Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
- Thread starter B Bent
- Start date
walt
New member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
Robert Keeley or Analogman will do the mods for you. I have a Seeing Eye modded DS-1 which has been described as a Marshall 800 in a box.
www.robertkeeley.com
www.analogman.com
Robert Keeley or Analogman will do the mods for you. I have a Seeing Eye modded DS-1 which has been described as a Marshall 800 in a box.
www.robertkeeley.com
www.analogman.com
B Bent
Vibroluxologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
ooow la la!! Cool Erik!! I did not know this. I remember you talking about how killer yours was/is back when you went to the TX guitar show!!
Hit up my page, Greg. Everything I did to mine is on there.
ooow la la!! Cool Erik!! I did not know this. I remember you talking about how killer yours was/is back when you went to the TX guitar show!!
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
I've been messing with it some more since. So far I've only been able to make a couple of changes, but they're effective. Details of those are at the bottom of that page.
Be careful when desoldering that PCB. The pads can lift easily. Make sure to use a desoldering braid or a solder sucker. I like the braid better because it also acts as a heat sink between the PCB and the iron tip.
I've been messing with it some more since. So far I've only been able to make a couple of changes, but they're effective. Details of those are at the bottom of that page.
Be careful when desoldering that PCB. The pads can lift easily. Make sure to use a desoldering braid or a solder sucker. I like the braid better because it also acts as a heat sink between the PCB and the iron tip.
B Bent
Vibroluxologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
I stopped at Radio Shack on the way home yesterday and for $8.00 got 90% of the parts to do Erik's mods plus I' could do many more since the parts were in bulk. Even 90% of the way done this thing is now a monster compared to what it used to be. Stock a DS-1 is unusable IMO, but this little turd is a monster now!!
I stopped at Radio Shack on the way home yesterday and for $8.00 got 90% of the parts to do Erik's mods plus I' could do many more since the parts were in bulk. Even 90% of the way done this thing is now a monster compared to what it used to be. Stock a DS-1 is unusable IMO, but this little turd is a monster now!!
ElUnoAstuto
New member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
Hey ErikH, I actually had the same question, I just picked one up for peanuts, and wanted to mod it, do you have sound clips of your modded DS1? Stock it sounds so harsh, do you have anything that would get close to the old black box marshall pedals? I used to have an old Shredmaster, and dumbest thing I ever did was sell it...oh, and this is a newb question, as I've never messed with pedals before, but am quite handy with a soldering iron, what's all the R13, R14 stuff referring to? I assume a resistor, and the position, but how would you determine that? Sorry for hijacking your thread B Bent!
Hey ErikH, I actually had the same question, I just picked one up for peanuts, and wanted to mod it, do you have sound clips of your modded DS1? Stock it sounds so harsh, do you have anything that would get close to the old black box marshall pedals? I used to have an old Shredmaster, and dumbest thing I ever did was sell it...oh, and this is a newb question, as I've never messed with pedals before, but am quite handy with a soldering iron, what's all the R13, R14 stuff referring to? I assume a resistor, and the position, but how would you determine that? Sorry for hijacking your thread B Bent!
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
Glad it's working out well, Greg.
ElUnoAstuto: I might have some clips still somewhere. I'd have to check. Can't remember if I saved any. I do know for a fact that I didn't make any of it before doing any changes. I haven't messed with trying to get it like the old black box Marshalls but the changes I did make are a hell of an improvement to me.
R13, R14 - Resistor and the number on the PCB
C1, C2 - Capacitor and the number on the PCB
D4, D5 - Diode and the number on the PCB
Q1, Q2 - Transistor and the number on the PCB
The positions already determined on these by the manufacturer and the board is labelled as such. When making your own, number them however you want as long as the letter identifier is correctly used (industry standards).
Glad it's working out well, Greg.
ElUnoAstuto: I might have some clips still somewhere. I'd have to check. Can't remember if I saved any. I do know for a fact that I didn't make any of it before doing any changes. I haven't messed with trying to get it like the old black box Marshalls but the changes I did make are a hell of an improvement to me.
R13, R14 - Resistor and the number on the PCB
C1, C2 - Capacitor and the number on the PCB
D4, D5 - Diode and the number on the PCB
Q1, Q2 - Transistor and the number on the PCB
The positions already determined on these by the manufacturer and the board is labelled as such. When making your own, number them however you want as long as the letter identifier is correctly used (industry standards).
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
...whatever happened to Stratdeluxer? He modded my DS-1 and got it sounding great but it just broke the other day haha i was gonna ask him to help me out...
Would it be very hard to replace the battery connector wire thing? Mine is broken in half and no longer connects the battery so uhhmm it's useless to me
-X
...whatever happened to Stratdeluxer? He modded my DS-1 and got it sounding great but it just broke the other day haha i was gonna ask him to help me out...
Would it be very hard to replace the battery connector wire thing? Mine is broken in half and no longer connects the battery so uhhmm it's useless to me
-X
B Bent
Vibroluxologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
That's insanely easy to replace!! Just buy a $.35 battery snap and solder the black and red wires in the same place the old ones are and you'll be good to go.
...whatever happened to Stratdeluxer? He modded my DS-1 and got it sounding great but it just broke the other day haha i was gonna ask him to help me out...
Would it be very hard to replace the battery connector wire thing? Mine is broken in half and no longer connects the battery so uhhmm it's useless to me
-X
That's insanely easy to replace!! Just buy a $.35 battery snap and solder the black and red wires in the same place the old ones are and you'll be good to go.
joelap
Red&Goldologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
I have yet to really tinker with my own DS-1 mods, the only mods I've done are the indyguitarist mods, so I wish I could help you man... but Erik's DS-1 mod sounds like a good thing. Check out www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum and do a search for DS-1 mods.
