# Boss ds-1



## monson (Sep 27, 2010)

the best distortion pedal i have used...

Whats yours?


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

The DS-1 is by far my best one too but needs a already driven amp to have is full potential. THe only things it lacks it's a mids control!
I also have a good place for Distortion + and Rat! 
IN fact I love classic distortion!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I had a small-box Rat that was fantastic, as well as a Box of Rock that was a standout as well, but right now my favourite dirt-box on it's own is the OCD.


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## Cort Strummer (Feb 16, 2009)

I have 2 favourites that I have, I like the Boss ML-2 (metal core) which I use on the clean channel for some killer Metallica tone or my OCD on CH 2 or 3 for some hardrock crunch.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

In addition to my DS-1 I have a Marshall Bluesbreaker - not a true distortion, but gives it a nice crunch and works really well in combination with the DS-1.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Wow--a DS-1 thread that isn't about bashing them or saying you have to mod them.
I like it!

I have a DS-1 I've had since high school, and a DF-2, which is the same distortion with a feedback option.

I love them. I use both and a DOD Classic Tube pedal (also a distortion) and I have the DS-1 & DF-2 set differently--usually one for a sharper sound, more like a boost & the other with more distorted. The DOD I have on a warmer distortion sound, and I use any one, two or even all three at one time for a variety of distorted sounds. 

Hey, not every pedal will work for every player in every situation with every guitar or every amp.
So if it doesn't work for you, there's another one you might like.
If it does work for you, even better.


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## discomalaria (Feb 17, 2010)

zontar said:


> ...
> I use both and a DOD Classic Tube pedal (also a distortion).
> ...


While I love my DS1, I'd be completely heartbroken if anything ever happend to my DOD Classic Tube. Bought it on a whim at a yard sale for $15 and it's never left my chain since. Awesome sounding overdrive. Completely compliments the harsher sounds from the DS1.


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## prodigal_son (Apr 23, 2009)

I recently had a Taiwanese DS-1 but I wasn't really liking it. Our bass player now uses it for a light crunchy boost.

I agree that it needs to be mixed with an overdriven amp to sound "right". Does anyone have a late 70's/early 80's Japanese DS-1 on here? It would be intersting to know the truth about whether these really do sound superior to the newer ones.

@Monson - Props to my Odessa brother. I went to E.S.S. back in the day..


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## AlterEgo (Jan 12, 2010)

I do have an early 80 from Japan... and it is my only pedal along with a Wah. I never felt the need for another distortion, it is all about the setting and where it is in the chain. For ultimate results (and this is a personal taste), a tube must be somewhere in the chain. Either a tube preamp or a tube amp. However I can't compared with the Tai version  I never tried one. On the negative side... after so many years of abuse, now the switch is kinda defective (it looks like a keyboard key switch from the time where mechanic switches were into keyboard)... I may have to press twice on the pedal to engage or disengage... Understand it might be normal after > ~30 years of use.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

discomalaria said:


> While I love my DS1, I'd be completely heartbroken if anything ever happend to my DOD Classic Tube. Bought it on a whim at a yard sale for $15 and it's never left my chain since. Awesome sounding overdrive. Completely compliments the harsher sounds from the DS1.


I got mine from a guy at work that didn't use it anymore--he gave it to me for free & wouldn't take anything for it.

I find it a good compliment as well.


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## monson (Sep 27, 2010)

Im running my DS-1 through a 68 traynor guitar mate reverb true tube amp.


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## monson (Sep 27, 2010)

prodigal_son said:


> @Monson - Props to my Odessa brother. I went to E.S.S. back in the day..



"english acecent" THANK YOU ODESSA YOU F#$KING ROCK


LMAO


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## Shiny_Beast (Apr 16, 2009)

One of the best pedals ever, combinations of pushed trannies and badf ass clip to ground. Too bad about the funky eq, makes it a bitch to dial in. What it does at around 3/4 I've never found another pedal to do. I"m guessing these days there are a few pedals that could match it at that "a bit more than cranked marshall stack" sound.


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## The Grin (May 5, 2009)

Ghosts from pedals past. I loved my jekyll and hyde ultimate overdrive. Great sound and very versatile, but too big for my board. Traded it for a MXR Fullbore Metal which after turning down the high and up the mids, its a pretty solid pedal.

What I would love to get my hands on again is the *DOD Corrosion*. It was too much drive and I had to turn down the gain.. But the roommate wouldn't sell it to me.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

zontar said:


> I got mine from a guy at work that didn't use it anymore--he gave it to me for free & wouldn't take anything for it.
> 
> I find it a good compliment as well.


i have a dod classic tube as well- its a good pedal. got it new in a shop in the mid nineties, liked it better than all the tubescreamers that were around.
my favourite distortion pedal though, and pretty much all i use, is a rangemaster style treble booster- current fave a homebrew oc44 version.
yeah, technically not a distortion- but thats what it does. or does it overdrive more?
i dunno- it adds dirt.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I don't really care about distinctions between Distortion, overdrive or fuzz, or even boost--what it sounds like is more important.
Heck, I can make my AW-3 Dynamic Wah distort--works great with bass.


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