DS-1 Distortion Compact Distortion Pedal

Guitarists have become a bunch of cork-sniffers. There are so many players more concerned with the name on the headstock of their guitar and their amp and the endless "boutique" pedals in their collections that many seem unable or unwilling to give a listen to "stock" gear, or anything that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The fact is that if you're a gigging musician, and I am, you come to realize that all those subtle, detailed nuances of tone that so many want to obsess over get lost in the band mix, and in the poor acoustics of wherever you're playing. Yes, we want to sound good to ourselves because that's inspiring, but frankly, I don't need $200+ dollar distortion/OD pedals to be inspired. I haven't owned a DS-1 in a long time, but recently got one because I was looking for a distortion pedal on a budget. Frankly, I'd forgotten how musical this pedal is. With the distortion set to minimum (it never gets clean) it's a good, moderate-gain overdrive that still lets your guitar's basic tone get through. I play a strat & and jazzmaster - those guitars still sound like themselves with this thing. With the gain at halfway you get great AD/DC crunch. And even with the gain maxed out you still get excellent note definition on chords. What more could you want? Sure, it's "old school" rock distortion. The usual "may not appeal to metalheads" caveat applies, maybe. Combine this with an eq and you could scoop the mids as much as you want. I also have a Barber LTD (great, relatively cheap "boutique" moderate gain OD that doesn't break the bank) and a Visual Sound Route 66, which is a tubescreamer clone (with much more gain) and a compressor in one pedal. Both the LTD & Rt 66 have the usual TS9 midrange hump, though much less pronounced on the LTD. What's refreshing about the DS-1 is that the strong mids are there, but the overall tone is not in the same realm as a tubescreamer, so it can sit well on a pedalboard and bring a different flavor to the party. The tone on the DS-1 can get very bright, but as I indicated I play with single coils, and I have no problem finding sweet spots on the tone knob - I generally run it around 9-10:00. Overall this pedal is a steal - look around and find a used one for a good price. I'd considered a modtone Speedbox, but decided to go with the generally bulletproof Boss instead, for basically the same price. I couldn't be happier.

Great Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal. This is one piece. You must buy other accessories if you choose to. It sounds good & was bought for our grandson.

This pedal is great. I used it on my Gibson LP 100 and Roland drum machine and man... It sounds like a dream. There's definitely a lot to work with here. I don't know what these other people mean by saying "mid-high or high-gain is only achievable with this". I tested the pedal myself and adjusted the tone of it to produce lower frequencies and it sounded thick. I wouldn't ever use this for low, low sounds but, that's not to say that someone wouldn't. If you're receiving a brighter sound out of it and want it to be lower, it's likely that you are playing an instrument that's already producing a bright sound. I can't hit my cymbal on my drum machine and complain about the lack of bass through the distorted sound because there no low end frequencies to work with in the first place. There is a meal on a silver platter, and you hold the power to possess this meal. But you have to inquire about it. This pedal is your waiter, menu and utensils that can help you indulge in it. But in all seriousness. I have spent so many hours on specifically distorting my sounds through digital pre-sets and such. They've sounded great afterwards, but that's not the point... No the point is, is that this device right here: 1) Cuts the distortion editing process time in half. 2) Saves up RAM + Helps avoid potential latency issues in your DAW (if you're like me and use a shitload of presets) which in turn, creates more efficient, easier work flow. 3) Creates an effortlessly attractive flare to your sound. If you have the money get it. If you don't, go on eBay or to guitar center and spend 25$ for a used one...These things are very indestructible. Hope this helps.

