Huh?! BOSS HF-2 and BF-2B are the same??

[bigtone23]

Really cool info!
I have a BF2B. If it can be tweaked to HF2, I'd do it.

Is it possible for you to make audio recordings of the following settings?

Setting 1:
Manual: minimum
Depth: minimum
Rate: maximum*
Resonance: maximum

Setting 2:
Manual: noon
Depth: minimum
Rate: maximum*
Resonance: maximum

I have fiddled around with the Clock trimpot when I received the BF-2B and I would like to turn it back to the factory setting. So an audio file was great. Please only hit the strings without playing a tone. I only need the sound of the resonance. If it turns out to be on par with a certain note on the fretboard (tuned guitar is a must, of course), then use it as well.

I just did the same with the HF-2, so you can try tweaking your BF-2B to the "Hi Band Flanger" BBD Clock setting. The settings are the same as above. The key note is an F in both sound files.

BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration Setting 1
BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration Setting 2

Our audio files could be helpful as a future reference for all those who are interested in trying out both models with one pedal.


*This has some influence on the manual mode as I just noticed when recording the short loops with the HF-2.

I'll see if I can get something posted!

[Pepe]

Great! Thanks so much!

And I am going to supply calibration sounds of the other HF-2 that I received a few days ago. The BBD Clock was calibrated three semi-tones below the setting of the other unit (that I regard as the better sounding setting). I think that there will be differently calibrated Bass Flanger units as well, but since I forgot to reliably remember the original position I would like to know where the overall trimpot position is supposed to be.

[laurie]

Will await that with interest.

[Pepe]

I'll see if I can get something posted!

I'm still interested in hearing a recording. The quality doesn't matter, just do an audio recording with a phone. You can also e-mail me the file so I can upload it on my webspace. I just need some confirmation for the pitch of the flanger sound in these certain settings.

[bigtone23]

Sorry about the wait!
I sent the files to your email. Let me know if you got them and if they sound good enough. I can easily redo them if needed.

[Pepe]

Thanks a lot for your recordings, bigtone23!

Surprisingly your BF-2B does already sound in the same pitch as the HF-2 Hi-Band Flanger! I have fiddled around with the trimpots of my BF-2B without marking the original position, so I assume that my unit (that I bought from a seller who said it was defective) was originally similarly sounding.

Right now I still have the two HF-2 units. The first that I received was the one from January 1986, the other one is from October 1985, the first month of production. In the setting with Manual and Depth at minimum and Resonance at maximum the unit from 1986 produces a delay that sounds like a note in the pitch "F", the one from 1985 is in "E flat". The BF-2B from bigtone23 produces an "E" in this setting, so it's exactly between the two units that I have.

Should all the BF-2B units be similarly adjusted, then they sound VERY much like the sought-after HF-2! The resonance of the BF-2B is set to a very low value (mine was as well, so I assume that this was intended this way by BOSS), so adjusting this to higher values is recommended. In the recordings of my HF-2 from October 1985 the trimpot resonance is maximized, which was the factory setting. Still it's very tame in comparison to what you can do with a BF-2.

I adjusted my early HF-2 to the sound of the other one ("F" instead of "E flat"), because it sounds better this way. I did another recording of the two settings before doing that. So here are all the audio files for those who want to adjust their units.


Setting 1:
Manual: minimum
Depth: minimum
Rate: maximum*
Resonance: maximum

Setting 2:
Manual: noon
Depth: minimum
Rate: maximum*
Resonance: maximum


HF-2 from January 1986:
BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration (Setting 1) [Jan 1986] Pitch: F
BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration (Setting 2) [Jan 1986]

HF-2 from October 1985 (first month of production):
BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration Setting 1 [Oct 1985] Pitch: E flat
BOSS HF-2 Trimpot Calibration (Setting 2) [Oct 1985]

BF-2B from user bigtone23:
BOSS BF-2B Trimpot Calibration (Setting 1) Pitch: E
BOSS BF-2B Trimpot Calibration (Setting 2)


*This has some influence on the manual mode as I just noticed when recording the short loops with the HF-2.

[Pepe]

I just tested both the properly adjusted BF-2B and one of the HF-2 pedals side by side. Overall I can only hear subtle differences, but that's simply due to the fact that the BF-2B is tuned a half-tone below the HF-2 now. In certain Manual and Depth settings I can achieve the same flanging sound. With the two different capacitors the bass version sounds cleaner. The main signal remains more unaffected, which is good for a bass guitar. For electric guitar (and overall) I prefer the HF-2.

So if you have a BF-2B, swap the capacitor C6 (0.01µF) and C7 (0.015µF) each for 0.047µF capacitors, turn up the resonance and maybe adjust the clock trimpot, then you have an HF-2.

[bigtone23]

I just tested both the properly adjusted BF-2B and one of the HF-2 pedals side by side. Overall I can only hear subtle differences, but that's simply due to the fact that the BF-2B is tuned a half-tone below the HF-2 now. In certain Manual and Depth settings I can achieve the same flanging sound. With the two different capacitors the bass version sounds cleaner. The main signal remains more unaffected, which is good for a bass guitar. For electric guitar (and overall) I prefer the HF-2.

So if you have a BF-2B, swap the capacitor C6 (0.01µF) and C7 (0.015µF) each for 0.047µF capacitors, turn up the resonance and maybe adjust the clock trimpot, then you have an HF-2.

Very cool! Thanks for doing this.

[ChristoMephisto]

The HF2 and BF2B are close but there is two extra comps added and it is routed differently. Look beside the Depth pot there is a trim pot and above that in the HF2 is the extra parts, probably the octave sound. The HF2 can be modded towards a BF2B but not the other way round.

[Pepe]

Great seeing you again, ChristoMephisto!

Somehow I cannot see what you are seeing. I keep on switching between the schematics of the HF-2 and BF-2B but I fail to see any difference besides the values of C6 and C7.