Got it, after 3 1/2 months wait. Well worth it!
Does everything I expected and needed.
Used it with some Sony MDR7506 headphones and went through the various amp/tone platforms. Interestingly, I found two of the Boss MDP models the most to my liking: Clean and Modded.
Clean was big and full. It also sounded great with bass. The Twin setting was phasey, not like what I experience playing through a real Twin. However, Twin had a pretty cool and crunchy tone with the gain turned up. You can kind of get a Mesa Mark thing with the gain up and an EQ in the loop to do the necessary scoop.
Modded was also big sounding. I run the gain pretty low (around 9 o clock) and was able to dial in a dirt tone I liked. Brit was a close 2nd place, and Brown gets the bronze for my dirt preference. Tweed is also a cool crunch mode.
It was nicely reactive to my guitar volume control. The effects loop works great with the DD3/CE5/GE7 plugged into it. Hitting the front end with a BD2 and SD1 resulted in the usual expectations of boosting.
Plus, dirt pedals sounded and reacted like they should into the various amp models.
Well done!
New Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet
Re: New Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet
Glad the wait was worth it bigtone23!
Still waiting for them to come back into stock over here so I can pick one up.
Still waiting for them to come back into stock over here so I can pick one up.
Re: New Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet
The BCB30 headphone/direct amp!
Only way to make this more convenient is to mount it up.
Put an '88 long chip DD3 in the IR2 loop, but this might get swapped for a GE7, as either pedal is quite useful. Also, a TU3W (with buffer bypassed-a cool feature) in there, too, because you always need a tuner.
I have a Hotone EKO delay, it fits in the small, square compartment. It's also the only delay that fits on my main small board, and is needed there. Perhaps I find another and then I can have the GE7 in the DD3 spot.
It's been great, I just put any other pedal I want to use before this pedalboard. Much more convenient vs the big ol' V-Twin into the TC Impulse and then into a headphone amp.
Only way to make this more convenient is to mount it up.
Put an '88 long chip DD3 in the IR2 loop, but this might get swapped for a GE7, as either pedal is quite useful. Also, a TU3W (with buffer bypassed-a cool feature) in there, too, because you always need a tuner.
I have a Hotone EKO delay, it fits in the small, square compartment. It's also the only delay that fits on my main small board, and is needed there. Perhaps I find another and then I can have the GE7 in the DD3 spot. It's been great, I just put any other pedal I want to use before this pedalboard. Much more convenient vs the big ol' V-Twin into the TC Impulse and then into a headphone amp.
Re: New Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet
Having the long chip DD3 in the IR2 loop was not working great, it would lightly clip on the initial attack, at all settings and levels.
I ultimately wanted both EQ and delay, and there weren't many options if I were to use the small upper compartment for one of the pedals. There doesn't seem to be a sub-micro EQ out there, so the GE7 went in and worked great. The Hotone Skyline EKO from my small board fits in the small upper compartment and sounded great in the loop after the EQ. The EQ makes my patches sound similar to my Boogie Mark amps (which have onboard GEQ). Found another Eko online and threw it in there.
Here is the updated IR2 headphone board! I ordered a short 3.5mm M to 1/4" F trs adapter for the headphone jack on the IR2. This will put the headphone jack just out of hubbub of signal and power cables right there at the IR2. Plus, I won't have to remove the adapter from my headphones to plug in.
I ultimately wanted both EQ and delay, and there weren't many options if I were to use the small upper compartment for one of the pedals. There doesn't seem to be a sub-micro EQ out there, so the GE7 went in and worked great. The Hotone Skyline EKO from my small board fits in the small upper compartment and sounded great in the loop after the EQ. The EQ makes my patches sound similar to my Boogie Mark amps (which have onboard GEQ). Found another Eko online and threw it in there.
Here is the updated IR2 headphone board! I ordered a short 3.5mm M to 1/4" F trs adapter for the headphone jack on the IR2. This will put the headphone jack just out of hubbub of signal and power cables right there at the IR2. Plus, I won't have to remove the adapter from my headphones to plug in.