I have yet to really tinker with my own DS-1 mods, the only mods I've done are the indyguitarist mods, so I wish I could help you man... but Erik's DS-1 mod sounds like a good thing. Check out www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum and do a search for DS-1 mods.
SirJackdeFuzz
New member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
. . . look into Indyguitarist's mods - very practical & musical !
. . . look into Indyguitarist's mods - very practical & musical !
Gr8Scott
Wookieologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
What type of sound were you shooting for with those mods? Were you trying for smoother distortion or more gain or both. Can you give me a complete breakdown of what's different tonally speaking between your modded DS-1 and the original.
Hit up my page, Greg. Everything I did to mine is on there.
What type of sound were you shooting for with those mods? Were you trying for smoother distortion or more gain or both. Can you give me a complete breakdown of what's different tonally speaking between your modded DS-1 and the original.
T
theodie
Guest
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
Yeah, I mod it straight into the garbage can then, plug straight into my amp and get better tone!!!!! ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Yall know Odie hates pedals!
Yeah, I mod it straight into the garbage can then, plug straight into my amp and get better tone!!!!! ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Yall know Odie hates pedals!
Gr8Scott
Wookieologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
:laugh2: TheOdie - You kinda remind me of ol Mike Meyers doing the impersonation of a Scotsman saying "If it's no scottish, it's CRAP!!!". Though in your case it's "If it's not a guitar plugged directly into the input of my JCM-900, it's CRAP!!!". :crazy: :friday: :19: :beerchug: :laughing: :afro: :raincloud
:laugh2: TheOdie - You kinda remind me of ol Mike Meyers doing the impersonation of a Scotsman saying "If it's no scottish, it's CRAP!!!". Though in your case it's "If it's not a guitar plugged directly into the input of my JCM-900, it's CRAP!!!". :crazy: :friday: :19: :beerchug: :laughing: :afro: :raincloud
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
The Indyguitarist "Acid Blues" mod is my favorite distortion pedal ever. It's a fatter, gainier than a tubescreamer od/dist kind of thing. Fan-freakin'-tastic.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
Anything than what it sounded like out of the box. I wanted it fuller sounding, more lows, more crunch, and less harshness. Increasing the value of the input cap and a couple of the coupling caps helped there. Can't remember all what the resistor changes did other than what I have documented. I'd have to look at the schematic again and see where they're at. One of them makes the tone control a little more useful, I know that. The diode changes changed the distortion characteristics.
To me, the original is thin, harsh, and lacking any sort of usefulness.
After modding it, it's now big, full, and packs a wallup. It's like an entirely different pedal.
Anything than what it sounded like out of the box. I wanted it fuller sounding, more lows, more crunch, and less harshness. Increasing the value of the input cap and a couple of the coupling caps helped there. Can't remember all what the resistor changes did other than what I have documented. I'd have to look at the schematic again and see where they're at. One of them makes the tone control a little more useful, I know that. The diode changes changed the distortion characteristics.
To me, the original is thin, harsh, and lacking any sort of usefulness.
After modding it, it's now big, full, and packs a wallup. It's like an entirely different pedal.
joelap
Red&Goldologist
Re: Got any favorite DS-1 mods to share?
I'll tell ya all something: if you've never modded or had a pedal modified, you dont know what you're missing. I recently got a chance to plug into a Mesa Mark III (black stripe model) and a Mesa Boogie Mark IIB. I actually bought the Mark IIB and took it home. Got the chance to crank it through a Madison amps 2x12 loaded with Hellatone 60L's (V30's with a bit lower frequency response so its not as bright and biting but still has the cut of the V30).
Now, I dont have perfect ears. But both myself and my girlfriend were listening to the BD-2 pedal I did my own custom mod to through a Peavey Rage 158. Solid state, 8 inch speaker, sounds like crap. Anyways, after cranking the Mesa for an hour and tweaking it over and over and whatnot, we both said at the same time... "you know, that BD-2 sounds better thru that Peavey than this mesa does through the good speakers." And the sad part is, believe it or not... it actually did. I got the Mesa Mark IIB for 400 bucks + tax because it was in a fender bassman enclosure (kinda beat up but the sound was there). I RETURNED IT.
Sometimes you just have to hear it for yourself to believe it. I couldnt believe it. I was like "wait... this is the famous Mark Series tone?" I mean sure, the IIC+ is where its at, but the IIB is no slouch in reputation of itself.
Big +1 on all three sentances. I hate DS-1's... its honestly my least favorite distortion pedal. But after modding it, I could definately see it being very useful!
I'll tell ya all something: if you've never modded or had a pedal modified, you dont know what you're missing. I recently got a chance to plug into a Mesa Mark III (black stripe model) and a Mesa Boogie Mark IIB. I actually bought the Mark IIB and took it home. Got the chance to crank it through a Madison amps 2x12 loaded with Hellatone 60L's (V30's with a bit lower frequency response so its not as bright and biting but still has the cut of the V30).
Now, I dont have perfect ears. But both myself and my girlfriend were listening to the BD-2 pedal I did my own custom mod to through a Peavey Rage 158. Solid state, 8 inch speaker, sounds like crap. Anyways, after cranking the Mesa for an hour and tweaking it over and over and whatnot, we both said at the same time... "you know, that BD-2 sounds better thru that Peavey than this mesa does through the good speakers." And the sad part is, believe it or not... it actually did. I got the Mesa Mark IIB for 400 bucks + tax because it was in a fender bassman enclosure (kinda beat up but the sound was there). I RETURNED IT.
Sometimes you just have to hear it for yourself to believe it. I couldnt believe it. I was like "wait... this is the famous Mark Series tone?" I mean sure, the IIC+ is where its at, but the IIB is no slouch in reputation of itself.
