Godspeed64
Active member
I’m sure many of you have trolled around the forums or asked your experienced friends the golden question; “Recommend me a distortion pedal.” More often than not, the name DS-1 pops up as the number one contender, as if it was a household name when talking about distortion. This is none other than the highly acclaimed pedal by effects giant BOSS.
BOSS DS-1 (pictured: original Silver Screw DS-1; notice the slightly thinner fonts)
Before we proceed:
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW IS UNLIKE OTHER REVIEWS. THIS IS A REVIEW ON ALL 3 VERSIONS OF THE DS-1. MODS WILL NOT BE COVERED, ONLY MENTIONED IN PASSING. I AM AN AVID USER OF HUMBUCKERS, SO SINGLE COIL USERS MAY OR MAY NOT FIND THIS REVIEW USEFUL.
History
The BOSS DS-1 was first released in 1978 with the Toshiba TA7136AP opamp (silver screw edition). This is the original MIJ (Made In Japan) piece that is sought after. In 1994, it underwent a slight change where a second edition of the DS-1 was made with the Rohm BA728N (still MIJ). When BOSS shifted production to Taiwan, the initial badge of MIT (Made In Taiwan) still had the Rohm BA728N, which was replaced by the Mitsubishi M5223AL in year 2000. All 3 have significantly different voicings which I will cover in this review.
Tone comparison
Boss DS-1 (MIT); Mitsubishi M5223AL
Many guitarists with a BOSS DS-1 would likely own this version of the DS-1. It is cheap, and most importantly, it is easily obtainable. While many of us are contented with the performance of this unit, most tend to sell it after a given period of time, or preferably mod it. This is mainly due to the fact that this DS-1 has several unusable settings. As the gain is turned up, the sound becomes fizzy (like a poorly made fuzz) and noise is inherent. Turning the tone knob incurs a noticeable volume boost, probably due to the excessive treble. Those who dislike this version find it thin & weak, or lacks versatility. It is no wonder that the Tri-Gain mod is favoured when it comes to modding a DS-1. This DS-1 also has plenty of volume to tap on, making it the loudest of the 3 incarnations of the DS-1.
Tone: 63%
Likes:
Price
Many mods out there cater to this DS-1
Dislikes:
Overall Tone (too many unusable settings)
Noise
More often than not has to be modded
Boss DS-1 (MIJ); Rohm BA728N
This is the easier to find Japanese DS-1 that could go at around twice or more of the price of the Taiwanese DS-1. The immediate difference one hears when A/B-ing this with the above, it the clarity, and the volume. This DS-1 is the least loudest, but it pays for that in tone. The DS-1 can be considered to be a ‘transparent’ drive, although distortion pedals should not be marketed as such. Chords ring clear at lower gain settings, and at higher drive, it packs a serious punch. For those wanting that added high end rampant on AC/DC recordings, this is a serious contender for nailing that tone. I’ve tried it alongside boutique effect-makers Radial’s Classic Distortion and HomeBrew Electronics Big ‘D’ Distortion, and the MIJ DS-1 was comparable in terms of clarity, and was versatile despite the 3 knobs offered (although it is not as versatile as the other two). With what the DS-1 had to offer, the tone clearly knocks out these two competitors. It is not as noisy as the MIT counterpart, but a slight hiss is noticeable at higher gain settings.
Tone: 80%
Likes:
Overall Tone (Clarity)
Boss DS-1 (MIJ); Toshiba TA7136AP opamp
This is the original first series DS-1, distinguishable via its Silver Screw and its hefty price tag (when and if it is on sale). This pedal motivated me to write this review the moment I acquired it. Compared to the other 2 DS-1s, this DS-1 reigns like a supreme king over the two. It offers more clarity than the other two, and has the warmest distortion. One can say that these are characteristics of a fuzz or overdrive, yet this pedal proves that it can be gritty, like other distortion pedals, yet smooth enough to be used for thick leads. Personally, I use the DS-1 for rhythm only as it is not fat sounding enough, but this DS-1 allows me to solo quite naturally. You can think of it as a tube amp as it is about to crank up; gritty yet smooth (or perhaps like a thinner sounding LM308 RAT with a slightly different voicing).
However, this DS-1 is the most difficult to have in your board for 2 reasons. First, it has a momentary LED. That means the LED light switches on only as you switch on, or switch off the pedal, meaning you won’t know if it is in use or not without actually listening. Second, it requires its own regulated PSU (or adaptor). Hence, daisy chains and One Spots are unwelcomed adversaries.
Tone: 95%
Likes:
Overall Tone
Dislikes:
Momentary LED
Adaptor problems
Availability
Price (although I got it at a killer price, I’m writing it in general)
Worthy Contenders
DS-1 MIT:
Marshall Guvnor
Boss DS-2
AMT British Sound
Biyang DS-7
Biyang DS-9
Artec TWH-1 Twin Drive
MXR Distortion III
Beta Aivin DS-100
Ibanez DS-7
DS-1 MIJ:
Seekz Punchtone
MI Audio Crunchbox
Radial Tonebone Classic Distortion
HBE Big 'D' Distortion
Fulltone OCD ver 3
Toadworks Mr.Ed
Zvex Box of Rock
DS-1 MIJ SS:
Emma ReezaFratzitz (Best compared to this IMO)
Jetter Gain Stage Black
Jetter Gain Stage Blue
Jetter Gain Stage Purple
Menatone King of the Britains
Video Demo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTsZ492oRs
It is very short and brief though..
