Winnipeg Electrical Co's Homework Series Blues Overdrive / Fuzz is one of my very favourite takes on the BD-2 Blues Driver

Interestingly I’ve featured 2 Blues Driver derived overdrives in very short succession - and both are excellent, while this Homework Series Blues is the closest pedal out there to my much loved and favourite Overdrive Pedal of all time - the Robert Keeley Freak Fuzz Modified Boss BD-2 Blues Driver. That comes with the Phat Mod too, but its main point of distinction is 2 Germanium Transistors mounted on the pedal’s facia, which deliver a fantastic Fuzz voicing also.

I’m not sure how much the Freak Fuzz Modded BD-2 inspired this Homework Series Blues - if at all - but they certainly bear some comparison. Interestingly all my Blues Driver pedals sound slightly different - in timbre and overall profile - while of course there are some very significant overlaps - and I really to love each and every one for the differences it brings. And such is true here also - the Homework Series Blues is not identical to my Freak Fuzz BD-2 - it has greater range by way of its EQ and delivers a very sightly different flavour of fuzz - but they are very close in all the best ways.

Controls - Volume, Tone, Gain, Low, Mid, Voicing / Mode : Fuzz / Normal.

I really do love everything about this particular BD-2 derivative - it’s exceptional in every sense - and that 3-Band EQ essentially is killer (so well calibrated) - alongside that Fuzz Mode - which is kind of where I prefer to live on this pedal - even though there are a tonne of other sweet spots to be found on the Normal mode too.

My current preferred settings are Volume @ 3 o’c, Tone @ 2 o’c, Gain @ Max, Low @ 11 o’c, Mid @ 3 o’c, and Mode / Voicing on Fuzz!

The Homework Series Blues is available for order via the Winnipeg Electrical Co.’s Webstore - where it currently goes for $175 CAD | $130 USD | £102 and equivalent.

There’s a couple more in the range that I really like the look of - The Homework Series Fuzz - is a very decent take on the full-fat Fuzz Factory (7 controls), and there’s a 6-knob HM-2 style Homework Series Metal take also which I would not mind getting my hands on. I’ll see if I can come to some sort of arrangement for those 2!

The artwork on these pedals seems to be taken from an old out-of-print Canadian notebook / exercise book - where it’s just the colour of the paint job that denotes which type of pedal it is. Kind of reminds me of the Canada Dry logo to some degree - yes I grew up with Canada Dry Ginger Ale - there was another variety too which I now forget what it was - it certainly wasn’t the root beer! Interestingly there is no other obvious branding on the pedal enclosure - they all use the exact same artwork - so it’s just up to the colourway to differentiate!

In any case - I love the Homework Series Blues - and look forward to acquiring more from the range in the not too distant future!