Talking about the Boss DS-1

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Bought a DS-1 knowing Stratdeluxer was going to mod it for me right away. Played it stock first just to hear it "before"... yuck! Buzzy tone, loss of bass and lower mids - at least through my Blues Jr.

Modded DS-1 is a nice kick into higher gain tone for me. I don't use it the same way Lew does. Keep it off until I want to goose the preamp tubes and add some mild distortion right at the start. Spina modded DS-1 is one of my favorite pedals. Probably tied with my Spina modded TS-7...

Thanks John!

Chip

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Bought a DS-1 knowing Stratdeluxer was going to mod it for me right away. Played it stock first just to hear it "before"... yuck! Buzzy tone, loss of bass and lower mids - at least through my Blues Jr.

Modded DS-1 is a nice kick into higher gain tone for me. I don't use it the same way Lew does. Keep it off until I want to goose the preamp tubes and add some mild distortion right at the start. Spina modded DS-1 is one of my favorite pedals. Probably tied with my Spina modded TS-7...

Thanks John!

Chip

Hello buddy Chip! As always,appreciate the kind words and all....Glad the pedals still work! :laughing: Hope all is well with you and your's brother?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

The DS-1 is a GREAT pedal and personally, I think the stock DS-1 is just fine. I've used the made in Taiwan version and own a made in Japan version. The MIJ version sounds slightly better...but there's not much diff and Steve Vai has said the same thing.

I don't go for Heavy Metal type distortion, but I can plug my '54 Tele into my DS-1 and then into one of my '58 Fender tweed Deluxe amps amps and get very, very close to Jimmy Page's Led Zep tones from the first album.

The DS-1 is not a fuzz box though. IMO, it's an overdrive unit...not a distortion generator.

What's beautiful about the DS-1 is that you can use it like Satriani used his: find a setting that allows you to leave it on all the time and which allows you to reduce the volume control on your guitar to get clear tones and advance the volume control of your guitar to get more overdriven tones.

The DS-1 is like a "Tone Conditioner". My buddy AJ uses his "on" all the time and it makes every padal he has sound "better".

I've tried some of the modded DS-1's. I tried Keeley's Seeing I mod and also John Spina's DS-1 mods. I liked them, and they did increase the girth of the DS-1's tone, but also compromised the clean tone when I turned my guitar's volume control down...which I didn't find desirable.

I LOVE that I can clean up the tone by lowering the guitar's volume control and then get alot of overdrive by turning the volume control back up again. You lose a little of that ability by modding the stock DS-1 for more distortion.

Lew

I saw the schematics a few years ago for Keeley's SEM and actually did that mod to one of my earlier DS1s that I owned and hated it...At that time I called and spoke to Robert and gave some constructive criticism about that pedal(since I'm a guitarist with good ears)and Robert is not a guitar player,but an engineer...The SEM used LEDs in the gain stages and I hate using LEDs in the DS1 and felt it makes it even buzzier sounding! Also that pedal still had a rather harsh highend(Talking the MIT version).....I do like his Ultra mod and folks tell me my mods sought of are like Robert's,though they aren't his mods,as I used my own ears and hours of looking at the sachematic and dialing in something I felt was alot better in that stock pedal....Anyway...Enough rambling! LOL It's a pretty cool pedal for $40.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I saw the schematics a few years ago for Keeley's SEM and actually did that mod to one of my earlier DS1s that I owned and hated it...At that time I called and spoke to Robert and gave some constructive criticism about that pedal(since I'm a guitarist with good ears)and Robert is not a guitar player,but an engineer...The SEM used LEDs in the gain stages and I hate using LEDs in the DS1 and felt it makes it even buzzier sounding! Also that pedal still had a rather harsh highend(Talking the MIT version).....I do like his Ultra mod and folks tell me my mods sought of are like Robert's,though they aren't his mods,as I used my own ears and hours of looking at the sachematic and dialing in something I felt was alot better in that stock pedal....Anyway...Enough rambling! LOL It's a pretty cool pedal for $40.

I liked the pedal you sent me alot more than the Keeley pedal I had. Only reservation I had with yours John was that it didn't clean up quite as well as my unmodded MIJ DS-1, and that quality is something that's really important to me. Yours cleaned up really well...just not as sparkling clean as my own unmodded DS-1. But the overdriven tone of yours was killer! Nice and fat. The guys who don't like DS-1's are looking for more distortion than the DS-1 has...but adding more distortion loses some of that ability to go from sparkling clean to scream with the volume control of the guitar...and that's what I like about the DS-1 in the first place. But you know I love your work! Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I liked the pedal you sent me alot more than the Keeley pedal I had. Only reservation I had was that it didn't clean up quite as well as my unmodded MIJ DS-1, and that quality is something that's really important to me. Yours cleaned up well...just not as sparkling clean as my own unmodded DS-1. But the overdriven tone of yours was killer! Lew

I've mentioned before Lew that when I Mod a DS1,it's really to get more into an overdriven JCM 800 type of vibe...It's absolutely not modded for clean or even as just a boost...The pedal is modded for more gain,more lows,better tone control,less harsh and buzzy,and actually quieter because of better components...I use the SFX-01 as my clean push/boost though and the DS1 for the Neil Young stuff we do...It has that cool gritty/gainey Deluxe Tweed vibe also at high drive settings...Actually I only use it for Neil Young and some 3 Doors Down tunes we do...Mine is set to grind though! And it does grind! LOL

 

[Guitar Guy]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I don't like the stock ds-1, but for 40 bucks its not too bad. I got mine modded by keeley and while that is pretty pricey, i think it is worth it. The SEM is a high gain tone like Steve Vai and the ultra is fatter with less saturation like Tommy Bolin leads.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I don't like the stock ds-1, but for 40 bucks its not too bad. I got mine modded by keeley and while that is pretty pricey, i think it is worth it. The SEM is a high gain tone like Steve Vai and the ultra is fatter with less saturation like Tommy Bolin leads.

