Boss DS-1
Classic Boss distortion pedal
Boss DS-1 Distortion
| Maker | Boss |
|---|---|
| Model | DS-1 |
| Type | Distortion |
Store
| Store | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Thomann SE | 869 kr | 2026-06-24 |
Description
I got it together with the compressor and the Metal Zone. Honestly, I really like this distortion pedal, because the Metal Zone already does a lot of stuff, but the Metal Zone has a problem: it really changes the sound. It will get your original sound and it will kind of output the same thing for every instrument or everything you put into it, because it's a very heavy pedal. There's more about that on the Boss MT-2 Metal Zone note.
The DS-1 has a sound profile that is almost like an overdrive, but it allows me to tone and scoop the distortion better than the Metal Zone, even though the Metal Zone has an EQ for the mids. So I prefer the DS-1 most of the time, because it's less noisy and I can use it with the other pedals that I have. If I'm using the Metal Zone, I will just use the Metal Zone. It's a very good distortion pedal that doesn't override too much of your original sound.
Impressions
It sounds really nice. It sounds actually pretty rocky, so I use it mostly when I'm playing old 70s or 80s sounds, and less when I'm playing metal, because I don't think it's a good metal distortion. It's also less advised when you're playing blues or grungy tones, because it will completely distort the signal, it will not allow any clean signal to pass through like the Centaur does.
I can use it with the Centaur and then the Centaur becomes a boost, and I can also use it with the Big Muff, which becomes quite an interesting sound, but I really don't like to use them both together. I use the Centaur and the Big Muff together because they pair very nicely, but especially for the fuzz pedals I think the DS-1 is not really fit. So when I use the DS-1, it's usually just the DS-1, the delay and the Centaur. This is why I actually put the Centaur first on all the chain, at least on the distortion chain, and then I have the DS-1, the Metal Zone, and then the Big Muff.