Silver screw alone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNPDRE_7sA
P.S: Second review. Do consider my Sonic Glory review too here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/guitar-fx-reviews/62288-rocktron-sonic-glory.html
BOSS DS-1 (pictured: original Silver Screw DS-1; notice the slightly thinner fonts)
Before we proceed:
PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT THIS REVIEW IS UNLIKE OTHER REVIEWS. THIS IS A REVIEW ON ALL 3 VERSIONS OF THE DS-1. MODS WILL NOT BE COVERED, ONLY MENTIONED IN PASSING. I AM AN AVID USER OF HUMBUCKERS, SO SINGLE COIL USERS MAY OR MAY NOT FIND THIS REVIEW USEFUL.
History
The BOSS DS-1 was first released in 1978 with the Toshiba TA7136AP opamp (silver screw edition). This is the original MIJ (Made In Japan) piece that is sought after. In 1994, it underwent a slight change where a second edition of the DS-1 was made with the Rohm BA728N (still MIJ). When BOSS shifted production to Taiwan, the initial badge of MIT (Made In Taiwan) still had the Rohm BA728N, which was replaced by the Mitsubishi M5223AL in year 2000. All 3 have significantly different voicings which I will cover in this review.
Tone comparison
Boss DS-1 (MIT); Mitsubishi M5223AL
Many guitarists with a BOSS DS-1 would likely own this version of the DS-1. It is cheap, and most importantly, it is easily obtainable. While many of us are contented with the performance of this unit, most tend to sell it after a given period of time, or preferably mod it. This is mainly due to the fact that this DS-1 has several unusable settings. As the gain is turned up, the sound becomes fizzy (like a poorly made fuzz) and noise is inherent. Turning the tone knob incurs a noticeable volume boost, probably due to the excessive treble. Those who dislike this version find it thin & weak, or lacks versatility. It is no wonder that the Tri-Gain mod is favoured when it comes to modding a DS-1. This DS-1 also has plenty of volume to tap on, making it the loudest of the 3 incarnations of the DS-1.
Tone: 63%
Likes:
Price
Many mods out there cater to this DS-1
Dislikes:
Overall Tone (too many unusable settings)
Noise
More often than not has to be modded
Boss DS-1 (MIJ); Rohm BA728N
This is the easier to find Japanese DS-1 that could go at around twice or more of the price of the Taiwanese DS-1. The immediate difference one hears when A/B-ing this with the above, it the clarity, and the volume. This DS-1 is the least loudest, but it pays for that in tone. The DS-1 can be considered to be a ‘transparent’ drive, although distortion pedals should not be marketed as such. Chords ring clear at lower gain settings, and at higher drive, it packs a serious punch. For those wanting that added high end rampant on AC/DC recordings, this is a serious contender for nailing that tone. I’ve tried it alongside boutique effect-makers Radial’s Classic Distortion and HomeBrew Electronics Big ‘D’ Distortion, and the MIJ DS-1 was comparable in terms of clarity, and was versatile despite the 3 knobs offered (although it is not as versatile as the other two). With what the DS-1 had to offer, the tone clearly knocks out these two competitors. It is not as noisy as the MIT counterpart, but a slight hiss is noticeable at higher gain settings.
Tone: 80%
Likes:
Overall Tone (Clarity)
Boss DS-1 (MIJ); Toshiba TA7136AP opamp
This is the original first series DS-1, distinguishable via its Silver Screw and its hefty price tag (when and if it is on sale). This pedal motivated me to write this review the moment I acquired it. Compared to the other 2 DS-1s, this DS-1 reigns like a supreme king over the two. It offers more clarity than the other two, and has the warmest distortion. One can say that these are characteristics of a fuzz or overdrive, yet this pedal proves that it can be gritty, like other distortion pedals, yet smooth enough to be used for thick leads. Personally, I use the DS-1 for rhythm only as it is not fat sounding enough, but this DS-1 allows me to solo quite naturally. You can think of it as a tube amp as it is about to crank up; gritty yet smooth (or perhaps like a thinner sounding LM308 RAT with a slightly different voicing).
However, this DS-1 is the most difficult to have in your board for 2 reasons. First, it has a momentary LED. That means the LED light switches on only as you switch on, or switch off the pedal, meaning you won’t know if it is in use or not without actually listening. Second, it requires its own regulated PSU (or adaptor). Hence, daisy chains and One Spots are unwelcomed adversaries.
Tone: 95%
Likes:
Overall Tone
Dislikes:
Momentary LED
Adaptor problems
Availability
Price (although I got it at a killer price, I’m writing it in general)
Worthy Contenders
DS-1 MIT:
Marshall Guvnor
Boss DS-2
AMT British Sound
Biyang DS-7
Biyang DS-9
Artec TWH-1 Twin Drive
MXR Distortion III
Beta Aivin DS-100
Ibanez DS-7
DS-1 MIJ:
Seekz Punchtone
MI Audio Crunchbox
Radial Tonebone Classic Distortion
HBE Big 'D' Distortion
Fulltone OCD ver 3
Toadworks Mr.Ed
Zvex Box of Rock
DS-1 MIJ SS:
Emma ReezaFratzitz (Best compared to this IMO)
Jetter Gain Stage Black
Jetter Gain Stage Blue
Jetter Gain Stage Purple
Menatone King of the Britains
Video Demo here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGTsZ492oRs
It is very short and brief though..
Silver screw alone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNPDRE_7sA
P.S: Second review. Do consider my Sonic Glory review too here: http://soft.com.sg/forum/guitar-fx-reviews/62288-rocktron-sonic-glory.html
Last edited:
