Boss DS-1 Distortion (Are You Using It Wrong?)

Today is a bit different. I'm taking a look at the near legendary Boss DS-1 (which has been used by Steve Vai and Joe Satriani among others) and the claim made by a couple of videos that you're using it wrong. These videos are somewhat popular, but are they right? Let's find out.
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[@MrPolevaulter]

Check out more Boss pedal videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLNaLwTdlpQNH25G8vg0YCJuhWmpQakiZa

[@TroyNaumu808]

I saw somewhere that someone said that the DS1 was smooth and bluesy compared to the DS2. I'm thinking that person is either tone deaf or clueless or a mixture of both.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

I found a DS-1 in Greenland, literally like on some rocks, about 5 miles away from a research center village that only had a population of about 30 people, non of who played the electric guitar, it was also about -20°C, it still worked by the way. I later found out it was some kind of ancient historical site and that a few metal bands had filmed videos there.

[@dw7704]

For years my main amp was a Roland Jazz Chorus and I used a DS1, and lots of people loved my tone, so yes you can use a DS1 with a clean amp. It does depend on what sound you want, and what you are looking for So my advice? Take some time & experiment Try it for at least 10 minutes, not for a minute or two. And remember not everyone likes the same sounds, and that makes things cool, as we get more variety

[@Danthehorse]

The Steve Rothery tone.

[@alisabbagh8242]

Sounds good. A thing people don't realize is that when this pedal came out in 78, it was designed to be used in the amps of those days, plexis, jcm's. I use mine into a traynor yba-1 that was modded to sound like a 1987. I plug into the bass channel and run the tone around noon. Have a listen you'll be suprised.

[@gdereese]

Starting out, I was learning bass and guitar at the same time, and my only amp was a huge Randall 500w bass head and 2x15 cab. No high-end detail whatsoever. Running an Epiphone LP into DS-1 into that amp sounded great because most of the fizziness didn't ever come through with speakers that big.

[@gonzalonaveira6940]

I'm using it with an Origin 50C, sounds amazing with valves

[@taxo]

Basically you use it as a treble booster

[@joshuakarar3594]

That lead tone of the humbucker going into the Marshall was ridiculously good.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@Michel-r6m]

With a bit of "sisu" this can be a very nice pedal. It does need a bit of attention with tone to my ear but it is a classic. Nice video 👍

[@nikosmagnisalis6080]

I think these videos where trying to exploit the popularity of DS1. I have seen them, in order to use better my DS1, I had mixed results. I played a bit on my own and figured out what I liked most, on my Katana 50 and whatever guitar (low, high output etc). Yet, clickbait worked! I'm always surprised how open and honest you are!! Great video!

[@mattsikes919]

Loved the video Elmo! The ds-1 is near and dear to my heart. I won't argue with keeping the tone and distortion below 12 but I've found that the level is really the kicker dependent on the amp you're playing through. I think it sounds killer going into my Bugera 50w amp head, marshall 2x12 cab, and my player strat. Gives just enough growl.

[@IONDRIVEtheband]

13:06 Thanks for the vid. I'm reminiscing now of when the DS-1 was my main (only) distortion pedal in the early 80's 😊 I had the distortion set to max, tone down around 8 or 9 o'clock, and volume set for unity, into a clean Marshall. It sounded just like I had the Marshall cranked all the way, but at a reasonable volume. Yours sounds more like a fuzz going into that solid state cube amp 😂 (I don't think Satch or Vai ever used their DS-1's with a solid state amp !!) keep up the good work 👏

[@squirelova1815]

I thought it was the DS-1 I was using wrong but it turns out it was just my guitar playing after all, as usual.

[@wernervanderwalt8541]

You can use it with high output pickups. A lot of the 80's hair metal were recorded with it. Just back off on the distortion a smidge more than on normal pickups

[@OgamiItto70]

