Eliminate unwanted noise and hum without altering your tone. A unique noise detection circuit preserves the natural attack and envelope, leaving your playing and dynamics intact.
Featured review by:
Dave_Mc, on june 06, 2005 9 of 9 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Belfast Guitar Emporium
Ease of Use: It's very easy to use: there are only 3 knobs on it, threshold (determines the sound level the signal needs to fall below before the NS-2 silences it), decay (determinies the time before the effect kicks in - the further clockwise you turn it, the more natural it sounds, but it will be less efficient at cutting noise. You can pretty much leave this at minimum, unless it sounds un-natural to your ears) and mode. There are two modes: reduction, which means when the pedal is off, nothing is happening, and when the pedal is on, it cuts noise; and mute, which cuts noise when the pedal is off, and totally mutes your sound (e.g. for tuning) when the pedal is on. There's also a handy led to tell you when it is actually cutting noise. It has a send-return circuit for plugging your other pedals into. // 10
Sound: I use it with an Ibanez RG470 through a Marshall AVT100, which is quite a noisy amp. The NS-2 seems best at cutting pedal noise, it totally silences my compression pedal, distortion pedal and my wah, and doesn't seem to suck my tone at all. It's not as efficient at cutting amp noise (I tried putting it through my FX loop, but this did nothing) although, even plugged through the front of my amp, with my other pedals going through the NS-2's send-return circuit, it cuts quite a large amount of noise, just not all. Still, it's invaluable for cutting pedal noise. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I haven't gigged with it, but I've had no problems yet. // 8
Impression: Very good, it does what it says on the tin, and doesn't suck tone (that I can tell). It's just a pity it doesn't cut amp noise more. If it were stolen/broken, I'd probably buy another, but I'd also like to try out some of its rivals to see if they handle amp noise any better. Still, a good solid 4 stars. // 8
Reviewed by:
invinceable27, on october 17, 2005 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Local Music Store
Ease of Use: This pedal is very easy to use. It's the only type of pedal that makes no sound at all, in a good way. It's built like a tank, and although most of my stuff is rackmounted, I make some pedal-exceptions and this is definately one of them. // 9
Sound: I'm using a Schecter C-1 Classic with EMG 81 pickup, into a Peavey 5150II (with a rackmounted Rocktron effects processor, BBE Sonic maximizer, Alesis Compressor/Gate, and other non-tone effecting units). Now, you may ask, if I have a noise gate in the rackmount, why would I want a pedal as well? For starters, with an active pickup, the guitar itself is noisy, and any high gain amplifier is definately going to generate some noise as well. I use this pedal between guitar and amp, and then the other gate in the effects loop. This basically eliminates all sound when I'm not playing, where with just the other gate, it goes down to a quiet but audible hissing sound (when the distortion is on, obviously). Regardless, this pedal works amazing by itself, and anyone who is playing anything with a fair amount of gain would do well to have some sort of noise gate. This one works as good or better than the others! // 9
Reliability & Durability: Boss pedals are tough, you need to put some effort into breaking them physically. I suppose it's somewhat succeptable to a power surge, but if you use batteries, or any intelligent type of external powering, you should be fine. // 10
Impression: I obviously play mainly heavier stuff, in the style of God Forbid, Arch Enemy, Fear Factory, etc. While I'm nowhere near their levels of playing, I have an ear for tone and I know what sounds good and what doesn't. And what everyone can agree sounds terrible is BAD feedback, not the sweet kind bands start their show off with, but the bad kind between notes, hence this pedal. I personally don't need it, but I think it would be a great idea to build a tuner right into this pedal. there's two major needs, right at your feet, in the same pedal. // 8
Reviewed by:
TheGimpMaster01, on october 14, 2005 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 79.99
Purchased from: (I got it as a present, I don
