The Homework Series Blues is a Blues Driver style overdrive, boost and fuzz pedal from the Canadian maker Winnipeg Electrical Co1. It takes the Boss BD-2 as its starting point but goes further than a straight copy: a three-band EQ replaces the BD-2's single Tone knob, and a Voicing / Mode switch adds a fuzz mode on top of the normal overdrive voicing1.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed it in January 2024 and placed it among the pedal's closest company: "This is truly one of my very favourite Blues Driver style Overdrives - beautifully calibrated!"2
What it does to your sound
In Normal mode the pedal works as a Blues Driver style overdrive and boost, the same family as the Boss BD-2 that inspired it1. The BD-2 itself is a long-standing Boss design, and modified versions by shops such as Keeley Electronics and JHS have been a running theme of that circuit's history456. The Homework Series Blues belongs to that lineage of BD-2 derivatives, but it is its own pedal rather than a modded Boss unit.
The difference from a stock BD-2 is control. Where the original gives you Level, Tone and Gain, the Homework Series Blues adds Low and Mid knobs for a three-band EQ, which Karlsson noted "has broad range"1. That extra shaping is what lets the pedal cover more ground than a three-knob Blues Driver.
The Fuzz mode is the other half of the story. Karlsson described the pedal as "a really fantastic take on the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver with a fantastically textured Fuzz Mode onboard"2. The fuzz voicing is built in rather than a separate pedal, so one box covers overdrive, boost and fuzz duties.
The controls
Six knobs and a mode switch, as listed by Guitar Pedal X3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level |
| Gain | Sets the amount of overdrive |
| Tone | Shapes the overall brightness |
| Low | Cuts or boosts low end, part of the 3-band EQ |
| Mid | Cuts or boosts mids, part of the 3-band EQ |
| Voicing / Mode | Switches between Fuzz and Normal modes |
The three-band EQ is the practical difference from a stock BD-2: instead of one Tone control, you can push the lows, scoop or lift the mids, and set the top end separately1.
How it compares with the Keeley-modded BD-2
The pedal the Homework Series Blues gets measured against is the Robert Keeley Freak Fuzz Modified Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, a modded Boss unit with Level, Tone, Gain, Fuzz Mod (On/Off) and Phat Mod (On/Off) controls3. That Keeley BD-2 mod is no longer made; on That Pedal Show, Daniel and Mick noted it "links to the BD-2W", the Boss Waza Craft version of the circuit7.
Karlsson's verdict on the comparison, from his review of the pedal:
"is about as close to the prowess of my Keeley Freak Fuzz Modded BD-2 as you can get"3
He added that the Homework Series Blues offers "a little more range and granularity" than the Keeley-modded unit3. So it is not a clone: it is an original circuit that a reviewer who owns the Keeley mod considers its equal, with more shaping on tap.
The JHS Blu-Drive mod is another point of comparison in the BD-2 family. Pedal of the Day described its "Fuzztain" switch as giving "a compressed fuzz tone that is as unique as it is useful"8. The Homework Series Blues takes a similar idea, a BD-2 with a fuzz voicing built in, but implements it with a full three-band EQ rather than a single toggle.
The Homework Series range
The Blues sits in a three-pedal Homework Series from Winnipeg Electrical Co, each built on a classic circuit:
- Blues: a Blues Driver style overdrive, boost and fuzz, reviewed January 20241
- Fuzz: a Germanium, two-transistor Fuzz Face with Fuzz Factory 7-style controls, closer to the Zvex Fuzz Factory 7, though without that pedal's second Tone Defeat footswitch9
- Metal: an HM-2-format distortion with Volume, Dry > Wet Blend, Distortion and a three-band EQ, which also works well on bass10
The series artwork, including on the Blues, appears to be taken from an old out-of-print Canadian notebook or exercise book, which is where the Homework name comes from1.
Price
Guitar Pedal X listed the Homework Series Blues at $175 CAD, $130 USD or £102 in January 20243. The same publication's December 2024 best-of buying guide listed it at $1452, which is the newer dated figure.
Videos
Winnipeg Electrical Co.
Winnipeg Electrical Co.
woodsnstrings
Questions
Is the Homework Series Blues a Keeley-modded BD-2 clone?
No. It is an original Blues Driver style circuit from Canadian maker Winnipeg Electrical Co, not a modified Boss pedal. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found it about as close to the prowess of his Keeley Freak Fuzz Modded BD-2 as you can get, with a little more range and granularity, but it is its own pedal.
What does the fuzz mode on the Homework Series Blues do?
The Voicing / Mode switch selects between Fuzz and Normal modes. In Normal mode the pedal behaves as a Blues Driver style overdrive and boost; in Fuzz mode it produces a textured fuzz tone. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer called the Fuzz Mode fantastically textured.
Where is Winnipeg Electrical Co based?
Winnipeg Electrical Co is a Canadian maker. The artwork across the Homework Series pedals appears to be taken from an old out-of-print Canadian notebook or exercise book, which gives the range its name and look.
How much does the Winnipeg Electrical Co Blues cost in US dollars?
Guitar Pedal X listed it at $130 USD in January 2024, alongside $175 CAD and £102. By December 2024 the same publication's buying guide listed it at $145, so the newer figure is $145.
Sources (10)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-24
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-01-26
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Guitarcloud (Prince Equipment Archive), 2026
- Four Tube Screamers Compared, plus Klon Centaur & Boss BD-2, That Pedal Show, 2016-07-01
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver (Keeley Electronics Phat Mod), pedal-of-the-day.com, 2015-11-25
- That Pedal Show, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2016-06-30
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver (JHS Pedals Blu-Drive mod), Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-03-02
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-04-26
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-02-20
