Any Boss DS-1 users? What's it good for?

honestly, i don't give a sh!t.

just throwing it out there for balance, actually,
if it's just a bunch of Haters of certain stuff,
that actually don't bring anything to the table for the OP,
that's one thing...


Notable users

Kurt Cobain
Joe Satriani
Mike Stern
Steve Vai
Luca Bob Gotti
Steve Rothery
Kim Deal
Jeff Rosenstock
George Lynch, Korn's Munky, Neal Schon of Journey, Michael Angelo Batio, John Petrucci, etc
 
I'm definitely not a 'hater' ...... just giving my experience with the thing and I did gig with it for about a year one time for some reason.
Still, it can be amazing how something that sucks for me will find good use in the hands of someone else.

But I find it hard to believe those guys don't have, at least , modded versions of it 'cause I'm pretty good with pedals and that's one of the few that I simply could NOT get a good sound out of..
 
I have a DS1 and use it regularly. I like the sound for punky/grungy distortion which is a sound I use a lot. I've started using a Marshall Jackhammer a bit more lately though, it was a bit of a dick to set up but I just find it has a slightly more full interesting tone than a DS1.

Find you have to play the low end controls on the amp off carefully against the tone control on the DS1 so you don't sound either too mushy or waspy. It's a great peddle for what it's meant for. Simple uncluttered distortion.
 
I have a DS-1 that I rarely use. I had to do several mods just make it somewhat useable. It's not really a distortion pedal anymore but more of a light OD/boost pedal. As Gonzo stated these pedals are best used to add flavor/EQ to an already distorted amp. They are not worth a crap as a main distortion sound.
 
ocnor said:
I have a DS-1 that I rarely use. I had to do several mods just make it somewhat useable. It's not really a distortion pedal anymore but more of a light OD/boost pedal. As Gonzo stated these pedals are best used to add flavor/EQ to an already distorted amp. They are not worth a crap as a main distortion sound.
Click to expand...

exactly,
all i was trying to say.

but somebody (ahem) took the ball and ran with it in an opposite direction!!
LOL



for the last 8 years,
i've used a BARBER DIRECT DRIVE SUPER SPORT:

Direct Drive Super Sport

but the one i have, was a special run of a Katrina relief fundraiser, it's a bit different from the current production..

point is, it's a true 'tube screamer killer', and gives me an awesome grind paired with the smooth of the boogie...
you can use it as a boost, or wide open as sole distortion on a clean pedal platform....
i currently stack it with a Fulltone Fatboost III, and that is a really nice, fairly quiet pairing.




i think the whole thing boils down to finding the thing that DOES work for you,
obviously, i got rid of my DS-1 back in 2005, but had used it for about 8 years to just juice the front end of an already driven amp,

so you CAN use this thing, if you just have too.
 
and, as I said, it's surprising how someone else can get good results out of something you hate.

However, you also might find that if you used one today you might not care for it so much. As we improve and learn our tastes change.
I have a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 MOSFET that I loved when I got it and loved for the first couple of years and then, all of a sudden, I didn't like it.
I almost never turn it on now because it just doesn't sound good to me anymore ...... couldn't say why.
Also, I ALWAYS used to go for pristine cleans ..... no dirt at all ..... I'm talking for 40 years ...... all of a sudden lat year I founbd myself using more of a 'tweed' sort of clean ..... I always hated that kind of clean before and now I seem to prefer it.
Sound is a funny thing and our perception of it does seem to change over time.
 
Tone is like everything - everyone has their own taste - just like in guitars, amps, etc. I get amused at "what is the best", "who is the best", "which amp is the best"... I have seen GREAT players take junk and make it sound amazing, and I have seen not so great players take high end equipment, guitars, etc, and still play the same three chords through it and be very boring after 10 seconds - good tone or not... take that as you will. If you personally like how it sounds, how it plays, and how it feels, then all is good.
 
edge59

I agree with one respondent that it would have been a whole lot easier to tell something from the video (MIJ) without all of that delay (and reverb).

Also, you should have done one before the mod and then A/B'd the two.

And just a personal preference I guess, but it didn't convince me not to part with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top