Boleslaw Gers 666
New member
Let me start by saying that I hated the Boss DS-1 before I sent it to John. That's the reason I originally did, along with everyone's high regard of his mods to their DS-1. It is a hunk of junk new, and don't go buy a new one if you want yours modded. Get one for a couple bucks at a pawn shop. This mod costs only a small amount of money in comparison to Keeley's, Keeley's DS-1 Ultra mod costs $75. Keeley is a big company so it probably takes awhile to get yours back. I sent mine to John on Saturday, he got it and modded it on Wednesday, sent it out on Thursday, and I had it on my pedalboard on SATURDAY. Absolutely amazingly fast work (and it is also very high quality) by Mr. Spina. This is an excellent investment for those of you that want a gritty, ballsy distortion pedal. You won't be getting any Metallica tones from this pedal (Kirk's tone sucks anyway, so why would you want it?), but it has a pretty large gain range. If you have a DS-1 in the closet that's too cheap to sell and too ****ty to use, do yourself a favor and send STRATDELUXER97 a PM about his DS-1 mods. It's well worth the money, and much better than having it in your closet. Plus, you get a very unique tone! I have never heard any pedal give a tone like this. I can't wait to record with it.
My favorite use for the Spina DS-1 is soloing. It makes my strat sound like an old SG being played through a JCM800... very raunchy, gritty tone. It actually works well for the live Iron Maiden tone from the 80's (though they used Distortion + stompboxes, I'll be sending mine to John shortly!). I like this pedal for AC/DC or Who type SG sounds. This pedal would work great for a band with two guitars. It sounds very interesting with one overdriven guitar accompanying I've realized. I like to use it if I want a unique powerchord tone or when I'm soloing and don't want my hot rails to sound like the fluff they are. Overdrive just can't produce the grit that this pedal can, not even my multi thousand dollar Marshall rig. This pedal doesn't sound like Slash's creamy Les Paul, but it sounds like Townshend's SG at Live at Leeds on steroids or something. I've heard it put that way before. In summary, I am very pleased with the pedal, and the price. John is one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to, and he's not going to cheat you! He gets it right back to you, and he gives you a unique tone I've never heard before. I like unique looking and sounding things, that's why I use so many different brands and use different color LEDs in my pedals. I even included a green LED in the battery compartment of the pedal and he installed it for me. So DS-1/bad distorted tone owners: either send your crappy DS-1 to John, or scout out eBay or your local pawn shops to get a DS-1 and send it down to John in Florida. You must likely won't be disappointed. I am one of the pickest people EVER about my tone, it drives everyone mad, and this pedal is one of only 8 that resides on my pedalboard (and probably will for a long time). Hope this is helpful. I also hear John's wah mods (particularly to Vox pedals) are amazing too. So talk to STRATDELUXER97 if you have a DS-1, wah, or other pedal that just isn't doing it for you!
My favorite use for the Spina DS-1 is soloing. It makes my strat sound like an old SG being played through a JCM800... very raunchy, gritty tone. It actually works well for the live Iron Maiden tone from the 80's (though they used Distortion + stompboxes, I'll be sending mine to John shortly!). I like this pedal for AC/DC or Who type SG sounds. This pedal would work great for a band with two guitars. It sounds very interesting with one overdriven guitar accompanying I've realized. I like to use it if I want a unique powerchord tone or when I'm soloing and don't want my hot rails to sound like the fluff they are. Overdrive just can't produce the grit that this pedal can, not even my multi thousand dollar Marshall rig. This pedal doesn't sound like Slash's creamy Les Paul, but it sounds like Townshend's SG at Live at Leeds on steroids or something. I've heard it put that way before. In summary, I am very pleased with the pedal, and the price. John is one of the nicest guys you'll ever talk to, and he's not going to cheat you! He gets it right back to you, and he gives you a unique tone I've never heard before. I like unique looking and sounding things, that's why I use so many different brands and use different color LEDs in my pedals. I even included a green LED in the battery compartment of the pedal and he installed it for me. So DS-1/bad distorted tone owners: either send your crappy DS-1 to John, or scout out eBay or your local pawn shops to get a DS-1 and send it down to John in Florida. You must likely won't be disappointed. I am one of the pickest people EVER about my tone, it drives everyone mad, and this pedal is one of only 8 that resides on my pedalboard (and probably will for a long time). Hope this is helpful. I also hear John's wah mods (particularly to Vox pedals) are amazing too. So talk to STRATDELUXER97 if you have a DS-1, wah, or other pedal that just isn't doing it for you!
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