Analog Man Boss DS-1 Pro Mod

Mine has the midrange mod as well...so 4 knobs...it is not hard to dial in a tone...

Heres my setup...ibanez as103 bm into source audio hothands wah, bk butler tube driver, ds-1 pro/midrange, tu-2, xotic rc booster, moogerf ring mod, keeley tr-2, ch-1 chorus, rv5 reverb, dd-7 digidelay into hot rod deluxe. I love this thing! the midrange mod is worth it in my opinion if you are playing gigs because instead of turning the volume up if your not cutting through, you just turn the midrange and it still retains the sound you had before, but cuts through just a bit, especially good if your using a boost pedal...I love this pedal so much, its so smooth and deep sounding, with tons of saturation. I have compared it to my keeley modded rat, absolutely analog green russian, analog mike sd-9 midrange, keeley sd-1, ts-9 silver TB, bk butler tube driver, among a hundred others...anyway, for live distortion I havent found anything I like more. This pedal is also very versitile and the sounds are pretty limitless as distortion goes. I like going from satch style lead tone to ej to scofield with the turn of a few dials. I havent tried anything that is a true "marshall tone in a box" but this thing comes pretty damn close. cant give anything a ten, but ide give this a 9.5

its a tank, unless you somehow get a dud, which sucks, then no i wouldnt have to have a backup

always great...forgot to send me my t-shirt though...I want to sport you on stage mike! send that shiz man

I play modern DnB, trance, jazz fusion, funk, heavy-type rock, electronica, acid jazz, and everything between these lines. It is hard to find good tone for the first few genres as they have not been around for awhile, but this pedal helps me get my own and I feel like i am able to successfully transition from genre to genre with minor tweaks with the knobs on this pedal.

Before I get going let me say this....WOW!!! This is the best sounding tube amp in a box I have ever heard. Straight from the box it sounds great. I came in the normal Boss package with the stock info and what not. As easy to use as any regular Boss pedal, only much better sounding.

I play mostly a 335 style semi hollow Hagstrom Viking and also play Fender Tele's and Jagstang. My amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deville and also a Fender Eighty-Five solid state amp for some harsher tones. The pedal is not noisy, at the highest gain level the notes are clear and rich, full of great overtones and harmonics. It's a great pedal if you're looking for mellow to all out sustained distortion, I can get some of my favorite artist tones from it. I was actually blown away that I was able to get a Black Keys tone from it.

I have only had it for a little while but if it's like any Boss pedal I'm sure it will stand up for a while. I do have a few other pedals that I use for overdrive/distortion but this will be my main pedal for harder tones from now on. Mike has always been helpful and I'm sure this pedal will last a long long time.

I play classic rock mixed with some of my own stuff, this pedal stacks up great with the music I play. I've been playing for a long long time and also play a bunch of other stompboxes like Love Pedal, Farndurk, Psionic Audio, Vintage FX, Arion, Boss, Lehle...etc If this pedal was stolen I would replace it in a heartbeat. I have nothing negative to say about this pedal. It doesn't matter where you set the knobs, it sounds great all the time. I was on the hunt for a long time for a higher gained overdrive/distortion and looked into and tried out lots of other stuff, I am very happy I chose this pedal and look to purchase some more gear from Analogman. There are lots of stuff on my wish list, I won't even get started. This pedal will be in every gig and recording session, I have actually started using it on some new recordings already. Last I will say, I highly suggest anyone looking for a crisp, smooth, velvety, creamy, clear, tube like, overdrive/distortion pedal you should get one of these. YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY!

It??s very easy to use.
Normal Boss boxing.

In every position it sounds good and not weak. Really true.
Not noisy.
Yesterday i compared it with a Maxon SD-9 which is a great Pedal too.
The Analogman Boss DS-1 accents the mids and the gain i like very much.
Not comparable with the stock DS-1 although it??s a good sounding pedal too.
The Analogman DS-1 is actually for me the best sounding distortion pedal.

Not as long ago i??ve bought it so i can??t say something about Reliability. Boss Pedals are well made but in this mod-case in depends on workmanship. Time will show.

I??ve emailed with Analogmike because after unpacking i saw that the sticker on the Pedal (Analogman) was not straight and inside two solder point were forgotten. I was very annoyed about this. I expected unstudiedly a TOP Pedal. Analogman Mods seems to have an established reputation.
So i made pictures from the Pedal (outside and inside) and sent him the pictures. He was sorry about that.
He emailed me that i can do the Sticker straight and resolder the resistor or i can send it back to him (at this time i paid incl. shipping and tax $165 for the pedal). This admit was for me no option.
I beg him to check the pictures if all Pro Mod components were obstructed.
He told me that apart from the enumertions faults the Pedal "looks ok".
I believe him and would furthermore buy Pedals by Analogman.
He answered all my mails.

I play mostly Marillion - like melodic Rock. I (38 years) play since 4 years ambitious. At this time i have a US Fender Strat with SD Lil Screamin Demon (B), Lace Hot Golds (M/N), Boss DD3-, RV5, Laney Tubeamp LC30, Crybaby 535q, Pedaltrain.
I compared it with the Maxon SD-9, stock Boss ds-1.
I think i would buy the Analogman DS1 again.
I know that Steve Rothery from Marillion has one ( he has told it to me individually). He uses this for older songs.
If you like the older Marillion Sounds i assure you.. with this Pedal and my nothing special equipment you you get the tones.
Overall it meets all my requirements. I can recommend the Analogman DS1 with ProMod.

Very easy to get great rock tones out of this pedal. Even better with the external midrange knob.

Compared to a stock DS-1, actually scrap that, you can't compare the two....! Analogman's mod totally transforms this pedal. You can go from full deep rich rhythm tones to a screaming lead sound very easilly. I went for the optional external mid-range pot, very usefull is going from a scooped metal sound to a classic rock sound.

I use it through Matamp gear which is voiced towards a classic Marshall sound, i can get a great Satriani sound from this setup. Played through a Fender Blues Deluxe it does a good Marshall crunch, but if you roll off the tone your into Santana territory

It's a Boss pedal so i imagine it's going to survive for many years. I did open it up to look at the workmanship inside... a top notch clean job with no mess, very tidy indeed.

I've emailed Analog Mike many times about certain pedal which i 'need', i always get a reply within a few hours.

I bought this pedal direct from him, but i have also sent him a pedal from the Uk, it took 3 weeks in total from me posting it to playing it modded. I also had updates from Mike when the pedal had arrived, when the work was completed and when it had been posted.

I've had a stock DS-1 many years ago, everyone i knew had one! i then replaced it with a Keeley ds-1 ultra, which i then sold on ebay some 2-3 weeks later, it was just over bright with not much low end... but for some situations i imagine it to be fine. I don't use too much Distortion when gigging but at home i like to pile it on, this pedal has masses of distortion delivered in a tonefull way

Easy to use, just like a normal BOSS DS 1 three switch. Tone, Distortion and level switch. NO PROB! Pretty easy to dial in the settings you want.

I used this followed by a AnalogMan TS9 and Keeley TS9 with a delay after. I use this for main rhythyms and the TS9s for a volume boost lead. The sound is MUCH improved over a stock DS1. I feel the stock didn't have much tone or change, even with the distortion all the way up or down. Mike's mod improves this sooo much. I have this one and the Keeley. I prefer Mikes. His has a lower end to it, and very even, deep tone throughout. I like the tone about a 11 oclock, distortion about 1 or 2. Its perfect for me. What I like best is you can honestly hear individual string response- it doesn't get lost in the fuzz. This pedal is more of a solid-state Marshall sound. Not alot of tube noise, but very even-ed out.
Compared to the keeley, and why I prefer mikes more (up to you)
Keeley's has more midrange to it, brighter sounding. Theirs works with an LED clipping system. It gives excellent individual string response, but is noticably a LOUD pedal. Also, its a very dynamic/responsive pedal. You play soft, not a lot of distortion, wail on it-- thick distortion.
I prefered AnalogMikes to this because once i dialed my settings, his has the same response, without dynamics. Its equally loud if i palm mute or wail power chords. Not much volume difference, and dynamics are still heard. I like that its evened out. The Keeley I still use for a brighter sound, very good for fast hard picked leads, but not my fave. If I'd pick one, its Analog Mans.

Well, BOSS are built like tanks, never had any problem. Mike is a stand-up kinda guy, and I opened the pedal to look at what he did. Its very clean work, better looking than when i mailed it in. (he states he cleans up the "stock solder" even if thats not where he replaces a part). I have used this w/o back up. No worries here.

Excellent. Mike answered ALL my questions before I bought, not even knowing i would buy. Everything I read about him is due to word of mouth, and is due to his awesome service to his customers. He does treat you like his best friend. No problems, and i know he will keep this reputation if something goes wrong. Each email I sent was responded to in 12 hours. Great guy.

i play for church worship- bluesy stuff to rock for youth groups/retreats. Gig some as acoustic-type rock with good ol'fashioned (Collective Soul sound) rock thrown in. This pedal is a NEED for my sound. MIke nailed it. Get it!

As easy as the stock Ds1 but you can get many more cool sounds out of this one.

The sound quality is much better than the stock Ds1. The pedal is in the Pedaldoc, Robert Keeley league. As good for me as a much more expensive distortion.

It is still a boss pedal so I would say it is highly dependable.

I only contacted Analog man to order the pedal.

Great distortion for only a few bucks more than the original Ds1 (which by the way sounds really dodgy).

If I lose this pedal I will probably get another one.

Very easy to use. There are only three knobs. You do have to be a little sensitive to the level and especially the tone controls, but they all work very well.

I love this thing and have bought two of them. I ust this with a 50 watt plexi Marshall clone and run it into a variety of cabs. If I set the amp fairly clean, it will do nice bluesy overdrive without the tubescreamer mid-hump. Turn the amp up to where it's just breaking up and it sounds great for Blues/Rock and old-school rock tones like Angus, Billy Gibbons, Allmans, Aerosmith, Zep etc. I don't play modern mid-scooped metal so I can't comment on that. For me it works better than any overdrive/dist I've ever used. for perspective, I've had or still have the following: 1997 Fulltone Fulldrive, Fulltone '70s Fuzz, Roger Mayer Axis fuzz, RM Classic fuzz, RM Voodoo 1, Analogman Sd-1 Silver, Analogman BD-2 Bluesdriver, Various tube screamers, EH Big Muff (original 1972 model, Way Huge Green Rhino, and possibly a few others I can't remember anymore. My only dissapointment in this box is that right after I bought my last one, they came out with a midrage control addition that I would have liked to try. Hmm... maybe i'll just have to get another. Yes, I like it that much.

It's a modded Boss pedal. I can't see how you could hurt it under even the heaviest use.

Mike always answers email in a prompt, informative and friendly way. No problems at all

Been playing 38 years. Blues, Blues/Rock, Rock, Jazz, some country, slide etc.. Play mostly strats, teles and a LP. The Ds-1 Pro likes them all. I have NO complaints or dislikes about this box. It does everything I want really well. I've owned my first one for a year-and-a-half so the honeymoon is definitely over and I still love it. I use it every day and unlike most other stuff, it always sounds good to me. As I said before, the only thing I'd like to try is the new midrange control feature Mike just came up with and the only reason for that is curiosity. This pedal has huge bang-for-the-buck. I'd buy another without hesitation

Easy to use

i play a wolfgang archtop into a mesa boogie nomad 55 with bunch of fx in between. i got an analogman ds-1 after getting a keeley. i was really disappointed in the analogman. i actually thought something was wrong with it. but i took it to music store and a/b with stock pedal. analogman sounded better than stock pedal but not much. the keeley blows this thing out of the water.

i am sure it will hold up for whoever buys it from me.

Mike is great about answering your questions and does it in a timely fashion.

i have been playing for 29 years and i know tone. this pedal was really a let down.

3 knobs. Very easy to use.

