Boss DS1 - most over hyped pedal?

impmann

I remember owning one of these back in the day, and even then I wondered what all the fuss was about. I bought another recently to see if my memory of it being a thin, buzzy, nasty sounding thing was false. My memory was being kind...

OK the one I have isn't an original from the early 80s, but it really is horrid sounding, IMHO. To me, it sounds like a fuzz pedal with the bias wrong - thin, characterless and lacking in any redeeming features.

Am I alone in this? And for those that actually like this pedal, how do you use it?

StefB

impmann said:

I remember owning one of these back in the day, and even then I wondered what all the fuss was about. I bought another recently to see if my memory of it being a thin, buzzy, nasty sounding thing was false. My memory was being kind...

OK the one I have isn't an original from the early 80s, but it really is horrid sounding, IMHO. To me, it sounds like a fuzz pedal with the bias wrong - thin, characterless and lacking in any redeeming features.

Am I alone in this? And for those that actually like this pedal, how do you use it?

You aren't alone. 

I bought one a few months ago after wondering what all the fuss was about.

It doesn't sound horrendous, but didn't even begin to meet my expectations.  Luckily they are cheap to buy and easily sold on.

JookyChap

No, I've tried them three or four times, each because I figured I must be missing something, but the only thing about them that seemed good was that they were cheap. Horrible fizzy things.

ThePrettyDamned

Ds1 or sd1?

I actually like both...

The ds1 is a proper garage rock pedal when in a slightly overdriven amp, and my mate uses one (stock, new) into an ac15 for a Foo Fighters covers band. Sounds great!

The sd-1 is the overdrive pedal to boost a Marshall. Pinch harmonics scream. Listen to anything by black label society and that's pretty much an sd-1 into a jcm800, sometimes two of them with a stereo chorus. Sounds massive.

The ds-2 is my pick, though. Into a clean amp on turbo mode with a strat = John frusciante slane castle opening.

All three have tons of mods for more booteek and refined sounds, too, the keeley seeing eye mod is pretty fantastic.

mike_l

impmann said:

Am I alone in this? And for those that actually like this pedal, how do you use it?

I use one, same as I use a Bad Monkey, or SD-1, IE into the front of a dirty amp as a gain/volume boost. It does work pretty well in that context.

When I had my first one I did like you find it thin, brittle, noisey, and, frankly, a bit shit. That was into a cheap little transistor amp. In to th front of a dirty DSL, it's a pretty pokey snarly rock beast. Probably better for heavier styles than more classic-rock styles.

It's certainly got more gain than a SD-1, and can get quite nasty when pushed right up. I tend to put all the controls to roughly 2 oclock (anywhere from 12-3 really) and use it as a lead boost.

gubble

Bought a new one about 4 years ago and couldn't stand it. Thought it sounded so thin and rubbish and wondered what the fuss was about.

12 months ago however I bagged one for a tenner on ebay. Thought might as well, we should all own one.

Now for some reason I love it. I've no idea if it sounded different to the one i had a few years ago or my tastes/ears have changed but for some reason this one sounds fantastic to me.

impmann

So basically what everyone is saying is the amp has to be starting to break up for this pedal to do anything useable?

OK - I get that. :-)

But into the clean channel of my HRD (like I use all my other pedals) it really doesn't sound good, IMHO. And I really don't hear this (directly quoted from the Boss website - and used in most advertising) "the DS-1 faithfully reproduces all the subtle nuances of playing dynamics--at any volume"

It sounds thin and buzzy at every volume I've tried it at - and its about as dynamic as John Major's pyjamas, IMHO.

Well, I'll feed it into the other guitarist's rig at the weekend to see if it sound OK there (Hayden MOFO 15w set 'loud'). 

FWIW, I'm looking for a pedal to give me a snarly distortion tone for use in my punk covers band - and it really doesn't work for that!! I use a ZVex Distortron normally along with an Okko Diablo (main distortion/OD) and they work very well in that context into the front end of the Fender. Not that there's anything wrong with the sound I have... I was just looking for different flavours, that's all.

monquixote

I don't think they are overhyped, they are an inexpensive, reliable distortion pedal that's been used to make loads of classic records. That hardly makes them a Dumbloid. 

I know people do use them into clean amps, but I didn't really like it this way. When I had one I discovered that if you keep the gain low and the level high and put it into the front of a fairly dark dirty amp you get this incredible searing rock tone with loads of harmonics that's perfect for crazy Randy Rhoads stuff. You can really hear how people like Satriani and Vai use them.

viz

The only think you have to be wary of is - not turning the gain on the amp and the distortion on the pedal too much simultaneously, and not playing too quietly. At proper strong volumes they're amazing. Especially the keeley mod as the p-damned says.

