the UAFX Dream '65 since I cannot afford a real Deluxe Reverb at the moment. I use it to record fender cleans / SRV style blues and it's perfect for that. In a mix you won't hear a difference, it feels very amp like but it's still not a 100% there.
@@florisvanlingen That's absolutely true, if you're aiming for a specific classic amp sound, nothing beats the UAFX offerings. But not everyone needs that either, and I think in this case "you get what you pay for" doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. As you just said, in a mix or even in a live performance, no one is going to tell what kind of amp simulation you're running. For me, and I'm sure plenty of others, I just want something that sounds like a good amp on my pedal board so that I don't have to drag around amps or mic up cabinets. If you aren't looking to emulate a specific sounding amp, the IR-2 is ideal.
The issue is to find this pedal. I looked everywhere, nobody has it to immediate deliver. Need to be in the list and wait. It seems a great pedal. Well, I will plan for 2025! My instruments budget is already "overloaded" for 2024! Happy New Year everybody! Great playing. If I played 10% of this guy I would need no pedals! But I thank God for my love and my hands (and feet, I am primarily a drummer)! Cheers from Brazil!
The Pedal sounds really good. I particularly like how thick the trebles sound. The tiny knobs, small text, and potential to lose dialed in settings are the things that could be a problem.
It’s the same issue with the katana line up. I’d probably just take a photo of the settings and save them in a note for later if the preset got deleted, etc.
I'm still loving my GT-1000CORE (having sold the GT-1000, bought another and eventually having sold that one as well). The prices dropped at retailers for the GT-1000, and I kind of suspect a new flagship unit from Boss might be their next modeling release (as the GT-1000 is now their oldest in its tier). One thing I like about the IR-2 vs GT-1000CORE though, compatibility with iOS and Android. The GT-1000CORE would be a great all around mobile solution if it would work with mobile devices. Also the nice thing with the IR-2... you are forced to encounter it and interact with its knobs, whereas with the GT series, the first thing you hear is factory presets, which are usually fairly bad and ridiculous. It can give a bad first impression even if the amp models in the unit sound great.
Just ordered one (they're on back order, it appears). I play mostly through a PA as part of an acoustic duo. Have a small pedal board mostly for delay and a looper. Figure I can add this and then it will be easy to mix in some electric guitar too.
I am still not sold on the game changer. The features that make it unique are the stereo send/return, low amp draw, size, and battery power. I still prefer the Nu-X Amp Academy. It is slightly wider but smaller depth. It only has a mono send/return and no battery power. But it has everything else plus XLR, aux in, boost, drive and dirt and compressor pedals, 5 reverbs. editor for high cuts etc, moveable amp/effect blocks. Boss I guess is better out of the box with the Celestion IRs. But once you replace the Nu-X ones its great. The NU-X is cheaper than the boss and also has a better build quality. also has the channel and scene functionality. I should just work for Nu-X at this point.
Excellent demo. But why are people freaking out over it vs the ir-200 that has been around for years. Isn’t it the same device in a scraped version? Besides that the ir-200 has midi and that the usb is a better c on the ir-2 vs a usb mini on the ir-200? And of cause no fidely knobs and a display + recal presets without taking pictures with your phone to restore settings? I don’t have any of them yet but just confused. So if anyone can clarify before I decide between a used ir-200 or new ir-2 for the same price 👍🏼🎸
I wish it was a little larger, so that you didn't have to do convoluted things just to turn the CAB off (Just one example). With just a little more size a mini toggle for CAB on off, Amp on/off, Return On/off at a minimum could have been added. For those unaware, just to turn CAB off on pedal face, you have to : Turn off the power (unplug the cable from the INPUT jack). Set the type knob to “CLEAN”. Turn the [AMBIENCE], [LEVEL] and [GAIN] knobs all the way counterclockwise, and turn the [BASS], [MIDDLE] and [TREBLE] knobs all the way clockwise. While holding down the pedal switch, turn on the power by inserting a plug into the INPUT jack. After the CHECK indicator lights up green, it cycles between blinking orange once and staying lit. Use the type knob to select the settings. Clean = both amp and cab on, TWN = Amp on cab off, Tweed = both off
Me, personally, do not understand why people don’t like the sound of boss pedals/modelling. I really like it. For gigs and recording, I do rely om boss products
Those noobs feel that more expensive products are “better” Boss rules, and is the standard for a reason. Th is thing sounds awesome. The naysayers are the same noobs that can’t get a good tone out of a real tube amp, Kemper or HX stomp. Some folks are just TONE DEAF no matter what gear they have. Bands will be recording entire albums with this bad boy!🤘🏾
@@taurushamilton2739 absolutely agree with you 👊🏻 I have a lot of roland and boss products and they never failed me. They sound awesome and always work.
