Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

No brainer. The controls are level, tone, drive.
Who cares about the manual.

You can get that classic American Overdriven guitar tone with this pedal. No question. There are other effects that suck!!. Yes you heard me they suck. The Boss Ds1 suck, which I also have. I say this because I know. Ok the DS1 is really a decent pedal it is abit more "hairy" than other overdrives because it uses Assymetrical clipping which in my opinion sounds more like a tube amp than Symetrical clipping. One thing that this pedal has is that it can be noisy when the volume is rolled up and you are not playing anythng, though everything else is fine. You can get that break up sound with a little distortion and boosting the volume up.

It is a Boss. need I say more?

NOPE

If you play rock or blues This pedal will get you there. I have been playing for 6 years now and going strong. If my DS1 was stolen I wouln't get it BUT if this pedal was stolen I would hunt the S@#$ that stole it from me. This is a pedal believe it or not is better than most out there. You can get some good tone out of this pedal but you will have to use the tone control, and once you find that sweet spot SET IT AND FORGET IT.

This pedal can also be used for modifications which it only needs a few, you know? to take out the noise and to make it less treblely. Everything else is FINE.

This is my setting. Fat strat. DS1---SD1---CH1---DODFX20C---IbanezDL5---Fender Hot rod Deluxe.

Only 3 knobs, Level Tone and Drive.
Easy to turn on and off, I was actually expecting some kinda clicking switch like in wah's, but these are just smooth and easy to engage, which is good.
Its pretty straight forward to use when it comes to setting a sound. Level is the volume or power of it, I like to use it as a volume boost for solos mostly.
Tone kinda works like an EQ, low it sounds muddy, high is screechy. I actually like to set it just under half way, for a really smooth sound.
And Drive, This is the actual overdrive or distortion of the sound. You can crank it so it is more of a distortion pedal, I like to leave it really low and use it as a soft drive mostly.

It did take a while to figure out where it is handy to use.

I use an Onyx Custom guitar (HSS superstrat 24 frets) - Vox V847 - Boss SD-1 - Crate Chorus - Zoom 505 - Ashton 50w Tube amp.

As I said I use this mostly as a boost and light drive on my clean channels. Sounds really nice with the single coil pickups, and then really has grunt with the bridge pickup. It doesnt take away the sound of your playing, like you can still play soft and it comes out the other end the same as if the pedal wasnt there.
I have a footswitch for my amp which changes between clean, crunch, mean and filth channels. I use this pedal to fine tune the tones in the clean sections. On clean I can be playing totally clean, click the pedal and have a sweet blues tone with single coil pickups, then throw it into the humbucker and have a growly ACDC style. Or I can set the pedal to go basically into a distortion - think Guns N Roses.
In the crunch channel, it usually has a bit too much bite for my liking, but with the pedal tone control I can shape it to sound nice.

It does seem to be lacking something sometimes, it can sound pretty thin until you find that sweet spot. Then you crank it up and it sounds great.

Overall it is a sweet pedal, cheap, effective. I may look at doing some slight mods to it, either that or placing an EQ after it in the chain to clean it up a little. Sometimes it can be a bit chimey.

Its a Boss.

I will be using it in live situations and I trust it.

I play in a band where we have a pretty broad taste in Rock.
From Creedence Clearwater Revival, to Hendrix, Pink Floyd, aswell as newer bands aswell. We play blues, jazzy stuff, rock, heavy rock, and I play metal. It does do very well indeed, I am happy with it. Obviously one stomp isnt going to grant you your dream tone, but it is a very helpful tool, especially with playing in a live situation or jamming.

I've been playing probably about 2 and a half years, maybe less. I stated my gear in the first section. Next I think I will be getting an EQ pedal and the Boss CS-3 Comp/Sus pedals - That will really round up my setups sound I believe.

If it were stolen or lost, I would probaly check out the OD-3 and the Blues Driver, though I was told this is a much smoother version.

The only downfall I can find for this pedal is that it does sometimes have a bit of a thin tone. But unless you are buying a customised pedal you are going to get that with any mass-produced unit.

