Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal Reviews

Jeff H
from Twin Cities, MN
November 26, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist

Partially flawed, but still an affordable classic

Much maligned, and even more celebrated, the Boss DS-1 has been around for over 30 years now. It's been used by guitarists like Cobain and Satriani, and you can have one all for your own at $50 or less. Oh, and BOSS pedals are also some of the most durable on the planet, so it will still work 30 years from now.

If this pedal cost more, my gripes would be more severe. It has low output (you need to turn the Level up pretty far to match your clean tone). It can sound a bit thin and harsh on the high end. And the tone control doesn't really allow you to fix any of those problems.

But for most non-professionals, it will absolutely get the job done. Probably the most recognizable guitar pedal and a virtual must-own, even if you don't always love it.

Wayne Grynowicki
from United States
October 18, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician, ( Imperfect Journey).

Great tone

I have had this pedal in the 80's, it sounder great then and it sounds great today. I have distortion pedals in the price range of $50- $200. Take away the price tag this is my do too pedal. It has great over tones. You will be able to get the sound you are looking for. You just can't beat A classic.

Robert
from Waterloo Ontario
September 20, 2012Music Background:
Hobbyist gigging musician

Rocks!

My favourite distortion pedal. I own quite a few, this and a tube amp is :-)

Pedro Rivas
from United States
April 2, 2012

Fantastic Service

I'm happy with the product, the service has been excellent.
I liked the extra that they put on every order.

Estoy contento con el producto, el servicio ha sido excelente.
Me ha gustado el plus que le ponen a cada orden.

Andrea
from
March 26, 2012

Happy with product

They called and varified my order mailed it immediately and it was exactly what I ordered, along with a few sweets. Totally happy and will do business again

eric
from Denver
January 26, 2012Music Background:
22 years' hobbyist, street jammer

Rock tone, and nothing but...

This pedal is so pure. Its circuit has remained virtually unchanged since 1978, when it was designed to emulate the cranked-stack distortion sounds of that era--think all those great albums by the Ramones, 'Pistols, early Judas Priest, etc.--the cutting edge of the time. In front of a good tube amp, you get exceptional dynamics and huge warmth and sizzle. Personally, I plug it into the clean channel of my BDRI, turn the "level" knob all the way up to drive the preamp, turn the "gain" knob to saturate to taste, and keep the "tone" knob either at 10- or 2 o'clock. No, it won't make my Fender sound like a Marshall. It's just good-old-fashioned diode-clipping goodness, and does what it does best when it interacts with your guitar and amp to help you create your signature sound (hey, Kurt Cobain couldn't go wrong!). I might mod it later on with germanium diodes, but it is fine the way it is, too.

Wade Curry
from Long Island, NY
January 13, 2012Music Background:
gigging musician, home recording

A Classic

Classic sound, perfect addition to my pedal board. Fits right in with the vintage pedals I have.

Jezza
from Australia
December 4, 2011Music Background:
Musician

Is this THE best distortion pedal out there..?

I will start by saying that I've been playing guitar professionally for many years and guitar for 26 years.
I've tried all sorts of boutique boxes and then some (I used to own a music store so that helped) and having just bought me a DS-1 I am totally blown away by it. This, and the SD-1 are the two BEST pedals for drive I've ever played, period. I would never even think about modding them becasue I think it would ruin their beautiful tone. If you are a good guitar player, and your rig is good. You will sound brilliant using these two boxes. THANK YOU BOSS! I also found that it doubles as a suistainer, too, which is very cool. The knobs seem to work differently than in any other pedal I've used before. You will see what I mean if you turn the volume to 0 and check it against any other Boss pedal.

from
October 24, 2011

This place is awesome

Fast delivery and the best customer service i've ever seen

Richard Kelley
from CO
February 21, 2011Music Background:
Recording engineer, Pro musician

Overated

Stock, this pedal sounds like a chainsaw. I get amazed at all the reviews here. Sorry to disapoint but I just think this thing sounds very harsh. However, replacing the stock components with better ones makes this pedal shine. I like the durability of Boss but unless it's modded it nothing more than an expensive paper weight.

