Great pedal and best deal at Sweetwater 
by Ricky Vinluan from Manila, Philippines, May 2008
Music Background:  Pro-musician

I'm a pro-musician and I do mod lots of pedals. The Boss DS1 has a good tone of its own as stock. But modding it will unlock its full potential. I always mod all my DS1 pedal. It has three gain options namely the Hi-gain, the crunch distortion and the FAT OD that sounds like Boss discontinued od pedal SD2. All three gain tones sound smooth that I can set the tone knob at 2-3 o'clock. It also blends well with my other Boss pedals like CH1 and DD3.

BTW, I always buy at Sweetwater. With Free shipping, get your Boss DS1 as in right now! Sweetwater has the best deal.

  Great Pedal 
by Brandon Lemay from Manchester, NH USA, April 2008
Music Background:  Hobbyist

It has great highs on lows, but lacks on the middle sounds. Its great for that hard rock feeling and for those who enjoy softer sounds. Alone the pedal sounds good and with an overdrive playing the sound will blow you away.

  phenomenal service 
by gitarforGod6789 from Maryville,TN baby!Whoooo!, October 2007
Music Background:  In three bands, Electric, acoustic, bass, vocals, missionary

I really wanht to brag on the sweetwater service. As soon as I ordered, they sent me an e-mail congratulating me on my purchase, they called my house less than 5 minutes after I ordered. I had never experienced anything like sweetwater's service. oh yeah, and here's a plus - FREE SHIPPING!

  The Best!! 
by Dave from Boscawen, NH, July 2007
Music Background:  Own/Operate Online used gear vacuum tube business

I love this pedal - Over the years Boss has slightly changed this pedal - This is the 3rd Opamp used in the DS1. I like the current production DS1s the best. They have a sharp upper midrange with a very clear, open dynamic tone. Not as much mids as a SD1 or DS1 - still very full. I use this through the clean ch of a Marshall JCM900 with 6L6 Groove Tubes reissue GE Power Tubes and reissue Mullard GT12AX7M along with a Mahogany custom hamer that has JS Fred Pickups. I set the tone on the DS1 and 55% - the Gain at 65% and the volume at 50% - You have to really dig into your strings - the tone is very dynamic and Satriani Like. The DS1 also mixes well with effects - I use a CH1 or a CE5 Chorus and a DD3 Delay. This is my favourite pedal - From classic rock to metal it really delivers

  The best 
by Ghosts of the Pinnacle guitarist from Whitewater, WI, May 2007
Music Background:  Recording Engineer and I'm in a band

I've owned this pedal for slightly over two years. Still sounds exactly like new. Plus, it has Boss quality. I stomp hard and it has maybe 3 very small paint chips. My friend also has this pedal, and loves the sound. I personally think this is the best distortion pedal in any price range.

  No more looking around this is it what you ever wanted. 
by Khawaja Jodat from 61 M, Gulberg III, Lahore, Pakistan., May 2007
Music Background:  Engineer & hobbyist guitarist for the last 27 years.

I bought this pedal a long long time ago probably in 1984. When I heard this pedal for the first time it simply astonished me to the highest degree due to its so smooth, screaming and unbelieveable sustaining sound. I use it at various settings and it gives you a perfect sound whether it is hard rock or soft distortion situation it handles all of them so well. It is evident from this fact that its now more than 20 years has passed & I have never replaced it with another one simply because it is so versatile and simple to use. As now I am no more a teenager so I now mostly sets its Drive at 3 & Tone at 10 O'clock and it produces mellow and soft distortion for chords and solo work as well. I also have Boss Heavy Metal and Ibanez Sonic distortion pedals but I love this pedal a lot and I always feel comfortable with it because its sound variety & quality is simply the best. The current draw of this particular pedal is very nominal so no worries if you are using battery it would last quite long. As far as durablilty is concerned believe me I have no words to describe it as it never caused me any trouble for the last two decades. I recommend everyone to check out this pedal and I hope it won't disappoint you. Thanks & regards.

  ds-1 
by LEX from Connecticut, February 2007
Music Background:  guitar and vocals

I do vocals and guitar
in a 3 piece band this pedal is my main stomp box
(GREAT FOR NIRVANA) easy to use and tons of settings with tone knob.

