Distortion! Boss DS-1 Waza vs Vintage DS-1 vs Standard DS-1 [Vs JHS Angry Charlie & JAM Rattler]

[@AndyDemos]

Ahh thanks so much everyone! Definitely feeling better after some tough weeks. I appreciate all the love and your clean tone was a huge help ❤️

[@markharris2562]

The video description is pure gold (it always is, but this time -you deserve a medal, Mick).

[@JonNewquist]

Truly! That was inspired writing.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you Mark!

[@gffg387]

Dan wrote it

[@SlingShot830201]

“The why in your Vai” 😂😂😂

[@denomdemon]

I would like to see a supercut of these two apologizing to each other over the years. So polite and respectful.

[@Hieto08]

33:55 😂😂

[@Neilybob100]

You’ve given me an idea for a new drinking game! 😂

[@BadMotivator66]

or when mick shrugs his eyebrows and his glasses fall down

[@everynotecountsofficial]

I know that there is more to the pedal world than overdrives, but man I love it when you guys cover overdrive and distortion.

[@matheusbarros3577]

Me too

[@stanislavmigra]

Me too

[@lichen8855]

Me too

[@ryangunwitch-black]

You're absolutely right. There's also fuzz. 😂

[@danielherbert8060]

When I started playing so very long ago, I honestly didn't know that people used any other pedal than the ds1! I didn't understand what else anyone would need. Great stuff, great show.

[@JoeTaylormusic]

Just bought a DS-1 from a pawn shop. Because why not!! Thanks for the quality content as always :)

[@rymivo4012]

Man... the 1980 seems to have a little more than just a scooped frequency. It really sounds different (as most pedals do). Great video guys!

[@nadyanmrtz]

Awesome. I'd love to see the same type of video done on the BD-2 Blues Driver. I have a stock one and I've used it for 10 years and it's really tough to get it off my board. I absolutely love it. It'd be interesting to see the difference between a stock one, the Waza version, and Dan's Keeley modded one.

[@vladimirpavlovic9488]

yes, once AT returns that Keeley moded one to Dan, haha 😂

[@ToddTheJoker]

@@vladimirpavlovic9488 exactly, I saw him have it on his board for a Sweetwater video a few weeks ago!

[@nadyanmrtz]

@@vladimirpavlovic9488 good point lol

[@J0eR0e]

absolutely, please do it for the BD-2 and also for the SD-1 !!!

[@shamsam4]

I've consistently used mine from the nineties since the nineties, it's fantastic. I like the idea of showing several side by side.

[@Wesleyguitarrista]

Ohhh yeah Dan! That intro was amazing Man! Great video dude. Thank you both

[@denmar355]

Wow! Loved you churning out the rock riffage Mick! Well done! And that Halo is so good at giving great delay effect while still letting the attack in front clearly. Awesome! Really impressed with the Waza. Had no clue it was so good. It makes a good lead tone pedal.

[@johndogwater]

I reckon that super-scoop is why the DS-1 (and the Big Muff) worked so well for grunge and grungalike music in the 90s. You can play those huge fifths with added open strings, make a big angry cloud of harmonics and it won't get in the way of the vocals. Kicking a tubescreamer or a klon in after a DS-1 can give a nice flash of lightning out of that soft rumbly cloud. Weeeew widdlidloodleedle Bwoooooow.

[@SpencerJMusic]

Then you are basically just using tube screamer. The DS1 is just adding saturation and your tone is a TS.

[@sordidsentinel]

i've always suspected that's a big part of how Kurt Cobain got such a huge sound out of a pretty primitive setup - he considered the DS-1/DS-2 to be central to his guitar tone, but would typically run it into a Fender Twin or Mesa Boogie preamp with the mid control maxed out.

[@SpencerJMusic]

@@sordidsentinel I’ve always found it odd that he used a Mesa preamp. When did he use a twin?

[@johndogwater]

@@sordidsentinel interesting.

