Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

[James Rock]

What is the down low, I understand Silver Screws were the earliest ones and for pedals like the OD-1 is smashes up the price but for some other pedals like the BOSS CS-1 there doesnt seem to be much increase in price. Is it only some models where the changed the design dramatically. I have never owned a silver screw but I had an old MIJ DS-1 and that sounded so much better then any newer DS-1, really shouldnt have sold that one. While I am at it what about long dash they are after silver screw?

 

[Blille]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

What is the down low, I understand Silver Screws were the earliest ones and for pedals like the OD-1 is smashes up the price but for some other pedals like the BOSS CS-1 there doesnt seem to be much increase in price. Is it only some models where the changed the design dramatically. I have never owned a silver screw but I had an old MIJ DS-1 and that sounded so much better then any newer DS-1, really shouldnt have sold that one. While I am at it what about long dash they are after silver screw?

I can't give you the DL on silver screws but I hypothesize that the CS1 doesnt increase in price because the CS1 is not very desirable (super squisher, not very musical).


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[dystrust]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

I don't know if there is anything true to the silver screw mystique or not. I've owned several CE-2s, and the silver screw example on my board now is the best I've heard by a large margin. OTOH the CE-2 circuit is essentially the same throughout it's life, so maybe it's down to component tolerances and luck.

Regarding other pedals, I think it comes down to circuit revisions (or lack thereof) when determining if the MIJ or silver screw version is better than its counterpart. The DS-1 has been through several revisions, so it's probably true that the MIJ versions are better. The SD-1 circuit OTOH has never changed, so it's very unlikely that the MIJ version sounds different, let alone better. Two other pedals where I swear by the MIJ version are the DD-3 and CS-3. The MIJ DD-3 uses the "long chip" from the SDE-3000 rackmount delay, and it sounds indescribably better than the later version. The MIJ CS-3 uses a dbx VCA unlike the THAT Corp VCA in the later pedals. I don't know if there are any other circuit changes, but my MIJ CS-3 sounds great whereas all of the MIT versions I've played are rather uninspiring.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

Www.bossarea.com is a wealth of knowledge.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

Www.bossarea.com is a wealth of knowledge.

Boss Area used to be great, but I can't say I'm a big fan of their new site. For the original wiki go here, while the serial decoder is here.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

New pedals are new.
Old pedals are old.
Whichever sound you like,
is the one for you.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

New pedals are new.
Old pedals are old.
Whichever sound you like,
is the one for you.

It's not always that simple. Sometimes you need to know if you'll like a certain version better, before you try it. You need to know if you really have to save up/shell out/search exhaustively for that special variation, or if you can safely dispense with such efforts and rest easy knowing the one you have is perfectly fine, thank you very much. It saves many guitarists a great deal of bothersome buying, playing, listening, etc.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

It's not always that simple. Sometimes you need to know if you'll like a certain version better, before you try it. You need to know if you really have to save up/shell out/search exhaustively for that special variation, or if you can safely dispense with such efforts and rest easy knowing the one you have is perfectly fine, thank you very much. It saves many guitarists a great deal of bothersome buying, playing, listening, etc.

Yeah seeming I am in Australia I can only try vintage pedals by buying them which I am not against flipping them but it is nice to know what the differences are.

I can't give you the DL on silver screws but I hypothesize that the CS1 doesnt increase in price because the CS1 is not very desirable (super squisher, not very musical).

I read that the CS-2 is more squashy and the CS-1 has a slower attack but more compression, guess Id have to try to find out seeming they arent too expensive (cheaper then the cs-2 on eBay). I have read people saying photocoupler compression is inferior which is complete bull**** seeming there are heaps of pedals that are opto and some of the best studi comps are opto.

 

[Blille]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

I read that the CS-2 is more squashy and the CS-1 has a slower attack but more compression, guess Id have to try to find out seeming they arent too expensive (cheaper then the cs-2 on eBay). I have read people saying photocoupler compression is inferior which is complete bull**** seeming there are heaps of pedals that are opto and some of the best studi comps are opto.