@@taurushamilton2739 well, it took a while for me to get into pedals. And i have to admit, back then, when i decided to run my guitar straight into the jcm800, that was because of the Boss sound. That was beginning 90's so call me a noob 😉 But I get your point and agree. And never forget, some great selling Albums were recorded through a Rockman. Not my cup of tea, but i had discovered it is more the missing volume than the quality of the gear that makes playing less fun.
Great tones there for sure. But let's be honest, a huge part of these tones is the outboard reverb, delay, and Blues Driver. But it definitely sound like a good amp stage in a larger rig.
I have listened to a couple of your videos. You do a very nice job. You did one on the Henriksen BUD and indicated that it had a flat enough response so that you plug your Helix system into it with good results. I am a Bud user. Could the same be true of the Boss IR-2? I love the basic sound of the Bud but the idea of getting a Twin Reverb Sound through the Bud with an IR-2 directly into it is kind of intriguing. What do you think?
How does it feel under your fingers while playing? I have the Dream’65 and picked it over the others based on pick attack feel and volume roll off. How does the IR-2 compare? Thanks
Same here. I’ve been touring with the Dream on my board for almost two years, and still have an Iridium as well. I picked the Dream because it felt the most like playing my fender amps, and it’s great but I occasionally still struggle with the harsh treble and lack of headroom etc. Occasionally I’ll go back to the iridium’s round setting and think it sounds better, but then feels worse at gig volumes and on and on. 😂 All that to say, the Fender Twin setting on this sounds great to me so far in reviews and I’m hoping it sits somewhere in between the Dream and Iridium’s more extreme differences.
@@blairmichaelhogan4502Interesting sharing - thanks. I wonder how you’d like the Two Notes Opus for tone and responsiveness. Just got one, and so far (just 2 days into testing it a bit) I‘m finding it really great. Have to turn on the noise gate, though.
After waiting 2 months on backorder, Boss helped me realize I was about to spend money on another gimmicky pedal that, while nice, is just a luxury. Maybe that boat that just crashed into the bridge recently was carrying the next batch? 😂😂 Cancelled my order and got myself a dirt cheap NuX NSS4 for headphone IR practice reasons. The preset IRs in them are trash, but sound fine with York Audio files. I use a TS808 to add overdrive and it sounds absolutely fine. This Boss IR-2 looks good for what it is, but at the end of the day is yet another piece of the financial black hole puzzle we musicians tend to fall into 😅😅
Especially with no DI out! But the slightly smaller footprint, non need to use a software editor to get good tones outta the box! Does AA have a headphone out? I should know this already lol
Are these brand new algorythms? To me it doesn't sound like anything I've heard from Boss until now.. Love the harmonics and texture and it seems very reactive to dynamics. Thank you for the inspiring playing again John !
Do you have any experience of the DSM & Humbolt Simplifier mkII? I was in the market for a few tones in a small box for home use with a headphone out and it seemed to tick most boxes-has a plate (I think) reverb too. Ordered it before this Boss unit came out: waiting for Christmas day to unwrap it!
Excuse me, concerning your guitar sound here, are you using the IR2 only or the IR2 with other pedals effects? Thanks for sharing this great tutorial and congrats for your excellent playing.
Just hoping for a great Fender clean and light Marshall edge of breakup like I get from my HX stomp, but in that small form factor. I have been unimpressed by other offerings from Boss previously.
Thanks Nathan ! One question not easy to find the answer online... That unit as well as other amps in a box do not have Low /High cut options to avoid fletcher ... effect while playing at stage level. Is than an issue? I was wondering if actaully the IRs by themselves already do that low high cut normally, as they supposed to emulate the eq effect of a real cabinet. Thanks for sharing your thoughs, I like this unit because its simplicity but If I would need to find external LPF HPF, then start to not being that simple..
H, or J or K, you can crack the thingy open and chuck in a regular 9v battery ... Runs down quickly if recording but this thing really would do the job well for a pocket amp you can stomp on.
I'm thinking about building a "mini" boss pedal board around the ir2, maybe with 4 other pedals...a bd2, rv6, dd8 and ge7 (or maybe a bf2 for some modulation). I was thinking of a looper, but the dd8 has one built in.
