BOSS DS-1 Distortion | Compact Distortion Pedal | The Benchmark in Guitar Distortion | Hard-edged Attack & Smooth Sustain | Wide Tone Range | Low Noise Even with High Gain Settings

I adore this. It's so versatile and beasty. And if you tweak it you're getting numerous sounds from it. Everyone knows of this pedal... Kurt Cobain, old school Pantera, halestorm, it's on so many boards and for such good reason, from bedroom players to professional famous guitarists. I got mine for $50 in the states new, God bless America, but it's an excellent bit of kit. Yah... NOISY..... So use a gate (my decimater 2 smashes that noise immediately though with no problem at all!), much MUCH better than the SD1, that SUCKS , but this!!! Everyone needs one!! It stays off my main board typically unless I'm playing a heavier set or song, as my mxr sugar drive and zvex box of rock and boost give me what I need, but sometimes you need that filthy dirty gritty heavy gnarly thicker tone and this does it extremely well....obviously it's well built a nice size for any board small to large and easy to use with just three knobs, three knobs with a lot of action and range! Try it it, don't like it, return it for free, no Brainer lol!

The DS-1 has often been described as a solid workhorse and that’s exactly what it is. It is solidly constructed, will stand up to the rigours of band work and will fit the distortion needs of many. I use mine with a Telecaster and 85W Fender Deluxe 112 and it suits me down to the ground for the Indie/Rock stuff that I play. If I need a boost in sustain for lead work I use it in conjunction with a compressor and digital delay. It provides plenty of girth for classic rock when used with a guitar equipped with humbuckers. It’s also great for punk but if you’re looking beyond that, at ultra-distortion/overdrive/sustain type of stuff, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. It’s pretty simple to use. The “DIST” control lets you move from a slight crunch to full blown distortion (and everything in between) by turning clockwise. The LEVEL control can be adjusted so that when the pedal is turned on the volume given out is lower or higher than your clean sound. The TONE control gives you more treble and brightness as it’s turned clockwise. I find it to be a little on the trebly side so I tend to roll the tone down to just less than half way. I use mine with a power supply but it does come supplied with a battery (already fitted). Access to the battery compartment is a doddle - no tools are needed and you can remove/replace the battery in seconds. It’s been around for years and has been used by famous players such as Kurt Cobain, Gary Moore, Steve Vai, John Frusciante and Mike Einziger; to name just a few….so Boss must have made a good job of it!

There may have been changes from the original pedal that Cobain used but with tweaking you get very close to the studio version. Also gives quite a bit of sustain. But not really good for heavy metal! I recommend.

Built like a tank, sounds like a tank. Does what it says it does.

Needed a cheap distortion pedal to fill a spot on my board for a gig, and honestly, you can't beat the DS-1 for the money. It's the definition of 'does exactly what it says on the tin.' You plug it in, you get instant distortion. No fuss. It's not the most versatile thing in the world—it does that one specific thing really, really well. I mostly play punk and hard rock, so it's perfect for me. The build quality is what you'd expect from BOSS, which is to say you could probably run it over with a car and it would be fine. The only tiny downside is that it can be a little bright and harsh if you crank the tone knob too far, but you just find the sweet spot (around 11 or 12 o'clock) and leave it there. For a first pedal or a reliable backup, this is the one.

Really nice pedal. Decided to pay a premium for this pedal over a cheaper (*cough* Behringer) alternative as it was a birthday present. The pedal comes in a stylish package and is well protected. Of course you need to purchase your own leads (which are reviewed on my account), but I had no problem plugging it in and playing. The item itself is an effects pedal so it is hard to give an accurate sound review, but i would say the range of distortion that can be produced from this pedal is fantastic. The sound is really aggressive and feels strong. I have confidence using this pedal for live music events as I know it is built to last. The build quality is superb and it is nice and weighty. The pedal itself can take a good stomping and hasn't failed me yet. As long as you know the sound you are looking for - distortion, you will not be disappointed with this pedal. It is a little more on the expensive side, but the product is going to last you.

This is a great little piece of equipment and I've been enjoying it since the day i got it. I don't see anything wrong with it apart from the battery life. It eats batteries. As a result I would recommend purchasing a 1.2A 9v DC adapter for it which is what I have done. 9v DC batteries are not worth buying for it if you can buy an adapter for the price of less than 3 batteries. I don't want this to put you off though. This is a great little pedal and that's why I'm rating it 5 stars. I would also recommend watching some videos on the internet of people playing around with different settings so that you know you are getting the sound from it that you want since this pedal isn't for everybody. It covers a wide range from a warm sound, american rock, hardcore rock, british punk and a heap of other cool distortion sounds you can get by playing around with it. High Quality.

This is one of Boss`s finest pedals, and certainly their most popular and best selling pedal by a mile! Its brilliant, even now years after its first release. Just look at the best guitarists in the world to see who has or does use it. Boss, being the fine company that they are even sell it brand new for about £40 now as its that popular. I used mine for years and years, and still have it. I have however, succumbed to Robert Keeley DS1 Ultra, which just makes this pedal even better! If you can afford the Keeley, which is about £120, it is well worth the upgrade. Just think of watching a 32" TV with 720p, but then upgrading to a 60" TV with 1080p and with full surround sound. There both excellent, but one is just that much better than the other.