Ease of Use: This thing is extremely simple to use. Come on, there are only two switches that you need even worry about. You have to read the instructions, though, or it may take you longer to understand. // 10
Sound: I am using this in the effect loop part of my Peavey Studio Pro 112. It's normally very noisy when I have the distortion on. The NS-2 completely rids it of any noise that I don't want. When you start playing a note, it's instantaneously there. There's no annoying fade in that leaves the attack sounding like something fluffy and uncertain. When I don't play (even with the distortion on and turned up all the way) it's virtually silent. It has a mute option that allows you to simply cut all sound from the guitar instantly. So if you begin to get feedback, step on it and it will be gone. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It is made out of heavy metal and I would certainly use it playing live without a back up. I might get an adapter for it, though, becuase it eats up 9V batteries if you accidentally leave your guitar plugged into it like I did. // 10
Impression: I would advertise this effect pedal if I had a place to do so. I am pleased with it. I think I would definitly buy more Boss brand pedals if I were to buy more (which I think I will in the future). If you are deciding what noise removing thing to buy, this is it! // 10
Reviewed by:
JLJohnson_21, on september 02, 2005 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 80
Purchased from: Musician's Friend
Ease of Use: Very simple to use. There's only 2 knobs for adjusting how much noise you wanna cut. // 10
Sound: I'm using it with a Fender Double Fat Strat and a Marshall AVT50 amp and I thought it made the amp alot less noisy, almost silent when not playing. I also have a metal master pedal and it cuts almost all the feedback from there too. If you wanna tap though you can't set the threshold to max which is the only downside. 3/4 the way will do fine though. // 8
Reliability & Durability: It looks pretty reliable. I've only had it for 2 days though. It was lighter than I thought it would be. // 8
Impression: I play the old heavy metal from the '80s mostly and it works pretty good at cutting feedback. It's not perfect, you still will have to mute the strings with your fretting hand so they won't buzz, so don't expect a flawless sound like on your favorite CD. The only downside was that it was $80 which I thought was kinda pricey. // 8
Reviewed by:
Kevy Absolution, on january 28, 2009 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 99.99
Purchased from: Best Buy
Ease of Use: Upon buying a new Vox AD50VT, I was thrilled to have a great modeling amp with some crushing gain settings. Unfortunately, I got a lot of string noise and hum when chained through my pedals and playing with high gain, so I decided it was time to get a noise gate.
The NS-2 is flat out easy to use. Set the sound threshold, the limit, and the mode with three knobs. The included manual even gives you the default "best settings" for the pedal. The pedal has two modes, a check mode and a mute mode. Check mode means that the pedal is either on or off depending on if the pedal is depressed. Mute mode means the NS-2 is always on, but depressing the pedal mutes the chain, allowing you to tune or whatever you wish to do without any sound making it to the amp. For such a simple pedal, you'd expect simple controls, and that's exactly what you get. // 10
Sound: I'm using a Schecter C-1+ with Duncan Designed pickups, playing through various Boss and off-brand pedals into a Vox AD50VT. I placed the NS-2 at the end of my chain, and then input straight into the amp's input. Obviously, the NS-2 will not do very good in a send/receive loop. I get almost no noise on the recommended settings, but I still have good sustain. You're not going to get a note that can cry for days, however, because with a high threshold setting the pedal will cut the signal once the note deteriorates. If playing on a clean setting, I highly recommend turning the threshold down for better sustain. Otherwise, the pedal does it's job perfectly. I can even bang on my Ibanez with a tremolo that rattles like a banshee and I still don't get any noise. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Like all Boss pedals, this thing is a tank. Metal casing and rubber bushing makes this a formidable pedal. I have a backup 9v in it, but I run it through a power daisy chain. The NS-2 has an output power connection, so if you have multiple Boss pedals and want to daisy chain them, this is one of the few Boss pedals with an output on it. I think the others are the Tuner and Line Selector. I definitely rely on this baby at gigs, and it's yet to let me down. // 10
