Madbean Pedals updates BlueSteel BD-2 project for 2024

August 18, 2024 · 1 sources

The Madbean project document, last updated August 18, 2024, describes the BlueSteel24 as a board for building a BD-2-style overdrive. The maker says the 2024 version has "minor circuit changes and layout tweaks," that "the power supply filtering was removed in favor of a simpler design" and that "the SUBS switch was converted to an On/On/On"¹.

The maker calls the BlueSteel "a faithful adaption of the Boss BD-2 overdrive" and cites the original's "use of differential pairs, dual-gang drive control and a gyrator for tone shaping." The project keeps the input and output buffers but leaves out the flip-flop bypass circuitry for true bypass operation, and adds a switch for low end, which the maker describes as addressing "a lack of lows" that is "a frequent complaint with the BD-2"¹.

Controls are VOL, TONE and DRIVE, plus SUBS. The maker describes SUBS as offering "three levels of low end frequencies: Down (thin), Middle (stock), and Up (fat)," with compression varying somewhat in each setting. The lowest position removes some bass, which the maker finds useful for neck-position humbuckers; the top position offers thicker bass than stock, for thinner-sounding guitars or bass¹.

The board accepts through-hole or surface mount JFETs, and the maker says the drive control "really needs an audio taper to get the most out of it." The document also lists component changes for a Keeley-style modification and notes compatibility with the maker's SSBP and SSABP bypass boards¹. No price is given in the document.