I loved modding pedals and I compared this to a Ds1 modded by Pedaldoc. The sound of the Analogman pedal is somehow more compressed but I find more appealing the openness of the Pedaldoc pedal. However this pedal doesn??t sound bad at all.

Boss product. No problems until the day you decide to sell it or throw it to the rubbish can.

Never had to contact Boss or Analogman.

Very nice sound. Much better that the stock pedal, no doubt. As I said above I compared it with a Pedaldoc modified pedal and liked that one more though. Better sound and definition. I will be comparing both of them with a Keeley pedal shortly.

Modded pedal. Three knobs, lots of tones. Love it.

Took a peak inside both pedals. Great workmanship. No slop. Feel certain that they'll last.

Never had to deal with Boss, Keeley or Analogman, but have read wonderful things about both Keeley and Analogman. I've also read their postings on forums, and they both seem passionate and supportive when it comes to tone.

I play anything from backwoods hillbilly acoustic stomp to pink floydish soundscapes to blues to rock to metal. I mostly record at home and sometimes gather with my family and jam. I've been playing almost 18 years now. I have lots of gear, have had PRS guitars and Boutique amps. Always looking for something different. If both pedals were stolen, I'd have a hard time deciding which one I'd want back. I'd miss em both. When I decided to get both, I wanted to compare and sell the one I liked least. I'm keeping them both, for now. I'd keep only the Keeley if it had another switch that added the mids found in the AM. I think. I sold a Vintage ProCo Rat so I could buy the Analogman. I loved the distortion on that thing, but could never get happy with the tone knob. I hated to let it go, because the distortion was everything I wanted in a pedal, but dammit, that tone knob just sucked! I've had several other dist pedals including Danelectro Fab tone (that I got rid of, just ok). I tried out the EH Metal Muff, and it's an awesome pedal if metal is your thing. I found that I could get close to the same tone with my POD 2.0 on the rectifier model, so let it go back in favor of the Keeley DS-1, which started my desire to compare the Keeley and Analogman. Overall, you can't go wrong with either pedal. Get the AM if you want to nail the Marshall tone. Get the Keeley if you want something real close, but that allows you to play outside that box. Both pedals are a good deal for the cash.

Straight forward and simple; tone, level, dist knobs. Dial your tone and enjoy the tone.

This is an amazingly musical pedal. The distorion is very full, smooth and realistic. I have an original "Made in Japan" stock DS-1, and while the distorion is similar in many ways, the PRO has a much broader frequency response (more mids, clearer highs; more presence) with more usable settings. The tone knob can be utilized from any position, unlike the stock which generally only sounds good set at 9 o'clock or lower. The distorion setting can sound good turned all the way up or all the way down, and the level seems to be just a smidgen' or so louder. This pedal easily out stomps many on amp distorions and can make a solid state amp sing. I've played it through the clean channel on a Tube Works RT-2100 and it gives the amp life I didn't think was ever possible. As far as how this pedal compares to the Keeley DS-1 Ultra, THE ANALOGMAN DS-1 PRO HANDS DOWN HAS A SMOOTHER AND MORE REALISTIC SOUNDING DISTORION. I own a Keeley Ultra and I can see it being useful in certain ways but if you are interested in full, rich, saturated distorion, it's all about the Analogman. The Keeley to my ears is just overly harsh and unlively. The PRO has much more harmonic content, available distortion, and usable settings. The Keeley is very full sounding, especially in the bottom end, but it lacks drive and doesn't emphasize the right frequencies. In my opinion the stock Made in Japan DS-1 even sounds better than the Keeley. I bought the Keeley Ultra first because of all the hype but I just was dissappointed. I bought the MIJ DS-1 around the same time, and found it completely replacing the Keeley. Now the Analogman, while not replacing the stock DS-1 (it does still have a useful and musical sound), is becoming a permanant addition to my setup along side my Analogman SD-1/TS-9.

It's a BOSS. They're built like a tank. What else is there to know?

Mike is a very respectable business man and doesn't feed you bulls**t. I had many questions for him and he answered each and everyone promptly and straight forward. Bottom line, I'm very impressed with Mr. Piera's business conduct.

I've been playing for about five years now and. I'm no slouch when it comes to playing and pride myself on being able to step into any musical situation and tastefully contribute. I have been critisized countless times for my pickiness when it comes to tone. I've played and own many an amp, pedal, and guitar and I always find myself cycling through them all to get where I want. Until I bought my Analogman DS-1 PRO, I was in an extreme tone battle with my gear. I wanted something that would thicken my leads while not compromising my rhythm work. I'm now in the process of selling a big portion of my gear, all because of this very musical pedal.

Standard Boss controls, only now, they actually work. The stock unit's tone knob goes from too bright to too muddy, now the tone knob is very responsive, with much more range and versatility. The distortion knob is also more responsive, with great sounds all the way through. Now, this pedal is easy to use. When I owned my old stock DS-1's, I always had trouble dialing in a good live sound, now, it's much easier.

I use a Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean, three Gibson Les Paul Standards, and vintage Twin Reverb and Deluxe Reverb amps. I seldom use the Gretsch, preferring the Les Pauls for rock and shred type music.

In my opinion, this pedal sounds fantastic. I have owned many stock DS-1 pedals in the past and always had a love hate relationship with them. They always sounded thin, and very buzzy at higher gain settings, and the tone knob was terrible. Now, the pedal sounds great all through the gain range, and the tone knob actually works, you can fine tune a variety of sounds with it.

The DS-1 Pro sounds much cleaner, it is still distorted, but without the fuzziness or white noise. When I play single notes high up on the neck, the notes have a round and smooth quality. I always found the notes with the stock unit to be thin and sharp sounding. When I play chords, the notes are very clear, and the pedal has excellent sustain. I dont find it to be too noisy, even when being boosted with my TS-9. The sound is very smooth, with just the right amount of bass, middle, and treble. There is no mid-hump, so the pedal is very transparent, and lets the different attributes of my guitars come through. I have used the pedal live, and in my bedroom, and its one of the only pedals that to me, sounds good in both places. This pedal also works very well with my Dime Custom Crybaby Wah, which got lost with the other pedals I tried.