[@sordidsentinel]

@@SpencerJMusic Throughout his career, actually - Bleach was recorded using a borrowed 60s Fender Twin Reverb. Before recording Nevermind, he purchased a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 preamp which he ran through Crown or Crest power amps, but also used a Fender Bassman and Vox AC30 (I think at Butch Vig’s insistence) in the studio - “Lithium” is a Bassman and Big Muff, iirc, which explains its tighter low end. Then I believe all of In Utero was recorded using a Fender Twin Reverb, although one of the speakers and/or tubes were dying or dead in it - which he didn’t let anyone fix because he liked how it made the amp sound, iirc. Steve Albini doesn’t layer tons of guitar tracks over each other like Butch Vig likes to - check out “Cherub Rock” by Smashing Pumpkins, which he also produced, and the intro is very “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but with like 20 Big Muff guitar tracks layered over each other - so afaik, most of In Utero was recorded with a DS-2 into a cranked clean Twin Reverb.

[@AlGorham23]

I’ll always love the way Dan’s inner Kim Thayil comes roaring out when he first digs into a distortion pedal. Very distinctive but not quite *that* tune 😉 Nice work as always fellas!

[@periloustemple8290]

Oh, man. You boys played fantastically and demonstrate how to let the sound/feel take you to the space the pedal harkens. There is really no great choice other than just having all 3. LOL. My new GigRig power stuff arrived yesterday, so I've been here sorting out my rig!!!! Love it!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Cheers mate 🤗🙏

[@kkrekula]

This was a classic TPS show - thanks! Great playing and enjoyment of this classic distortion!

[@JamItJohn]

I can relate to the Shreddie in my Eddie 50+ years ago when I plugged in my first distortion pedal. I must say it feels the same today. You will never lose that feeling.

[@andrewhoar9742]

Awesome video guys. Dan's playing from 6:40 on was great . . . I was like 'THAT IS IT! That is what I want my guitar to sound like Keep the video's coming. So good

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

Oh god, custom mode on waza is one of the best dirt stages for leads I've ever heard. It's so full, that mid is so juicy. And that DS-1 gain structure is still so sweet. It sings, but it has a little bit of hair around it. Like a smooth fuzz. It's so...Gilmour-y. It's just beautiful. Boss has done it again. Another win, another icon is born.

[@horizontalblanking]

Dan was getting some nice “King’s X” vibes going with Butters and drop D. I’m diggin’ it!

[@CraigGriffiths]

I had al my gear taken about 30 years ago. Never replaced and just stopped playing more or less. Last year started playing again and purchased a new DS1. Didn’t sound how I remembered. Got and EQ and I could make it fit my memory. Smiled that you gents discussed the use of EQ.

[@darrenm01]

I laughed so hard @7:19 that I almost choked. “Are you hearing that horrible top end here?” “I’m hearing horrible top end everywhere.” “Okay, good.”

[@petebrown8145]

Great review, thanks! It was exactly what I needed to see. Based on your review, my modern DS-1 will meet my needs and I won’t need to get the Waza Craft.

[@cogee89]

I just swapped my 2008 ds-1 for a Waza today, and it was definitely the right choice. The Waza has the same classic ds-1 sound but it's so much more full and tidy than the classic. I've still got my mid 2000's SD-1 in front of it running into a Marshall origin 20c and it's just so good... Highly recommend.

[@Ivayloi123]

Glad to have you again boys! Showing properties of effects in youtube, would be more apreciated with slow playing and repeating of the same chords on all samples. Slow tones show common harmonics. Just sinciere buyers opinion. Please take it, as a starting point in advance! Fast ones are allways drowning the bloom, Treat us slow😁

[@tmitz73]

Much love, feel better Andy!!!

[@davedavem]

Great video lads! Didn't realize they were building a spaceport on your farm, that rocket launch was loud! 🎸 🚀

[@wanbaclone]

I love these blokes. This KZbin channel is a love letter to every dadtarist who ever played in a short lived bar band in his younger years.

[@eoinjennings519]

Just bought a WAZA as I love the range - haven’t used it yet but now glad I have it !

[@Total_DaveB]

DS-1 was the first pedal I ever used so I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for it. Great video and comparison! I must say though… the Rattler is outstanding. I remember my ears peeking up years ago when it was first featured. Cheers D&M, thanks for everything!

[@Mistertbones]

The DS-1 is a legendary pedal. Great video here.