Cool, much-needed video. I'm kind of nonplused at all the bad-rappin' the DS-1 gets. It's really useful to me. My use of the DS-1: As a clean solo boost (Level up, Distortion down) after a TS-808 set as a clean(-ish)* boost into a clipping tube amp or tube distortion/overdrive pedal. "Clean"-boosting TS-808 + clipping Laney/Marshall (or whatever tube distortion/overdrive pedal) = good (to my ear) heavy/crunchy rhythm tone. The tone is big and beefy, but not boomy or farty. I like it to be just a bit on the bright side so as not to fight with the bass or the kick or low toms, but it shouldn't be shrill. The TS-808 is great for tightening up the lower end appropriately. Where in the mids the tone's emphasis should be depends on the singer's voice and other instruments (keys, another guitar, sax, whatever--but _never_ accordion!) When it's time for a solo, kick on the DS-1 for more sustain and more low end. The low end is okay now because my guitar is now the "most important" instrument and the others will hopefully fade back a bit to give me room in the volume/spectrum calculus. The only difficulty I have with the DS-1 is dialing out the "snotty" tone, but staying below about noon on the Tone knob seems to solve that. This is predicated on a guitar with medium to medium-high output humbucker pickups. I don't know about single-coils. *The TS-808 never cleans up all the way. You can set Overdrive to zero (like I do) and you're still going to get a little bit of grit in the sound.

[@george.kollaros]

You can put an SD-1 AFTER the DS-1 and have the SD-1 be the "slightly overdriven amp" with the Drive low (about 8-9 o' clock). My favorite setting is having the Tone and Dist like a "V" (Tone= 10 o' clock, Dist= 2 o' clock). If you put the Dist at 3 o' clock in front of the SD-1 you can have the sound of "All She Wrote" by Firehouse.

[@markcheetah4960]

That's an awesome song.

[@ErSinga]

I own a ds1 and have tried any setting of the knobs, but the distortion volume level is lower than the clean volume, even with the level at max

[@pierref.1294]

Great video as always ! We need a deep dive like this on the Proco Rat (or a copy !) Cheap, great and misunderstood ! (Imo : clean boost + RAT (High vol, low dist) + breaking Plexy + delay + spring reverb = Eric Johnson meets 80's Savatage )

[@terrypussypower]

I have a TC Electronic Magus Pro, a Rat clone apparently. Dunno about that, but it’s a cool pedal nonetheless…

[@erikwagonblott3334]

I like it with the tone turned way down and boosted with an overdrive in front. Makes it a lot chuggier and more metal sounding. But that's just for playing at home through a practice amp, in a band situation I'm still gonna choose amp gain.

[@Illneverremember1]

Indeed. It's not so much about the right way for everyone to use it, it's more about the fact that it can be a difficult pedal to dial in, so you have to be patient with it and try it different ways. Those tips are some things to try, but they are not rules for all players.

[@youtubenpc8273]

Much of the sound you got from it you couldve achieved with the amp alone. I had a ds-1 in the early '80s. I switched to an arion sdI-1 in '85. It's a boss on steroids. Sounds fantastic. It's the only distortion pedal Ive used since.

[@GhostsOfJenova]

I really think you're the only honest music guy on YT. All the others are just click-baiting BS and bad reviewers

[@RickMichaelis63]

Thanks for the review Elmo 🙏✌️❤️🎶🎵🎼

[@tonypanagopoulos6421]

This is THE best distortion ever made !!I ve been using it for 40 years and YES i agree with you that there is no wrong way for anything .On the other hand there are certain dos and donts if you want to achive certain tones using the ds1.For example it made wonders in the hands of gary moore ,joe satriani and steve vai all of them using it diferently (john norum also....) .It also took a lot of searching and experimentation but when i realised how to set it up it made miracles and no review even comes close !!!! ....and beleive me you are also using it wrong for the tonew tha your playing demands!!!

[@robertx1610]

KZbin - (Are You Using It Wrong?) Put the Elmo-Knob at noon, the content-knob at 9 and play it into a clean screen. Works well for me ❤

[@jerrywatt6813]

I bought one of these at a swap meet here in LA for $ 20, i figured it was broken but it worked fine thru my marshalls it's just finding the sweet spot in the adjustments foe me it's a one trick pony not verry versatile but gets that joe satch tone just fine cheers !

[@John_2Much_Coffee]

Best words said..... If you like it, you like it ! Cheers, I like this pedal......... I don't like liver, but somehow I do like liver pate?

[@thomasr.5443]

Ok, before I watch the video: YES, I definitely use it wrong. I never got a convincing sound from it. I even went that far to replace the resistor in the dist circuit to make it more "overdrivey" added leds to the feedback path and adjusted the tone stack. Now it's more of a Tube Screamer than a DS-1 but I like it. And now, show me how to use it correctly, Elmo!

[@caesius248]

Setting the distortion on the DS-1 past 12 angers the bees inside. Further increasing it may cause them to swarm and attack.

