review

Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal

Boss DS-1 Distortion

Review by Mark Starlin

Distortion Pedals are like candy bars, everyone has their own favorite and others that they don’t like at all. The Boss DS-1 is “transistor” type ear candy.

Performance

The Boss DS-1 is simple to use, consisting of tone, level, and distortion knobs. The LEVEL knob is a “set and forget” knob that simply matches the effect volume to your guitar’s pickup volume. The TONE knob cuts or boosts the treble in your signal, and the DIST knob dials in the amount of distortion and sustain.

Sound Quality

The DS-1 is an old school transistor-type distortion. If you are looking for tube warmth, look elsewhere. However, the DS-1 is capable of a wide range of distortions from a nice chunky distortion to an ear-splitting treble fuzz. You will probably not like the whole range of tones, but most likely find a few setting that you think are useful.

Construction

The DS-1 is solid, featuring a metal case and a nice, big spring-loaded switch. It has a small knob on the front of the pedal that makes changing batteries a snap. It can also be powered by a 9v adapter.

Final Thoughts

The Boss DS-1 is bargain, a good combination of low price and solid construction. The tone is the deal maker or breaker. You won’t find tube warmth and dynamics, but you will find a nice crunch and plenty of sustain. If you are looking to expand your tone palette, give it a try.

Reader Comments

Better Guitar encourages your input. Agree with this review? Think I’m crazy? If you have used a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal, email me your comments and I’ll post them below. The more opinions we have available, the better our buying decisions will be.

David Robertson

The Boss DS1 will interact with any amp and provide searing lead lines. I’ve tried this through the smallest tranny amps to a THD Flexi and it will always add its own voice into the mix. I prefer to use it on a crunch gain channel for that extra cut for harmonics during solos with a THD. A Crowther Hotcake (also very good) is more than three times the price. If you’re on a budget and want to sound like a guitar god, then this will provide the sound. Something that’s lasted this long has got to be a good bet.

Magnus

I bought it yesterday, and it definetly beats my Fender preamp-dist. It’s the best!

Sead Kahrimanovic

I tried out the DS-1 today and it sounds incredible. If you have an amp with an OK distortion but want a sound like you get from an expensive Marshall then this pedal is for you. You will be getting warm, cool sounds such as Tom Delonge gets, or all those heavy guitarists. So you get a sound ranging from pop punk to heavy hardcore!

Mark Franke

The DS-1 flat out rocks! Great distortion quality. It also has a nice sharp sound. My amp isn’t real top-of-the-line equipment, so it’s got a really bad fuzz. But when I first plugged in the DS-1, I was amazed that by its nice clean background. It also has a wide range of depth in the distortion quality. I could play "Back In Black", "Smells Like Teen Spirit", and "Fly By Night" on the same pedal, which amazes me. It’s also very sturdy. I’ve dropped it a few too many times, but it still performs well, and with just a few scratches. The only negative I can think of is that it’s a pain in the butt to remember to un-plug the input to save the battery. But all together the pedal is awesome.

Andrew

I just bought the DS-1 and I love it. It’s sweet because it gives you a large variety of sounds.

Stephane

The Boss distortion 1 pedal is the first pedal I ever owned. I had one when I was about 17 (I’m now 36). I used to think of it as an OK pedal but I always was disappointed with the amount of distortion and low end I could squeeze out of it. I then bought myself a Boss overdrive pedal (the light yellow one) which I used to put before the D-1 on my effects chain... bingo! It sounded a bit like a Boston record and it would have a great sustain for lead. I’m sure it really helped me become the local high school guitar hero back then. For me the Boss Distortion 1 pedal is a classic. I literally grew up using it (or should I say abusing it?)

Josh King

I bought a DS-1 distortion pedal and I love it, it has a nice hard distortion. The only problem is that it sucks the life out of batteries like a car hooked up to a “AA” battery (although I play quite often). Either way this is the pedal for me.

PunkRocker

I bought one of these babies two months ago and it hasn’t let me down yet. I love it.

stats

  • • Tone, Level, and Distortion knobs on face
  • • Super-tough construction
  • Positives
  • Solid construction, nice crunch tone.
  • Negatives
  • No "warm" tones.
  • Rating
  • Performance: 8
  • Sound Quality: 6
  • Construction: 10
  • Overall: 8
  • Ratings Key
  • 0 = Worthless
  • 10 = Excellent
  • Estimated Street Price
  • $40
  • Sound Samples
  • Here are a few of the tone possibilities of the DS-1. I used a Les Paul Custom with stock pickups.
  • Power Chords
  • Boogie Rhythm
  • High Gain Lead
  • Fuzz

Site Information

Info Links