Impression: I play a lot of hardcore, punk, metal, and alternative, all of which are usually played with a lot of gain and Drive. This pedal is an absolute godsend for me; it makes your playing sound so much cleaner and brighter. Ah, the immortal question: If stolen, would I buy a new one? Most definitely. This pedal is one of the most important pieces of gear I own. In fact, I'd buy two, and safeguard the extra for emergencies. It's that big of a deal to me, and I promise it will be for you to. So go on out and buy it, now! // 10
Reviewed by:
HawkNelsonGeek, on june 08, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 79.99
Purchased from: Musicians Friend
Ease of Use: This is easy to use, but the knobs, they are kinda hard to remember which ones do what. The only knob you you a lot (if you are looking at the picture) is the first knob. That controls how much sustain you get till the NS-2 kicks in. If you have had any Boss pedals in the past, you know how the manual configurationis, like a booklet. The manual for this is kinda bad (sorry). I ahve seen upgraded models, and they are kinda strange, mine is not upgraded. // 8
Sound: With the NS-2, you always have to place it before your driver pedals, I don't know why, but it always works better like that and you get better soundslike that to. I play this through a Lespaul 100 and an OLD Peavey Classic 50 212. I use only Boss and one Morley and this is great, I mean great for playing at high volumes. This is also a muting pedal, if you don't use a TU-2 to mute already, you just click the far right knob, it only has two postions, to mute or reduction.It seems that it actually starts sound reduction when turn the thresh hold knob is turned up to o'clock. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This thing is so reliable.I am thinking of making a pedal board with the BCB30. I am about to get a BCB60 cause I need the space, but after that. The BCB30 can only hold three pedals. One of those three will definatly be the NS-2. Hands down. This is great for gig-ing, espesially if you stop and say things between songs, you wont have the sound in the background. // 10
Impression: I play punk, but mostly alternative. This is great for holding back driver sometimes. I have been playing for 5 going on 6 years, now, and I am so obssesed with pedals, so I know a good one when I see one or hear one. I use a Morley Bad horsie, DS-1, TU-2, and about to get an MD-2, DD-20 and BCB60. Not that much, huh? well, I'll get more, but. If this were stole, I would buy another right when it was gone. When I was buying, it was this or the MXR version, and it wasn't as precise. Worth the money! // 10
Reviewed by:
fsae0607, on january 29, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 85
Purchased from: GuitarCenter.com
Ease of Use: This pedal is as simple as it can get. The Threshold knob controls the volume at which the silencing kicks in and the Decay knob controls the timing at which the silencing kicks in. The rightmost knob is the Mode selector. One position is for noise reduction when it's on and nothing when off. The other position is for noise reduction when it's off and muting when it's on. The manual is good, as it tells you to keep the Decay knob at the CCW-most position initially and to tweak it from there. Other than that, the pedal is easy to dial in. // 10
Sound: I currently use it with my Gretsch G5129, Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer, FBM-1 '59 Fender Bassman & Ibanez DE7 Echo/Delay pedals. It all goes through a Fender Blues Jr. NOS amp. I wanted the NS-2 since the DeArmond pickups in my Gretsch get that 60 cycle hum when I Switch to either neck or bridge pickups. The other Boss pedals just add to the noise, making it annoying to play at higher volumes.
I have the Threshold set at the 11 o'clock position and the Decay at the 8 o'clock position to get back a bit of the Gretsch's sustain. I have it set on Mute mode, since I use it as a pseudo "Standby" for my amp, since my amp doesn't have that feature. The Boss pedals are hooked up to the Send/Return loop, so it kills the noise from them. All I have to do is turn on the NS-2 and turn off the Echo pedal (which is in between the Output jack on the NS-2 and my amp) and I got Standby mode.
