BOSS DS-1W

The DS-1 is many players' first pedal. Now, it gets the boutique Waza treatment...

- Alex Lynham

“The original and best” should apply to the DS-1. Nevertheless, for all its sales, pro users, and the records it’s appeared on, a refined, boutique tone it is not. A history lesson is in order.

First manufactured in 1978, the DS-1 was the first distortion released by Boss, only 2 years after the release of its first pedal, the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble. Like the ProCo RAT that arrived the same year, it used two hard-clipping diodes for an aggressive edge. This became known as ‘distortion’, rather than the smoother ‘overdrive’ of soft clipping stompboxes. The DS-1 was not op-amp based. Instead, it used the Toshiba TA7136AP pre-amplifier, for a gritty and warm overdrive tone.