Flanging_Fred

I didn't like the first DS1 I got. But I tried it again and now I think it's fine.

It's quite a scooped distortion tone so putting it in front of a Fender amp, which is also on the scooped side, probably won't work well. In front of a mid biased amp like a Marshall will likely yield better results IMO.

dogload

I've owned the SD1 since about 1982 and it has been in every incarnation of my effects set up since.

I've only recently had a DS1 and although I don't use it  in my board, I didn't find it as awful as I had been led to believe. 

Bidley

I've never thought of them as overhyped either. If you ask everyone what their most hated pedal is, I bet 1 in 3 would put the DS-1 up there.

impmann

OK overhyped maybe an overstatement... but there is a lot of hype about this being a great sounding, versatile pedal and it isn't either as far as I can see,,,

therose789

I used to have a DS1. It was awful. Thin and harsh sounding. 

I guess for the money its one of the best sub £40 drives but it sounds like a sub £40 drive! 

ThePrettyDamned

impmann said:

OK overhyped maybe an overstatement... but there is a lot of hype about this being a great sounding, versatile pedal and it isn't either as far as I can see,,,

I kind of think of it like a tubescreamer sort of versatile - it can do a lot, but it does prefer dirty amps.  As has been mentioned, don't go nuts with the gain on either pedal or amp and it'll give you super sustain and loads of harmonics.  As @viz said, Steve Vai and Satch are known for them (albeit Japanese ones, which *do* sound different apparently).  

EDIT: What I mean is that your average tubescreamer doesn't sound great into a clean amp.  Likewise for these.  

You can get ones modded to Keeley or other boutweak mods on eBay for less than your average dirt pedal, too, so they're worth a look in. 

Some folk use a Klon to boost a dirty amp, but for my money a Tubescreamer in front of a 5150 or an SD1 or DS1 in front of a Marshall sounds better for my sort of stuff...

WOO that's some thick sounds.  That's almost certainly an SD-1 into a JCM800, or his sig pedal (which is an SD-1 that's in an MXR enclosure apparently).

mike_l

used as a "dirty amp channel" the DS-1 is crap, not what it is good for at all. For that situation I'd use a Marshall Guv'nor* or MXR D3.

 

*hmm, might try a DS-1 into a Mk1 (or 2) Guv'nor this weekend......

impmann

That's an idea - I have the Zvex Distortron (JCM 800 in a box, apparently), maybe I'll try stacking them. :-)

mike_l

Worth a shot. Certainly I've tried a number of different drives and some sound better than others as an alternative to a dirty amp channel, some work better as lead boosts.

IMO the DS-1 and SD-1 fit into the latter catagory.

stickyfiddle

I have one I got from someone in the fools old days of MR and love it. Mine is modded though- new chip and clipping options. I'm not sure which of the clipping choices is the original setting, but all are good. It's a great pedal for BonJovi-isms. Could well have been shit when stock though.

(Interesting aside: my phone autocorrected "good" to "fools". Quite apply in the context )

ICBM

The DS-1 is one of the greatest dirt pedals ever made, and has been made continuously for over thirty years for a reason.

Into the right amp… it's *extremely* amp-sensitive - in particular it doesn't work well with anything that has bright caps almost anywhere in the circuit, which instantly brings out the worst of the harsh high-end the pedal can produce. The 'window' on the tone control is extremely narrow as well and varies from amp to amp or even at different volume settings too. Narrow as in you need to set the dial with millimetre accuracy - usually between about 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock.

I actually think it does work best as a 'dirty channel' into a Marshall or Mesa-type amp - or at least as a 'dirtier channel'. It can get a bit overblown into an already heavily-overdriven amp - it's better the other way round, with overdrive (particularly the SD-1) in front of it.

I also think the older Made In Japan ones genuinely sound better than the more recent Taiwanese models, although I've also seen a Youtube clip which appeared to prove otherwise… but that wasn't my experience with the ones I've owned.

I probably shouldn't have sold my last MIJ one, but actually I prefer the DF-2 Super Distortion & Feedbacker - which is not quite the same circuit, although it's very similar-sounding. That's my favourite distortion pedal ever, bar none - even not counting the feedbacker section, just the plain distortion tone.

The DS-1 is not meant to be polite, or smooth, or transparent by the way .

blueskunk

I love mine its great

Think is a keeley modded one though if that makes a difference