Bsiab vs Boogey

[stutter]

I have listened to clips of both pedals and so far Bsiab has the edge.I know the boogey has far more gain but im looking for a pedal full of character and harmonics.Something that will work with a good tube amp.I want to get into metal territory,but not a dull sound only good for palm muting etc.So...any thoughts?

[solarplexus]

I wouldn't suggest the BSIAB II for metal territory.  It's too much in the Mid range... However... for grunge or just plain hard rock, the fact that it's more in the Mid range helps to cut through the mix alot.  I built one 2 years ago, and I always get tired of it, change pedals, go back to it because I tell myself "if everyone says it's the sh$t, then it must be", but honestly, I never really liked the sound of hit for metal/grunge/heavy rock... for me it's more of a Blues/Rock/Hard rock sound.  For Metal, I need something more bassy/high.  What I use is an OD250 or a Red Lama for low gain passages, then for heavy passages, I use a Whisker Biscuit or a Big Muff.  Then I control the Mid with the Tonemender (or any other EQ) in case it doesn't cut well in the mix.

It's just my two cents, but it might help you make a decision.

Matt

[Bucksears]

I have them both and love them both, but they can't REALLY be compared. The BSIAB II will cover everything from blues/fusion rock to classic/hard rock, and is far and away the most versatile distortion I've ever used. It's my main dirt pedal for this reason.
That being said, the Dr. Boogey is IT for metal as far as I'm concerned. It has the most gain I will EVER need and covers my 'scooped mids' sound. The BSIAB II is warmer, but the Dr. B has the chunk for much heavier palm muting than the BSIAB II.

Build 'em both and decide for yourself. They sit side-by-side on my board.

- Buck

[oldrocker]

I haven't built either one of these but I always wanted to.  They have always peeked my curiosity and I know if I built one of them I'd have to build the other.  I'll have to slowly acquire all the components for these and start building them.  I hope I can still find perfboard layouts for them somewhere.  Would it be feasible to built them both combined in one enclosure and toggle between the two?  I know it would be a lot of knobs I was thinking it would cover the distortion areas having both together.

[solarplexus]

I know there is a layout somewhere for the Dr. Boogie on a vero.  It has 7 strips wide and 25-26 strips long.  I don't remember who made it, but it's pretty cramped but is also verified.  I guess you could built this one for a 2 in 1.

[Roobin]

Culd the BSIAB be suitable for say Led zep, maybe slightly heavier, stuff, and the Dr B perhaps Vai or Satriani?

[mars_bringer_of_war]

The BSIAB is perfect for VH, imho. It seems that was the targeted type of sound, kind of a hotrod Plexi crossed with a JCM.
Vai and Satch use that VH sound as a jumping off point, so with a little tweaking with the rest of your rig, you should get there. The Boogie is more modern, "nu-metal" as far as I see it.

[DWBH]

Bsiab is no metal-pedal. It goes from Blues to Hard-Rock, for sure. But no metal. If it was suitable for metal, it wouldn't be one of the best distortion pedals out there. 

[Steben]

If it was suitable for metal, it wouldn't be one of the best distortion pedals out there. 

cheesy...

On the other hand, a booster in front and an EQ after the BSIAB, and you have metal in a second...

[mars_bringer_of_war]

It all depends on how you use any distortion pedal, really. Put the BSIAB in front of a super clean amp, and it's Led Zep. Put it in front of a mildly clipping amp, and it's EVH. Put it in front of an already distorted amp, and it's the end of the world.
For that matter, put a clean boost in front of an already distorting amp, and a metal sound is possible, depending on the rig.

[powerplayj]

Having built both I would say you might want to base your decision on two factors......1.) Do you like Mesa or Marshall tones better? (obvious, huh?) and 2.) what type of metal?  Although the Dr. Boogey is thought to be a high gain monster (and it is) it can do some lower gain tones really well (especially with single coils....).  On the other hand, the BSIABII can get into metal territory if your metal is of the 80's hair variety and not death metal, etc..  Like someone mentioned before, stack it with an OD and you can push it even harder.

Another train of thought is to try the modified Governor layout floating around here which is comparable to the MI Audio Crunch Box.  I have the Crunch Box itself and assuming you don't want a light OD but, rather a medium to all out Marshall distortion sound, look no further.  The pedal only retails for $109 which isn't bad to start with for something that is hand built, true bypass, etc.

[John Lyons]

Just build them both.
Both are great pedals with a lot of character and harmonics. The BSIAB has more mids but not in a bad way.
Both sond good at low and high gain and both can be modified for lower gain if need be. all 2n5457s in the BSIAB gets nice low gain sounds.
The boogey has a mid scoop (able) tone control and you can modify the BSIAB to do the same with a different tone control.
The BSIAB can get metal sounds depending on your amp. If you have a slightly distorted amp metal will be no problem. If it's squeaky clean then just boost it a little with another pedal. (mini booster or ?)

I would beuild the BSIAB2 first and see what you think. It's a much simpler pedal to build and you won't regret it either way.
If you want more metal then build the boogey.

John

[ambulancevoice]

If it was suitable for metal, it wouldn't be one of the best distortion pedals out there. 

cheesy...

On the other hand, a booster in front and an EQ after the BSIAB, and you have metal in a second...

i agree, boost>bsiab>eq would work well

[stutter]

hmm ill build the Bsiab first then think about the dr boogey.I have a rangemaster so i could boost the bsiab and see how it sounds.The tones im aiming for are Dream Theater(Mesa) Children of bodom(Ampeg Lee Jackson) and bands in that sort of area.But these are the tones my cover band are after...Im pretty happy with my rangemaster in front of a P1extreme. 

[Roobin]

Wonder what BSIAB -> Dr Boogey sounds like...

[stutter]

Alright changed my mind...boogie it is.One thing though id like to build a tonestackless version...I heard bucksears had a pcb layout of this but it isnt there anymore..Any thoughts?