BOSS SD1 Super Overdrive. Good or Not?

tekbow

Big fan.

SD1 plus a Marshall? Yep.

Redlester

JezWynd said:

Brilliant pedal and now available in fetching black colour scheme...

Is that just the standard pedal, only with the ltd edition paint job? 

Dave_Mc

monquixote said:

An SD-1 into a JCM800 accounts for the guitar sound on about 50% of classic metal records. 

It's very close to a TS so if you like one you will probably like the other. For whatever reason you seem to get more Fender + TS and Marshall + SD1, but either way should work.

Yeah. The SD1 has a little more bite and treble. If you hate a TS, you won't like it (most likely, anyway), but if you like a TS but wished it was slightly less smooth in the treble, then the SD1 is pretty much what you want.

SquireJapan

I love them - specifically into my JCM900 master volume - in the most obvious statement on this forum ... you have to use your ears to get the "gud tones".

I thought they were crap, as for some reason I thought if the pedal was at the more exteme settings I was doing something wrong (low and high extremes of tone, volume and drive). There's some good sounds there if you balance with the amp.

Also enjoy them stacked. One love drive into a high drive does interesting things.

I waited a bit on eBay and got two for 25 quid each ... the modable ones too!

Jonathangus

It's a yes from me.  SD-1 into Marshall is 'that' sound.

markj

Jonathangus said:

It's a yes from me.  SD-1 into Marshall is 'that' sound.

But what about a Fender?

Jonathangus

markj said:

Jonathangus said:

It's a yes from me.  SD-1 into Marshall is 'that' sound.

But what about a Fender?

Yes, a Fender into an SD-1 into a Marshall is good too.

  

JezWynd

Redlester said:

JezWynd said:

Brilliant pedal and now available in fetching black colour scheme...

Is that just the standard pedal, only with the ltd edition paint job? 

Yes, it's the standard version. 

ICBM

JezWynd said:

Brilliant pedal and now available in fetching black colour scheme...

Is that a 40th Anniversary one? The SD-1 came out in 1981 if I remember correctly.

It's worryingly tempting... I've got the 40th Anniversary DS-1 already.

TINMAN82

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

Brilliant pedal and now available in fetching black colour scheme...

Is that a 40th Anniversary one? The SD-1 came out in 1981 if I remember correctly.

It's worryingly tempting... I've got the 40th Anniversary DS-1 already.

I recently put a slightly chipped 40th anniversary DS-1 on eBay expecting £20-30 for it, didn’t even advertise it as the limited version but obviously had the photo up. It had over 60 watchers and auctioned for about £20 more than a brand new one!

ICBM

TINMAN82 said:

I recently put a slightly chipped 40th anniversary DS-1 on eBay expecting £20-30 for it, didn’t even advertise it as the limited version but obviously had the photo up. It had over 60 watchers and auctioned for about £20 more than a brand new one!

That might be because of the rarity - although they aren't, very - but also because it's the last version with the original through-hole-component PCB, so may be more desirable because of that. The newer version uses a smaller surface-mount board which can't be modded or repaired anywhere near as easily.

Interestingly my 40th sounds better than any other DS-1 I've owned, including to the best of my memory an early MIJ one. The difference is that the 40th has little to none of that annoying separation between an underlying clean sound and a buzzy distortion 'sitting on top' of it as the distortion decays back to clean.

TINMAN82

ICBM said:

TINMAN82 said:

I recently put a slightly chipped 40th anniversary DS-1 on eBay expecting £20-30 for it, didn’t even advertise it as the limited version but obviously had the photo up. It had over 60 watchers and auctioned for about £20 more than a brand new one!

That might be because of the rarity - although they aren't, very - but also because it's the last version with the original through-hole-component PCB, so may be more desirable because of that. The newer version uses a smaller surface-mount board which can't be modded or repaired anywhere near as easily.

Interestingly my 40th sounds better than any other DS-1 I've owned, including to the best of my memory an early MIJ one. The difference is that the 40th has little to none of that annoying separation between an underlying clean sound and a buzzy distortion 'sitting on top' of it as the distortion decays back to clean.

Well, it sounded like a swarm of wasps to my ears so I was happy to make a small profit on mine!

ThePrettyDamned

TINMAN82 said:

ICBM said:

TINMAN82 said:

I recently put a slightly chipped 40th anniversary DS-1 on eBay expecting £20-30 for it, didn’t even advertise it as the limited version but obviously had the photo up. It had over 60 watchers and auctioned for about £20 more than a brand new one!

That might be because of the rarity - although they aren't, very - but also because it's the last version with the original through-hole-component PCB, so may be more desirable because of that. The newer version uses a smaller surface-mount board which can't be modded or repaired anywhere near as easily.

Interestingly my 40th sounds better than any other DS-1 I've owned, including to the best of my memory an early MIJ one. The difference is that the 40th has little to none of that annoying separation between an underlying clean sound and a buzzy distortion 'sitting on top' of it as the distortion decays back to clean.

Well, it sounded like a swarm of wasps to my ears so I was happy to make a small profit on mine!

They certainly have "a sound" to them!

Sounds great into a dirty Marshall though, for big lead sounds and really thick riffs, for when the sd-1 doesn't quite do it.

I actually prefer the ds-2 slightly. Mode 1 is a bit less waspy than the ds-1 and mode 2 is like a boosted muff-like lead tone with infinite mids (and not much else). 

JezWynd

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

Brilliant pedal and now available in fetching black colour scheme...

Is that a 40th Anniversary one? The SD-1 came out in 1981 if I remember correctly.

It's worryingly tempting... I've got the 40th Anniversary DS-1 already.

Yes, I suppose it must be, they came out at the same time as the Tonebender but probably got lost in the excitement of the latter. I got it as I too have a DS-1-4A; they do stack well together.

It is made in Malaysia btw, a first perhaps for a Boss pedal?

ICBM

JezWynd said:

It is made in Malaysia btw, a first perhaps for a Boss pedal?

Now watch vintage Taiwanese ones rocket in value...

JezWynd

ICBM said:

JezWynd said:

It is made in Malaysia btw, a first perhaps for a Boss pedal?

Now watch vintage Taiwanese ones rocket in value...

Gave you a lol, though should probably have been a Wis.

skullfunkerry

I have a friend who loves them so much he has two on his board when he's gigging. I've actually got him stored in my phone as "Super Overdrive"

TimmyO

SD-1 -> JCM800 = :-) 

Also, an ace mid-y solo-y boost-y thing generally. 

HAL9000

I’ve had a number of overdrive pedals over the years including a few pretty expensive ones. For me the SD-1 beats anything else I’ve tried. It has a noticeable mid-hump which IMHO helps 6L6 / 6V6 amps (which can sound slightly scooped) to cut through.

monquixote

What I find interesting is the SD1-W is a really popular overdrive but they hardly ever come up on the classifieds. I think that tells you something.