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Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal
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From screaming loud to whisper soft, the Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal can faithfully reproduce the dynamics of your playing style. Level and distortion controls give you complete command of the amount of signal processing. Tone knob lets you tailor EQ right on the unit. The Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal is a tough stomp box that can take whatever your boot can dish out....
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Searched Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal in Reviews
DS-1 still good or mod? 
| Ease Of Use |
Now this is easy to use, no doubt.
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| Sound |
Well some say that the new version is much more sterile. I think they simply compare it to the vintage ds-1 and yes it does sound different. But for the price this unit costs it has the best drive sound in the price range and in my opinion sounds much better than other Boss distortions. Of course compared to a (hefty priced) vintage DS-1 or a keely modded it has much less fundamental distortion in the low frequencies and hence is much more "transistory". Also this distortion really shines if you want to boost the overdrive channels of a tube amp, you can easily scale the amount of boost and the distortion melts nicely with most amps. Also this pedal sounds better with humbucker pickups, for instance I get much better results with a Les Paul than with a Strat.
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| Reliability |
This unit is totally awesome in built quality.
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| Customer Support |
Very nice helpdesk. problemsovling can take time, but hey this unit costs near to nothing.
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| Liked about it |
- Overall Sound
- Built Quality
- Price Tag
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| Didn't like |
- Sounds with sinigle coils
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
 By Tank
Nov 16, 2009
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Decent pedal for a decent price
| Ease Of Use |
It's very easy to use, the controls are clearly labeled.
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| Sound |
It sounds very sterile, it's not the kind of distortion you'd use for metal. It's lows are VERY muddy, and the highs are too thin.
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| Reliability |
It's built like a tank.
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| Customer Support |
Haven't dealt with boss
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| Liked about it |
Cheap
Looks nice
Sturdy
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| Didn't like |
Sound
Boss should understand why people mod these pedals.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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Great Tone and Almost Indestructible
| Ease Of Use |
Very Easy.. 3 knobs. Tone, Level and Gain.
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| Sound |
I have used the DS-1 with several setups, I have never been satisfied by using as a distortion pedal. Instead I set the level high and gain low and use it as a boost. It really tightens up my tone and it has an awesome low mid growl that reminds me a lot of Any Timmons or John Petrucci.
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| Reliability |
Its built like a tank!
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| Customer Support |
I have never dealt with boss but I imagine they would be very helpful.
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| Liked about it |
Its not a noisy pedal and it is capable of a huge boost. I like the low midrange it adds to my tone.
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| Didn't like |
When used alone on the clean channel with the gain dimed on the pedal it sounds thin, it sounds like a distortion pedal. Not thick and full like an amps natural distortion.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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It has potential
| Ease Of Use |
It's a distortion pedal, very simple. Three dials only, very straightforward.
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| Sound |
I had two of these. The first was a 1979 Made in Japan and the second (which I still own) is a brand-new 2008 Made in Taiwan. The old MIJ model, featuring the Toshiba TA7136AP op-amp, sounds better; the MIT model is harsh and lacks bass response. Noise levels are within expected range for a distortion unit. Both stock pedals produce a very dirty distortion and even at minimum distortion level, both are too dirty to be used as a clean boost. As a boost for a distorted lead channel, though, they sound really good. I personally wouldn't rely on a DS-1 for distortion, unless you're looking for a grunge tone, like Nirvana. In that case, you can get some nice Kurt Cobain tone out of a 1967 Fender Twin Reverb amp. For the record, I've used these units in so many amps (from cheap combos to boutique amps) that it'd be boring to name them all.
In the title I said it has potential, because its circuit can be easily modded and then the pedal sounds great! The most common mods are the All-Seeing-Eye and Ultra, by Robert Keeley. My current MIT DS-1 has the Ultra mod and sounds really good. It's what I call a "80's Marshall-in-a-box" distortion unit. It really worth a shot! Currently using it as a distortion box plugged in a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and sounds really nice, ranging from rock 'n roll AC/DC to killer Pantera tones. The modded DS-1, combined with my TS-808 (boost) and GE-7 (equalizer) is probably my favorite pedal combination ever!
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| Reliability |
It's a Boss, built like a tank. I bought my 1979 unit in 1999 and it was in really good shape for a 20-year old pedal. And I bet it's still alive somewhere around the world. The most sensible part is the plastic switch under the metal pedal, but if it breaks, it's easily replaceable. The circuit board shows a very crude soldering work, but I didn't find any real issues with the circuit.
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| Customer Support |
I've never dealt with Roland/Boss.
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| Liked about it |
- It can be easily modded
- Very resistant
- Cheap
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| Didn't like |
- Useless without the mods
- Old units (pre-1994) used the ACA power adapter and the power circuit sometimes doesn't work on generic PSUs. Post-1994 (PSA adapter) units work fine, though
- Circuit board looks like it was soldered by apes
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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A timeless, classic pedal
| Ease Of Use |
The Boss DS-1 is a pretty simple unit to operate. There are the 3 knobs: Tone, Level and Distortion. Be aware though that the controls are fairly touch sensitive.