Some of my favorite artists are Gary Moore, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Joe Satriani. I think that this pedal is flexible enough to approximate any of those sounds, and more importantly, help me to create my own. I have great clean sounding amps, so I wanted a pedal that would sound convincing in the distortion department, since I dont have a Marshall stack at my disposal. This pedal works great with my Fender amps, and gives them the second channel I always wish they had. In my opinion, this pedal works well for blues, rock, and 80's metal. It wont do the scooped Mesa Nu Metal thing, but thats ok, I hate that kind of music anyway. For my needs, this is about as good as it gets, and thats VERY GOOD!! Nothing is perfect, but this is close, so Im giving it a 9.

Boss. Enough Said.

Analog Mike is a busy man, but he promptly responded to each of my orders very quickly (DS-1 Pro and SD-1 Silver). I emailed him and told him how much I liked the DS-1, and he promptly emailed me back. I feel that he is a class act, and I will be going to him from now on for my pedal needs. This man has a great ear for tone, and is on top of things. What more could you ask for??

Recently, I sold all of my standard mass-produced pedals on ebay and began searching for a great overdrive/distortion pedal combo. I searched for about two months, trying everything from Fulltone and other boutique makers, to mass produced pedals. I was not happy with any of them, they all lacked something. Finally, I started researching modded pedals, and after looking at all of the pedal modders out there, I decided to order from Analog Man. Im very glad that I chose Analog Man. I have never been happier with a pedal.

I chose the Analog Man DS-1 because I felt that the other mods from other modders were too gimmicky, I dont need gimmicks, I just want tone. This pedal, in my opinion, is the best all around distortion pedal out there, and for the price, its a STEAL. This review may sound glowing, but it is honest. I feel that the pedal is THAT GOOD. If you need distortion, and are picky about your tone and techinque, this is the pedal to get. It does not cover up your playing style, so if you have good technique you will appreciate it. I really like this pedal, so I ordered the SD-1 808 Silver Mod, which I should have in about a week. The SD-1 will replace my stock TS-9, which I may sell or have modded also. I was skeptical about modded pedals, but now I'm a believer. Analog Man has found a new customer, Im very happy with my choices.

Three knobs, you turn them and stuff happens so... very easy to use.

I am using a customized 79 Fender Telecaster with a Strat neck, Seymour Duncan Hotrails in the bridge and a Duncan Hotstack in the neck, Early 80's Charvel and a mid-80s Charvel, Fender Blues Junior 1X12 amp for home recording. I also use a bunch of other Boss effects with this pedal.

The Analogman DS-1 is the sound I always wanted a stock DS-1 to make. I have played the Taiwan DS-1 and the Japan DS-1 and Analogman's DS-1 is the best sounding distortion pedal I have ever heard.
I usually have the Tone at 11-12 o'clock, the level at about 12 o'clock and the Dist at 3 o'clock. With the stock pedal I always had to really turn the level way up on the pedal and it really never seemed to put out. Analogman's pedal seems to have more of a boost with the level knob. As for the tone knob, WOW, it finally works. You can now adjust it to what you want rather than what Boss makes you have. The Distortion level is what really shines on this mod. On the original when you turn the Dist on 0 it sounds kind of muddy and flat, like the tone knob went out, and the more you crank it up the more broken-up fuzzy it gets and you loose the distinction of the strings. This especially happens if you pick out distorted chords. With the mod and the Dist on 0 it is like an old Boss OD-1 really dirty and clear, the tone doesn't change when you turn up the Dist either. When I have it on 3 o'clock this pedal really shines. The distortion is very smooth and warm and huge and picked out chords sound amazing. This is by far the best money ever spent on any pedal I have ever owned.

Extremely dependable, it's a Boss.

I would never play without this pedal.

I have called Boss for other things like replacement rubber bushings where the screw for the battery is and they have always been outstanding.

I have been performing and recording music for over 22 years. I play rock along the lines of the Foo Fighters, Rival Schools, Husker Du, Sugar, Third Eye Blind, etc.

If this were stolen I would replace it immediately.

I love that it sounds the way Boss says there stock pedal should sound. Boss says "The DS-1 provides a harder distortion effect for guitar sounds. Instead of toneless, fuzzy distortion, the DS-1 faithfully reproduces all the subtle nuances of your playing dynamics, from whisper-quiet to screaming loud. The onboard Tone control allows you to tailor the overall sound to your liking."
The stock Boss pedal does not do this but Analogman's DOES!

Three control knobs for tone, level and distortion. All are totally useable to tailor the sound you want.

I have a 1985 MIJ Fender 57 RI Strat (stock), a 1983 MIJ Fender Tele with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot pups, and a 1979 MIJ Samick 335 copy with Mighty Mite PAF Vintage pups. I play through a Blues Jr. (with a Jensen C12N). I run through a Digitech RP-50 for a touch of delay and reverb, an AnalogMan modded Maxon OD-9 Tubescreamer (808 mod), the AnalogMan DS-1 (Pro Mod) and a DynaComp (CMATMODS). I normally use both the Tubescreamer and the DS-1 as clean overdrives. The Tubescreamer by itself takes the Blues Jr. just into the earliest stage of tube overdrive. The DS-1 by itself takes the amp into full crunch overdrive. Both together turn my Blues Jr. into a double-stack Marshall. The Pro Mod cleans up the buzz saw distortion and produces sweet tube distortion. The tone controls can be used at all settings without squealing as can the output level. The distortion goes from crunch overdrive to full tube amp distortion within half of the settings. From there you are on your own. You can get just about any natural tube sound you want. You can also determine the amount of distortion you want by rolling down the volume on the guitar. It cleans up incredibly.

Built like any Boss product, solid as a rock. Never need to worry about a backup.

I bought directly from AnalogMan rather than sending him one as it is less expensive to do so. He goes out of his way to answer emails and I am confident that he would take care of any problems if any develop. I haven't had any problems yet with either pedal.