[@MrPolevaulter]

🤣

[@lorenzomartone1476]

Hi, some of those videos you mentioned also suggest not connecting the DS-1 to the amplifier input, but instead connecting it to the send return of the amplifier. I can't tell you if this can improve or worsen the sound since I don't own this pedal and I don't have the send and return on my amplifier. I take this opportunity to tell you that yours is the only channel where pedals and amplifiers sound exactly like in reality (often bad). Many times I have bought pedals and amplifiers after hearing them sound great on other KZbin channels, only to be very disappointed afterwards.

[@MikeCarvin]

Another tip is use the DS1 with a fairly dark sounding amp with some mids, tube or solid state. I use it with Blackstar FLY 3 and sounds good to me.......whether playing grunge or Satch. OTOH Pristine amps such as Vox doesn't sound good to my ears.

[@streetlegal008]

I've been stacking my (cheap) pedals recently - trying distortion into fuzz - and find that my preference is to keep the distortion gain quite low - say 10 o'clock and then the fuzz can go to around 12 o'clock while also keeping the gain below 10 o'clock on the amp. I like to keep tone on the fuzz about 9 o'clock, but find that distortion can give me a nice little treble boost at the start of the chain, so I have that tone around 2 o'clock. Well I think with pedals there is no substitute for just listening and tweaking all of the controls until we get to the sound we like. This can be frustrating - but that is the deal with pedals. Also further tweaks can be done at the end of the chain with a delay or reverb pedal. So it is the final output tone that we have to keep in mind - not one pedal in isolation.

[@maxcarr6266]

Always..informative, useful and entertaining !! 🔧 🎸= 🎸😊👌 Thx a Mint!! You've helped me more than once!! So far, So good, So Awesome!!

[@phildem414]

In your opinion, is the second half of the tone knob of any use? The distortion side of my ibanez jemeni sounds like the tone does not even get (if cranked) to the 12' on the DS-1!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Totally unusable after 12 imo.

[@shanewalton8888]

You could also save your money and get better pedals. I havent used a DS-1 since I was 17.

[@Nicholas-dreamlove]

Hi, I have the same exact distortion pedal; BOSS (orange) but, I am playing it through an Ampeg bass amp and to me it sounds great. I can play clean and or distortion and I always turn the distortion and tone knobs down; like 2 and 5 and the level around 5. Am I using this pedal wrong or can I get away with the set-up I have now? Thank you...

[@glauer42]

I've used my DS-1 since '93 (the last year they used the TA7136AP chip) and play things like Nirvana's "School," In Bloom," and "Drain You" all day long with the distortion cranked, the tone at 10 o'clock, using my '93 PRS CE-24 (bridge humbucker) into my late 70s Fender Twin Reverb. Sounds great. Maybe everyone has their amp tone set weird? Plus, if you throw an EQ pedal after it, then you can really craft the tone to be exactly as you want!

[@markproctor3100]

I'm using mine correctly because it's in the bin and I got a Keeley Filaments 🤘Amazing pedal does almost every distortion tone you'll ever need 😏🤘

[@matzer8846]

Well i am guilty too ... got a Turbo-DS 'cause more is more ... was trying to get more umpf by adjusting the 3 band eq found out: there ain't none

[@TheGreatBaronOBeefDip]

I wonder what it would be like if it were used as a boost like the mega overdrive, max level, distortion at 0, tone at noon.

[@shapourdashtpour63]

When I connect this, my setting is distortion at 3-4, it gives me a constant buzz in the Amp. Do you know how to get rid of it

[@Yardbird68]

That's the key and main point, that you made in this video. There is "no wrong or right" way to use the pedal, if it's something YOU personally like and enjoy. It's that apple or orange, vanilla or chocolate, thing. It's all about " personal" tastes.

[@octtrinittolavg]

What are "hot" pickups? And what's clipping?

[@daniellarson3068]

Anyone please correct me if this explanation is wrong. "Hot" pickups are simply pickups with a slightly greater signal output. Clipping happens when the device can no longer match the amplitude of an applied signal. The top of the waveform is "clipped" off. From the internet: Clipping is a form of waveform distortion that occurs when an amplifier is overdriven and attempts to deliver an output voltage or current beyond its maximum capability. If the waveform is viewed on an oscilloscope, the top will appear to be clipped off.

[@capriceproduction5367]

interesting ! Thank's a lot .

[@destroso]

It’s sounded amazing through the Marshall

[@PatrickTengmusic]

Thank you for clearing all the bullshit. Your explanation enlighten me now.

