Boss SD-1W Waza Craft Super Overdrive Pedal Reviews

This is an excellent overdrive pedal! It delivers a smooth, even overdriven tone. This is the third BOSS overdrive pedal I've owned. Boss pedal's seem to last about 20 years for me, [I'm old], and the Waza Craft one is by far the best! Definitely worth the extra money!!!

This overdrive pedal simply deserves yet another positive review. Already being a fan of the BOSS pedal quality and already owning the standard SD-1, this Waza version was naturally on the list. It absolutely does NOT disappoint. Its two modes are straight forward and simple. I'll have to echo other reviewers here and say that the standard mode is the same but more clear, quiet and arguably more articulate. The second mode (custom) is similar but thicker and has a bit more gain. Perfect for not wanting to gut your amp's inherent depth or girth. So many overdrive pedals can take too much of that bottom end away and make it feel lost. The custom mode here helps keep most of it. Running through a Marshall type amp, The SD-1's are just fantastic. So simple yet so effective. The best compliment I can give is that I'd purchase it again or as a second if needed.

I liked my SD1 so much that I bought the Waza version. Hard to believe, but the Waza version is even better. There isn't a better screamer style pedal on the market in my opinion. Perfect for cutting through the mix. I sold the rest and kept the best!

Still learning, amazing what very little dial movement changes in tone!

I was in the market for a new OD pedal and I was intrigued with the SD-1W after hearing several reviews on this reimagining of the classic pedal. The Wazacraft pedals are excellently crafted and feel like a premium product compared to my other BOSS pedals. I especially like the metal screw that fastens the battery compartment and the feel of the knobs.

This is a versatile OD that seems to have more variety than the TS9 that I was primarily using before buying this pedal. The Custom Mode is great, and I find that I use it over the standard mode most of the time. This will be my primary OD pedal moving forward.

I have tried all the high profile pedals and I prefer this one. If you do a 50/50 gain scenario and are into rock/metal, this is the one. Some of the new pedals are phenomenal. But they seem to work if you set your amp up totally clean. The pedal delivers the tight low end clarity along with the screaming leads. The WAZA is a 30% step up from the original IMO. I only use the Custom Switch!.

This is the OD that I least wanted. Had a nice lore mid hump that pairs well with Marshalls. Not too fizzy or dark sounding.

I wasn't sure what I would think of this or whether it was right for me,but purchased it anyways.It does exactly almost what I was hoping for.Years about probably 30 years ago I had to borrow a guitar and a pedal to get through the night.The pedal was a Boss SD1 and I had fun using that one night but never owned one.I had a stock Boss OD1 and a Analog Man modded OD1 for years.One got stolen,other I regretted selling.Boss OD1's aren't cheap and have been looking for that sound.I have yet to try a Boss OD3 are hard to come by ,always seem sold out everywhere when I want one.I decided to pay more than the regular stock Boss SD1 and get this one and glad I did.Honestly I think the standard mode sounds good for some applications, also sounds kinda dead,but the custom mode just sounds fantastic.It has more bass,a little more gain,but just sounds more alive,transparent.I messed around between the modes and I don't see a reason to ever really use the standard mode.It really is a great sounding overdrive,better than most costing more.

I have had the Waza Craft Blues Driver now for over a year and I would recommend it to any classic hard rock guitarist as well as for blues players. My goal was to get an expressive high gain sound and this delivers, especially on the custom setting. The extra work at Boss paid off and justifies the extra cost over the stock Blues Driver, and I now use it to supplement my Marshall DSL40 with the clean channel when the (very good) stock overdrive channel just isn't enough. I thought this device would bog down or get too mushy, but the distortion tone is great, distinguishable notes and clean at full tilt.

Whether it's Black Sabbath or Roy Buchannan, this is a great supplement to stock amp overdrive.

I have owned many modded Boss SD-1 pedals over the years. I have fought with overdrive pedals for years chasing " that tone." I have an OCD, ZW OD, Doug Aldrich OD, YJM OD modded to 1983 specs, Tubescreamers, Berkos Jimi Hendrix Pedal etc etc etc. They all have their uses.

Running into a JP2C an overdrive is not really needed. However I like to drop the amp gain a bit and then use an OD for that saturated, liquids solo feel. It"s more about feel than sound usually for me. In Custom mode I can crank the gain up to 3 o"clock ( I use a TC Sentry Gate also) and the Boss SD-1W gives a very subtle but wonderful liquid gain feel. Legato, picking all feel like the amp is not fighting me using this boost. It is fantastic.

The Sd-1 is a classic pedal in its own right. Buy the original pedal for $49 dollars and you have a great pedal. The Waza version has a better noise floor and although the C mode mods are subtle and small....those of you with a discerning ear will love the Waza craft pedal. Boss hit it out of the pack. Awesome classic Overdrive!