I play blues and heavy rock from the 70's. This pedal really cranks. The clean setting gives ballsy crunch and I can get the wall of sound by turning up the distortion. I've been playing on and off for over 30 years and this pedal sounds great through my Blues Jr., my Frontman 25R and my Marshall VS65R. This pedal gives me the sound that I damaged my hearing for during the 70's (and still never really got it right!). I'd replace it in a second. This is not a pedal for everyone. This is about full blown tube distortion, as in natural distortion. Make sure you know what you want. I chose AnalogMan to mod this pedal over Keeley and others due to the info on his website and the work he did on my OD-1. His work is the highest quality. The pedal is more than worth the price.

Easy to use, turn the knobs and at all settings the thing just completely disappoints me.

Fender Deluxe Strat with Fralins into: Loooper A/B/T/Boss TU2 tuner-> Channel 1 (reverb, actually channel 2): Maxon OD9-Analogman Stereo Chorus-Maxon AD900, Channel 2 (clean, actually channel 1): Analogman SunFace (soon to be removed)-Analogman DS1-vintage Ibanez FL9-vintage Ibanez AD9. Amp is a 65 Reissue Fender Twin Reverb.

The DS1 sounds horrible alone or in conjunction with any of these other pedals.

Eric Johnson IS the man. Steve Morse is his twin brother.

Wouldn't bring it to the gig...actually it is about to go into junk cabinet. Probably would withstand a nuclear reaction just to continue haunting me senselessly.

Analog Mike is wonderful. You ask him a question, he'll answer it with a good response. You ask him a stupid question and he'll still answer it. I just didn't land on the right box here folks.

I am replacing the DS-1 and the Sunface with a Maxon SD-9. The OD-9 just sounds like heaven. When you think of the Eric Johnson title "Bloom", this is what I think of the sound that comes out of my Strat-OD9-Analogman Chorus-AD900-Twin...it blooms. It makes my knees melt, which is why I am going to stick with Maxon and go to the edgier side with the SD-9.

I bought this thing trying to get somewhat close to a Marshall sound. Not. This thing sounds like a retarded frog farting through 3 compressors.

Again, this isn't Analog Mike's fault...he is trying to meet the needs of a wide range of different players and styles.

I bought the mod version directly from AnalogMan. It came in the original Boss box, with manuals. Also nice stuff from AnalogMan. When I first plug cables in/out it didn't make any sound, so I disconnect and re-connect the battery, and problem gone (I believe it was a cable failure, never happened again).

Three knobs, volume, gain, tone. No need more, except undertsanding relationship between gain and tone.

I had to add an aditional eq to get the real sound I wanted. That's probably a result of my gear, but dissapointed my a little at the first time.

I'm actually using an Ibanez RG270 (original pickups), into the DS1/PRO, then to an GE7 Boss eq. And a Zoom 3030 is providing mod effects, delays and reverbs. All to the clean channel of an Peavey Studio Pro 60.

My inicial tweeking session wasn't very succcesful, because I had my amp's volume nearly at 1. As result, tone settings beyond 9 o'clock were too buzzy for my taste (I was using only the guitar, the DS1 and the amp). On the next session I made, things came out so natural. I plugged the EQ basicly raising some mid freqs, and set the amp eq bass 10:00, mid and treble at 12:00. Man! I have never heard my guitar sound so clear, strong and defined. Actually I've never heard any distortion pedal with an tube overdriven sound like this one, specially on an clean transistor channel.

And you can actually control gain with the volume control of the guitar, getting the most of every combination of gain/tone in the pedal without getting palid or weak. Almost every combination it's useful, it deppends on what you want to hear. From classic rock, to blues, jazz, funk to metal... every thing it's in here. All you have to do it's the correct tweeking (including pedal eq's and amps eq's).

Altough I'm not reaching Satch's sound (I know I'm pretending too much with my gear!!) , I think this is an real start to reach the tone I've always wanted and never getted from any "multieffects" unit. Never before my sound were "out" of the amp and all over the mix. I'm really happy now, believe me! I give a 10 for all the change that one little box can do!

Like everybody understands, it's a Boss. I believe my initial problem had to do with some cable. I opened the unit to see if there wasn't anything wrong, and believe me, this is first class artwork what Mike do on the inside. I trully rely on this unit, and of course it's an elemental part of my gear.

Mike is a customer service oriented person. He understands every single doubt you can possibly have, and have an opportune answer for all of them. In my case, it was my first on-line buying (I live in Costa Rica)so I had a couple of "procedural" doubts regarding to payment. He wasn't not only interested in selling his pedal, he oriented me all the way, trough all the process, what else could I say, if this is not customer support, then I don't know what else could be... I'm still in contact with him, and he's been all suport...

I used to play hard rock, some alternative and classic rock years ago with a band. After that, I've always been practicing in my house and about a year ago I joined a rock band again. I replaced my Zoom 3030 multieffects distortion with the PRO, because it was good for home practice, but when the real need came, it could never get out of the amp. I did a small research on the internet and wasn't difficult to reach AnalogMan as a source of good tone. It opened my ears to the real tone shaping bussines, you cannot emulate real good tone with digital stuff, specially not with the cheapy ones! That's for shure.
All of my research lead to make a small change by adding this pedal to my gear, and use the Zoom just for mod effects, delays or reverbs.
Enough to give my sound an 180? turn. If stolen or damage, I wouldn't doubt to buy another, maybe two for replacement!
Of course now I'm on my way to buy other modded pedals from AnalogMan. Believe it really makes the difference. If you're not depending on a digital unit to shape your tone, you MUST have this pedal.

The DS1\Pro Mod is simple to use and very easy to get good sounds out of it. If you know how to use a Standard DS 1 then this is no problem.

American Series Strat & Tele w\ Noiseless Pickups > Maxon CP101 Compressor > MXR 10 Band EQ > Boss DS 1 Pro Mod > Ibanez TS 808 (Factory Reissue) > Ibanez CS 9 Chorus (Reissue) > Ibanez AD 9 (Reissue) > Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp (Again a Reissue!)

