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| Boss DS-1 Distortion. | |
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Boss has been producing an extensive (and ever expanding) range of pedals for many years and they have established themselves as a favoured choice of guitarists all around the world. The sturdy box common to all Boss pedals is one of the neatest designs there is, being compact, stomp-proof with a silent, positive footswitch and an easy to access battery compartment. My only slight whinge is that the thumb screw takes quite a lot of turns to undo and comes right out; you wouldn't want to lose it on a dark stage! The pedal has in and out jacks on the right and left sides and 9v AC input on the top if you want to avoid battery hassle. An LED shows whether the effect is on or off and the knobs are recessed behind the footswitch to avoid damage or accidental adjustment.
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The DS-1 distortion pedal produces more of a rock sound than the Super Overdrive. There is much more distortion available, though this means an increase in noise. This pedal is a better choice than the
SD-1 if you need mucho distortion for power chord riffs, pinched harmonics and scary metal solos! The tone control is essential on this unit to tame the rather unpleasant, ratty top end it produces. Rolled most or all the way off however the sound is very smooth and thick. This does mean that this pedal isn't much use for those looking for a bright SRV tone. For blues tones the Super Overdrive or the Blues Driver (which sits somehere between the two tonally) would be a much better choice. Overall the DS-1 Distortion is an excellent rock tool, put in front of a stack (or even a combo) it provides the gamut of rock tones from Van Halen to Pantera. |
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