Boss DS-1 Appreciation Thread

[gy1900s]

I used one for years with a punk band. Like you, I would drive my amp to just breaking with DS-1 in front of it.
The thing about the DS-1 is that for crunchy rhythm tones, you have to keep it in the shallow end. I would set mine at around noon.
It also plays better with low gain amps, particularly anything with 6L6s in it that's voiced like a Fender. I had a Sovtek Mig 100 half-stack that sound great with the DS-1.

These days I don't care for the DS-1 as much. I tend to prefer the SD-1 and blues driver a lot more

 

[EOengineer]

I’ve been experimenting with the DS-1in front of the clean channel of my Mesa Mark III. I’m really digging what I’m getting with some dirt dialed into the clean, it seems to help round off the edges and integrate the DS-1 into the sound of the amp.

Nirvana Tele -> DS-1 -> Mesa Mark III

Listen to a track by EOengineer.

whyp.it

 

[synthpenguin]

The DS1 is the pedal I get out when I think I want to buy another drive pedal. It never stays on the board, but it's so versatile and can get a lot of those "boutique" drive pedal sounds, even if only in certain sweet spots. Stacks great with a Rat or BD-2 too. But yeah, into a clean amp it's weird... though can be good (like into a clean Roland JC amp!) if the tone is turned down (like to around 9 or 10 o'clock)

 

[EOengineer]

The made in Taiwan unit showed up today and I was able to spend some time comparing it to the current Malaysian model.

The MIM model is closer to the MIT model than it gets credit for, at least through my Mark III clean channel. Maybe that opinion changes through a Fender or Marshall. I’ll check that out eventually.

Some very basic initial impressions on the MIT model:

1. Definitely getting a more Velcro/Fuzz vibe up toward the top of the drive range compared to the other unit. It’s more of what love about the DS-1 flavor so this was a welcome discovery.
2. I’ve only used it with single coils so far but I’m noticing a much smoother and more musical transition into cleaner textures with light picking and volume knob work. I think it cleans up a little better.
3. I’m able to use the tone knob upwards of noon, which is a good bit higher than I often set it on the Malaysian unit.

I’m not really willing to attribute all of these differences to the magic mojo chip in there as it’s just as likely to be component value drift since it’s from 1989.

Cool pedal, probably going to gift the Malaysian DS-1 to someone who will appreciate it more, or mod it.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I should just buy a BD-2W, SD-1W, and DS-1W just to have them in my pedal collection when I get board of whatever overdrives and distortions are on my bored at that time.

Er, bored of what's on my board, I mean.

 

[the swede]

when i get to dig through my old pedals, there’s a SD-2 that if I remember correctly had a nice second mode that’s more like a high gain thing even though the pedal itself is named “Dual Overdrive”. Was 10 years or more since i used it so it may also suck… but I remember it being quite cool to crank and chugg away with. Much like a DS-1 but different.

 

[LeftyLoungeLizard]

I have the MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion (which is supposed to be MXR's take on a Keely-modded DS-1) and I admittedly haven't spent much time with it, but have yet to get it to play nice with my '68 Plexi circuit.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Here's my DS-1 hanging with some buddies:

 

[EOengineer]

I have the MXR Custom Badass '78 Distortion (which is supposed to be MXR's take on a Keely-modded DS-1) and I admittedly haven't spent much time with it, but have yet to get it to play nice with my '68 Plexi circuit.

I have a 70s spec 1959 clone I use mine with some success. There are a couple edge cases to watch for. I’ve found I sometimes get more natural results running into the low inputs or the bass channel. Sometimes I’ll actually use an A/B box to switch between clean into the lead channel on path A and then an OD in the B path going to the bass channel.

One additional consideration - the DS-1 doesn’t have a ton of output. If you’re hitting a crunchy Plexi, it might compress enough that you can’t get unity when the pedal is on. This is a large factor in boss putting out the DS-2 turbo distortion - way hotter output to help punch through crunchier amps. ProCo put out the turbo rat for the same reason.

Here's my DS-1 hanging with some buddies:


View attachment 28330

Tell me more about that OD2. I loved the OD1 I had when I was a teenager.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Tell me more about that OD2. I loved the OD1 I had when I was a teenager.

It's an OD-3. The lettering is a bit scratched there haha. Never tried an OD-2, that I can remember anyways.
Love the OD-3 though, probably my favorite od. It has just the right amount of mid character, a more useful tone control than a TS or similar, solid bass response. Nice range of gain too. Definitely a pedal most should try at least once, I'd think they'd be pleasantly surprised.

 

[the swede]

It's an OD-3. The lettering is a bit scratched there haha. Never tried an OD-2, that I can remember anyways.
Love the OD-3 though, probably my favorite od. It has just the right amount of mid character, a more useful tone control than a TS or similar, solid bass response. Nice range of gain too. Definitely a pedal most should try at least once, I'd think they'd be pleasantly surprised.

Fully agree, OD-3 is really good. I have an old one to and i always preferred it vs (as an example) the BD-2.
It’s probably going on my board, but i need to compare it to the green (crunch) side of the SD-2. I may just need one of them.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Fully agree, OD-3 is really good. I have an old one to and i always preferred it vs (as an example) the BD-2.
It’s probably going on my board, but i need to compare it to the green (crunch) side of the SD-2. I may just need one of them.

Same. The BD-2 is great for boosting, although I'm not a big fan of the tone range. The gain can get a bit gnarly high up, and it does a certain thing that's cool, but I have better options for that type of gain. Never tried a SD-2.

 

[the swede]

Never tried a SD-2.

I don’t even remember how it sounded… must be more than 15 years since i used it. I remember that it was used as a full on distortion through a solid state stack. Then it ended up in a box at my parents and then in my own storage. Funnily i regret that I’ve sold many pedals during the years but I didn’t sell that because i thought no one would want it. Now i think it would be a very easy sell, as people are interested in older boss stuff now.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I don’t even remember how it sounded… must be more than 15 years since i used it. I remember that it was used as a full on distortion through a solid state stack. Then it ended up in a box at my parents and then in my own storage. Funnily i regret that I’ve sold many pedals during the years but I didn’t sell that because i thought no one would want it. Now i think it would be a very easy sell, as people are interested in older boss stuff now.

It's definitely easier to collect pedals than amps.
I've let go of a few I probably shouldn't have, especially seeing they're not being made anymore.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Fully agree, OD-3 is really good. I have an old one to and i always preferred it vs (as an example) the BD-2.
It’s probably going on my board, but i need to compare it to the green (crunch) side of the SD-2. I may just need one of them.

How are you gonna compare, you no play guitar!!!!?

 

[CarlF]

Back in the early 80's I was using a DS-1. The key was running it into an MXR 10 Band EQ. This was into a SS GK head.

 

[the swede]

How are you gonna compare, you no play guitar!!!!?

Actually!

There’s something in the post office, wich….. no excuses to avoid the guitar anymore

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Actually!

There’s something in the post office, wich….. no excuses to avoid the guitar anymore

 

[FuzzyAce]

Actually!

There’s something in the post office, wich….. no excuses to avoid the guitar anymore

So what is it? Hopefully it's not just a poster that reads "No excuses to avoid guitar anymore".

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

If Boss made an OD-3W, I'd probably check it out. Maybe the custom mode could be a slight bass roll off (not as much as say a TS/SD-1 style pedal) and a bit more midrange or gain? Then for those that normally stacked it with an SD-1 for a bit more mids, a little less bass, and a tad more gain can just use the custom mode.