When I got this pedal I put it right in my effects chain and into my Vibrato Channel (as I had been playing this way) and kept getting a raspy, scratchy kind of sound. I put it through Channel One (Volume\Bass\Treble) and it sounded Killer! I have never heard a more "Musical Sounding Distortion Pedal"!!! I kept switching back to the channel with Reverb (because I feel the need for a bit of reverb) and it sounded bad.

I emailed Analogman and explained the problem. He was very understanding and offered a few suggestions and along with the help of a Fender Amp Tech at my local Dealer, we determined that it was just the way the Vibrato Channel was 'voiced' and not the pedal itself.

Bottom Line. I didn't want to alter my amp in any way and I didn't want to have to manually switch channels when I desired distortion so I sent it back. BUT THE SOUND STAYED IN MY MIND! IT WAS THE RIGHT SOUND ON CHANNEL ONE!!! I had a credit to my account (minus shipping) within a couple of hours.

Mike's pedals and work are ABSOLUTELY QUALITY KILLER STUFF! I wish it could have worked out! But thankfully there are people in the world who understand and Analogman does!

N\A

Top Notch! A+++ You couldn't ask for better people to work with than Analogman and his team (whoever they are)! They are great!

This pedal would be absolute THE PEDAL TO OWN to cover everything from a moderate Overdrive Sound to Full Distortion. It ain't a metal pedal, but that's not what I got it for. This is the most musical sounding Distortion Pedal I've ever played (7 years)! Get it!

*See my Review under Radial Tonebone Trimode to see what I wound up doing.

Sound: Piece of cake.
Editing: not applicable.
Manual: The standard Boss "Our pedals are the best ever", shlock.

Mike,
So, as a guy who has owned and/or played just about evey distortion pedal ever made: Pro Co., MXR, Ibanez, Boss, DOD, Digitech, Nobels to name a few. I recently purcahsed your mod DS-1 Boss Dist. and put it to the test. I went out and purchased a brand new DS-1, just don't tell the guys at Guitar Center that it was for comparison purposes only as I returned it the next day citing connectivity problems. I did the side by side sound comparisons. Man, I tell you, it is scary the difference in sound between the two. The Boss (original) sounds like what I paid for it, app. $48.00. Your DS-1 mod is just plain "AWESOME"! Tone, sound quality, volume. Let us remember that my rig consits of a Les Paul w/ EMG 81/83's, Marshall JCM 2000 and it is all volume and tone bleeding through a pair of Eminence Wizard speakers w/ a pair of stock Celestion 75's in a Marshall 1960 4x12 cab. I keep the drive and level at 12 and push the tone to about 1or 2 o'clock and it is just incredible how much tone and character this little $112 dollar gem pumps out. My primary style of music is punk/hardcore/metal and simply put, this thing kicks my tube screamer (yes, a real tube screamer) in the ass! Just wanted to thank you again for an exceptional mod.
Peace,
RAZOR RAY RODRIGUEZ / THIS MEANS WAR
pokerfacerecords.com
break-throughrecords.com

As far as stomp boxes go this pedal is built to last.
Backup? What my Ibanez Tube Screamer or MXR Dist+?
Nah, I'd sooner buy another mod DS-1.

It's amazing how quickly Mike responds to e-mails.
Must have a bunch of elves doing all the dirty work for him. Ha ha...

Musical Style: HARDCORE/PUNK.
Match: Perfect.
Years: 22.
Gear: Marshall Amps, Epiphone Guitars, Dunlop Wah.
Replacement: Never buy another from anyone but AnalogMike.
Love: Tone, sound, mod!!! No negatives. Tone!!!
Comparisons: None!
I wish it came with a siamese twin in the same box for the same price.
Makes my music sound that much better.
Need I say more???

Easy as a boss dirt pedal gets. Not hard to get a good sound.

I play a Les Paul w '57s and a PRS HollowbodyII through '72 Deluxe Reverb with a Hotplate. I am a classic rock and blues kind of guy and never liked the fuzz or distortion pedals I encountered. I had tried the factory DS-1 and promptly unloaded it, way too fizzy and fake sounding. Kind of settled on a stock SD-1 for my dirty sound, just turn up the volume and attenuate more too. I decided to give the Analogman modded version a go and MAN, WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I can imitate the Marshall sound (Guns&Roses, Foreigner....) quite well while the Deluxe is still clean, and it turns down to a decent overdrive range also. Cleans up with the guitar volume also. Give it a turn if you havent, this is a gem and wont break the bank.

Its still a Boss!

Never have, but I know they answer the phone from previous questions and dealings

Hey, dont pass it up if you wont the Marshall sound from a Fender. $100 buck new or convert your old beat up DS-1 that sounds bad. I think its a keeper for me.

Hi, Harmony Central review person. I just looked through the review of the Analogman Boss DS-1 mod and noticed that part of the "Sound Quality" section of the review by a fellow calling himself "Littlehat" is missing--it just cuts off in mid sentence.

I happen to have copied that review a few months ago and if you'd like to restore the missing part (to add it back?) I've included the entire section below under Sound Quality.

It is a bit long, but this guy's review was key to my trying both the Analogman and the Keeley mods on this pedal, and for the most part I agree with his review, although I'd have to also rate the Keeley a "9".

I also notice that Littlehat intended to give the Analogman pedal "9" rating but inadvertently entered a "7". You might want to change that, too.

Thanks! and have a nice day!