It can be used in a couple of different ways too. You can use the DS-1 as a stand alone distortion pedal on the clean channel of your amp, plus it is quite nice as an overdrive on the dirty channel of your amp. The pedal operates in two completely different ways when using it in these modes though.
To use it as a distortion pedal on a clean channel the level increases volume when used through my Blackstar HT-5, and of course distortion increases said distortion.
If I'm using it as a boost to overdrive my dirty channel the level knob, and the distortion knob work in slightly different ways to overdrive the sound. The level doesn't really affect the volume in this mode.
The tone knob pretty much does the same thing in both modes though.
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| Sound |
The DS-1 is typically known to be a little noisy, and when using it as a distortion pedal it can sound a little artificial. I have found this to be true, but it is quite acceptable stock as an overdrive pedal.
It gives my amps dirty channel a great kick, beefing up the already mid to high gain tone, without turning it in to a buzz saw sound. The DS-1 also gives my tone a little bit of a mid range kick which is great to really cut through a mix.
Just be wary though that small adjustments with the knobs result dramatic changes.
Whilst I'm getting great results tone wise from my DS-1, the noise is still a little annoying. I am planning on modding this pedal, to try and clean up the noise, and give it a little more natural sound.
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| Reliability |
I've had my DS-1 for about 16-17 years, and whilst it is quite beat up now it has never missed a beat. It's battery life is also quite good if you just plan on sticking with the trusty 9 volts, rather than a power supply.
There is no real noise extra noise or crackling when adjusting the knobs, which still move freely, and the input and output jacks are still sound.
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| Customer Support |
I never had to deal with Boss support.
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| Liked about it |
Price
* Classic Boss chassis
* Quite good tones when used as an overdrive pedal
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| Didn't like |
Although the noise can be an issue
* Can sound a little thin and unnatural when used as a distortion pedal on the clean channel
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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Good pedal for a great price
| Ease Of Use |
This is very easy to use since it only has 3 controls.
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| Sound |
This sounds great for such a cheap pedal. you cannot get too much variety from this one since it has only 3 simple controls, but that dosent mean its a bad pedal this pedal is awesome.
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| Reliability |
This thing is built very well. I cannot see it falling apart or breaking.
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| Liked about it |
Cheap
Boss quality
Sounds great
9v and AC power
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| Didn't like |
Little variety in sound
You cant get as much of an extreme sound as other boss dist. pedals
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Needs some help - but worth the money
| Ease Of Use |
Very easy to use effect and clearly labeled
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| Sound |
I used this mainly on a two humbucker setup, an RG550 and a Les Paul. It tends to get a bit fizzy sounding, but if you use it more like a boost and not over distort it it can work well. I ended up modding it with a Monte Allums mod, and it really helped this pedal out a lot. Warmed up the tone and made it much more usable. After the mod it was a completely different pedal. The rating will be for Pre-modification. Rating after mod would be a 4
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| Reliability |
You can't kill these boss pedals, they are made to be run over by a tank
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| Customer Support |
I have not needed it on a boss pedal but I called Rold (Boss) once on another product and they were very helpful and fast.
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| Liked about it |
Very tough
Easy to use
very cheap
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| Didn't like |
tones was not what I was looking for'
a bit noisy
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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2.0 |
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The Standard distortion pedal
| Ease Of Use |
I took one of these for free from a friend (a Taiwanese one). It´s very simple to use: adjust the levels, step on: on, step on again: off.
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| Sound |
I use it always before the amp on the drive channel as a boost. Otherwise it sounds like a fly fighting with a bee. The sound is very bright and needs more bottom. I like it for fast legato and tapping runs with the bridge pick-up, but not for picking or sweeps with the neck pick-up. The worst thing is it has not true bypass so adds lots of noise.
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| Reliability |
It is like a tank as all boss pedals, never broken, but I tend to use more often the Ibanez Tubescreamer.
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| Customer Support |
Never needed.
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| Liked about it |
1- Construction
2- Sounds for liquid-like runs
3- Easier to turn on or off than the tubescreamer and the led is brighter
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| Didn't like |
1- Sound on the clean channel
2- No true bypass
3- Noisy
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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A classic pedal but be prepared to spend a little
| Ease Of Use |
I Currently own and use a MIT one of these. These little orangey boxes have been the staple of rock ton for so long used and loved by the likes of john petrucci, kurt cobain and joe satriani there's plenty of fun to be had with this little box. The cotrols are tone, distortion and volume. Tone alters the depth of tone, distortion alters the amount of disortion and volume adjusts the line level volume. Its comes with detailed instructions and gives a few settings to start you off. I have moddified mine with the melanhead mod which is a variation of keeley's ultra mod which given the minimal price for one of these is a must and gives the box a whole new lease of life. power is via a 9v battery concaled under boss' clever foot plate lid and is simple to change or why not plug it into a 9vdc supply wth the socket provided.