@@paulburton5150 some folks believe the 1st version is more “analog sounding “… I happen to like them both, and appreciate the various options of waves ie; like the PH3 variants of phase👌🏾
Wonderful Lydian lines. Maybe you thought that u missed the end a bit but the extra break for the last flageolet arpeggio was actually good. gave it some air. Should have let it ring out longer though.
I had a Boss IR-200. Wish I still did. I would put it up against the Iridium if I still had it. I just was too new to modeling to appreciate it. But that pedal sounded great. I am sure this one does as well. And it's user friendly. The IR-200 isn't so much. Menu navigation etc similar to a Stomp. But if I was still playing live, I would own this. Great price.
Many UK suppliers are waiting for stock to arrive. Might sit on the fence for a while longer, but it sounds amazing here and very tempting indeed. Must admit, I did check the sales! Maybe a little early for any discounts! 😅
I'm curious to see a demo of someone using the USB interface for post effects and sending the signal back into an amp. There are many great sounding reverb plugins for ipad for example and I think it would be a convenient setup if latency etc is manageable. I haven't seen this covered yet!
everyone isn't talking about it. If anyone is that's because it's relatively new since Nov of last year, and just one of several new "amp/cabinet' pedals on the market today. Like any sales trend, this is all just regular mass marketing until something newer eventually replaces it with its own mass marketing
Hi John. Have you considered comparing the IRX to the IR-2? I have the IRX and I’m looking to build a pedalboard around an amp in a box direct solution. The IRX is making some good tones, but I’m definitely missing a solid clean for use with big reverb sounds. IR-2 looks flexible, but might compromise how amp like the IRX is to play? Interested in your view
Only just seen your comment after I posted mine. I'm excited for mine after 20 years of not playing guitar. Would like to see a comparison but I think the Simplifier is a good bet.
Hey John, wish you could have shown how you have it setup with the Stomp. Do you run it into the stereo effects loop? The Delay and Reverb? Or are you running it after the pedal? (After the boss IR2 Amp/Cab) I thought it sounded much better w the stomp.
Also would you recommend the Amps/Cabs as better than HX stomp? And to save DSP for more options w Stomp as more of an effects pedal with the Boss? Really wondering what your opinion is.
Great stuff. I just wish it had the option to turn off the IRs on just one output so I could go with one out to amps effects return with just the preamp and another output with pre and IR straight to desk. I like to use real guitar speakers on cabs and no frfr ones.
So I am in Asia where alongside Boss ( Japan) is a gzillion great Chinese similar stuff Nux, Mooer the known ones but then Sonicare, Demonfx, Eno, Soloking etc. and cheaper than Boss. So the question is IR2 one of many and so so?
Mark my words, Cordy is about to reach that YT tipping point and see his sub numbers explode. Best guitar channel by a long shot. The playing is disgustingly good and the content is unrivalled in it's lack of bias and just general authenticity. JNC for the win.
And he’s keeping his ego out it. Pleasant guy to watch.
Yeah beautiful playing
Agree with the heavenly playing but I wish his words could be more focussed - he seems to have just woken up!
I think the low current draw is a big bonus for this as it can literally be added to any pedal board. You dont need special power adaptors.
And can run off a 9v battery
@@tonystartup3817sort of. The pedal is spec'd at 160 mA which, although possible for a 9v battery, won't last but 2-4 hours. OK if you're in a pinch, or only doing single sets.
This combined with the Zoom CDR-70 is probably the best bang for buck all-in-one guitar solution. Crazy how things have evolved the past decade!
Got one today. Plugged it into my audio interface and started recording with it. Instantly gratifying. Great to be able to just tweak knobs to get the sound I wanted. I'll definitely be building a small board around it for live use.
Hey bro ! How is it going after 3 months ? Still recommend it ? Thanks
@@RafaelAbiSaber Definitely. I've now built a stereo board around it that sounds amazing and is really flexible (although it's not as small as I'd intended). Almost everything on the board can be adjusted with a switch or a knob. No waiting until a break when I can hook up a phone or laptop to deep-dive into menus for a setting. I can just bend down while I'm holding a sustained note and give myself a notch more mids, adjust reverb etc. The only thing with presets on the whole board are the two on the IR-2 itself, and those are simple enough for me to remember what I'd set.
