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Post subject: Boss FDR1 and FBM1 Pedals
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:59 am
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Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:46 am
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Location: State of Confusion
Looking for some input on the Boss/Fender FDR1 and FBM1 pedals including which amps you may have tested them on. I have listened to the soundbytes provided by Boss, but there's nothing like getting some user's viewpoints. Please include what style music you play with them and whether you play single coils or humbuckers.

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Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:23 pm
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About nine months ago, I got a bad case of pedal G.A.S. and bought the Boss FBM-1, the BD-2 and the OD-3 as well as a SansAmp GT-2. I was looking for a good mildly overdriven sound like I’ve heard on Wes Montgomery recordings and the Billy Butler solo on Honky Tonk from the mid-1950’s. Of those pedals, my favorites are the FBM-1 and the OD-3. The FBM-1 is just about perfect for capturing the warmth that I associate with those old Wes Montgomery recordings. It has a roundness to the sound that feels right. There is ample overdrive for jazz, r&b, and blues playing. The tonal options with the bass, treble, and presence controls provide good flexibility for crafting a sound, depending on the guitar and amp that it’s used with. It’s an expensive pedal, especially compared to the OD-3.

Had I not purchased the FBM-1, I could have been very satisfied with just the OD-3. The OD-3 has plenty of overdrive balls and ample tonal range, especially in the low end. For the price, it is a hard pedal to beat. I’m not sure which of the two I like better. I can get the sounds I am looking for from either. The FBM-1 is a good sounding pedal with more than enough overdrive and tone shaping for my purposes. The OD-3 offers more overdrive and boost. The FBM-1 is warmer sounding. I have no regrets about purchasing the FBM-1.

I use the pedals with guitars that are humbucker equipped, a McCarty and a Lucille. I also use the pedals with a MIM Strat and a Squire 51. The pedals work well with all of these guitars after the controls on the instruments, pedals and amps are tweaked enough. I have played these pedals through a TRRI, a Champion 600, and a Roland Micro Cube. I also own a Cyber Deluxe, a nice amp that does not need pedals nor does it sound good with a pedal in front of it. I can’t get the type of overdriven sound from the CD that I can from the FBM-1 or the OD-3 in front of a different amp. I tend to use the Micro Cube because of its light weight and ease of setup. It sounds decent for home playing and it takes pedals surprisingly well. I’m not a pro or a tone snob, just a hobbyist who has been playing all styles of classical, jazz, rock, blues and country for fifty plus years, since I was big enough to get my hands around my uncle’s Gibson archtop.


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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:43 am
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:33 am
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Location: Greeneville, TN
I recently tried the FDR-1 pedal with my '66 Bassman. My plan was to send a dry signal to the normal channel, and a signal through the FDR-1 to the bass channel. I primarily wanted to be able to punch in a bit of reverb and vibrato with a little Fender style bite to the clean Bassman sound.

I was disappointed with the reverb and the tone of the pedal.
As is noted in many reviews of this pedal, there are some disturbing digital artifacts present not only when turning the reverb level up, but also while using a harder attack when the reverb is set really low.
Even with the gain set low, the basic tone of the Bassman was significantly altered, and not in a way that pleased me. (That being said, I can see how some players might like the tone - a more tight, "modern" edge).

The vibrato was not bad and there was no background pulse audible when not playing (in fact, the pedal is very quiet).

I returned the FDR-1 and have decided to buy a '63 Fender Reverb Reissue.


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