[@kylepatterson8445]

Fun fact. The Keeley Modded DS-1 and the MXR 78 Distortion are the same pedal. MXR essentially cloned the Keeley pedal for this one. I accidentally have both. I found out about this later on. I've tested them side by side and they are basically identical outside of pot tolerances. I wonder how the new Waza compares to them, or if it too is the same mod.

[@giosundance5643]

Very useful information thank you!

[@JonNewquist]

Great show! It's funny how in '89 when I bought my Guv'nor I loved how scooped it could go. It was soo much fun! Fast forward to now - all I want is low gain mid push that's crunchy only when I dig in. It's due either to my mid 50s hearing loss, changing preferences, or a combination of both.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahahha!

[@JonNewquist]

@@ThatPedalShow bless you for laughing with me.

[@Kevin-the-Just]

I'm in my 60s and I totally hear you.....

[@tpf151]

I'd forgotten how good that Les Paul Junior sounds, perfect with that amp and pedal set up!

[@BaronsDuju]

Ooh this is going to be a good one. I’ve seen these Waza pedals come up a thousand times and have never understood what they are. Plus they’re using a Golden for reverb but not on the plate setting! Sold!

[@jasonmayse5585]

I have the BD waza and it's absolutely flipping fantastic!

[@richardmartinez1628]

Would you recommend it over the ds1?

[@skypekai]

"I'm hearing horrible top end everywhere" lol, DS-1 in one sentence

[@justinguitarcia]

The little tangent on mids on modern pedals combined with a little discussion Tom Bukovac had on eq and being in the studio got me thinking about how it mustve been way more common to have that sense of eq and guitar tone back then versus now. Lots of eq is built into everything we buy now to satisfy what we want to hear so it seems that art of eq’ing that use to be essential for guitar players has faded a bit, with the exception being pro players who often have multiband eqs on their boards. Midrange and shades of midrange is the color palette for electric guitar. Great episode and discussion as always !

[@Jesse615]

I'm officially old! I am the proud owner of a vintage gen-1, good-condition, silver screw, MIJ em-dash DS-1. The thing is, it was not vintage when high-school me bought it in 1980 😄

[@Strat642001]

Awesome Mick! Always makes my day to see the DGT. My DGT, is the best guitar I've ever owned.

[@mattofthemountain]

My first impression from first impressions with the 1980 DS-1 is that the strat sounded pretty alright actually!

[@grantconnors2496]

Sorry for chiming in so late, but I've had my DS-1 since getting it and my CE-2 on the same day in 1985 (thanks Dad!). I fallen in an out of love with it several times. Back to being in love with it and one of the features I've had fun with is manipulating the guitar's volume to "clean up" the DS-1's sound. Not unlike many of us do with a fuzz, having that direct control of how much or little we want to distort. It's actually quite good at/for this to my ears, even if that was never the intention of the circuit. Good fun and info here. Thanks folks.

[@evanmiller2579]

Great comparison. The new Waza version sounds awesome.

[@timbob.]

The DS1 is the first pedal I ever used, I was at school and seriously into Nirvana but was struggling to get the sound on my 10 watt Fender practice amp and Squire Strat, a friend took pity on me and lent me his DS1 saying “this is what Kurt uses” it was so thrilling the minute I plugged it in. For some reason decades later I’ve still never owned one, don’t really know why though. Great show as always!

[@JDAfrica]

I grew up and started playing guitar around the same time - early grunge times. The DS1 was THE SOUND everyone wanted. Funny story, I bought my first guitar (a tele copy), and the old guy threw in this weird klunky looking green pedal ... and I was so disappointed as it wasn’t the orange DS-1. The boss orange enclosure was so sleek and cutting edge back then. I plugged the green pedal in and it wasn’t distortion as I knew it. Turned out being an original tube screamer

[@ryangunwitch-black]

Everyone knows Kurt used a DOD Grunge. The one with the "butt" and the "face" controls. 😂 (that's jokes.)

[@Apprentice_of_the_Leonine]

I thought Kurt used a ProCo RAT distortion, or was that someone else?