To be fair, the Iridium “room reverb” wasn’t meant to be a reverb effect per se. It was meant to simulate the position of the mic relative to the cab, from right up close to pulled back in the room. It accomplished exactly what it was designed to do.
That's true, and it was very good at that, but a few of us that had iridiums (including John) felt that we'd probably have preferred just a normal reverb. Or at least an option to have one instead of the room
@@tonystartup3817 Given how much Strymon loves alternate functions, it's actually surprising they didn't give you that option
I sold my iridium and preordered the Boss. For me, being able to play stereo effects pedals in my headphones is the best part.
Um….you can do that with Iridium as well
@@johnnyflyy5873😂😂😂 I don’t think they knew 😅
So glad to hear the clean tones of something other than the Clean model. Every other demo I've seen had the gain cranked up at least half way for every tone and I just wanted to hear that Fender clarity. And... there it is. SOLD.
I know you talk about gear most of the time... BUT your playing is simply INSPIRING... I love your musicship
agree
I love they put Celestion IR’s in it. Such a value.
I didn't know they did! Celestion Irs are great
Agreed. I have a Headrush MX5 and the Celestion IRs elevated the entire unit drastically
got me one and i have to say, after owning a headrush gigboard through an FRFR speaker this is the best thing i could get for a backup solution or even small gigs on unknown pubs. Nope, i still prefer my tube amp but damn me if this is nor usefull to have. No need anything else amp/ir. Great job BOSS! Also great Review!! Thanks Cordy!!
Picked this up last week, stupid simple to use, sounds pretty good, plugging headphones fighting into my pedal board is really nice. I plan to load a few IRs to it.
The marshal setting “Brit” nailed it
They nailed the feature set for this. It's a "single" pedal size. It has stereo in and outs AND a stereo effects loop. It has multiple decent sounding amps sims. It lets you load your own IR's, and use it as audio interface. It has a headphone out. Not one, but 3 different types of reverb to pick from. Two "channels" you can swap between. And it can run off a single 9v battery? They're not really missing anything on it. Being able to assign two different amps to L/R would be nice, but that might be too much for it. I think the IR-200 can do that?
I think I'm gonna get one and put a DC-2w and RE-2 in the FX loop in stereo and have a nice little 3 pedal board.
This is pretty amazing. I'm a devoted strat player myself, and the tones that you are getting straight into the pedal are unbelievably good! The input of the pedal is taking your Blues Driver just like an amp would. I currently have a Tonex pedal that I use for direct applications, but I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. You might have sold me on the Boss. Great playing, by the way.
The standard pedal size, plus fx loop makes this pedal a win.
It’s nice to hear how this sounds with other pedals. I’ve been looking for ages for a way of recording good guitar sounds on garageband on my iPad that allow me to use the pedals I’ve already got. Almost like a pedal platform/audio interface. This looks super efficient and simple, and sounds great
Came for the review, stayed for the playing. Subscribed.
Ordered one as a Christmas gift to myself. Backordered so anxiously awaiting its arrival. Sounds awesome!
They are only available in stores. Call around.
Bought one a week or so ago. Sounds are really good and reacts well to gain pedals in front of it. Looking forward to using it live in the near future. Put on my Nano board with an Angry Driver and the Boss BP-1w clean boost.
How good does it take fuzz pedals?
@@leodacostaproducoes I've not tried a fuzz as I don't use one but with overdrive and boosts it reacts as a valve amp would do.
Killer playing and killer tones in that pedal. Just amazing
Really great playing John,the more I hear this the more I want it !
Form factor, we're largely aware of the Boss boxes. There's also the ease of use, and the lowest latency of ANY modeling tool depending on use.
This was a very well thought out product. Killer form factor, all
The bells n whistles needed 4 recording and live. Added effects loop was a great addition 4 those that wish to run their time based and or modulation effects through. The only thing I say that could have been added was an onboard DI ala Amp Academy/ Atomic Amlifier box. Might have to pick up 2 of these bad boys. I think this will become one of Boss’s all time best selling pedal… up there w DS-1 and Metalzone… just watch!🤘🏾💣
I have it’s big brother, the IR200, and although it has not replaced my amp, I do prefer it over the Strymon Iridium.
John I have to admit that tone at the beginning you were playing was really good!
The things I love most about it are the things that are missing from the Iridium: stereo effects loop before headphone output and usb aux input so you can play along to anything your iPhone plays
The EQ are the lower pots,, once your tone is set you can always tweak the upper knobs which are reverb, volume and gain.
