New Rabea Boss OD-200 Hybrid Drive Demo Reveals Even Greater Potential than first imagined

We all knew that the OD-200 was going to be a killer Boost/OverDrive/Distortion pedal - but Boss has managed to surprise those of us who thought we had it figured out. We weren’t initially totally sure how the Parameters and Boost options were going to work - I already really love the versatility and adaptability of my Jackson Audio Broken Arrow - which encompasses 4 Drive Types alongside 4 Boost Types. Yet Boss ups the ante on that somewhat exponentially.

I thought the core of the OD-200 would be its 12 Drive/Distortion Modes:

DRIVE/DISTORTION MODES

1. oVd : Asymmetrical Overdrive
2. bLS : Blues Drive
3. SCr : TS808
4. Cnt : Transparent / Klon Centaur style
5. Hdr : MDP-shaped X-Drive (MDP = Multi-Dimensional Processing)
6. dSt : Traditional Distortion
7. HdS : MDP-shaped X-Distortion
8. StY : Stack Drive (Power Stack)
9. FAt : Thick, Rich, Fat Distortion
10. Br∀ : Brown Sound Distortion
11. HMt : MDP-Shaped X-Metal Distortion
12. FuZ : Big Muff Pi Fuzz

But it turns out that its the 15 Boost Modes - which you can run in Series or Parallel with the Drive Modes - that kick this pedal well into the next level and sends the competition running for the hills.

BOOST TYPES

1. Mid : Mid-Range / Solo Boost
2. CLn : Clean Boost
3. trb : Treble / Bright Boost
4. oVd : OD-1 OverDrive
5. bLS : BD-2 Blues Driver
6. SCr : TS808 Screamer Overdrive
7. Cnt : CNTR OD / Klon Centaur OD
8. Hdr : MDP-shaped X-Drive
9. dSt : DS-1 Distortion
10. HdS : MDP-Shaped X-Distortion
11. StY : Stack Drive / ST-2 Power Stack
12. FAt : Thick, Rich, Fat Distortion
13. MZn : MT-2 Metal Zone
14. MCr : ML-2 Metal Core
15. FuZ : Big Muff Pi

You also get controls for PRE and POST Boost - Level/Gain and GATE Values - for DECAY and THRESH (Threshold)

The only thing I’m not clear on is where you select between Serial and Parallel Drive + Boost modes. The manual talks about STRUCTURE being SERIES or PARALLEL - but there are no illustrations to underline that. I would guess that these would be additional settings found within the Parameter selection of the pedals - after the Boost Types, and somewhere in the mix with the PRE and POST Gain/Boost settings.

UPDATE! - Not sure if the manual has been more recently updated or I missed this fact initially, but the STRUCTURE is set by hitting the PARAM and MEMORY buttons simultaneously to enter Settings Menu Mode - you then rotate the PARAM knob to the appropriate option which is ’Str’ then you click and rotate to select either SEr (Serial) or PrL (Parallel) then click PARAM button to select, and PARAM and MEMORY simultaneously once more to exit Settings Menu.

Everything else is pretty much as previously discussed and per our original understanding. But the magical ability to recreate the JB-2 Angry Driver by pairing the Brown Sound Mode with the Blues Driver Boost Type really elevates this pedal above all others. Some of you might visibly shrug at the combination of Analogue and Digital clipping here, but the variety and versatility found here is unparalleled - particularly for a device of this type and of these dimensions.

The twin killer combination here is the BOOST TYPES along with the PARALLEL ROUTING.

I was always going to be getting this pedal, and now it’s even more of a sure thing. Boss have announced units would be coming through to retail imminently - while most retailers are still stating availability only from the end of October - so we need to keep our eyes peeled for the slightest sign of movement. With everything you’re getting here for £219 - this pedal has to be a no-brainer for anyone with even the faintest enthusiasm for different drive types.

I’ve long been advocating for a full-frequency ’12 Degrees of Saturation’ style pedal - and this is the first fulfilment of that challenge.