The tone of the effects seems unaffected. The only good thing is that there's no more hum coming from them! I can now play my Gretsch in the Bridge pickup position to get that Rockabilly twang without being annoyed by the 60 cycle hum! // 10
Reliability & Durability: As with all Boss pedals, it's indestructable! I would gig without a backup, since I have that much confidence with Boss pedals. So far the extent of my gigging has been to set up and play at friend's and family's houses. The last time was in my cousin's garage Xmas eve when it was raining and close to 40 degrees outside. My wet shoes and the cold humid air had no effect on my pedals at all. Boss pedals are built to last! // 10
Impression: I play nothing but Rockabilly and the NS-2 was necessary as the FBM-1 is an Overdrive pedal which amplifies the hum and adds noise. The CS-3 is known to be noisy (it is). The NS-2 cleans up my sound and is super easy to dial in. If I lost it or had it stolen, I'd get one the same day. I can't Live without it now, since I'm amazed at the difference it makes. // 10
Reviewed by:
thetoastinator, on march 20, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Ease of Use: This pedal is extremely easy to use. You use the Threshold knob to set the sensitivity of the pedal, and that decides what it picks up as "noise" and what is a note. The Decay knob sets how long it takes after you stop playing until the gate kicks back in. This is there because the pedal may take away sustain, but I haven't noticed it in my playing. There are two modes for it to be used. One is the reduction setting. When the knob is on this setting, when the pedal is turned on, it is cutting out noise and feedback, but when you turn the pedal off, it is bypassing the pedal. In the Mute stage, when the pedal is on, the sound is completely muted, which is good for tuning or changing guitars onstage. When the pedal is off in mute mode, it cuts the noise just like it would if the pedal was on in the reduction setting. The manual wasn't too much help, but this was quite easy to figure out anyway. // 9
Sound: I play a Schecter Gryphon or a Fender Splatter Stratocaster, which goes to a Dunlop Original Crybaby, then this pedal, and then my Peavey Triple XXX Super 40. I have heard people say that this pedal should be in your effects loop, but I personally think it works better when it goes directly to your amp. My amp is extremely noisy without the NS2, especially with the Crybaby. My Schecter also has hot humbuckers that produce a lot of noise, and Pick up other electric things in the area, which made it impossible to play anywhere near my computer screen, which was terrible for learning songs. With the pedal, I do not get any hum around electrical devices, and I can only hear the amp make a little bit of noise, which isn't made from the guitar or pedal, so this is really doing what I had intended it for. I have heard from people that I shouldn't get this pedal because it sucks tone, but I haven't noticed it yet. The only difference in my tone is that the highs may be a little lower than without the pedal, but it only effects my tone if I am doing trills or something like that on the higher strings up high on the fretboard. For rhythm, the tone difference is unnoticeable. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I have had this pedal for about 2 days now, so I cannot really rate this area fairly, although my uncle has used Boss products for many years, and none of them have broke down on him. I would gig without a backup because I really wouldn't want to waste another 80 bucks just to have a spare, but I don't think you would need a backup anyway. // 10
Impression: I play metal and hard rock mainly, and I use a ton of gain on my amp, so it is very noisy and loud. This pedal does an amazing job at killing all of my feedback and excess unwanted noise. I have been playing for almost 3 years now, and this is my first noise gate. I played it for a while in the store when I was buying, but I didn't get to try it on my amp, so it was a hit or miss when I got home, but I'm definitely not disappointed. The only other pedal that I was looking at other than this one would have to be the ISP Decimator, which I have only heard soundclips of online. It sounded great, but nowhere around me could obtain them, so I settled with this, which was $20 cheaper list anyway, plus I talked the salesperson down another $20! Overall, this is a great pedal, and it does everything I wanted it to do. // 10
Reviewed by:
sjones, on september 12, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: CA House Music- Wva.