  Boss DS-1 Distortion 
by Rick Rice from Buffalo, NY, October 2006
Music Background:  Hobbyist

For 40 bucks, the Boss DS-1 is the best Distortion value on the market!

The Boss DS-1 has been found on the pedal boards of George Lynch, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Curt Cobain, among others. It produces everything from subtle clipping to extreme distortion. It has a fairly tight bass response with a sharp treble attack and what sounds to be a mid-boost in about the 800 khz range. With the DS-1’s tone and drive knobs rolled back and your guitar set to the neck pickup, you can get a singing, sustaining sound reminiscent of Eric Johnson’s instrumental version of “Cliff’s of Dover�. Turn up the DS-1's gain and treble and switch to the a bridge HB Pickup and you are in 80's Metal Territory!

Because of it’s low price, the DS-1 is the ideal distortion pedal to use for experimentation in do it yourself modifications (DYI). There are plenty of DS-1 DYI circuits readily available on the net and, even if you totally screw it up, you’re only out $40!

  My Favorite Rock 'n' Roll Distortion Pedal 
by Dave S. from Baltimore, MD, October 2006
Music Background:  Pro Musician, Recording Engineer

I've owned my DS-1 for about 10 years, and I have to say it's the most versatile distortion pedal I've ever used, on-stage or in the studio.

When used with an amp's clean channel, it has the most useful range of gain of any pedal I've ever used... from tasty subtle crunch, to sweet singing gain. With the 'Dist' control on max, and the 'Tone' at 9 o'clock, I can only describe the sound as a candy-sweet tone that's not over-saturated. For my tastes, it's a great tone for rhythm or leads.

When used in front of an amp's dirty channel, I use it mainly as a subtle gain boost. With all controls set below 12 o'clock, it compresses the signal just a bit, and adds a nice touch of sustain for solos.

I've used the cheapest and the most expensive distortion pedals/pre-amps over the years (tube and solid state), and this one has remained my go-to for a long time. In my opinion, it's very versatile, and works best in front of an awesome tube amp. I've never tried to achieve the modern metal sound with this pedal, so I can't comment on whether or not it's useful in that application. However, if you're looking for a way to expand your amp's tonal range, give this pedal a serious look.

  A Test Of Time 
by Ken Bearden from Fort Wayne, IN, September 2006
Music Background:  Active Musician

I have been using the BOSS DS-1 Distortion pedal for as long as I can remember!! It is a very well built and reliable pedal. It can be clean or down right dirty whenever the music calls for it.
It is very easy to use and is of the highest quality! This is only the second DS-1 I have ever had to buy in a 20 year period and trust me my first one got a real work-out on the road.
This pedal is a "Must Have" for anyone looking for a High Quality Distortion stomp box for an unbelievable price!!
Thank-You to Boss and Sweetwater..

excellent distortion pedal 
by Tony H. from Taunton, MA USA, March 2006

great price, built rock solid too. BOSS products are top notch, in my humble opinion. PERFECT for that 80's metal guitar tone, ala Dokken, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc... it can also do blues with the gain turned down. It really DOES let your guitar's natural tone shine thru, unlike alot of other pedals - no muddiness here. I've used it with both my Strat and my Les Paul, and with some tweaking of the tone control, it works great with either one. It won't give enough gain for Death Metal, but there are other pedals for that... m/^_^m/ It goes best with a cranked tube amp, but if your gonna use it with a solid state amp, run it thru the CLEAN channel, bypassing the solid state's distortion altogether.

This Pedal Is Great 
by Scott Zakaib from Toronto, Canada, January 2005

Useful little thing. Holds like a tank, sounds like a modern-rocker's favourite distortion pedal for much less the cost. Great little thing, especially for those getting their first distortion pedal. Easiest thing to use in the universe.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!