Boss Flanger BF-2

A flanging effect is produced by combining the original signal with an electronically delayed signal. Using four controls, you can tailor a variety of sounds from dynamic jet-plane effects to short delay, chorus and vibrato sounds. When the BF-2 is connected to a distortion unit, even more radical effects are at your command.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $149.50

Looking to buy the Boss Flanger BF-2? Check for availability.

Boss

Add to My Bookmarks

All items from Boss

Add your review

User Reviews of the Boss Flanger BF-2

Submitted by Yves from Ottawa (172 points) on Oct 20, 2010
1- The BF-2 fits right into this tip from an old MXR

ad, circa 1980: "... especially effective with

keyboards is to have a phase shifter sweeping with a

narrow width and fast speed, running into a flanger

sweeping with a wide width and slow speed." 2- It is useful and slightly cool to be able to

freeze the filter by turning the "Manual" control

fully counter-clockwise, and then adjusting it

manually. 3- For noise, I would prefer a pair of phasers over

a pair of falngers most of the time.
Good Points: - BOSS robustness and reliability. - No klunky click when turned off/on. - For the price of a new BF-3, you can get a BF-2

and a BOSS PH-2 phaser, with enough left-over for a

milkshake. - Filter can be adjusted manually; interesting for

noise. - Greater resale value than expected on the

collectibles market. - They talk about it a bit in the _BOSS Book_,

Koichi Nishimura (editor), Hal Leonard, 2001.
Bad Points: - The effect isn't as strong as expected: weak

depth. - Pricey for what you get. - User guide documentation is unclear about "Manual"