The Soldano with the gain down is also a tasty “cleanish” choice. 8:10
So far I am really liking mine . Takes other pedals well and works as they state
John. Sounds great and is arguably a Katana in a pedal. I noted however that you were using an HX Stomp in the effects loop plus a blues driver in front. Understand you did this to test the functionality. However, couldn’t you have got all the sounds and functionality you demonstrated just using the HX Stomp in half the space?
Its brought me back to practice more. Ease of use! I have a Katana that has sat idle so much that I am using this into the Katana’s power amp only. But you can use pretty much any flat response amplification…
Just got home from a gig where I used the boss rather than my blues junior for my trio using midis.. I got the sound to 90% of my amp sound. I use discrete pedals in front and the effects loop for reverb and delay… one setting on the boss… it sounds great…
This pedal is now on my bucket list :) Thanks for this review. I love its standard size and the fact it will fit on my minimalistic pedal train nano+
Hey Jonathan. Thanks for your playing and for sharing your curiosity with us. Or rather, that you have the same curiosities as we do, but that you pursue them and let us be part of that journey. However, I have a question that was already on my mind during the first video: You mention that you don't quite get on with the concentric double buttons. Is there something different about them compared to the Boss(JHS) JB-2? As far as I remember, that was a drive that you had on the board for a while. Or had you already then mentioned that and I just missed it? It's pure curiosity. I'm glad to have stumbled across your channel.
That opening jam was fantastic. Super tasteful
Hi John, you say that there isn't much in the way of clean sounds out of the Boss. However, in dismissing the WA ACS1 regarding headphones and reverb you overlooked the fact that all three ACS1 amp IRs are essentially clean (designed as a pedal platform). Easy to run modulation, delay and reverb into the front end; no need for a loop when practicing with headphones.
All the best, Dale Harris
Great video. One of my favorite pedals ever. Changing the IRs out with some from York Audio made a big difference too
Cool review, great tones and playing. Some of those chords are inspirational. Thank you.
One thing that seems to come across in you playing the IR2 is it seems to be very articulate response.
This is a premium amp emulator for a budget price. Now lets take the new Kemper at a cool $900 after taxes, maybe more, I bet in a blind test no one can pick out the "better" one. I feel like buying one when possible just to support Boss for putting out a high end product at a low end price.
It really can't be understated how good of a product Boss has put out here. The IR-2 is the best thing out there now for gigging musicians who don't/can't carry around amps and go direct, people who live in spaces where loud amps are not admissible and headphone practice is required, and even home studio work where you just want to plug into your computer and lay down a guitar track. All this, and it sounds phenomenal, has built in reverb, has that classic Boss reliability and form factor, and for the same price as a good overdrive pedal. Not to mention that it's the fraction of the price of the UAFX/Iridium/ACS1 equivalents. I ordered one the day they announced it and it delivers on everything it claims.
@@JaredPitcher But it does not sound as good as the UAFX/Iridium/ACS1. It's a good thing Impulse Response technology has come so far that it can be put into a familliar Boss style enclosure, to be put at the end of your pedal board just in case. I think that's the main reason people are so exited about it, however you still get what you pay for.
I recently ordered the UAFX Dream '65 since I cannot afford a real Deluxe Reverb at the moment. I use it to record fender cleans / SRV style blues and it's perfect for that. In a mix you won't hear a difference, it feels very amp like but it's still not a 100% there.
@@florisvanlingen That's absolutely true, if you're aiming for a specific classic amp sound, nothing beats the UAFX offerings. But not everyone needs that either, and I think in this case "you get what you pay for" doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing. As you just said, in a mix or even in a live performance, no one is going to tell what kind of amp simulation you're running. For me, and I'm sure plenty of others, I just want something that sounds like a good amp on my pedal board so that I don't have to drag around amps or mic up cabinets. If you aren't looking to emulate a specific sounding amp, the IR-2 is ideal.
The issue is to find this pedal. I looked everywhere, nobody has it to immediate deliver. Need to be in the list and wait. It seems a great pedal. Well, I will plan for 2025! My instruments budget is already "overloaded" for 2024! Happy New Year everybody! Great playing. If I played 10% of this guy I would need no pedals! But I thank God for my love and my hands (and feet, I am primarily a drummer)! Cheers from Brazil!
The Pedal sounds really good. I particularly like how thick the trebles sound. The tiny knobs, small text, and potential to lose dialed in settings are the things that could be a problem.