[@BillDutton]

I particularly enjoyed the Waza DS-1 and that flanger combination and I may now have to pick this pair up. That beautiful SG of Dan's is money. Well done boys.

[@urbanwikstrom9246]

Hi Guys! When comparing the Angry Charlie with the DS-1 Waza (standard mode) there was a volume drop of about 5-7 db. Not that this matters to me as this is a sound I`ll ever use...... But. Volume is a mighty power especially when comparing similar pedals. Thanks for a great show as usual! Cheers!

[@urbanwikstrom9246]

I´rest my case.......... A bit to quick to comment..... Cheers!

[@arnolddealiii4259]

Wow that was a sound today! The Telecaster sounded so huge today! The Stratocaster never has a bad sound! DTG was cool, but the SG Junior yeah buddy that was a monster tone!

[@joedubuc2697]

Growing up a Vintage style Fender strat Into my 2016 DS 1 was my sound for a long time, I still enjoy that sound to this day, Im actually excited to try it with the waza as the distortion pedal I got after my first pedal (the DS-1) was a fuzz face, and this seems to sit somewhere in the middle!

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

You missed the most important one.. the 40th anniversary, that black housing just adds so much metal tone! 😂

[@g.h.options6890]

Mick's playing is so amazing sounds beautiful can sit here all day and listen to that tone! Tone for days!

[@ThatPedalShow]

Thank you kindly!

[@brycejames7829]

that fizz also goes away into a high-gained power section very nicely

[@Ric007Mason]

Great vid leg-ends! Had several ds1’s and I’ve decided it’s the Mxr distortion + for me!

[@Channelscruf]

I am what is commonly known in some circles as first.

[@FACTBOT_5000]

First reply.

[@therapist6328]

As long as the circle isn't a jerk. Congrats

[@OlMoldy]

@@therapist6328 speak for yourself

[@semilog643]

Great show, as always. Buuuuuuuut… really wish you'd included a DS-1X and a Keeley Seeing Eye-modded DS-1.

[@lazmonti]

Great vid, guys, as always! Would have been good to include the Boss OD-200 and compare the Distortion (DS-1) setting and it's 3 band EQ with those pedals. It might have been able to match all those 3 DS-1 pedals.

[@RenanSilva-ue5jp]

I always wondered why Mick havent been using his DGT, it is a dream guitar for me, and he always sounded brilliant on it!!! imo, one of the best sounding guitars in the TPS collection.

[@davidmichele250]

Fun video guys. The only thing missing was the wig Mick wore from the sustain video. Cheers!

[@Cameron655]

Intro: camera cuts to three DS-1s on a board. Cutaway: that's me falling out of my chair laughing. I shall have to get my OD-1 t-shirt to cope. It's my safe place in times of need.

[@b-regsproductions]

@That Pedal Show @5:00 in regards to the mid scoop- Mixing enginer Andy Wallace added some of his trademark 3k frequency to Kurt’s cobains guitars on Nevermind. Adds a ton of cut and edge to his tone, We all know the ds1 was used alot on that record. Little factoid to add some mids back into the pedal. Live Kurt dimed out his mids on his messa boogie pre amp. I don’t believe these were both conscious efforts to de scoop the pedal but they did add to the mid character. Great episode

[@ToddTheJoker]

I am a fan of the BOSS DS-1 and I actually have the black 40th anniversary Edition pedal. It always keeps finding its way back onto my board! Thanks guys...loved the video! see ya Monday,,wait Monday is Halloween. Happy Halloween!

[@nigelnisbet-9680]

Totally agree with the WazaCraft some magic extra mid there. I tried out several dS-1s before our most recent Electrasy gigs this summer-eventually I went with a Kemper instead of a board for just sheer ease of use - but the WazaCraft version was hands down the sound!!

[@BB-ft6nd]

Wow, I'm buying the DS-1W tomorrow.

[@bocollins1222]

Angry Charlie on the board = vintage TPS vibes. Love it.

[@alirezaroshannahad]

using a really clean amp could reveal the real nature of each era of these DS1s. But by feeding the DS1s to even a lightly distorted amp the attack and tonal attributes of each gets masked.

