Tremeloking's Boss DS1 mod review

[curtisstetka]

Our very own Tremeloking does a Boss DS1 mod. I just got mine about a week ago and would like to present a review here.

Firstly, Ron is a heck of a great guy to work with and he really knows his stuff. But you probably already guessed that from his posts on TFF.

I bought a brand new, modded DS1 directly from him (at a very reasonable price). I did not previously own a stock DS1. Nor have I ever owned or heard (other than online clips) various other modded DS1s (Keeley, analogman) So, this is just a review of the pedal on its own merits.

My gear: Fender Tele with Kinman p'ups into a SFDR. I also use a Fulldrive 2 and a Crybaby. That's about it right now. I was looking for something to pick up where the FD2 left off and give me some true distortion. My band plays all original comedic rock and sometimes we need to spoof hard rock/metal type stuff. A Tele and Deluxe Reverb really isn't the thing for that but the DS1 got me in the ballpark.

Ron's DS1 has got gobs of thick, lucious distortion in there. The tone control is extremely useful as well and it seems to interact nicely with the distortion control. I can dial in some warm, mellow stuff, edgy crunch, or singing violin leads. My amp is voiced with a mid heavy A channel so when I switch to that side it sounds like a TS9 on steroids.

I bought it for the heavier distortion type stuff but the pedal also sounds very good rolled back a bit. It seems to cover overdrive territory very well.

I've had other distortion stompboxes before and they seemed to be plagued by a nasty buzzing tone as you dial in more drive. This one isn't. The sound coming through is very pure. It still sounds like my Telecaster, only much nastier. The guitar shines through.

Get yourself one.

[grito]

Hmm, I've always loved the DS-1, but hated the thinness in band situations. Might have to give it a whirl. I liked the Keeley mod, but not enough to buy it.

[TremoloKing]

Nice to hear it, Curtis. To get most out of the stock DS-1 the EQ needs to be modified as well as the clipping circuit and that's where I think I made the greatest improvements. I couldn't find any use for the stock DS-1. Even after my original mods I found the tone control to be nearly useless except within a small range. Having a control with a full range of useful tone shaping makes a big difference.

I have an alternate set up which produces an amazing thick smooth tone but it doesn't have the range of sounds that my MB2 mod has. It's more of a one trick pony. I'm considering building my own box which combines my super modded SD-1 with the DS-1 MB2 and adds a mode switch to the DS-1 side plus allows the player to cascade the two effects. People that use both modded pedals together (including myself) are urging my to do this.

Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne was blown away by the DS-1 MB2 but doesn't like the Boss box. He wants it built into a more conventional box with a normal stomp switch and larger LED. So that might be my entry into putting out a new pedal.

[fetchzee]

Just read this thread...Does Tremeloking have a website or anything as far as describing the mods, pricing, etc? I've got a DS-1 lying around that could be turned into something more useful than a paperweight...

[curtisstetka]

Email Ron directly, fetchzee. He can definitely turn your DS1 into a much better sounding paperweight.

Kidding. I really love my DS1 that Ron modded. It does exactly what I want it to do, exactly what Ron said it would do. How many pedals can you say that about?

[Vics]

This sound's very encouraging because I sent Ron my SD-1 and DS-1 for mod's. He e-mailed me today to let me know they are on their way back. If all goes to plan I should have them back by Friday. If this is the case I will put them thru the paces on Saturday and let you know what I think. From what I've read here I don't think I'll be disappointed in any way.