It’s the same issue with the katana line up. I’d probably just take a photo of the settings and save them in a note for later if the preset got deleted, etc.
I'm still loving my GT-1000CORE (having sold the GT-1000, bought another and eventually having sold that one as well). The prices dropped at retailers for the GT-1000, and I kind of suspect a new flagship unit from Boss might be their next modeling release (as the GT-1000 is now their oldest in its tier). One thing I like about the IR-2 vs GT-1000CORE though, compatibility with iOS and Android. The GT-1000CORE would be a great all around mobile solution if it would work with mobile devices. Also the nice thing with the IR-2... you are forced to encounter it and interact with its knobs, whereas with the GT series, the first thing you hear is factory presets, which are usually fairly bad and ridiculous. It can give a bad first impression even if the amp models in the unit sound great.
Great playing and some really crazy tones out of that thing.
Just ordered one (they're on back order, it appears). I play mostly through a PA as part of an acoustic duo. Have a small pedal board mostly for delay and a looper. Figure I can add this and then it will be easy to mix in some electric guitar too.
Dude you are an incredible guitar player and great vid. I ordered mine a couple days ago, yeah two month wait already here in the States.
I am still not sold on the game changer. The features that make it unique are the stereo send/return, low amp draw, size, and battery power. I still prefer the Nu-X Amp Academy. It is slightly wider but smaller depth. It only has a mono send/return and no battery power. But it has everything else plus XLR, aux in, boost, drive and dirt and compressor pedals, 5 reverbs. editor for high cuts etc, moveable amp/effect blocks. Boss I guess is better out of the box with the Celestion IRs. But once you replace the Nu-X ones its great.
The NU-X is cheaper than the boss and also has a better build quality. also has the channel and scene functionality.
I should just work for Nu-X at this point.
There’s some beautiful tones in there, looks like a great option for the price.
Excellent demo. But why are people freaking out over it vs the ir-200 that has been around for years. Isn’t it the same device in a scraped version? Besides that the ir-200 has midi and that the usb is a better c on the ir-2 vs a usb mini on the ir-200? And of cause no fidely knobs and a display + recal presets without taking pictures with your phone to restore settings?
I don’t have any of them yet but just confused. So if anyone can clarify before I decide between a used ir-200 or new ir-2 for the same price 👍🏼🎸
I think it’s the price, a good set of basic features for half the price of the ir200 (I can’t find a used ir200 for less than £240).
I wish it was a little larger, so that you didn't have to do convoluted things just to turn the CAB off (Just one example). With just a little more size a mini toggle for CAB on off, Amp on/off, Return On/off at a minimum could have been added. For those unaware, just to turn CAB off on pedal face, you have to :
Turn off the power (unplug the cable from the INPUT jack).
Set the type knob to “CLEAN”.
Turn the [AMBIENCE], [LEVEL] and [GAIN] knobs all the way counterclockwise, and turn the [BASS], [MIDDLE] and [TREBLE] knobs all the way clockwise.
While holding down the pedal switch, turn on the power by inserting a plug into the INPUT jack.
After the CHECK indicator lights up green, it cycles between blinking orange once and staying lit.
Use the type knob to select the settings.
Clean = both amp and cab on, TWN = Amp on cab off, Tweed = both off
Intro are getting fantastic. Time to start posting them or releasing them as songs.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you and your family.🎉🎉🎉
Me, personally, do not understand why people don’t like the sound of boss pedals/modelling. I really like it. For gigs and recording, I do rely om boss products
Those noobs feel that more expensive products are “better” Boss rules, and is the standard for a reason. Th is thing sounds awesome. The naysayers are the same noobs that can’t get a good tone out of a real tube amp, Kemper or HX stomp. Some folks are just TONE DEAF no matter what gear they have. Bands will be recording entire albums with this bad boy!🤘🏾
@@taurushamilton2739 absolutely agree with you 👊🏻 I have a lot of roland and boss products and they never failed me. They sound awesome and always work.
@@taurushamilton2739 well, it took a while for me to get into pedals. And i have to admit, back then, when i decided to run my guitar straight into the jcm800, that was because of the Boss sound. That was beginning 90's so call me a noob 😉 But I get your point and agree. And never forget, some great selling Albums were recorded through a Rockman. Not my cup of tea, but i had discovered it is more the missing volume than the quality of the gear that makes playing less fun.