[@shanewalton8888]

Do a pedal shootout between the Diezel VH4 vs the EVH 5150 Overdrive please

[@TrashM0nk95]

I believe Vai had the keely mod on his ds1 but I could very well be mistaken. Either way THANK YOU for this video. The other's irritated me when they said no high output pickups because I'm a huge Vai fan, and not to turn distortion past 12. Maybe if you're a bloos dad.

[@Leepaa]

in your opinion which one should i buy gio grg121 or jet js400?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Jet

[@Leepaa]

@@MrPolevaulter thanks

[@sergio-ok8xy]

Elmo, creo que ha sido un video tal vez algo largo..... para llegar a la conclusion de que cada uno de nosotros (que tenemos desde hace mucho tiempo el Ds1 )....lo equalizamos de diferentes formas y por eso conseguimos un sonido particular

[@JohnWiku]

Run SD-1 to boost into the DS-1, or for a different sound, reverse the order. Tweak knobs to taste.

[@mattiisosalo918]

This. Explore, be creative. There’s really no wrong way of using pedals, if it sounds good, it is good.

[@joshwagner5992]

Exactly what I do, just with a Plumes or Super Phat Mod

[@peterhall4852]

Its the absolute black and white of the suggestions. It's better if the youtubers said...try this... It's not my musical style,but a friend uses this pedal with high gain. It sounds fine to me. I agree about the tone,it can get really mushy.

[@brozio77]

3rd tip, a lot more distorted amp and ds-1 tone max dist almost off volume max. chainsaw territory for swedish death metal but more controlled than hm-2. the band Grave is using it in that way. i know is not your musical stuff but it is another use of the ds-1 :)

[@jeffcote6649]

Jcm 800, clean channel, distortion all the way up on your amp and all the way down on the pedal, tone little less than half, volume all the way up.

[@John6-40]

Once a guitarist learns how to play any scales and lead, it's as if they become incapable of playing simple chords. I do appreciate you throwing SOME chords in there. That's more than most KZbin guitarists. Most people looking at a DS1 are Nirvana fans. Nirvana was mostly simple chords and power chords. Nothing wrong with that, btw. So a review should have mostly power chords and chords, with some lead. Not mostly blues licks and lead with a few chords sparsely mixed in. Rant over, and I do like your channel, so please don't be confused on that. 😂

[@emerson.lagarto]

I use it with a china TS clone. they sound great stacked

[@evana2261]

I think that a lotta the times people are trying to create atone that sounds like a specific person/album and then that's the only way they get the sound. But of course boss designe the pedal to do a bnch of different things istead.

[@PaulChoate-s4v]

Probably

[@sawbonesquad4876]

You can easily transmit most of this advice to the Metal Zone as well

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Metal Zone used to be my feedback generator. I miss that thing.

[@alioth2021]

Sounds pretty sick straight into the return of an fx loop.

[@Allie-w1l]

Personally, I liked it better "over 12 o' clock. 😋 Your advice to take other advice with a grain of salt and experiment with things, is very good advice.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers!

[@drpfrutti]

This question may come across as stupid, but what is breakup?

[@alioth2021]

The point of gain on the amp that gives you an overdrive sound.

[@stjepanbilic9748]

You should make series of referring videos like this. :D

[@timothyjames4195]

Crank That Level. SRV can't be wrong.

[@eoinjennings519]

The WAZA one is definitely an upgrade

[@davidkastin4240]

Love my DS-1. The mystery of this pedal is the tone and level knobs are reversed 🤔

[@zAvAvAz]

The only good 'DS-1' are modded. The good pedal from the factory is the 'SD-1'.

[@fugalibrana]

All the way up!! 💀

[@jkeating7906]

I rarely turn the distortion past 12 o'clock, tone always between 6 o'clock and 11 o'clock, and level between 11 and 1 o'clock. I've used it with a Marshall DSL20 and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and it sounds pretty good with both. Putting a tubescreamer in front of it can give it a much fuller, punchier sound, but it's fine on its own on a lot of occasions. Having said all that, my DS1 is the Waza Craft version and I hardly ever set it to standard mode because I like the custom mode so much better.

[@jollyca]

I would've liked to hear more power chords and rhythm playing rather than lead because 99% of beginners (myself included) won't plug in their newly bought DS-1 to start shredding but to get some good ol' chugging out of their cheap "edge of breakup" amp.

[@mathewfoley1531]

Wow I was going to buy one of those now I'm not

[@gioigeniale]

the poor fender frontman 15...

