Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal
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All the grind you'll ever want.
From screaming loud to whisper soft, the Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal can faithfully reproduce the dynamics of your playing style. Level and distortion controls give you complete command of the amount of signal processing. Tone knob lets you tailor EQ right on the unit. The Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal is a tough stompbox that can take whatever your boot can dish out. Includes 5-year warranty.
Features
- Tone, level, and distortion knobs on face
- Super-tough construction
Sometimes you need a soft, clean, pure tone to express your musical vision. The REST of the time, you need the DS-1. Put it in the cart!
Review Snapshot®
by PowerReviews(based on 714 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
94%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Responsive (11)
- Compact (9)
- Excellent sound quality (7)
- Versatile (6)
- Good selection of effects (3)
Cons
- Limited selection of effects (3)
Best Uses
- Performances (10)
- Amateur recording (7)
- Home studio (6)
- Outdoor events / games (6)
- Professional recording (4)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Experienced (11), Professional musician (4)
Most Liked Positive Review
ds-1
you know, this may not be the best dirt box but it really isn't that bad. do not, i repeat do not put this infront of a solid state amp or use it as...Read complete review
you know, this may not be the best dirt box but it really isn't that bad. do not, i repeat do not put this infront of a solid state amp or use it as your main distortion pedal as it will sound harsh and thin. i use it as a boost for either my duecetone rat or with the dirt channel on my blues deluxe reissue. when used as a boost it can really enhance your gain and saturation. and it has a buffered bypass which is great for long cables which can cause you to lose tone. all things considered it's a decent pedal.
three knobs; tone, level and distortion. when you think about it, that's all you really need
this thing is practically indestructible
it's cheap and does what it's supposed to do
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Don't Let The Price Fool You
Into thinking that this pedal is worth it. I'll say, I got this pedal a while back thinking that I wanted a distortion that could get me a more classic-rock style distortion than the ...Read complete review
Into thinking that this pedal is worth it. I'll say, I got this pedal a while back thinking that I wanted a distortion that could get me a more classic-rock style distortion than the MT-2 that I already owned. And I've got to say, first impression was that it was pretty good. Dirtier sound than I had really wanted, but I could get some good sound out of it.That was before I actually heard other distortions.After getting out of my own shell and hearing the distortion pedals of some more experienced guitarists, I can tell you one thing: the DS-1 sounds atrocious. The tone is so disgustingly bad that I would rather play a distorted guitar part clean than with the pedal on. This pedal sounds as if you are playing your guitar inside a trashcan. Don't waste your money, even if it isn't that much money.P.S.: Firstly, ignore the people claiming "these are people you know who use the DS-1"; Kurt Cobain wanted his tone to sound bad (it's GRUNGE!) and as for Steve Vai, he does have a DS-1, but he's had it modded by Robert Keeley to actually have a good tone. That's the one thing I could suggest; buy it, and send it to Robert Keely to be modded.
Reviews
Reviewed by 714 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-10
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Pros
- Compact Design
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
Great pedal to have in your arsenal! However, it's NOT an "over-the-top" heavy metal sound. It produces that great "classic" distortion sound. The tone control is pretty generous. Lots of headroom for cutting highs or lows. It cleans up real nice when you back off on your pick attack and/or turn the volume down on your guitar (not the amp). Great pedal for very little cash!
Pros
- Cheap
Cons
- Poor Sound Quality
Best Uses
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
I would not recommend this pedal at all, unless you have it modded. Stock it sounds like static on an old tv. No warmth or tone at all. I had it modded with a Monte Allums mod kit and it rocks now. So only buy it if you're prepared to finish it with an Allums or Keeley mod (or one of the others, there are a few).
P.S. Stock, the yellow Boss SD-1 pedal sounds way better. Much better for classic rock/blues than this.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
- Limited Selection Of Effects
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Performances
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
This is a simple distortion pedal. It is excellent for beginners and novices and can be tuned it for an excellent overdrive sound by experienced musicians. I use it for songs that require a little softer distortion and it works great for classic rock covers. I would suggest this pedal to anybody, I've been using it for 12 years.
Pros
- Good Selection Of Effects
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Performances
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
Great little pedal, and the price cannot be beat. I keep this on my board all the time. I use it as an overdrive with Distortion at 0, The tone at 11 o'clock and the level at 12 o'clock. Extremely versatile.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Good Selection Of Effects
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Events
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
This pedal performs. Versatile settings give you what you want to hear. For quality and price, stop searching and just buy you a Boss DS-1 pedal. If you really want to get real with your music, use it in tandem with a Boss OC-3 super octave pedal and a Boss BF-3 flanger pedal. You probably won't need anthing more.
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
I purchased this as a gift and although we had to return the first one we received, I cannot say enough about how helpful everyone was and how concerned they were to make sure we had what we ordered and were happy with it!
Pros
- Compact Design
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
- Limited Selection Of Effects
Best Uses
- Events
- Performances
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
Set up properly, this pedal can bring some delightful sounds to your palette. Playing through a purely clean channel is not a good idea... it can easily cause the gross sound people often complain of. Through an amp with a hair of gain already clipping it, this pedal sounds terrific.
I'm currently running it through a Quilter MicroPro 200; the gain is up enough to cause slight breakup if you hit it REALLY hard. With this, you can get a glorious rhythm tone out of the DS-1 - and when the amp's boost is turned on, LOOK OUT.
Through cheaper amps (ex: smaller Fender solid state models) push the Drive button, dial the gain to basically 0, and try the pedal over that. I found it to sounder much fuller and pleasing to the ear than through the clean channel, and the volume is more controllable too.
Overall, this pedal deserves its fame; used correctly, it can add some healthy rock to classic metal tone to your sound.
Pros
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Responsive
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
Hands down this is my favorite distortion. I have owned a slew of distortion pedals and I always come back to the Boss DS-1. In fact I own 3 of them, one of which I had Keeley modded. I love the tone of this pedal as well as the dynamics of it. I have used this pedal in several rigs over the years and I just cannot keep it off of my pedal board. I spent a good amount of moolah to re-tube my Randall RT with EL34's because I really favor that British tone but I still prefer the Boss DS-1. I love the almost "creaminess" that you can produce with this distortion which is similar to what I dial in with my amps built-in overdrive. I guess what I am trying to say is that "my sound" is easily accessed using this pedal. Combine it with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and you are in heaven. It even sounds great on my solid state Fender M-80 chorus amp. I use this as my main stompbox in my band. We play a wide variety of rock and metal and this does the trick for all ends of the spectrum. I also like to use this pedal as a boost by turning my clean channel gain up on my amp and turning the gain on the pedal down. As a third time owner I give this pedal a 5 star because it is exactly the tone that I am looking for in an overdrive/distortion.
Pros
- Compact Design
- Responsive
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Performances
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
I got this effect with my first guitar and I've ran it through all the amps i can get my hands on, and it has so many flavors it's hard to not mess around with it all the time.
Pros
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Good Selection Of Effects
- Responsive
- Simple To Use
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Practice Sessions Home
Comments about Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal:
This pedal is good for rock, hard rock and grunge music genres. With a Marshall amplifier, you get really good sound. It also pre-amps the volume when effects are in use. I have used it to play tracks from Nirvana, Stone temple pilots, Foo Fighters, Guns N' Roses, Oasis, Green day, etc.