Really impressed by the tones
Great tones there for sure. But let's be honest, a huge part of these tones is the outboard reverb, delay, and Blues Driver. But it definitely sound like a good amp stage in a larger rig.
I have listened to a couple of your videos. You do a very nice job. You did one on the Henriksen BUD and indicated that it had a flat enough response so that you plug your Helix system into it with good results. I am a Bud user. Could the same be true of the Boss IR-2? I love the basic sound of the Bud but the idea of getting a Twin Reverb Sound through the Bud with an IR-2 directly into it is kind of intriguing. What do you think?
Nice, workable tones. Good platform for a small pedalboard with a couple other pedals
Congrats to 100k subscribers!
How does it feel under your fingers while playing? I have the Dream’65 and picked it over the others based on pick attack feel and volume roll off.
How does the IR-2 compare?
Thanks
Same here. I’ve been touring with the Dream on my board for almost two years, and still have an Iridium as well. I picked the Dream because it felt the most like playing my fender amps, and it’s great but I occasionally still struggle with the harsh treble and lack of headroom etc. Occasionally I’ll go back to the iridium’s round setting and think it sounds better, but then feels worse at gig volumes and on and on. 😂
All that to say, the Fender Twin setting on this sounds great to me so far in reviews and I’m hoping it sits somewhere in between the Dream and Iridium’s more extreme differences.
@@blairmichaelhogan4502Interesting sharing - thanks. I wonder how you’d like the Two Notes Opus for tone and responsiveness. Just got one, and so far (just 2 days into testing it a bit) I‘m finding it really great. Have to turn on the noise gate, though.
After waiting 2 months on backorder, Boss helped me realize I was about to spend money on another gimmicky pedal that, while nice, is just a luxury. Maybe that boat that just crashed into the bridge recently was carrying the next batch? 😂😂 Cancelled my order and got myself a dirt cheap NuX NSS4 for headphone IR practice reasons. The preset IRs in them are trash, but sound fine with York Audio files. I use a TS808 to add overdrive and it sounds absolutely fine. This Boss IR-2 looks good for what it is, but at the end of the day is yet another piece of the financial black hole puzzle we musicians tend to fall into 😅😅
JNC, great video and extraordinary tone. Reminds me a lot of Larry Carlton‘s on solid ground from 1989 as well as your playing!
I didn't really understand what makes the IR2 better or more important than the Amp Academy.
Especially with no DI out! But the slightly smaller footprint, non need to use a software editor to get good tones outta the box! Does AA have a headphone out? I should know this already lol
The NUX Amp Academy has a headphone out.
Are these brand new algorythms?
To me it doesn't sound like anything I've heard from Boss until now..
Love the harmonics and texture and it seems very reactive to dynamics.
Thank you for the inspiring playing again John !
Do you have any experience of the DSM & Humbolt Simplifier mkII? I was in the market for a few tones in a small box for home use with a headphone out and it seemed to tick most boxes-has a plate (I think) reverb too. Ordered it before this Boss unit came out: waiting for Christmas day to unwrap it!
Excuse me, concerning your guitar sound here, are you using the IR2 only or the IR2 with other pedals effects? Thanks for sharing this great tutorial and congrats for your excellent playing.
I prefer the HX Stomp. It's a swiss knife and does it all and more and fits on my board as well...
Just hoping for a great Fender clean and light Marshall edge of breakup like I get from my HX stomp, but in that small form factor. I have been unimpressed by other offerings from Boss previously.
Amazing playing, great demo.
So the "CLEAN" is the Roland JC120? I'm a little confused as to which settings before the *PLEXI* were obvious .......
JNC, you forgot to mention the Atomic Ampli-Firebox, which came out 2 years before the Iridium and is essentially the same thing.
Thanks Nathan ! One question not easy to find the answer online... That unit as well as other amps in a box do not have Low /High cut options to avoid fletcher ... effect while playing at stage level. Is than an issue? I was wondering if actaully the IRs by themselves already do that low high cut normally, as they supposed to emulate the eq effect of a real cabinet. Thanks for sharing your thoughs, I like this unit because its simplicity but If I would need to find external LPF HPF, then start to not being that simple..
H, or J or K, you can crack the thingy open and chuck in a regular 9v battery ... Runs down quickly if recording but this thing really would do the job well for a pocket amp you can stomp on.
I'm thinking about building a "mini" boss pedal board around the ir2, maybe with 4 other pedals...a bd2, rv6, dd8 and ge7 (or maybe a bf2 for some modulation). I was thinking of a looper, but the dd8 has one built in.