Robert is a really great guy....His Ultra mod is cool,but as I said,I thought the SEM version sucked! Maybe he listened to my constructives about it when I called? This was when he first started doing pedals...At that time I had told Robert the changes I was making on my own DS1s...The guy is making a nice living out of doing this stuff and so no dis-respect to Robert.

 

[Guitar Guy]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Robert is a really great guy....His Ultra mod is cool,but as I said,I thought the SEM version sucked! Maybe he listened to my constructives about it when I called? This was when he first started doing pedals...At that time I had told Robert the changes I was making on my own DS1s...The guy is making a nice living out of doing this stuff and so no dis-respect to Robert.

Yeah, mine is almost always on the ultra mode except for when i wan't the original ds-1s fizziness which isn't that often. And i agree that Robert is really great. I sent it and within a week i had it back and just in time for a gig! Great service.

 

[tc]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Love it AS-IS. That said, I acknowledge the amp to amp differences.

No disrespect for the tweekers out there, but there are so many fuzz/Dist/od pedals, I have trouble seeing the NEED to mod them. A little research can find you what you want out of the box IMO.

But I totally understand and respect those of you who do it! Tweek away.

1+

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

No disrespect for the tweekers out there, but there are so many fuzz/Dist/od pedals, I have trouble seeing the NEED to mod them. A little research can find you what you want out of the box IMO.

I've got a Tubulator that sounds different than any other pedal I've ever encountered. Is there something identical? Perhaps. Could I buy it for $10? Doubtful

Tweaking pedals is the same as swapping pickups on a guitar. Find a base that works, then make it your own. However, I will admit that a part of it is the "Hey, check out what I can do", cool factor thing

 

[benbenben]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Modded DS-1 or a MI Audio Crunch Box? The Crunch box is probably more easily available as i'm down under, but the DS-1 is probably cheaper. Actually, probably the same price.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Modded DS-1 or a MI Audio Crunch Box? The Crunch box is probably more easily available as i'm down under, but the DS-1 is probably cheaper. Actually, probably the same price.

Depending upon who mods the DS1,the DS1 is cheaper....I Like the audio clips of the Crunchbox alot..

 

[benbenben]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Alright, i might as well go for the CB. I've got a few friends that love it and i like it too, but i haven't heard a modded DS-1. But the CB is good so i should be alright with that.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

Alright, i might as well go for the CB. I've got a few friends that love it and i like it too, but i haven't heard a modded DS-1. But the CB is good so i should be alright with that.

Contact me if you want a great sounding DS1 and done very reasonbly cheap for forum members....I've done probably darn near 100 pedals to date! There are lots of reviews if you do a search for "DS1 Mods" or "Stratdeluxer Mods"...No need to pay "alot" of money for great mods,as there are others that can do it just as well,or better!

Sorry to advertise here,but there are alot of forum members that don't know about the mods!

 

[benbenben]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

How much can ya do one of those Mods. Do i need to send a DS-1 to you. I'm in Aus so how much would shipping be?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

My old GP8 Roland Rack unit is basicly Boss pedals... the fx's are anolog... so the distortion and EQ should be based on the DS1 and GE7.... But with my 1989 GP8 it is nice and quiet!!! i use that rack unit a lot.... a killer buy for $20 at a garage sale....

if the DS1 and the GE7 could work together with out the extra noise i'd be using the DS1 a hell of a lot more... i still use it a lot!!! But when you boost the lows with the GE7 pedal it is great, but noisey..... that is why i can't wait to get my hands on the Diamond Fireburst... nice lows and distortion in one quiet box...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

How much can ya do one of those Mods. Do i need to send a DS-1 to you. I'm in Aus so how much would shipping be?

Not sure on the shipping,though I have sent alot of pedals out of the US? Contact me for furthers on the mod pricing as I never post it outright on the forums!

In quite a few instances,I've ordered the pedal,modded it,and then shipped it overseas....A new DS1 here is $40 pretty much all the time....Might be cheaper that way?

 

[FenderBender03]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I got one around Christmas time and quickly found it to not be what i hoped for and/or not what i expected. Though i guess the tones i do get from it are useful, i find that i have to pretty much dime the gain knob and then start the level knob on 1 and work my way up to find the volume i want. At that point i seem to only have a slight crunch instead of the soaring fuzzy lead tone i was looking for. I guess if i wanted to wake the dead, i could just turn the level knob up around half way and probably get that, but i believe i should be able to get these kind of tones even at lower and moderate volumes, right?





FenderBender

 

[baritone]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I bought the DS-1 a few months after I started playing because it was inexpensive. After I while, I felt dissatisfied with the tone, so it started collecting dust. However, after getting a better amp, I found out why this pedal is so legendary.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Talking about the Boss DS-1

I bought the DS-1 a few months after I started playing because it was inexpensive. After I while, I felt dissatisfied with the tone, so it started collecting dust. However, after getting a better amp, I found out why this pedal is so legendary.

yup it works with some amps a lot better then others... you have to have an amp with lots of mids and lows..