Guitar Pedals · owner-verdict comparison

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer: 73% of 52 owners recommend it, vs 64% of 167 for the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

64%of 167 owners recommend
64% recommend · 19% neutral · 17% don't
Full owner report →

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

73%of 52 owners recommend
73% recommend · 14% neutral · 13% don't
Owners praise
  • Classic, great-sounding overdrive tone
  • Excellent boost to overdrive a tube amp
  • Popular, reputable industry-standard pedal
Owners complain about
  • Mid-heavy voicing that cuts low-end and suits some styles more than others
Full owner report →

What Boss BD-2 Blues Driver owners say

“the Blues Driver beat all of them. The most organic drive I've heard in a pedal.”
— @jonny1251 on YouTube
“LOVED my bd-2 and ds-1 when i was in high school”
— @jonwanrocks on YouTube
“Mehhh. I have the Waza version, and I can hear the same fizziness - which some may like but I don't.”
— @RPSartre01 on YouTube

What Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer owners say

“I love my TS9 that I've had since the 90s, but I have an EQ pedal after it, which has made all the difference.”
— @DonaldMerand on YouTube
“This really is the greatest distortion pedal I’ve ever owned.”
— @TheDCGuitar13 on YouTube
“Only thing I’d change is the TS for a DS1 or a Boss Super Distortion or an MXR distortion. I was never a fan of the Tube Screamer.”
— _1JackMove on Reddit