This is the classic distortion pedal. Anyone playing anything but jazz or unplugged styles will want this. Works beautifully. Cheap and effective. HOWEVER, the product description on the Amazon.com product page at the time I purchased this item was incorrect and provided specs for something else. Funny. It should be noted that a quick skim of the description (if you are not paying close attention) may lead you to believe this item includes an A/C adapter--it does NOT. I ordered it thinking this was the case and I was annoyed when it did not include one. I contacted the seller and they initially refused to send me an adapter. I put up a fuss however, and insisted they do so, as the description of the product I ordered indicated an A/C adapter was included. They eventually caved and shipped it to me, but they were not happy about it. Nor should they be--I think this is Amazon's fault. They need to correct the description. At the time I published this, the description for the BOSS DS-1 distortion pedal (http://www.amazon.com/BOSS-DS-1-Boss-Distortion-Pedal/dp/B0002CZV82)reads as follows: --- Product Description The classic DS-1 Distortion pedal provides a harder distortion effect for guitar and keyboard sounds. Instead of toneless, fuzzy distortion, the DS-1 faithfully reproduces all the subtle nuances of playing dynamics at any volume. 20 velocity-sensitive pads 4 assignable footswitch & expression-pedal inputs Maximum Polyphony - 32 or less, depending on the bass sounds selected Kits - 100 Preset, 100 User Rhythm Patterns - 500 Preset, 500 User Songs - 100 User 30,000 Maximum Note Storage Resolution per quarter note - 96 Tempo - Quarter note - 20 - 260 bpm Custom LCD (with backlight) Rear - Master Out L (Mono), R (1/4 phone type), Master Out L, R (RCA pin type), Individual Out A, B (1/4 phone type), Digital Out (coaxial), USB, CTL 1/2 jack (1/4 TRS phone type), CTL 3/4(EXP Pedal) jack (1/4 TRS phone type), MIDI In, Out, Current Draw - 600 mA (Max) Included - AC Adaptor (BOSS BRC series) Width x Depth x Height - 10-3/4 (273 mm) x 9-9/16 (242 mm) x 2-7/8 (72 mm) Weight - 1.4 kg; 3 lbs. 2 oz. ---

Fine tune to your own sound. I've heard some bad reviews about this pedal. But as you know guitar players are picky and unique to their own sound. I really like this pedal once I got it dialed in to the sound I wanted it's one of my favorites on my board. Really good for grunge Rock and punk music especially when you push it with an overdrive like a tube screamer.

It was amazing great use of money

The Boss DS-1 is a timeless distortion pedal that delivers every time. It’s super easy to use, built like a tank, and gives that perfect crunchy tone for rock, metal, or punk. The tone control is very responsive, and it sounds great with any amp. For the price, this pedal is unbeatable — a must-have for every guitarist!

Love it , especially for the price

First of all I’ve been playing blues for over 50 years and have used all the classics including my 1965 Fender Super Reverb amp. Blues as we all know is based on using tone and nuance to play “ between the notes “. I still own a 1980s TS-808 and a 1980s Boss Blues Driver pedals. I also got the new Japanese Boss Blues Driver this year with its little hidden switch! They are all interesting and can recreate the 60s electric blues sounds up to a point. I got this Distortion pedal on a whim due to I just retired and am playing more and the price was very attractive. I plugged it in today with one of my Stratocasters and I couldn’t believe its sound, nuance, feel and tone. It’s funny only this week I was watching the Cream reunion concert first time in years and saw Eric Clapton doing “Stormy Monday”. In his solo he hits a sustained bend on the third that lasts almost a minute and the crowd goes wild. I plugged in today to try this pedal out and just happened to hit a bend and let it go and it sounded the same! This is a marvellous addition to anyone’s pedal collection no wonder Gary Moore, Satriani, Johnson and many others use it. It’s definitely worth a try if you’ve never played with it.

Funciona muy bien. Calidad-precio para amateur

Il BOSS DS-1 è il pedale distorsione che ha definito generazioni di chitarristi: gain medio versatile dal crunch blues a saturazione punk/rock anni '80, con sustain naturale e risposta dinamica che segue ogni tocco.​ Suono e controlli semplici: Tre manopole essenziali: Distortion per passare da boost leggero a overdrive aggressivo, Tone per bilanciare medi caldi e alti definiti, Level per adattarsi a qualsiasi setup. Arancione iconico, metallo indistruttibile, vero tank Boss che dura decenni senza battere ciglio.​ Perfetto su Fender o ampli vintage per quel suono "touch sensitive" che pulisce col volume chitarra. Ideale per riff taglienti senza diventare fangoso Manca il gain estremo per metal djent moderno; resta vintage, non high-gain serrato. Resta insuperato per rapporto qualità/prezzo e affidabilità assoluta. Un must per chi cerca il "suono distorsione" senza complicazioni.​

I had one Ds1 decades ago. Now that I use it again I m amazed at how good it sounds. So simple yet so plenty of different ranges, from bluesy overdrive to overkill fuzz. All varying endlessly with the differents pickups, [pre] amps, personal settings, etc, you might you. Even if you re a sloppy player, the mere powerfull sustain of this pedal will carry you thru. Probably the best distortion unit ever created.

予想通りの素晴らしいサウンドです。