Boss SD-1 appreciation
- Thread starter Rex_Rocker
- Start date
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
The DS-1 sounds great, but it's got a very narrow range of settings where it does. You want to hit a slightly middy and reasonably dirty amp with it and you want to be using low to middle output pickups. Level up at least 9:00, tone down low (nearly off), distortion under 12:00.
Into clean amp - yuck
Tone up - yuck
Distortion past 12:00 - yuck
High output pickups - yuck
She's a picky one.
Into clean amp - yuck
Tone up - yuck
Distortion past 12:00 - yuck
High output pickups - yuck
She's a picky one.
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
How does the tone control on an SD-1 work? One of the things that makes a DS-1 so much fun to mod is that the tone control is always coloring the sound AND easy to mod.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
The same way a Tube Screamer's does, just with a bit more range. Fully off, it cuts highs and a bit of mids, thus moving the mid focus of the pedal lower down the spectrum. Fully on, it boosts highs and mids a little, moving the mid peak higher up.
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Hmm... I may get one just to see how it responds to a big muff style tone control
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Well, that would work I guess if you wanted a scooped sound out of an SD-1. But at least when using it as a boost to tighten things up, I don't see why you would, LOL.
Because even if you use it as an OD in front of a clean amp, there's still the issue that much like a Tube Screamer, you hear the clean signal being blended in with the distorted signal, which just sounds super weird, fake, and pedal-like.
But then again, some people do use Tube Screamer in front of clean amps. I don't get the appeal, then. I'd much rather use something like a Blues Driver or an OCD in that scneario.
Because even if you use it as an OD in front of a clean amp, there's still the issue that much like a Tube Screamer, you hear the clean signal being blended in with the distorted signal, which just sounds super weird, fake, and pedal-like.
But then again, some people do use Tube Screamer in front of clean amps. I don't get the appeal, then. I'd much rather use something like a Blues Driver or an OCD in that scneario.
Mononoaware
Active member
I've found the SD-1 works in a lot of different situations, depending how you set it. Swiss army overdrive.
The DS-1 is a more specific use case in my mind--adding a certain metallic harmonic something to an already cooking preamp. On its own, not so musical unless you just want that "F-it, I'm going to get full nasty" tone. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people buy it, think it'll sound good raw, then give up.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Or Tube Screamer - OCD. That works as well!Tubescreamer -> Bluesdriver -> clean amp sounds great.
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
You can tweak the values to give either a midboost, midcut, or flat tone at noon.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Oh, really? Honestly, I've never really payed much attention to the Big Muff. I was under the impression that pedal was like midscooped to hell and back, which worked great for when I was using it on bass. But it's cool to know you can actually tweak it!
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Yup, the entirety of the midscoop is from the fact that the tone control is just a bass cut and treble cut operating at the same time. Where the corner frequencies are now, at noon the bass control filters out bass and mids, and the treble control filters out treble and mids.
If you put a trim pot in for R16 (bass) and R17 (treble), you should be able to get just about any sound you want out of one. Those resistors are for a DS-1, but if you see how they fit into the circuit, you can translate to any Big Muff circuit or any other pedal that uses that style tone control.
If you put a trim pot in for R16 (bass) and R17 (treble), you should be able to get just about any sound you want out of one. Those resistors are for a DS-1, but if you see how they fit into the circuit, you can translate to any Big Muff circuit or any other pedal that uses that style tone control.
larryguitar
Active member
Is it normal for an SD-1 to have very little output? I had to take mine off my board, since I couldn't get it to unity gain with my (cough, 'several') other dirt pedals. That's using a power supply.
Larry
Larry
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Yeah, sadly.
How little, though?
Because when using EMG?s you *barely* get unity gain cranking a TS's output, I find. With a Boss SD-1, yeah, it's slightly quieter.
With HOT pickups like the Black Winter or X2N, forget it.
But I find that's the nature of distortion and overdrive pedals designed way back. The DS-1 for me is a particularly bad example. Even a Metal Zone's output is relatively quiet by today's hot pickups standards.
Good thing is I never run an SD-1 in front of a clean channel to notice.
How little, though?
Because when using EMG?s you *barely* get unity gain cranking a TS's output, I find. With a Boss SD-1, yeah, it's slightly quieter.
With HOT pickups like the Black Winter or X2N, forget it.
But I find that's the nature of distortion and overdrive pedals designed way back. The DS-1 for me is a particularly bad example. Even a Metal Zone's output is relatively quiet by today's hot pickups standards.
Good thing is I never run an SD-1 in front of a clean channel to notice.
larryguitar
Active member
Well, my TS clone, OD-1, Uzi, Riot clone and Splinter all put out so much more output that I had to pull the DS-1, since I couldn't get it to the 'unity' setting on my board. Wonder if it's jacked? Bought it new a couple years ago. Anyone know a way to test its output level?
Larry
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Do you mean DS-1 or SD-1?
Because the SD-1 is just a tad quieter than the TS. So I'm sure if you're using like non-blistering-hot metal humbuckers and picking like a sledgehammer 100% of the time, you'll be fine.
But yeah, the DS-1's output is famelic, IME.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
You won't get any "technical" readings like output voltage, dBu's or anything like that, but you can compare them if you record them DI to your interface's instrument input. That's how I get an idea of pickups' output relative to each other. Because perceived levels can be tricky. Pretty sure you can do the same for pedals.
If you do that, prepare to be disappointed, though. You'll actually see that something like a Tube Screamer never actually "slams an amp's front end" like we're lead to believe, LOL
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
Explains why I never liked them. I don’t usually need a huge push. Even so, it’s method of “tightening up the sound” takes too much that I do like about the sound of the amp it’s in front of and adds too much that I don’t. Even as an overdrive, I find it too cloudy and thin.
I used to get so annoyed at the Premier Guitar “Monsters Of High Gain” videos where the point is to show off how the amp sounds, including amps designed to give that modern sound straight in and half the time, they feature guitar players who insist on using a TS in front every time, which defeats the purpose and raises the question why they won’t at least try to get the sound from a Fryette or Thrasher without a d@mn box in front??