BF3, and or PH3, has some killer phase mods! I love mini boards, fly rigs 💯👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾
@@taurushamilton2739 I know you can get a variety of modulation sounds out of a flanger. Not really sure of the pros and cons of bf2 vs bf3
Thinkimg about the same…. This sounds insanely good
@@paulburton5150 some folks believe the 1st version is more “analog sounding “… I happen to like them both, and appreciate the various options of waves ie; like the PH3 variants of phase👌🏾
John Cordy is big in Japan. At 5’10, he’s big in most of Asia.
😂😂😂😂
Good to know.
That's true!
😂😂😂
He looks 6’ to me.
I love clean tones, that's the only barrier for me.
Wonderful Lydian lines. Maybe you thought that u missed the end a bit but the extra break for the last flageolet arpeggio was actually good. gave it some air. Should have let it ring out longer though.
I had a Boss IR-200. Wish I still did. I would put it up against the Iridium if I still had it. I just was too new to modeling to appreciate it. But that pedal sounded great. I am sure this one does as well. And it's user friendly. The IR-200 isn't so much. Menu navigation etc similar to a Stomp. But if I was still playing live, I would own this. Great price.
I had the NUX and had 1) problems with the software 2) lots of background hum going into a mixer
Many UK suppliers are waiting for stock to arrive. Might sit on the fence for a while longer, but it sounds amazing here and very tempting indeed. Must admit, I did check the sales! Maybe a little early for any discounts! 😅
Sounds amazing. I'll most likely grab one for all of the features and the price point. Cheers John
Gorgeous playing
Sounds absolutely awesome! Definitely a game changer!
ASMR playing... wonderful!
No one makes me wanna pick up my guitar like this bloke 🤝🏻
Are there any A/B comparisons of the IR-2 Vs IR-200?
I'm curious to see a demo of someone using the USB interface for post effects and sending the signal back into an amp. There are many great sounding reverb plugins for ipad for example and I think it would be a convenient setup if latency etc is manageable. I haven't seen this covered yet!
everyone isn't talking about it. If anyone is that's because it's relatively new since Nov of last year, and just one of several new "amp/cabinet' pedals on the market today. Like any sales trend, this is all just regular mass marketing until something newer eventually replaces it with its own mass marketing
Hi John. Have you considered comparing the IRX to the IR-2? I have the IRX and I’m looking to build a pedalboard around an amp in a box direct solution. The IRX is making some good tones, but I’m definitely missing a solid clean for use with big reverb sounds. IR-2 looks flexible, but might compromise how amp like the IRX is to play? Interested in your view
I’d love your take on the Simplifier Mk2. It’s that and this that are competing for my board right now.
Only just seen your comment after I posted mine. I'm excited for mine after 20 years of not playing guitar. Would like to see a comparison but I think the Simplifier is a good bet.
would also love to see this.
Lovely playing mate
Got one early Jan, love it, super convenient.
Using this live, does it matter what type of direct box you use? I would want XLR into the house board.
Hey John, wish you could have shown how you have it setup with the Stomp. Do you run it into the stereo effects loop? The Delay and Reverb? Or are you running it after the pedal? (After the boss IR2 Amp/Cab) I thought it sounded much better w the stomp.
Also would you recommend the Amps/Cabs as better than HX stomp? And to save DSP for more options w Stomp as more of an effects pedal with the Boss? Really wondering what your opinion is.
Are these models the same as those on the new ME90?
Hey John, have you looked at the Two Notes OPUS?
Great stuff. I just wish it had the option to turn off the IRs on just one output so I could go with one out to amps effects return with just the preamp and another output with pre and IR straight to desk. I like to use real guitar speakers on cabs and no frfr ones.
That’s where the StompHX shines
Is it worth upgrading from a Cab M+?
So I am in Asia where alongside Boss ( Japan) is a gzillion great Chinese similar stuff Nux, Mooer the known ones but then Sonicare, Demonfx, Eno, Soloking etc. and cheaper than Boss. So the question is IR2 one of many and so so?
Do you have the Helix in the Loop of the Boss IR2 or just after and then from the Helix to the speakers?
Delay in front of the pedal or in effects loop?😮😊
A cheap and easy option for going direct from a pedalboard
Where did you get it? There’s no stock anywhere in the UK ‘til end Jan at the earliest.
Sounds good. I have absolutely no need for it