Mods for the Boss DS1
Mods for the DS1 generally revive the important missing Bass and Low Mid Range and provide tighter and more dynamic Distortion tones while taming the notorious stock hi end fizzy tone. From Warm Crunch to Super Saturation the Modded DS1 can be used from Traditional Blues to Modern Metal setups. Some players derive alot of their distortion tone from the pedal. Alot of the pros actually use the pedal as a boost to kick their saturating tube amps into screaming distortion. Some even use it effectively as mild overdrive. In short there are many ways around using the DS1
To decide on the right kind of mods to help yourself arrive at a more personalized tone in the most cost effective way it helps to take careful consideration and honesty of of your abilities, experience, needs, budget and musical intentions. Gearwise consider the following carefully;
1. What Guitar and Pickups?
2. What Pedals do you use and the patching order?
3. What kind of amp? Solid State or All Tube?
4. What is your musical Preference?
5. What is the percentage of distortion that you dial in between the pedals and the amp?
Japan/Taiwan Made DS1 and what's the difference?
The Japanese made DS1 came with a different older designed chip which had less gain and headroom and is slightly noisier when compared to the modern Taiwanese made ones. Certain 1st issue Taiwanese (black label) made DS1s had the same chip as the Japanese made DS1. The general hear say opinions about Japanese made pedals being all superior isn't entirely true. Different yes, better?...not necessarily so. Let me explain in simple words. Let's say you want a DS1 Ultra which has a big jack up on the Bass and Low Mids and a higher gain factor and overall volume. The Ultra very effectively makes a small combo amp sound like a 4x12 spkr cab because of the serious low end thump! If that's what u want then I would highly recommend the modern Taiwanese made pedals with the 5223 chip as it has the ability to get all the above mentioned sounding tight and with less noise compared to the older original Japanese ones. Now let's say you want to use the DS1 Ultra/Germanium (one of my own custom designs) with a more subtle use of the Drive but want to max out on the level and use the setting to push a tube amp for a classic Blues/Classic Rock Lead Tone then I would suggest hunting down either a Japanese or Taiwanese 1st issue. Players with very high output pickups often experience a mushed up kinda compressed distortion when using the DS1 with the distortion knob set at maximum. This happens because of the high gain factor of the pedal's distortion circuit design which would work well with low to medium output pups but will have no more headroom if the inputs are slammed with really hot pickup. Solution; Either lower the height of ur super hot rod pups, change to a middle gain pup or simply lower the distortion knobs settings. I've spotted more than a few pics of Vai's DS1 settings where the distortion knob is no more than 1 o clock! But do check out the position of his level out knob!
All said about mods for the Japanese or Taiwanese DS1s , it's still possible to get a good sound out of the pedals even in stock form.
Boutique Mods for DS1
The Original "
See Eye Mod" mod design by Robert Keeley included significant improvements over the stock DS1enhancing the Bass, Lower Mids and addressing the previous Shrilly Hi End of the Stock model. The mod also made major improvements in the clipping stage giving bigger fuller sounding tube like distortion character with LEDs as clipping diodes. Great for the modern rock and classic rock lead player!
The
Ultra Mod is basically taking the original "See Eye Mod" and jacking up the gain with additional distortion stage in the clipping circuit and bumping up the all important midrange making the the Ultra DS1 a fierce rival when compared to a stock Metal Zone. great for Modern Metal players who want arena type big Bottoms, rich harmonics and no compromise on gain and tone with loads of sustain! In my observation over the years there are at least 2 versions of the Keeley Mod.The earliest version was the fattest sounding which worked great with humbuckers for the singing lead tone but diminishes the character of a Strat. Some have remarked that they even prefer the Ultra to a modded Metal Zone. Oh well...to each his own as they say.
Custom Mods for DS1
There are many versions of Mods for the DS1. Basically they are variations of the tried and tested mods as mentioned above with varying degrees of Distortion, type of Saturation, and Tone balance. When coupled with toggle switch options for selecting either gain or tone, the Custom DS1 becomes both a powerful and versatile Boost/Crunch/Distortion pedal that rivals some of the best boutique models (which are also variations of the DS1 anyway). The custom mod for the DS1 that I continually use and offer to those interested is my own twin toggle switcheroo "
Switchblade".
That's it for now, more along the way about DS1 Mods and how to use it effectively and musically with your fav guitar, your other pedals and last but never the least the amps! In the meantime take a 2nd look at that orange distortion pedal and tweak the knobs in ways u never tot of before and surprise urself. Have fun!