Ease of Use: This review is for the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor. If you're playing high gain music, you're most likely going to need a noise gate of some kind. The only tricky part about this particular model is the send/return to your effects, which actually is very handy, however, it will take a couple more cables to patch it all together. The manual is very informative about the knobs and what they do. // 8
Sound: I use this with my Agile Al 2900, Peavey Windsor, and assortment of effects pedals. It cuts out most, if not all feedback for me. If you stand wayyyy to close to a high gain amp, then of course you'll still get a little noise, but not much. I have mine set to the "Mute" setting, so when I turn the pedal on, it's already in it's noise gate mode, and when I step on it, it mutes my whole signal. This is very nice for in between songs and sets when there is talking to be done. The pedals effect on your tone is very negligable, and I've not noticed much of a difference in my tone with the pedal on or off my pedal board. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Pedal is very dependable. Never use a backup. Also, the power source out feature on this pedal is great. I can run all my pedals via the NS-2 and one power supply. This only required a daisy chain cord, which was 10 bucks, if even that. This is a great bonus on the pedal. The casing on the pedal is very tough, and would be hard to break. // 10
Impression: I play with a pretty high gain setup, and this pedal is very much a key part in my rig. Without it, I'd be in a huge mess of feedback everytime I took my hands off the guitar. The daisy chain feature is an added bonus to a great effect. For under 100 bucks, this is a great bargain for anyone Who wants to cut out their feedback problems. // 9
Reviewed by:
Skalokos, on january 14, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 60.00
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Ease of Use: It is incredibly easy to use this noise gate. Simly plug it into you guitar, then your pedals. It has a threshold knob, where counter-clockwise cut off a lot the unwanted buzz, as well as amp noise. The decay knob selects how long you want before it begins cutting noise off, for a more natural feel. With the knowledge that for a default, loud guitar and default, loud distortion pedal (such as the Electro-Harmonix metal muff), you simply turn the threshold far to the right and decay for to the left. You can simply build from there depending on your preference. Finally, there is the mode:the main suppressor you bought, and the mute feature, which lets you kill all the sound entirely. // 8
Sound: The sound from this is excellent. I use both a Fender Squire Strat and a Bc Rich Warlock, as well as my Harmony bass for brutal Death Metal mixed with my metal muff. The simplistic nature of the noise suppressor easily goes well with my guitars, cutting down the unnecessary noise. There are a FEW problems, though. For one, if I want to emulate the brutal Death Metal band Mortician and tune my bass too low mixed with distortion, it cuts off entirely. Not only do I have to turn everything, including amp, off, but I have to wait for a few minute before restarting. This is something I'm sure can murder you momentum Live. Also, I love to do fingertapping, and sometimes I have to sacrifice some threshold to get it to really Pick up sometimes. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Unlike some pedals, which are easily breakable, this one is quite good. I despise changing batteries, almost comparable to replacing strings, but it is very simple to open this up and do it. I haven't played Live anywhere, but I would definetly bring this along. // 10
Impression: Despite any of it's occasional glitches, this is a fantastic pedal. It goes very well with any other pedal, and easily slaughters that godawful buzz without any problems. It is also priced well too-I don't think any other more expensive brand could make much more of a difference for me to waste more money on. If I lost this, I would definitly seek to replace it. Overall, buy it. // 9
darkiii
: really enjoy your opinions, i think i will buy one for me too, thx POSTED: 12/30/2006 - 08:40 pm / quote|
vote-claypool
: bought one of these a few months ago....easily one of the best purchases ive made. kills the unwanted feedback when playing at a high volume...love this damn thing POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 12:45 pm / quote|
jumpmanhat
: i was going to get one, but then I thought of getting an ENGL powerball which has a built in noise gate, so unless im gettting ENGL, ill be getting it! POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 12:48 pm / quote|
right-carl
: fr some reason it didn't work at the start but i probably set it up wrong!!
now, however, it works like a charm!! POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 01:30 pm / quote|
dg-guitarist
: i got screwed i paid $110 for mine. but id gladly pay it again if mine got stolen. one of my, if not most, favorite guitar-related purchases POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 01:32 pm / quote|
Guitargod12345
: I own one it works pretty good. POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 03:15 pm / quote|
DaBlackE
: I always use this thing when I play POSTED: 03/20/2007 - 06:57 pm / quote|
freedoms_stain
: Pretty useful little pedal, noise gate, mute pedal, powers other boss pedals off 1 power supply. POSTED: 03/21/2007 - 07:08 am / quote|
metal_man101
: what rivals does this have???? POSTED: 03/26/2007 - 10:52 am / quote|
Quo Vadis
: Its rivals are pretty much any noise gates.
Now I need a little help. I play alot of super heavy stuff(Quo Vadis, Arch Enemy, Lamb of God) and i get ALOT of feedback in between notes, i just want to know, will this stop that?? POSTED: 04/25/2007 - 04:37 pm / quote|
TheCalvinator
: I bought a Behringer Noise reducer. 30 bucks, and is made with the same guts that the boss pedal is made with why is why boss is sueing behringer. Get the Behringer pedal, same thing, much cheaper. POSTED: 04/28/2007 - 06:58 pm / quote|
will-loves-zep
: the first review says that it doesnt cut amp noise much, i want to eliminate heavy feedback on my laney TF200 cos at the mo i play distorted, high volumes and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations please? POSTED: 06/15/2007 - 06:24 pm / quote|
Konstantine19
: This thing is a waste of money... if you want a real noise gate I would deff look into gettting the ISP decimator. google search POSTED: 08/15/2007 - 10:57 pm / quote|
metaldier
: Man I want this soooo bad POSTED: 11/20/2007 - 09:37 am / quote|
It's not as efficient at cutting amp noise (I tried putting it through my FX loop, but this did nothing)
That means that the noise is coming from the power amp in your amp. If its a tube amp try replacing the valves if you're worried. If its solid state... buy a better amp. POSTED: 03/24/2008 - 06:44 am / quote|
will-loves-zep :
the first review says that it doesnt cut amp noise much, i want to eliminate heavy feedback on my laney TF200 cos at the mo i play distorted, high volumes and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations please?
If you have one on your effects loop and another going straight from your guitar to your amp it should cut all unwanted amp noise. Just keep watching the settings you have them both on. POSTED: 07/04/2008 - 07:06 pm / quote|
X_Op3th_X
: I got an NS-2 myself, got it for 20$ used, but it was on top shape. I tried it a bit, had no manual, and at the time I didn't really appreciate it (got it like 2 years ago). But now that I'm playing pretty high-gain stuff, combined with some crappy pups the V I got has on it, it does wonders. It was a good buy POSTED: 12/05/2008 - 03:42 pm / quote|
Josola
: Dude anyone worried about tone cutting watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OazAyqkR2nI POSTED: 12/18/2008 - 03:06 pm / quote|
jdsony
: Great pedal though I just bought it last night. Picked it up in store for $50 used though I thought it was $94 which I still would have been happy with. Works exactly as designed and from my limited testing it will cut most of the noise that comes out of my amp when I'm not playing. The hiss of the amp can't be helped much. POSTED: 01/27/2009 - 12:37 pm / quote|
Mgkrcks
: this is why i love line 6 amps. you don't need like half of these pedals. great for un-rich people and i guess beginners. POSTED: 01/28/2009 - 09:03 am / quote|
mj2007
: i use the noise surpresser on my me50 and have it on full all of the time. when off it just sounds awful as my pickups literally pickup anything. i imagine the NS2 is much better than the me50 feature.
when i decide to go multiple standalone pedals i will deffo look into getting this POSTED: 01/28/2009 - 10:31 am / quote|
Sonic Blast
: i just ordered one of these a couple weeks ago. i live overseas so it hasn't gotten here yet. but it sounds like it'll really do its job! i have a dunlop crybaby and a bunch of boss pedals. POSTED: 01/28/2009 - 03:41 pm / quote|
Zappanator
: Line 6 sucks...I have an amp with all kinds of effects a Vypyr 75 it blows the hell out of Line 6 I should know i have one of those too. Anyways I still need to pick this one up I get a lot of buzzing from my amp when the gain is turned wide open. POSTED: 01/28/2009 - 08:49 pm / quote|
hoos
: I need a noise supressor BECAUSE I have a Line 6... POSTED: 01/29/2009 - 10:35 am / quote|
highwayone73
: Got mine used awhile ago. Wouldn't play without it. My amp isnt too noisey but all my guitars-except my Blackout equipped Flying V-are. Plus I've got a pretty broad, and constantly changing taste in pedals so this little guy is really handy. I'd still take a Decimator over one of these though. More expensive, but those things are awesome. POSTED: 02/03/2009 - 10:46 pm / quote|
tristan_deity
: these are rally ****ing expencive if you buy them brand new in australia, god dam 170$!! but i have really shitty equiptment (magnum guitar, 100w ashton, boss gt8) and this does a pretty good job, it actually makes my crap equip sound good. the only problem is that when your holding killer note at the end of a solo it will probably cut it off a bit to soon. mind you i think that if you had like a through neck or some pickups with pretty good sustain you probs wont have this problem. any way ive been playing for 4 years so i know my shit and this my friens is a definate good buy. POSTED: 04/15/2009 - 10:28 pm / quote|