Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

[J Moose]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

I've had mine for maybe 15 years & I bought it used. My thoughts are pretty much in-line with nightwings, there IS a low-end loss but as a solo boost I dig that.

It's kinda funny, like ha-ha funny... back in the day Zakk Wylde was using that yellow SD-1... when I tried his new MXR pedal and A/B'd to my almost 20 year old SD-1... well guess what?

Virtually 90% the same, even down to the knob positions!

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

Liked the SD-1 and the old OD-1...

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

One the best metal tones ever, I would say one of the most definitive metal tones ever - Savatage's Criss Oliva's RIP tone was, two super overdrives cranked into a CLEAN channel of Laney AOR. Some day I will get one and fool around with it, I do want to try two spina's Ibanez TS9s Criss style into my AOR, in clean channel like Criss and into barely driven but cranked MV AOR channel ....
http://www.crissoliva.net/

 

[nightwing122087]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

By the way I crank the Level and the Tone and leave the Drive around 7:00-7:30. Having the tone cranked gives it sort of a nice treble boost the gives the leads a nice bite. I find there's no need to crank the Drive any more than that otherwise it becomes overly distorted and starts to sound fake at least to me. (all through an already distorted Marshall)

 

[ErikH]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

It's kinda funny, like ha-ha funny... back in the day Zakk Wylde was using that yellow SD-1... when I tried his new MXR pedal and A/B'd to my almost 20 year old SD-1... well guess what?

Virtually 90% the same, even down to the knob positions!

That's because the main circuit is identical in the two of them. The Wylde OD doesn't have an output buffer and has slightly more gain.

 

[Rich_S]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

Looking back over this thread, many of the responses look kind of silly, mine included. "Great pedal, just mod this and that and the other thing..."

So, let me clarify. It's a great pedal regardless. It sounds good stock, and it's great mod platform because it's cheap, available, and there are a lot of mods published for it. It's also a Boss box - built like a tank.

Some of them have the bleed-through problem when bypassed, others don't. The bleed-through is a bigger problem when the drive control is up high; if you're using it as a slightly crunch boost, then you're less likely to hear the bleed. Also, if your normal sound is a crunchy rhythm, and you use the SD-1 for leads, you probably won't hear the little bit of grit the bleed adds to you amp distortion. The bleed is only a problem when you're driving a clean amp. The parts for the IndyGuitarist bleed fix are about 2 bucks. I had to order three pedals' worth of bleed-fixes just to make it worth the shipping.

The SD-1 sounds great as-is, with modding it's even better. The mid-hump is a two-edged sword; some may not like it, but the accompanying bass rolloff really tightens the sound up. Even though the SD-1 shares the mid-hump thang with its cousin the TS, the Boss is a less polite sounding pedal, thanks to the asymmetrical clipping.

Used SD-1's are dirt cheap. After I finished my Allums GT mod, I wanted to have another stock unit just to compare. I paid $17 for my second one. At that price, why would you NOT have one? Buy it. Like it, mod it, give it away, keep it in your gig bag for blues jams when you don't take your rig and get stuck with a SS POS amp... who know? But it's worth trying.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

Rich, I'm right with ya there and agree 100%.

I did the bleed mod on mine too but it didn't last long. I don't play through a clean amp, even though I could, and I leave mine on all the time anyway so the mod was useless for me. The situtation is blown way out of proportion, IMO.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

When I get the time, I will build an old OD-1....
Only thing different will prolly be different OP-Amp and diodes, nothing else...

 

[devastone]

Re: Any fans of Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive?

I have an old MIJ one, I really like it as a boost, it lives on my pedalboard beside a Rat. I've been thinking about trying an Xotic BB Preamp, it's supposed to be an awesome OD/Distortion pedal, but I have trouble justifying $186 to replace my old SD-1...