Basically when it comes down to it -
If you play a lot of softer smoother music, and you want a boost for leads, but also have the potential there to switch your tone to a singing drive - and do it smoothly.
But then if you crank the settings, you can use this as a distortion pedal - im talking rock/blues distortion here.

Very happy with this purchase - but cant give it a 10 because I havent played everything else.

you know it!

First, i m writing this for those who drive their non-master tube amp loud to have more gain but who still need more drive. I use a Ginson classic 1960 usa, a telecaster usa with a stack on the bridge and a Strat usa with a SH-4 on the bridge and 2 texas special. My amp is a Marshall head 50 watts 1987x rissue plexi. That amp sound terrible,,wow. Its perfect for blues, rock and hard rock. But im in a new-rock alternativ band and need more gain. So i have try manny stomp box,,ts-9,,,,guv-nor,,,,mxr distortion+,,,Gt-3,,,POD,,,and nothing was perfect. They all change the tone or make to much noise..So i read a reviews here from a guy who said that with this amp and the SD-1 you ll get the zakk wylde tone...So i ordered one..Wow,,,im happy to find a cheap pedal that sound so good. I can hear my plexi sound perfectly behind this one on. But..you ll have to low down the treble and presence of your amp because that one sound really clear. So i use it that way: Marshall presence and treble at 9 oclock, bass and mid at 12,,,high volume at 4 and second channel at 3. For the sd-1,,,level at 3,,tone at 0 (close) drive at 9 oclock. Try it and enjoy!!!!Ill give a 8 because its so clear.

boss,,dont worry

Im playing guitar for 27 years,,,,i begin to know what im looking for for my tone,,,lol,,,,There is manny guitar player that use this one in front of their tube amp,,,Zakk wylde for a while,,Steve hill and manny more....Thats great to use as a booster..Didnt try it in a clein amp as overdrive,,,and i wont do!!!lol

Very simple - three knobs

After trying out, and liking the Blues Driver, and also reading wonderful things about the OD-3, I decided to find out for myself. Unfortunately the place that I went had no OD-3's for sale - only on display. They were offering the SD-1 for about half the price and, after a quick try out in the store, I took the chance, got it home, and then discovered that it just eats up all of your low end when engaged - much like a Tubescreamer (which I don't care for). Also, it has this bump in the upper mids, causing a weird nasal tone (also much like a Tubescreamer). If you like Tubescreamers, you'd probably like this, except it seems to have a bit more gain.

It's a Taiwanese made Boss. It seems pretty sturdy.

Never dealt with them

I'm playing lots of roots-rock, blues, oldies, some older classic country, and classic rock. The pedal is OK for classic rock, but it's lacking tonally for the other styles that I'd mentioned. Not really a blues tone. Overall, I think it's a well made, decent sounding pedal for someone that want's that type of sound. I'll be checking on some of the mods that are available for this pedal.

3 knobs - tone, volume and distortion. Doesn't get any easier.

First off, my setup:
Peavey Horizon II or Fender Double Fat Strat > boss TU-2> crybaby wah > Boss DS-1 > Digitech RP80 > Boss GE-7 > Peavey Vintage.

Well first off, fi youa re looking for a distortion, this is definately not what you want. This is an overdrive. A great sounding overdrive, but still an overdrive. Fortunately, thats what I was looking for when I got this pedal. I prefer the sound of this to the Ibanez tubescreamers (ts-9/ts-909) and any other overdrive pedal (basically all of them, I went to my local music store for 6 hours and tried out everything they had before choosing this.)
This pedal IS noisy. Fortunately thats not really an issue for me because I just turn it off when I'm not using it and when I am using it you don't notice it through the sweet, sweet tone on this thing. If this is an issue for you, simple - use a noise gate. Amazing sounds out of this thing, its creamy and rich sounding with great definition. Just how I like it.

Its a Boss. 'Nuff said.

Never dealt with them

Fantastic pedal. If it were stolen I would hunt whoever stole it down and club them to death with it. This is absolutely fantastic and an integral part of my setup. This is here to stay.