Modify it and you have winner.

Tyler Phillips
from Wisconsin
May 1, 2010Music Background:
Student, Hobbyist, Performer

Greatest Pedal Ever!

For a pricee like this you will never get a better pedal! This is the best distortion pedal made in my opinion. I use this pedal everyday and for almost every song. I play punk rock and you can really get that Blink-182 style punk sound from this pedal.

Matt
from Cleveland, OH USA
January 15, 2010Music Background:
Hobbyist, home-recording

My first pedal

I bought one of these 10 years ago, I was 15 and wanted a distortion pedal, best $40 I ever spent. All the other pedals near this price range were cheap plastic junk, but my DS-1 is still going strong to this day (a bit chipped up from abuse, and drawn on with permanant marker for my settings, but works fine!). Great for all the punk and rock bands I've been in. Since then, I've bought 8 more BOSS pedals, and have an SD-1 on the way. Love it!

Clay
from Covington, IN USA
December 23, 2009Music Background:
guitarist, daw production, student, intermediate, hobbyist, bassist

A great cheap pedal

Wow! You really can't get a better pedal for the price. This will probably always be the best pedal $50 and under. It is great for a good ac/dc and zeppelin classic rock tone, along with the classic Nirvana sound. It can even get into a bit of a Metallica tone if the drive is turned up all the the way and mids are scooped. Great overall guitar pedal.

Austin K
from Canton, Ohio
June 4, 2009Music Background:
Guitarist, Pianoist, Synth-lover, Drummer, Recording, mainly student though

Perfect Distiortion Pedal

This pedal offers an amazing range of distortion, depending on your style. It's not your hardcore metal distortion, but it'll provide a nice rock distortion that will knock your socks off. If you are new to guitar, this pedal can give you a head start.

Isaac
from NC
May 30, 2009Music Background:
Hobbyist

Good All-Around Pedal

This pedal is just about everything a beginner needs in an overdrive pedal. It can go from a mild overdrive to fuzz with the twist of a knob. My only complaint is that if you turn up the distortion high, there is a lot of hissing, but if you have a filter pedal that shouldn't be a problem. Great value and a great pedal!

Ricky Vinluan
from Manila, Philippines
May 25, 2008Music Background:
Pro-musician

Great pedal and best deal at Sweetwater

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.

Brandon Lemay
from Manchester, NH USA
April 24, 2008Music Background:
Hobbyist

Great Pedal

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.

gitarforGod6789
from Maryville,TN baby!Whoooo!
October 21, 2007Music Background:
In three bands, Electric, acoustic, bass, vocals, missionary

phenomenal service

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!

Dave
from Boscawen, NH
July 14, 2007Music Background:
Own/Operate Online used gear vacuum tube business

The Best!!

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

Ghosts of the Pinnacle guitarist
from Whitewater, WI
May 27, 2007Music Background:
Recording Engineer and I'm in a band

The best

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.

Khawaja Jodat
from 61 M, Gulberg III, Lahore, Pakistan.
May 23, 2007Music Background:
Engineer & hobbyist guitarist for the last 27 years.

No more looking around this is it what you ever wanted.

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.

LEX
from Connecticut
February 7, 2007Music Background:
guitar and vocals

ds-1

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.

Rick Rice
from Buffalo, NY
October 29, 2006Music Background:
Hobbyist

Boss DS-1 Distortion

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-1â€™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 Johnsonâ€™s instrumental version of â€œCliffâ€™s of Doverâ€?. 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 itâ€™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, youâ€™re only out $40!

Dave S.
from Baltimore, MD
October 7, 2006Music Background:
Pro Musician, Recording Engineer

My Favorite Rock 'n' Roll Distortion Pedal

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.

Ken Bearden
from Fort Wayne, IN
September 20, 2006Music Background:
Active Musician

A Test Of Time

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..

Tony H.
from Taunton, MA USA
March 6, 2006

excellent distortion pedal

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.

Scott Zakaib
from Toronto, Canada
January 1, 2005

This Pedal Is Great

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.