[@BenState]

7:03 is the settings this pedal loves

[@stevenhorton7457]

Love the telecaster Dan ,really like the channel👍

[@dobster5819]

Great start sounds Dan, that was brilliant.

[@RobFlaxMusic]

8:50 Let it be so noted that here Mick first utters "we ought to have a Super Strat with a humbucker in the bridge..." I'm not an enabler, you're enabling! 😂

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hahaha!

[@brandonjackson5865]

Damn that intro tone on that Tele is fire. Probably the best high gain traditional tele tone I’ve ever heard. Traditional meaning it’s not got a HB or rail HB in the bridge. That’s not a stacked HB right ? Yep my suspicion confirmed as soon as they switched to a HB the DS1 sounds like a fuzz to me.

[@ThatPedalShow]

Hello Brandon, thank you! No, it's the standard Custom Shop ’63 single coil that's been in it since new (around 2000). Cheers!

[@lukewilson9763]

Great show fellas ❤. Would love to see a little comparison between that new PRS amp and the Marshall next episode!

[@gund2281]

I don't understand how there's this seemingly growing idea, mostly online, that the DS-1 is a "bad pedal." Or that it's the one used to make fun of other pedals. It's literally one of the best ever created. It's just awesome, and it doesn't COST $500! It's actually affordable for damn near anyone who wants to play and get a great distortion tone. I've had one since the mid-90s, and I'll go to my grave with it.

[@al271987]

I had a current production DS-1, picked up the Waza DS-1 and recently also got a DS-2. Oddly enough, by a large margin, the DS-2 is my favorite. Turns out that what I have in my head as “That 90’s, alternative, DS-1 sound” was found much more readily in the DS-2 than it was in either the stock or Waza DS-1. In fact, any of the complaints people usually have with a DS-1 (low output, scoopy midrange, can’t handle high output pups, shrill buzzy tone control) seem to have all been addressed when Boss was designing mode 1 on the DS-2. So the other two are gone and my preference for orange distortion boxes rests at the DS-2.

[@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed]

Nice one guys! The DS-1 was my first sand main distortion through the 80s, mostly into a Roland JC-120.... You really had to mind that tone knob ;) One of the main players I know that used one the longest is Marillion's Steven Rothery. He's famous for playing his leads through a DS-1 with tone at minimum and gain at max into his own JC-120. At some point he switched to a Keeley modded one and I have the model of a similar modded one in my HX Effects. It is much less harsh than I remember my own DS-1 being but mostly compared to their own DS-1 model (it doesn't say what period the one they modeled comes from). But I can hear the lineage from the DS-1 to the JHS Angry Charlie/The AT. I've use the AT version 1 for a few years until recently when I moved back to a v2 Angry Charlie (with full EQ). That is now my second gain stage. First is a Wampler Tumnus Deluxe which I love, then the AC and my new main gain box which is the Revv G4 which is by far the best distortion pedal I have ever played. It's even more amp like in tone and feel than the JHS AT or AC. I mention all that because I'm realizing listening to this video that my current distortion tone preferences are directly linked to the almost 10 years I've played a DS-1. Mine was sold years ago but I loved hearing you guys play and compare these 3 versions. I much prefer the additional mids from the modern and WazaCraft as well as your original Angry Charlie. I love my v2 AC and the Revv G4 because both EQs mid frequency is exactly where I like it bringing in bark but also "fatness". The G4 is the best lead tone from a pedal I've had (to my taste of course). Into my Revv Dynamis 7-40 amp and 4x12 it's just glorious... ;) Thanks for another great video guys!

[@RobynNeundam]

First Thanks for all the interesting stuff!!! Would love to have an episode about buzz words like "fizzle", explaining more your common vocabulary, explaining top end and bottom end frequency related, bass, treble, mids and stuff like that. Cloud be fun.

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

I still have my 1989 MIT which I bought for my 21st Birthday. I also had a 1984 MIJ and the black 40th Anniversary unit. They all sound the same, fizzy, fuzzy and nasty. It’s a great sounding pedal if you have a cheap solid state amp and cheap guitar. But I haven’t used one since 1994.