Been playing for a very long time. I've tried a lot of boosts but it's almost embarrassing I've never tried an SD-1. In a sea of constant variations of the originals I've been on a back to basics kick lately so I had to try the Waza version. I set the pedal for more a signal boost into a crunchy DSL20HR and just like the first time I tried a basic Tubescreamer I thought "I've heard this before" The way it pushes the amp makes it a very cool sounding alternative. T/S tend to bump the mids which is great in the right amp but the SD-1W blends more into the basic tone of the amp. You can't go wrong with either. The SD-1W is definitely a must have in your pedal collection because of this. The reviews here are spot on. Typical Boss quality. The pedal runs quiet. The Standard and Custom modes are hard to decide on. They both sounded great. I was using a Les Paul and finally decided I liked Standard for cranked volume and Custom with the amp backed off. Just like a reviewer mentioned step on the SD-1W and your "There" with that extra saturation that many a rock tone has been made with. I ended up with a very singing tone with this setup pretty quick.

Very pleased with the purchase and as usuall Sweetwater and Kenny Bergle are great to deal with.

Quiet! Great roll-off, Sounds like the one I had in the early 80's, love the low-end gain boost in the custom setting. It doesn't effect my tone when it's off. Crank everything up and roll the volume down on the guitar for some really nice clean tones. Put this pedal in front of a JCM 800 for a real shredders experience! I love this pedal! It's a must have...

Very good over drive pedal.

Boss has modified the pedal without completely changing the characteristics or voicing of the pedal. Great tones on both switches sometimes hard to decide which tone to use.

I just got my SD-1W the other day. I had shopped around a lot for an overdrive pedal that would add gain and sustain without adding fizz and piercing highs. I have watched tons of videos, read tons of reviews, etc. I was really looking at the OCD pedal but I saw this and it sounded great on the youtube video so I figured I would give it a shot. I am so glad that I did!

The pedal is extremely well constructed, tough as nails. The switch is smooth and effortless, the knobs turn with just the right amount of resistance, the jacks plug in and out very smoothly. The sound of the pedal is just unbelievable, it has that punch, that saturation, THE sound! In S mode it is a standard SD-1, it sounds really good but has sort of a thin feel to it. When you flip to C that's when the magic happens, more gain comes flowing in and the sound fills out into this thick evil thing, it's really awesome!

Having the standard mode available is a really great feature, it allows you 2 different voicings to choose from, though I never use S mode, it's nice to know it's there. The C mode is everything you think and more, it is on par with the best modded pedals out there. Being able to compare it to a stock circuit in the same pedal really shows you what a great job BOSS did on this pedal.

If you need a good overdrive to push your clean amp or plexi into high gain territory, or if you need to just fatten the sound of your high gain amp this pedal is absolutely perfect. I highly recommend it.

This review could easily be 5 stars but then I have no where to go, haha. So I loved the sound of this pedal right when I plugged it in!. However, the real moment when I knew it was different in a better way then the original was playing with my drummer and hearing him say "I don't know what it is but I can hear your guitar better in both the lead and rhythm parts we just played". I think it is the famous mid-range cutting through the rest of the band but no overwhelming the parts or any member of the band. So if you are looking for an overdrive pedal, look no further. The toner, the flexibility of the pedal, and many other things make thing my go to OD pedal.

P.S.- try putting this before a Rat Fuzz pedal in your chain, turn the level and gain fairly high on the SD-1w and then the level lower on the Rat and the filter at about the 8 o'clock position and enjoy the sustain. Sustain for days!

Comparing models against each other, (the Boss Super Overdrive SD-1 and the Boss Super Overdrive SD-1W), the SD-1W has two advantages. One is that the circuitry of the SD-1W is quieter. The SD-1 produces a slight background noise. Secondly, the SD-1W has a 'booster switch' (C - for "Custom" setting) that with it's clean electronics produces a high amount of gain. For me, I just set the SD-1W to the S - for "Standard" setting with the quieter circuitry. I use both Boss Super Drives on my pedalboard for different effects because of the differences in circuitry.

Went through embarrassing amount of ODs. This one in either standard or Waza mode delivers! IMHO goes well with higher end Marshalls.
Just a good tone with not too much added color but you can get that by upping the gain. Not my preferred use but…
If you have an already great sounding amp but need some added bite SD1waza way to go. Smooth asymmetrical clipping. You all think it may be a boring choice but go out and buy too many ODs. Betcha you try the SD1 and you'll think a little differently. Won't do much to overhaul tone on a bad sounding amp though. Not its purpose.

I bought this originally to add more snarl to my Mesa Rectoverb 25. It failed when compared to the Blues Driver. It doesn't push as much signal in terms of volume or gain or "width" of frequencies.

Where it shines: As I was thinking about returning the pedal from my disappointment with its lackluster performance with the high-gain Mesa, for giggles, I ran it into my 1973 Fender Deluxe Reverb and then my 1980 VibroChamp. Verdict: It was fantastic!

It's sublime when used as a dirt source with a low-gain clean amp. Dirty but smooth! It pushes the right eq curve that pushes the Fenders into sweet overdrive. It was fantastic across my Les Paul as well as my Suhr Classic "S" and "T" guitars.

I was really ready to denounce this classic pedal as a phony as I sent it back. To say that I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that it has a different purpose than what I originally intended.

Nice equipment. Answered questions and followed up via phone to see if everything worked out. First class service!