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| Sound |
In its stock form there are some good tones to be had here, as i previously mentioned boss are kind enough to start you off. At times it can be a little thin but the idea of a distortion pedal is to add fuzzy distortion and not gain but will be more than enough for those of you who like your aerosmith esque tones or are looking to be pagey or even feeding it into the crunch channel of your amp to give a cobain wildness to your tone. With the melanhead mod the tone is changed to allow deeper tone control and higher gain as well as greater volume bleed and asymettrical clipping. fed into my tube amps crunch with my les paul it sounds similar to buckethead or carcass with a loud authoritive chunk and thud thats quite complex sounding. Add an overdrive afterwards it sears into smooth saturation with simply terrific sustain sounding very much like mr satriani or dream theaters earlier recordings add a little flange and we head directly into the territory of paul gilbert. This is my goto pedal for most things.
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| Reliability |
Trustworthy to a tee. Boss pedals are great, they just plug away merrily but they could be improved by adding steel or alloy knobs, improving the pots and paint finish. The paint finish on these is somewhat a bug bear for me especially the hideous regurigitated orange colour these ones are. Please boss can yu maybe ake a few of these things on board!
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| Liked about it |
simplicity of use
modified tone is second to none
inexpensive
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| Didn't like |
The paint colour and lack of thickness in it!
wish they'd understand why people modify them and alter them slightly!
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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No fuss Distortion Pedal
| Ease Of Use |
The pedal has three dials: Level, Tone and Dist. If you've used an effects pedal before this one is a walk in the park, even if you haven't in about 1 minute you'll figure out what everything does. Its got one input, one output, uses a 9 Volt battery or Boss's power supply. Its probably one of the simplest pedals on the market today.
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| Sound |
The first pedal I ever had was a 1980's Boss DS-1 and I loved it. While the new line of DS-1's sound nothing like their earlier counterparts they still provide ample distortion. For me personally its a fairly weak pedal it lacks output its not until the Level is set to 12 o'clock that its adequate. Also its very "bitey" sound, it reacts badly to you picking, it lacks bass and it doesn't have good tone control. However with some good adjustments it is quite a good sounding pedal. One of my favorite settings is Level: 12 o'clock Tone: 10 o'clock and Dist: 2 o'clock.
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| Reliability |
Its made like a tank and I've never had a problem with one.
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| Customer Support |
Never had to deal with Boss.
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| Liked about it |
1. Its very easy to use.
2. You can get a lot of different sounds out of it you just have to tweak the knobs a little.
3. Its very reliable.
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| Didn't like |
1. The output is low.
2. Poor tone control.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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A Staple In Rock Sound
| Ease Of Use |
I like dials, more hands one interaction with the pedal (rather than digital) brings a better sound in my opinion. Not to mention easier to adjust "under the gun".
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| Sound |
Goes from light and smooth almost straight to hell in a good way. Another of Boss' pedals picks up the gain from there.
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| Reliability |
Can't seem to break it
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| Customer Support |
Indirectly. The one time I called I was re-directed to a CS group that seems to be a separate entity from Boss.
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| Liked about it |
Simplicity
* Sound Quality
* Dependable
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| Didn't like |
?
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Decent distortion box for Hard Rock
| Ease Of Use |
It doesn't get much easier with only three knobs. It's not the easiest to adjust on the fly, but getting a decent sound out of it does not require any advanced degree. The tone knob is a bit tricky. While slight knob adjustments make a big difference, the window for usable tones is actually pretty small.
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| Sound |
I loved this pedal when I first got it. As time passed, it fell out of favor. I have an un-modded MIT version and most of what people rave about with this is the MIJ (older Japan-made) version. I find that most of the time I use the distortion between 3/4 and full out while keeping the tone at less than 1/3 of the knobs' turning radius. Any farther and the tone becomes too trebly and nasally. Any less gain and it loses the smoothness of the distortion and becomes very harsh and grainy. It's great for harder rock. Anyone looking for less gain would be better served with an overdrive pedal and anyone looking for brutal would be unsatisfied. My biggest complaint about this pedal is that its dynamics are not good. Rolling back the volume on the guitar does little except kill some of the sustain without actually cleaning up very much. I play a lot of different things and found myself moving away from using this pedal for my distortions unless I wanted Hard rock grind. Tonally, it's a fine balance between nasal and mud. While slight knob adjustments make a big difference, the window for usable tones is actually pretty small. I don't have any experience, but there are several mods out there for this pedal. As a first distortion pedal, I'd give it the thumbs up for it's hard rock tones at a very affordable price while still being solidly built.
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| Reliability |
I've had it for years, gigged and stomped around on it and it's always been fine. No problems and very sturdy/dependable. This actually makes it a good pedal to me despite the less than glowing sound review.
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| Customer Support |
N/A
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| Liked about it |
1. Good hi-gain distortion that's not super compressed.
2. Orange color keeps it easy to see and distinguish on darkened stages.
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| Didn't like |
1. Usable tone window was too small, not an extremely versatile pedal but great if you're into hard rock.
2. Dynamics were not great, it just wouldn't clean up well. I own the Satchurator and while the distortions of the two are in the same ball-park, the tone and dynamics of the Vox kill (as they should for being almost $100 more).
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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internal use: spec24 spec231 spec582
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