The BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is one of those pedals that sounds like it should not exist, but somehow makes perfect sense once you think about it.
On one side, you have the BOSS Blues Driver, one of the most familiar overdrive pedals around. On the other side, you have the JHS Angry Charlie, which is more of a Marshall-flavoured drive and distortion pedal. Put those two ideas into one compact BOSS enclosure, add a clever routing switch, and you get the Angry Driver.
That is already an interesting idea.
But the real question is not whether the collaboration looks cool on paper. The real question is whether the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver actually works as a useful drive pedal in a real setup.
So for this review, I used it with my Telecaster, my Uraltone Junior amp and the Two Notes Torpedo Live to hear how it behaves in actual song-style examples, not just isolated pedal demo noodling.
Although, to be fair, there is probably some noodling too. It is still a guitar pedal review.
Disclaimer: Tampereen Musiikki provided the pedal for me to test with my own setup. As always, the opinions here are based on my own experience using the pedal.
What Is the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver?
The BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is a collaboration between BOSS and JHS Pedals. It combines two drive circuits in one pedal: the BOSS Blues Driver and the JHS Angry Charlie.
That alone would already be useful, but the clever part is the mode switch.
With that switch, you can use the Blues Driver side on its own, the Angry Charlie side on its own, switch between the two, run one into the other, reverse the order, or run both sides in parallel.
That gives the Angry Driver much more flexibility than a normal two-in-one overdrive pedal.
Both sides have their own level, tone and drive controls. The top row controls the Angry Charlie side, while the bottom row controls the Blues Driver side. The lower row is slightly harder to see because of the compact layout, but this is probably one of those pedals where you dial in your basic sounds and then leave the controls alone for a while.
At least that is the theory.
We all know guitar players still stare at knobs like they are trying to decode ancient texts.
The Setup for This Review
For this BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver review, I used my Telecaster into the pedal and then into my Uraltone Junior.
The Uraltone Junior is a Fender-style amp with plenty of headroom, which makes it a very good platform for testing overdrive and distortion pedals. If the amp is already heavily coloured or breaking up too much, it can be harder to hear what the pedal itself is doing.
From the amp, I went into the Two Notes Torpedo Live with a closed-back 4×12 REVV Amplification cabinet sound.
That setup gives me a familiar testing platform. It is bright enough, clear enough and honest enough that I can hear whether a drive pedal is actually working or whether I am just trying to convince myself because the logo looks nice.
Using the Blues Driver Side
For the first track, I used the Blues Driver side for both rhythm guitars.
That made sense because the Blues Driver has always been good at that slightly gritty, open overdrive thing. It can add character without completely taking over the sound of the guitar and amp.
With the Telecaster and the Uraltone Junior, the Blues Driver side felt natural. It gave the rhythm guitars enough bite and movement without making everything too compressed or too aggressive.
That is one of the reasons the Blues Driver has stayed popular for so long. It does not always sound like a dramatic effect. Sometimes it just makes the amp feel like it is working a little harder.
And that can be exactly what you need.
Using the Angry Charlie Side
The Angry Charlie side is a very different thing.
Where the Blues Driver side feels more open and overdrive-like, the Angry Charlie side brings more gain, more midrange and more of that British amp-style attitude. It is the side of the pedal that feels more ready for rock tones straight away.
For the second track, I used the JHS side for the rhythm guitars. That immediately pushed the sound into a thicker and more aggressive direction.
This is probably the side of the pedal that will make more sense if you want heavier rhythm tones, more sustain, and something that feels less like an overdrive pushing an amp and more like a drive pedal acting as a major part of the amp sound.
It still reacts to the guitar and the amp, but it definitely has more of its own voice.
Stacking the Two Sides
This is where the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver becomes much more interesting than just “two famous drive pedals in one box.”
You can stack the two circuits in both directions.
One mode runs the Angry Charlie into the Blues Driver. Another mode runs the Blues Driver into the Angry Charlie. That might sound like a small difference, but it really changes the feel and response of the pedal.
Running the Blues Driver into the Angry Charlie can make the sound feel more pushed and lead-friendly. It is a good way to get more saturation and sustain without completely losing the character of the guitar.
Running the Angry Charlie into the Blues Driver feels different. It can smooth things in another way and changes how the gain structure responds.
