Boss DS-1

The Boss DS-1 is a basic distortion pedal manufactured by the Roland Corporation under the brand name Boss in 1978. It has one tone knob, one level knob, and one distortion knob. It can produce a thin, light, snappy distortion up to a heavy and harsh sound, and has been famously used in songs such as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The DS-1 has also been a trademark of the sounds of such acclaimed guitarists as Joe Satriani, who use it mostly as a booster, John Petrucci of Dream Theater, Steve Vai, who uses a DS-1 with Robert Keeley's 'Ultra' modification and the Analog Man DS1/Pro mod.The DS-1 is normally used by electric guitarists, but some bassists have been known to use the pedal.Some bass players include Chris Wolstenholme of Muse on the album "Showbiz" (he also employs a Big Muff for pure fuzz), as well as Mark Stoermer of The Killers using the pedal live with a Boss GE-7 EQ to remove treble.

How it works

The DS-1 has a very simple circuit, based around a single op-amp. The distortion is produced using a variable gain circuit with diodes shorting the output to ground to produce hard clipping of the input waveform similar to the ProCo Rat distortion pedal. This distortion stage is followed by a passive tone filter and volume control. The tone control is scooped in the midrange, similar to the the Big Muff. It consists of a simple fixed -6dB/okt low pass filter and a simple fixed -6dB/okt high pass filter using a potentiometer to mix the two signals. This is different than the tone control of the ProCo Rat distortion pedal which has a simple -6dB/okt low pass filter with variable cutoff frequency to remove the higher frequencies from the distorted signal.

As with most pedals built from discrete components, modifying the DS-1 is possible, and the pedal's low cost makes it a suitable candidate for experimentation. Most circuit modifications involve replacing certain resistors and capacitors to change the frequency response of the pedal, and/or changing the clipping diodes to change the character of the distortion. Analog Man, Brian Wampler of Indyguitarist, Robert Keeley Electronics, and many more commercial modders have produced (or provided schematics for) DS-1 mods at some point.

Working the Pedal

While turning the effect on and off is easy enough, dealing with the inherent tonal variation of the unit is not. Some players like the scooped-midrange sound; others do not. Adjust your amplifier's EQ and the pedal's tone knob so that you have a mutually satisfying tone with both clean and distorted sounds. This can take quite a bit of experimentation and practice. Dialing in a high level, low distortion, and varying the tone control as you like it can give a significant boost to a signal and change the overall timbre. The level control is quite sensitive to the amplifier's settings; work with it so that you maintain relatively constant volume when switching the effect on and off, unless a volume boost or cut is what you're looking for. High distortion and high tone settings can be harsh and quite fuzzy. Some guitarists are looking for that. The pedal can also be used in conjunction with an already overdriven amplifier, either through high preamp gain, an overdrive channel, or the use of an overdrive pedal in order to produce very high-gain sounds. But whether you like it or not, the pedal will always take out some midrange. The tone control principally works with higher frequencies; however, it can be overridden by other pedals in the signal chain, i.e. an equalizer or even sometimes a simple overdrive unit.

External links

* [http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=747311 The Ultimate DS-1 mod on Ultimate-Guitar.com]

* [http://www.godiksennet.com/images/sch/DS1PG2.jpgDS-1 Schematic scan from original service manual on Godiksennet]

* [http://www.analogman.com/boss.htm Analogman Boss DS-1 Modification]

* [http://www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=10 Robert Keeley DS-1 Modifications]

* [http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Boss/DS-1+Distortion/10/1 Boss DS-1 Reviews on Harmony Central]

* [http://synthesisradio.net/2006/05/24/boss-distortion-test-march-2006/ Boss DS-1 gets ROAD-TESTED with fire!] Podcast review from Synthesis (magazine)

* [http://www.geocities.com/overdrivespider/DS1/circuitbend.htm DIY Boss Ds-1 Mods]

* [http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Feb/Boss_DS_1_Mods.aspx Brian Wampler's DIY mods, may contain typos]