[@wizrom3046]

I owned one of those horrible Orange things from 1981 to about 1998. Harsh, fizzy, revolting un-musical things. The closest I get to a guitar nightmare would be dreaming of using a Ds-1 straight into an amp with no other pedals... 😖 please, wake up! It's just a nightmare, now I have nice sounding pedals If you MUST usenone of these orange montrosities, you have to run it into some other pedals to mellow out all the harshness... like a reverb, delay, flanger etc then into the amp

[@chrisdee5032]

So bad you kept it for 17 years 😂

[@wizrom3046]

@@chrisdee5032 I was young and dumb 😎

[@Grungebob_Squaredance]

Volume up gain down into a cranked plexi.

[@AimingWanderously]

Guitar tone is like salt & pepper on your food- what works for one person probably won't for another in the same amount. No one is right or wrong. Personally I think the DS1 into my clean channel sounds tinny and cheap, but my amp has 6L6 tubes. Does the person who made the video saying 'don't run it into your clean channel' have the same tubes and speaker as me? When my amp is cranked the DS1 sounds way better...to MY ears.

[@godsinbox]

wow, brings back memories of how my DS-1 I bought cheap in 1992 really sucked. Sounds just as awful in this vid.

[@valleywoodstudio7345]

Use it like a KZbin video suggests and sound just like everybody else! There are no rules - only guidelines...too many variables and context is key!

[@rodrigobelinchon2982]

That shitty Boss sound... the moments it does not sound totally horrible it is because Elmo is a superb player

[@jw6588]

Last sound was trash, and I'll be damned if that sounds like Steve Vai. There were some other good tones before that though. Maybe the high output pickups really aren't a match bro.

[@sirzap7542]

I'm 3:43 into the video and it sounds horrible! Not you Elmo, the pedal.

[@MrPolevaulter]

😂

[@nikoma_]

I just make my guitar and amp sound good clean then kick the DS-1 on and adjust by ear. That’s it.

[@terrygore115]

Makes a great paper weight.

[@MrProwlr1]

👍🏻

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Wow, talk about pedal snobbery. These comments are crazy.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

😀🤘🤘

[@Rex-ft1kz]

Yeah millions sold and played on albums for the past 40 years but now they suck smh.

[@jaywells5283]

I like the sound of the bucker through the Marshall, and you know I usually love everything you touch, but I have tried to like that pedal ssssssoooooooooooo many times! I mean after all it’s like the “fisher price my first distortion pedal” thing, but fuck me in the goat ass does it sound like a steaming turd!!! Not you, your playing, the pickups, but that damned pedal! Blows monkey schlong! Thanks for making this vid though!

[@tracypartin7408]

The older I get the less gain I use.

[@fastacesus8499]

The pedal that put me off distortion... Only a teenager of course, took me 20 years to buy another distortion, one with loads of tone shaping. Sorry boss never a winner with me unlike your other stuff.

[@RocknJazzer]

If you're using one it's wrong

[@silviopimentel7247]

Sounds cheap, horrible! Especially with Marshall that sounds terrible on its own!! Yet the most popular amp out there. Never understood that.

[@Alfredo78666]

Kids, don't try this at home... Or anywhere else for that matter. PS: If somebody gifted you this pedal, it HATES your guts.

[@VanjaSpirin]

This pedal was useless and sucked big time from the very beggining of the universe.

[@EddieJarnowski]

I am using it right. I either threw it in the trash or I traded it in for a different pedal. Can't remember and I'm glad I can't. Good riddance.

[@MrPolevaulter]

🤣

[@filipkostovski873]

Last time I tried convincing myself to get one is when a friend tried to sell it for 30 EUR. For that price I said why the hell not. Returned it the next day after what was my 4th attempt at making this pedal work. The only other pedal I've hated this much is a amooon looper which had a 1 second pause before looping.

[@rsmallfield]

I was considering a DS-1 - but, seeing I have a Blues Driver, TC Dark Matter and Marshall Shredmaster and Jackhammer, why would I want another dostortion pedal - even if Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Gary Moore used them? Especially when I’ve not liked the tone of any demo. I suspect Gary Moore would hve had the tone and distortion low and output high - using it more as a boost into a driven JCM800. (His tone was one of my favourites.) But lots of pedals will do that. So I’m not bothering.

[@buffdaddy2032]

Agree 💯

[@colinjwilliams6149]

😂

[@BigMateo24]

I've always hated it. And I still hate it. I also think people who shell out $150 for the Waza craft version are idiots.