This is exactly the kind of thing that makes the pedal fun to experiment with. You are not just choosing between two drive sounds. You are choosing how those drive sounds interact.
And that is where the Angry Driver starts earning its name.
Switching Between Blues Driver and Angry Charlie
One of the cleverest modes lets you switch between the Blues Driver and Angry Charlie sides.
With an external BOSS footswitch, such as the FS-7, you can treat the pedal almost like two separate drive pedals. That opens up a very practical live setup.
For example, you could set the Blues Driver side as a lower-gain rhythm sound or almost a clean boost. Then, with one press, you switch to the Angry Charlie side for a more saturated lead sound.
That is genuinely useful.
Of course, the pedal still has only one main footswitch on its own, so to get the most out of this switching idea, the external footswitch makes a lot of sense. Without it, you are still getting a flexible pedal, but with it, the whole thing becomes more performance-friendly.
Parallel Mode
The final mode runs both sides in parallel.
This is a cool idea because instead of one circuit pushing into the other, both sounds happen at the same time. In practice, that can give you a wider and more complex drive tone.
Parallel drive sounds can be really useful because they let you keep some of the character of both circuits. You get the openness of one side and the aggression of the other without forcing one to completely dominate the other.
It is also one of those modes where small knob changes matter.
If both sides are too loud or too gainy, the sound can get crowded pretty quickly. But dialed in carefully, parallel mode gives the Angry Driver another useful flavour that you would not get from a regular single overdrive pedal.
What I Like About the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver
The best thing about the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is how many useful gain combinations it gives you in a normal-sized BOSS pedal.
You get a Blues Driver-style overdrive, an Angry Charlie-style drive, the ability to switch between them, two stacking orders and parallel operation. That is a lot of flexibility from one stompbox.
I also like that the pedal is not just flexible in a “look at all these options” kind of way. The options actually make musical sense.
The Blues Driver side can handle lower-gain rhythm parts. The Angry Charlie side can take care of heavier rhythm sounds. The stacked modes can work for leads. The switching mode can make the pedal feel like two separate gain stages on a board.
That is a very practical design.
And because this is still a BOSS pedal, it feels solid and familiar. There is something comforting about that. You already know it is going to survive normal pedalboard life better than most of us survive a Monday morning.
What Could Be Better?
The main compromise is the control layout.
Because there are two full drive circuits in one compact pedal, the knobs are naturally smaller and closer together than they would be on two separate pedals. The Blues Driver controls especially can be a little harder to see.
That is not a dealbreaker, but it is worth mentioning.
If you like constantly tweaking knobs during a session, this layout might feel a bit cramped. If you usually dial in your drive sounds and leave them alone, it is probably not a big issue.
The other thing to remember is that this pedal has a lot of modes. That is a strength, but it also means you should spend some time learning what each mode actually does. Otherwise, it is easy to just pick one sound and forget half the pedal exists.
Which would be a shame, because the routing options are the whole point.
Is the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver Good?
Yes, the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is a very good drive pedal.
It is not just a novelty collaboration between two well-known pedal brands. It actually gives you a useful combination of overdrive, distortion and routing options in a compact format.
The Blues Driver side sounds good for lower-gain rhythm tones and open overdrive sounds. The Angry Charlie side gives you more aggressive rock tones. The stacked modes are useful for bigger lead sounds, and the parallel mode adds another flavour entirely.
If you already love both the Blues Driver and Angry Charlie, this pedal is probably going to make a lot of sense.
If you are looking for one drive pedal that can cover several gain roles on a pedalboard, it also makes a strong case for itself.
Final Thoughts on the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver
The BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is a clever pedal.
That is probably the best way to describe it.
It takes two familiar drive ideas, puts them in one enclosure and then adds enough routing flexibility to make the collaboration feel meaningful. It is not just “here are two pedals in one box.” It is more like a small gain workstation hiding inside a standard BOSS pedal.
The Blues Driver side gives you the open and familiar BOSS overdrive thing. The Angry Charlie side adds the thicker JHS rock sound. Once you start stacking them or running them in parallel, the pedal becomes much more than the sum of its parts.
It is not perfect. The controls are a bit cramped, and you will probably want an external footswitch if you plan to use the switching mode live. But overall, this is a very smart and very useful drive pedal.
If you like flexible gain pedals, the BOSS JB-2 Angry Driver is absolutely worth checking out.
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