There are 3 knobs, the style i like most with these products, easy as mentioned! tone knob isn't that productive as it could be.

use an Ibanez SZ320 into various boxes into an Engl Thunder Combo. No difficulties with noise. Very nice overdriven sound, could have more input and it as strong trebles, that's why I like the OD-3 more, but this unit is very recommendable if you don't need as much output as I do. I play alternative rock.

boss...

Very versatile little overdrive, one of the better ones of Boss. I play in two bands, alternative rock and vintage rock/stoner rock. Try this and you will be satisfied as long as you don't want to use it as a shred master...

Easy to use. Level, Tone and Drive knobs. Don't need a manual to figure it out.

I use Gibson guitars (all with P-90's) into a Maxon Compressor, Boss SD-1, HomeBrew Electronics Power Screamer, Homebrew Electronics Germacide into either a Dr Z Maz 38 SR 2x12 amp or a Vox AC15 (for smaller venues). Okay, so here's where I wanted to weigh in on the SD-1 based on several reviews already posted. Remember though: tone is subjective. What sounds good to some might not sound good to others and vice versa. Don't let anyone tell you what "sounds good". Here's my humble opinion:

I think the SD-1 sounds best used as a booster to push a tube amp that's just breaking up or already overdriven. If you're using a clean amp (Roland JC-120 or Fender Twin) and using the SD-1 to simulate overdrive, I don't think it sounds that great as it's not very transparent. It has a pronounced mid-boost that not everyone likes. Personally, I like the mid-boost for solos as it helps cut through the mix. However, if i'm using one of my pedals on a song that has overdrive all the way through it, I'll use the Homebrew Powerscreamer. The Powerscreamer is simply a more natural sounding, transparent overdrive in my opinion. However, it does NOT have the mid-hump that I like to have for solos. Again, I use the SD-1 for solos only and the settings are as follows. Level: 2 o'clock, Tone: 12 o'clock, Drive 9 o'clock. I like how it thickens up the lead sound on my already overdriven amp. It's a little noisy, but most overdrive pedals are...

I've also owned an early TS-9 reissue (with JRC4558 chip) and an Analogman modded TS-9 converted to 808 specs. They all sound great in their own right. There's definitely a difference between the Ibanez Tubescreamers and the Boss SD-1. The Boss uses asymmetrical clipping while the Ibanez pedals use symmetrical clipping. But, BOTH the Ibanez and SD-1 use the JRC4558 op-amp chip.

For the value, I think the SD-1 is a great buy and, for the price, sounds excellent. In practice, I think it's best to decide how much you'd like to spend and then try out those pedals next to each other on the same guitar and amp that you use (if possible). Ideally, if you can play the pedal with your band, it's even better... There's been countless times when I've played a pedal at the store and thought it sounded great. Then, when I use it in a live band context, it just doesn't cut it.... Good luck. So my "9" rating is based on the SD-1's sound based on price. I think you'd be very hard-pressed to find an overdrive that sounds better for under $50...

I've had lots of Boss pedals and never had problems with them. I never gig without a backup but, to this day, I've never had to use the backup.

I've never had to deal with them...

This pedal suits my playing style which is early to modern Brit-Pop/Rock (Stones, Who, Kinks to Charlatans, Undertones, Supergrass, etc). I've been playing for over 15 years and have tons of gear (from cheap to boutique amps, pedals and guitars). If I lost the pedal, I'd buy another as you can get them on ebay for about $30 nowadays. Alhtough my pedal line-up changes constantly, the SD-1 seems to always find a place in there. It's just a great workhorse pedal at a reasonable price.

Level, Tone and Drive ... about as simple as it gets.

Extremely transparent ... it did not seem to alter the tonal character of my Telecaster at all. For some reason this thing reminds me of the Clash and The Police, but it can certainly get those SRV bluesy tones in the right situation.

With the gain all the way up, there is an edge to it. It's not so rounded as some other OD units -- I think that makes it more interesting. Sometimes those botique models are so smooth as to sound kind of dull. This one has character, and doesn't mess with your highs -- trebles are clear and sparkly, unlike with a Tubescreamer, which tends to accentuate the mids and cut the highs a bit (though the SD-1 has the same JRC4558D chip as the 808 Tube Screamers).