function. - BOSS website has too few suggestions for settings

and combining with other pedals. And they don't talk

about it enough in the _BOSS Book_ (2001).
Price Paid: US$39.00
Purchased At: Pawnshop in Ottawa
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by AULOS from Hereford Uk (488 points) on Sep 26, 2008
I think this can be modded to turn into more of a noise pedal. I don't know how but if any of you, hit me up because this needs a little extra something. I think it's worth the I got it for and it's orange label which is cool. I do like the Jetplane swoosh but I am getting a little frustrated with it's lack of settings.
Good Points: Purple! Can be modded easily? Jetplane swoooooooosh!
Bad Points: Doesn't do much. Buy the BF-3.
Price Paid: US$40.00
Purchased At: Ebay US
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Ed from Bowling Green, OH (82 points) on Dec 2, 2006
Um. It's aflanger. About as basic a flanger as you can get before the "Fab" Danelectro flange, which is terrible. It's a very predictable flange. Splurge for a little more and get the BF-3, or maybe something better and more powerful than a Boss pedal.
Good Points: It does what it says it does it's better than the mini danelectro one.
Bad Points: Pretty cliched. Not deep/weird enough for my tastes.
Price Paid: US$20.00
Purchased At: Peeler Guitars
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Beavis from Afghanistan (258 points) on Mar 29, 2005
It Sucks!!! I have heard there are trimpots in it....but have not tweaked.
Good Points: It can sound good-ish if used superfast. Volume boost when engaged.
Bad Points: You cant hear notes thru it!! Volume boost when engaged
Price Paid: US$0.00
Purchased At: borrowed from friend
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by kinetic turtle from Oakland, CA (166 points) on Jan 9, 2005
a review haiku: it is a flanger it does flange to some degree not much here to say
Good Points: it's boss, so it doesn't break the same guy sold me a PS-3, which is an awesome pedal. Okay, I'm stretching for something good here.
Bad Points: It's not the BF-3. With many setups, you basically have to crank it to get anything out of it.
Price Paid: US$20.00
Purchased At: ebay
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Marco from Brescia (138 points) on Oct 25, 2004
I don't like this pedal, it's more weak than others flanger. You must use this after a distortion to hear a decent sound. If you like Boss, try the BF-3. More options...
Good Points: -you can use this pedal for flanger, chorus or tremolo-type sound -it's cheap
Bad Points: -weak sound if used alone -I don't like the limited range of the rate knob
Price Paid: US$40.00
Purchased At: E-Bay
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Ryan from Oak Creek, WI (106 points) on Oct 15, 2004
I have this boss flanger. Its exactly what I wanted out of it. its got a subtle flange... but the best part of it is when you crank the rate. It sounds like something straight out of star wars....
Good Points: GREAT weird sound. Crazy noises like that, if want something weird.
Bad Points: Boss scrwed it up by making the BF-3 :(.
Price Paid: US$0.00
Purchased At: Given to me
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Paul Joseph from Quezon City (4 points) on Jul 31, 2004
I borrowed it once form a friend before I got a Taiwanese-made Flanger and it wasn't much but it was "snug-fit" to the style I used to play before...
Good Points: Its good as your playing style dictates so open your creativity I'm sure with this it will bring you places...
Bad Points: I haven't got much out of it because I had for a week, it was a BOSS it was pricey back then...
Price Paid: US$0.00
Purchased At: borrowed form a friend
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by tapesss from Brooksville, FL (344 points) on Feb 21, 2004
I borrowed it from a friend, to see if it was worth buying. The flange was VERY weak, almost no-existent. This was with a brand-new battery. I adjusted it some more and got a very bland sounding flange out of it. It was alright when i had a lot of distortion going through it, but for the most part, i didn't like it. I wouldn't reccomend it. Though if you need a flanger to beat up on, the sturdy construction of this will hold out to all your abusive tendencies.
Good Points: sturdy construction
Bad Points: almost everything.
Price Paid: US$0.00
Purchased At: borrowed
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by spit + smudge from Savannah, GA (214 points) on Feb 3, 2004
Well, it's a flanger. Nothing spectacular really. The rate on it is fairly fast but I'm always out for those sick fast speeds that sound like a warbled mess. It has it's uses, generally I use it for vocals for that patented power electronics vocal sound but for full out pedal noise, it tends to get drowned out. I haven't played with the trim pots as most of my pedals tend to have something to tweak which prevents any time in actually getting to play with them internally. Oh well.
Good Points: Decent sound, not mind blowing. Speed is fairly quick but not fast enough for my tastes.
Bad Points: Purple...ugh.
Price Paid: US$30.00
Purchased At: The one and only......ebay!
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by D/A A/D from Halifax (410 points) on Nov 17, 2002
Ok - TRIMPOTS!!! and feedback control (res) - you can get this baby to sound wicked crazy or simple as pie. If used after a rat and before a death metal - your in heavin!...... sweeeeet noise!...
Good Points: Boss durabliity, color, andit oscillates...
Bad Points: Color, expensive most of the time...
Price Paid: US$60.00
Purchased At: Cash Converters
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Torbjörn from Örebro (110 points) on Nov 2, 2002
One of the first pedals I bought and I donŽ´t regret it. So what can it do? Well it can flange and that is about it and you canŽ´t expect more from it. Compared to DOD flangers this gives a more distinct flanging sound. The sound of the flanger seems to be drowned in too heavy noise and works better with just one or two distortions. I would not replace this if it got lost because it is so generic.
Good Points: It flanges in good ol style. Sturdy
Bad Points: It flanges in good old style
Price Paid: US$69.00
Purchased At: Musikbsen -Used
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Dave from Grand Rapids, MI (8 points) on Jul 1, 2002
Does its job well. Thanks to previous poster for trimpot info. I'm not a big flanger-user. It provides a VERY noticeable volume boost, which doesn't bother me, and can be fixed. As a guitar-wielding noisician, I crank up gain on my amp and possibly another dist. pedal and play through this in the fx loop and just hold one thick chord for swirly-fuzzy-feedbacky-insaneness. Very thick sounding. Get it if you dig flangers. I prefer my Small Stone's subtlety over the BF-2's exaggerated swooshiness, but to each his own, and I still use it every now and then for variation. Of course, I "acquired" mine free of charge, i doubt i would pay for one, unless it was extremely cheap.
Good Points: Does it's job well. Sometimes sounds cool but not so much as a noise pedal. built like a boss.
Bad Points: Sounds pretty similar to every other flanger out there. Volume boost. Not too much variation, a flange is a flange.
Price Paid: US$0.00
Purchased At: stolen from friend
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by Rob from London (362 points) on Apr 10, 2002
Flangers are retro and get stale very quickly if you use them all the time. This flanger isn't very remarkable as it comes, it sounds metallic, digital and quite harsh. There is a substantial volume increase when the pedal is engaged that would drive some players mad. Noise players may find it useful to add some metalic sounds to the mix maybe. However open the pedal up and you will find some trim pots that make it all worthwile. One control gain so you can fix the volume problem (or make louder for LOUD whooshing). There's another twim pot for regeneration. This is the key to the pedal, by fiddling with this you can get some derenged sounds and wild feedback. You can even make the pedal self ossilate. It's a shame that Boss didn't make this clearer. I can use this pedal to make feedback siren noises now (but it's now useless for normal flanging, but that's no big deal.) If you alter the trim pots you might want to make a note of the original positions in case you ever want to sell it...
Good Points: Get some wild sounds by adjusting it. Reliable.
Bad Points: Unremarkable Flanger with volume increase as it comes.
Price Paid: US$15.00
Purchased At: ebay
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Submitted by K. from Sealy, TX (532 points) on Mar 16, 2002
Fairly decent flanger, but I have similar feelings about flangers as I do phasers, they're rather limited by their distinctive sound, you'd think someone would make these pedals w/ a mix control. A somewhat metallic oscillation can be obtained by adjusting the rate and depth controls and backing off the resonance. Also has a manual control which can be used to adjust the delay time, though it's all but unnoticeable unless all the other controls are turned way down.
Good Points: Boss reliability, full range of standard flanging effects
Bad Points: full range of STANDARD flanging effects
Price Paid: US$40.00
Purchased At: somewhere in TX
Was this review helpful to you?

Yes No

Add your review of the Boss Flanger BF-2