Mark Beach

Guitars:
Hagstrom Swede (old PAF in neck, Duncan 59 bridge), Hamer USA Custom Shop (w/ Duncan Hot P90 neck, Custom P90 bridge), Homemade Franken Strat (original Hotrails), and an SG. I have more guitars, but these get used for rockster sounds with the DS1 pedals.
Amps:
68 Fender Dual Showman Reverb (modded to Blackface specs), 68 Fender Princeton Reverb (modded to Blackface specs), DBL Amplifiers JDR Custom 35 (35 watt all-tube Marshallesque head), DBL Amplifiers JDR Custom 60 (60 watt all-tube Hiwattesque head), Fender Tonemaster 2X12 Cab w/ Celestion Lead 80's (I love this thing! It beat out all other external cabs for years before i finally just sold all my others)
Analogman DS1 Pro vs. Keeley DS1 Ultra:
This is a head to head comparison of the Keeley DS1 Ultra Mod and the Analogman DS1 Pro Mod. I'm in several performing and recording bands, and I've always liked the timbre of the stock DS1 in that it's nasty, and it has a certain JCM 900/Soldano/early Mesa high end mushiness that's so satisfying when you want high gain sounds. But the stock pedal has many drawbacks... It's noisy, as hell. It's output volume is lower than your clean guitar when you turn it off, even with the output maxed (where most of us leave it). The tone knob takes your sound from muted, fuzzy, fusion right to trashy squeak with almost no transition. And it tends to sound like crap (flat and small with not enough low end or mids) next to a good dirty amp or a tube pre. Turning down your guitar's volume knob to clean up the sound is a bad move since it results in grainy, tinny crapped out sound. Most diehard users dial their amps to suit this pedal if they really can't live without it's particular sound.
Workmanship:
Looking inside each pedal is the first big clue. In short, although both seem to function properly, the Keeley looks like crap inside and the Analogman looks totally pro. Every new solder point in the Analogman pedal is a little BETTER than factory. The Analogman mod replaces tons of components AND THE ACTUAL OPAMP CHIP (strange that it sounds closer to the stock pedal in the ways you liked in the first place?), while the Keeley looks like a highschool tech worked on it as an experiment on his buddy's pedal. Some components are replaced, but the chip is not, and the LEDs that are added (and do look cool from the outside) are attached in a real pile of poorly done soldering.
Sounds:
Though the Keeley mod is less tidy, the pedal looks and sounds very good, though less like a DS1 pedal in most ways. I took this one out on tour (the Analogman hadn't arrived yet) and i got a ton of feedback from other guitar players around the country. They seriously came up to me after EVERY show to ask about it. The low end your DS1 lacked before is all there. The tone knob DOES SOMETHING NOW! But I found it much SLOWER than what I'm used to from a DS1. I guess the LEDs add some weight and sponginess, but also on fast stuff they tend to almost muddy the sound. They Keely is much more classic rock sounding than I had expected. This is all just about the Pro Mode (switch up) though, since I found the Ultra Circuit (switch down, another LED in play) way too fat in the ass and tubby for me. Also the Ultra Mode has a LOT LESS GAIN combined with FAR MORE OUTPUT LEVEL. Even closer, in my mind, to a classic rock sound.
Although it's NOT WHAT I HAD IN MIND, the Keeley Ultra pedal does sound very good. Just not that much like the Boss DS1. And it gets used, but not when i want to use a DS1.
The Analogman DS1 Pro pedal is a horse of a different color... ORANGE! It sounds better than you think a mod on a $20 (used) pedal could possibly sound. It sounds like a DS1, but much more muscular, musical, and PUNCHY. Both pedals really make the tone knob work much better (I can't say either tone knob is better in functionality, but the Keeley looks cooler) In my first band practice with it, the other guitarist stopped in the INTRO of the first tune to ask me what I'd changed! This is switching from the Keeley I was using the week before. It sounds so big and dynamic compared to before the mod and far tighter and more fluid than the Keeley. Also in the volume knob-cleanup competition, the Analogman is the clear winner. I like to run my neck pickup volume lower than my bridge for an in between clean/dirty sound live, and the Keeley Ultra was better than a stock DS1 in this area (what isn't?) but the Analogman DS1 Pro does this VERY WELL. In fact it sounds damn good with any pickup at any volume on your guitar knob. The one thing I could stand to improve in the Analogman DS1 pro is that it's output level is about the same as stock. It might be a little louder, but not by enough, if at all. I do believe in giving 10s in reviews.
Both mods are good in different ways I think. BUT if you like the tone and feel of your DS1 and just want it to sound way better, the Analogman Mod is for you.
Analogman's DS1 Pro Mod being a 9, I give the Keeley a 7.

Tone, Level and Distortion knobs, can't get any easier than that. With the Analogman Pro Mod there is significantly more range of useful distortion available than stock.

My primary setup: US Strats, Tele, LP into Vox CM Wah, Fulldrive 2, A/M Mod DS-1, FT Fat Boost into Fender DRRI amp.

Mike's mod turns a typical inexpensive fizzy production distortion pedal into one with a very authentic overdriven tube amp-like crunch. Great bottom end added, killer crunch, very balanced and VERY toneful! Super responsive to pick attack and volume roll-off. Best $70 spent especially compared to boutique pedal prices!

I expect it will be reliable a long time. Sturdy Boss pedal and quality work inside.

Got my pedal back from AnalogMan 4 days after sending it! Mike has been very responsive to questions too. Judging by his reputation I don't expect any problems.

I play blues, classic rock, etc. Been playing 20+ yrs. No gigging anymore just play for pleasure. Many guitars, amps & effects over the years. If this were lost I'd definitely get another...may anyway. Can't beat the price compared to other boutique distortions and it does exactly what I want.

Three knobs - they each turn. Doesn't get much easier than that. However, before the modification, each knob really just changed the noise this pedal made. Since the modification, each knob now actually affects the sound - it's now musical.

To echo other reviews, the stock pedal was VERY buzzy. After the mod, this pedal is very natural and organic. Where before the knobs just changed the level of static, now the knobs actually affect tone. You can go from a lower gain sound with the gain all the way down to all out chaos with it dimed. This pedal can get quite thin. You need to be aware of the relationship between the tone and gain settings. Higher gain, lower tone, and visa versa. This is "seasoned to taste" to each individual's ear, and nothing created by the modification, but something to be aware of all the same.

The big thing here is that this modification takes a pedal that I personally thought to be unusable and makes it vital part of a high gain sound. It is good as both a stand alone distortion stomp box and to drive a gain channel. I have it right before a modified Boss SD-1 (see other post) and with them both on the tone is tight, crisp and very musical!