[@DoubleDguitar]

@20:00 is personally my favorite DS1 sound I have heard, yet. I do feel like that output boost did something just right to that amp combination. Of course, as I finish this Dan grabs the SG, soooo….we shall see.

[@thejoshbtv]

The rat is the ultimate distortion pedal.

[@MatzeMaulwurf]

Finished a DIY-Build some weeks ago. Awesome pedal. Grit, Spit, Grind and a bit of luster.

[@lucasgoncalvesdefaria7121]

For me is the attack. DS-1 is known as a bee-hive cuz depending on your set up that attack sounds harsh and spiky. But when diled right it sounds almost fuzz like the way the note's bity attack, being not so low-passed as other pedals just shines and cuts through.

[@StevenPhillips]

"So Boss have done it" That sums it up

[@smiggy1968]

Vintage strat into a vintage DS1. Glorious!

[@subjectt.change6599]

Okay, here’s the custom pedal idea of the century: A hard clipper with a footswitch that moves between the DS-1 eq and the RAT eq.

[@paulbellamy2810]

Love my DS-1 (SMT version) and can't see why so many dislike it. Mind you, I do run it into a Marshall, so there's that.

[@antonix_81]

Loved the strat with the vintage one , very similar to my 83 ds 1 with my strat

[@sethl1588]

The Tele and Jr. acquitted themselves magnificently.

[@mattbryonphoto2357]

I run a Morning glory and stack it with an angry Charlie, been running these drive stages for years! But thanks to this demo and that custom mode waza, I may have to pick one up! Boss fan boy for sure! And very impressed what the waza line has done - the ce2-w and dimension cw have both made it into my collection as well. I’d love to see you guys shoot out the boss modulation waza’s with the originals

[@erik2446]

Mick's gorgeous DGT sounds great!

[@onewiththings]

For Halloween, Mick plays Vai, and Dan plays Satriani!

[@davidharding200]

I loved Dan’s metal playing 😂

[@darrenc8776]

The DS1 is awesome. Its really flexible. I use mine with a strat and marshall origin. The tone control is a bit bonkers I tend to keep it low. It takes a boost like a tube screamer well to get that modern marshall tone.

[@whiskersb5296]

Ooh, very exciting. I just got a jam rattler.

[@50Something]

Dan's newly modified tele sounds killer with the DS-1. I wasn't expecting that! Wow!

[@stanislavmigra]

Mick + Strat + Rat = Instant Gilmour vibes.

[@TheColdNorthWind]

There was one angle u didn’t cover - how they sound as they enter the rubbish bin. 😆 thanks for reconfirming that I don’t ever need a DS-1 👍

[@joshguthriemusic8090]

Mick’s PRS burst is beautiful ❤️

[@alguitarchristie]

I just knew the PRS Flanger was going to be on there! You lot if Dan!

[@gayvalds]

Mick needs to do more Rock-style playing, that was ACE

[@markcarey8178]

Was just thinking - should I press the button on a Waza DS-1 - and this turns up... Great timing chaps

[@marleenvos4126]

Awesome episode, thanks 🙏

[@druwk]

Not my personal cup of Distortion? Great to get the deep dive to see what this unit is about. These explorations have been inspiring and informative. The boutique Fuzz, OCD, and Treble boost episodes have all made me rethink what I want on my board. Pairing any type of Overdrive, Fuzz or Distortion is completely dependent on the amp, and what you want your Tones to be?

[@mleon1958]

Loved the video! My favorite was the middle DS1, as it had a little more mid kick and not as much bottom end compared to the Waza and the '80. I would love to see a comparison of the Vox Saturator and the Ice 9, as I heard that the Saturator in particular was voiced to sound like an upscale DS 1. The Waza is an excellent pedal but seeing as I already have the two aforementioned Vox pedals, as well as a modern DS 1, I can't really see myself getting one. Once again, thanks for the excellent job!

[@backlom]

Inspired me to try my old DS-1. More versatile than I remember. It’s picky about its neighbours in the chain though. Thanks. It’ll be on the board for a week or so.

[@ruffryder13]

Great video. Any brute can mod PTH parts with a lot of care. Reworking SMT parts isn't impossible, you just have to know what you're doing.