If by slow action you mean drop and swell, sure. IME the CS2 Is musical, like a better CS3 and the CS1 I played was a super squisher, more like an effect that a comp you use always on. Again, YMMV since I just played one for a while and never wanted to play one again


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[James Rock]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

If by slow action you mean drop and swell, sure. IME the CS2 Is musical, like a better CS3 and the CS1 I played was a super squisher, more like an effect that a comp you use always on. Again, YMMV since I just played one for a while and never wanted to play one again

I just watched a fair few videos and I get what you mean... weird its more like it has a weird release with extreme compression, not what Id call a long attack as like you said weird swell effect. Definately not the technologies fault but a design flaw, Ill look at a CS-2 then, still want to try an early OD-1 but they are getting expensive.

 

[devastone]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

I don't know if there is anything true to the silver screw mystique or not. I've owned several CE-2s, and the silver screw example on my board now is the best I've heard by a large margin. OTOH the CE-2 circuit is essentially the same throughout it's life, so maybe it's down to component tolerances and luck.

Regarding other pedals, I think it comes down to circuit revisions (or lack thereof) when determining if the MIJ or silver screw version is better than its counterpart. The DS-1 has been through several revisions, so it's probably true that the MIJ versions are better. The SD-1 circuit OTOH has never changed, so it's very unlikely that the MIJ version sounds different, let alone better. Two other pedals where I swear by the MIJ version are the DD-3 and CS-3. The MIJ DD-3 uses the "long chip" from the SDE-3000 rackmount delay, and it sounds indescribably better than the later version. The MIJ CS-3 uses a dbx VCA unlike the THAT Corp VCA in the later pedals. I don't know if there are any other circuit changes, but my MIJ CS-3 sounds great whereas all of the MIT versions I've played are rather uninspiring.

Exactly. The new DS-1 is so different from the original circuit, it shouldn't share the name. The old ones sound warmer and smoother, but I think the original chip went OOP. But, most, like the SD-1 are the same circuit.

 

[gregory]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

Oldest is most desirable, even if that means the next couple years of any given model have the exact same circuit or they have slight updates that were intended to improve performance/reliability, but hey, what do the designers of these coveted pedals know?!?

Discontinuation of ICs, not withstanding.

The rest is placebo effect, just like the coveted "J" driving up the price of used Duncan pickups. Sorry, I couldn't help it. I bet she would tell the lot of you that her work on the production line was no different/better than her colleagues.

 

[gregory]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

It's not always that simple. Sometimes you need to know if you'll like a certain version better, before you try it. You need to know if you really have to save up/shell out/search exhaustively for that special variation, or if you can safely dispense with such efforts and rest easy knowing the one you have is perfectly fine, thank you very much. It saves many guitarists a great deal of bothersome buying, playing, listening, etc.

The problem is that gushing subjective reviews for version A over B are usually not worth your time or electricity, especially when they are parroted by those who think they heard the same thing because it was suggested to them. When it comes to objectivity, human cognition ain't that great and questioning it is often tantamount to an act of aggression causing an instant short circuit of the amygdala.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Tell me about BOSS Silver Screws

I just watched a fair few videos and I get what you mean... weird its more like it has a weird release with extreme compression, not what Id call a long attack as like you said weird swell effect. Definately not the technologies fault but a design flaw, Ill look at a CS-2 then, still want to try an early OD-1 but they are getting expensive.

I'm not 100% sure, but I've heard that the MIJ CS-3 is essentially the same circuit as the CS-2 with the addition of a tone knob. I don't know how accurate that is, but I can definitely voucher for older CS-3s sounding far better than recent ones. The best part is that they're still relatively unknown, so they go for about the same price as any other used CS-3. I know Australia is different, but I paid $50 for my MIJ CS-3 for example.