I give this a 9 - not as a one off knock to AnalogMan (because this mod is a miracle) but because I don't think this pedal is the end all in search of gain tone. However, it's a great pedal!!!

It's built like a tank.

Mike is AWESOME to work with!

I sent my DS-1 to AnalogMan with $70 in the battery compartment. What I got back was a box full of tone! This pedal can do quite a bit in terms of covering sound. Turn the gain all the way down and you get a nice rhythm sound - roll it up and you have all the gain you could want. It took me a bit to get comfortable with this and find the settings I wanted, but once I found them I'd be very sad without it!!!

Drive, Tone, and level. Couldn't be simpler.

Too many guitars to mention. My main guitars are a Texas Special Fat Strat, MIJ '66 Strat w/ vintage noiseless, PRS Custom 22 and a Les Paul. I use a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 through a Marshall 1960AV 4x12 with Vintage 30s. I use the green (drive) channel with the gain at 4 for a fairly clean sound. The DS1/Pro works great with this setup. I bought a stock DS1 not long ago and it was so bad I gave it away. It was just nasally and thin. The Pro mod is incredibly full sounding. A lot of bottom end and the mid peak seems to have been moved to a lower frequency to remove some of that nastiness. You still have to be careful with the tone and keep it under 12 o clock to avoid a buzzsaw sound, unless thats your thing.

I haven't had it long enough to tell how reliable it is but Boss pedals have a good reputation. I fon't believe I'd need a backup.

I sent Mike an email complimenting him on the pedal and got a quick response. I haven't needed their customer support yet but thay have a great reputation for quick response.

I've benn playing for 20 years. My band plays mostly classic and contemporary rock and blues. I first run into a 535Q Cry Baby then I use several overdrives in my board. Maxxon OD808, Ibanez TS9 reissue (going to be paying Mike a vist soon), Boss SD-1 ( which is going to be taken out for now with the addition of the DS1), and a Russian Big Muff. I have a Boss MT2 as well but its got the same problem as the stock DS1. I need a heavier sound for some of the newer stuff we're doing so I'll be sending that one to Mike as well. I then run into a Line 6 MM4 Modulation modeler and a Danelectro Dan Echo. I know nothing is perfect but I can't find anything to complain about with the DS1/PRo.

It's a great distortion pedal, and if you enter in a great tube amp setted at high volume (like my Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp with Celestion V30, setted with volume at half), you can certantly get great sounds.
The DRIVE control can really be used at any level, also at minimum or maximum, and everytime you can get very expressive and organic type of saturations.
The TONE control gets perfect tones from minimum to 1 o' clock (from 1 o' clock to maximum is too treble for my taste).
The VOLUME control, has a normal range from minimum to half, than you can go far over the level you have with the pedal off.

The sound of the pedal varies depending on the amp you use and on how much the amp's tubes are working:

*with my Deluxe Reverb setted at half volume (or more) the pedal give the very best, the sound is really bloody, screaming, full and responds in an incredible manner to your touch (of fingers and plectrum on guitar, and of foot on wah), mantains really the sound of the pickups you setted on your guitar, very transparent also at high drive, and follows very well the different setting you do with volume and tone controls of your guitar. The pedal has a particular enfasis on bottom frequencies (bass and treble), it transforms my Fender amp in a sort of Marshall, but without that tipical british dryness, and with more "body fluids" (more vintage, like '70/'80 distortion sounds), can also match very well with a middle voice overdrive like a tube screamer (I have a Maxon OD9/silver, and I put the DS1/pro before, so when I switch on both the two pedals, I get a divine sound, a sort of super psychedelic tube screamer with more saturation and tone spaciousness, but when I want a real distortion, not an overdrive, I use the DS1/pro alone), another note about the sound is that the pedal, when on, is very less noisy that many other distortion pedals I've tried.

*But if you enter with the pedal in a solid state amp, or in my Deluxe Reverb at very low home volume level, is a little buzzy, but this is normal with ditortion pedals, and in this case all the distortion pedals I've tried were far more buzzy that the DS1/pro.

With my strato, my DS1/pro, my OD9/silver and my Deluxe Reverb, I can play what I want, and where I want, because I've got a unique omogeneous professional sound with a lot of expression shades.

Mike is a real friend of every guitarist of the world, write him a mail and he will answer you in one or two days solving all your matters. I live in Italy and recieved the pedal in a week, with a creazy cinnamon candy in the box (a red hot "Screamers"!).

I play any style, from rock to afro, passing through jazz, latin, and funk, and this pedal give me more freedom, because it's as live as my tube amp, so now it's like if I had another amp, or, that's better, one amp with more expression chances: it's a great thing for a lover of Fender amps' breathing sound, and hater of buzzing distortion pedals sound, like me.
If I really have to find a difect in this pedal it could be the tone and volume range (the tone at maximum is too treble, and the volume at maximum is too high) but we all know that it's not a real difect (noone forces you to set them at maximum), so, the conclusion is that: ...now, I can't stay without it!!

easy

sounds pretty good.

If we are measuring this category as an improvement over the ds-1, it's obviously an improvement. HOwever, i think that if u want a distortion pedal, and if you are willling to spend a hundred plus bucks on it..., get something like the tonebone classic or the fulltone OCD or maybe the lovepedal COT50. They are higher quality than this, and true bypass, and stuff.

THe sound has lots of harmonics and everything..., i wish there was more tone control with the tone knob, it'd be nice if it had a different sweep which could give u scooped or boosted mids for different rhythm work... I think it'd be very useful to have a little EQ pedal (Danelectro Fish and Chips would do just fine) to really fine tune it better, but then u have two potential tonesuckers in your chain.

as it is, it sounds really good if u just need distortion for leads, or if you already have a ds-1 and are happy enough with it but want to turn it into a comparitive superman.

yeah, it's great

they're pretty cool

Like i said, it's fine and it's a cheap upgrade, but you can defenitely do better than this. THere is a defenite difference between these modded pedals and boutique ones, i think there is just design flaws in the originals that cannot be bypassed.