There are a ton of mods available for this thing as well -- including some cheap 808 mods. So, I suppose if you didn't like this thing as it is, it would be at least be a cheap avenue to getting a real 808 ciruit pedal, once it's modded. I may get a second one someday for that purpose.

I like this one as it is though. It's edgy, but mild. Sounds very good with the gain all the way down and just a bit of volume boost. It adds a very desireable "scratch" to the pick attack, while still remaining clean. Works very well with my modded Electric Mistress. Great for new wave/early 80's art rock, and blues of course. Great as a boost for heavier stuff as well, but won't do heavy distortion on its own. A little noisy with the gain cranked.

Solid

Very nice overdrive. It's inexpensive and has some lovely sounds. Very clear sounding, and does not color your tone. Definitely worth a try.

Its designed this way so drummers can understand it.

OK, here is the deal. This is not for amateurs.

Boss pedals are designed for a professional sound, so professional equipment is expected to be used along this box or you will get the crappy sound all the previous loosers are complaining about.

Mine is a japanese(way better components and fidelity)and I use with a Les Paul Custom and a Peavey Classic 30. That is pro sound.

I run it after my CS-3 Compressor Sustainer and before a DS-1 Distortion. I use this pedal as a volume/treble/drive booster. Run it before distortion and he will make your sound thicker, louder and more compressed. If you use as a stand alone distortion pedal, you will get a nice bluesy drive, also very used in my set up.

If you want the meat and potatoes, you'll need a driven tube amp and a nice guitar (i.e Strat, Tele, Les Paul).

Mine is like 20 years old and still sounds great.

This pedal has 2 different uses:

As a stand alone overdrive: It will make a clean amp sound like a driven tube amp. Think SVR.

As a Booster: If you put it before a distortion pedal or a distorted amp, he will increase gain and your sound will become thick, middy and mean. Think Zakk Wylde.

I use it for both situations and this pedal is the best I've tried.
I have had lots (I mean LOTS) of pedals (fuzzfaces, ts-9's, modded ts-9's, RATS, etc.) and the SD-1 is the one I keeped.

Is 3 knobs hard?????

The pedal played stock didn't hit me well. So I did a little mod by myself. I take the "good things" of a TS9 and keep the "good things" from the SD1. I get rid the bad stuffs of a TS9 and also get rid of the bad stuffs from the SD1. Basically improving the pedal A LOT BETTER!!! And the circuit of the SD1 is very similar to a TS9. The mod I did overall it's like 50% TS9 and 50% SD1 and the tone is HOLYYY SHITTT!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the mod (since I hate secrets, I love to share it to all of you who's reading this review):

1. I pull out the clipping diode at D6 and do a jumper on it with a wire.

2. Then I place a 51pF capacitor at D5 (parallel together with the clipping diode at D5). Note: Do this carefully and make sure the clipping diode doesn't go the wrong way upside down.

3. Also I replace the 1K resistor at R16 with a 470 Ohm resistor.

4. I also replace the 470K resistor at R2 with a 510K resistor.

5. Then I pull out the 0.01uF capacitor at C6 and just leave it alone blank.

6. I replace the 1uF capacitor at C10 with a 10uF capacitor. Note: Make sure with the polarity, don't go wrong with this one.

7. And finally the last one I replace the .018uF capacitor at C2 with a 1uF Non Polar capacitor. DONE!

I play blues/rock and I use a vintage strat through a Fender Super Reverb amp, and then to a Marshall 100 watt Super Lead Plexi head running two Marshall cabinets, and then to a 1X15" Fender Vibrasonic.

Strat - Custom Wah - Roger Mayer Octavia - Dallas Arbiter Silicon Fuzz Face - Jim Dunlop Univibe - Boss SD1 (use for boost) - an old Marshall Blues Breaker pedal BB1 (not BB2) (stays ON all the time) - Boss TU-12 Tuner - Amps

It sounds undescribeable!

Set all 3 knobs to taste. It sounds FANTASTIC at all settings.

STRONG!!!!! Even KING KONG cannot BREAK this one!

Never

Simply a 10!