CMATMODS Boss SD-1 Mod

Other pedals I got modded by Cmat: MT2, DS1, TS9

Very easy to get a sound out of this modded pedal. I thought it was an ok pedal before. Now, I think it is comparable to the klon. The tone is very flexible, the volume knob and the drive are very loud and can get pretty saturated without being toneless. Its a lot of fun.

Chad installed a switch for me to be able to move from one diode to the next. This wasnt necessary, but he was kind enough to indulge me and provide me with a subtle differences like that. Other than that, he did his standard mods- and its smooth, and clear. It can get very heavy too, which i like. Its a versatile pedal that can sound like alot of rock artists. you can play barre chords and open chords, and it wont sound buzzy at all- unlike the unmodded version.

the most important thing is the bypass on this unit is no longer leaking any gain signal when off.. Thank goodness, that was really annoying.

absolutely. Works perfectly.

I have experience building and modding, but along the way, i have broke a few. Its part of the process. I was about to shell out hundreds of dollars for the boutique guys, until i found chads modest website. I read about him, and his style, and I think I really clicked with it. I asked him questions, and he was always courteous and got back to me.

In fact, the only reason Im writing this is because I feel deserves alot of credit and recognition for all the work he did for me. He not only fixed my pedals, but modded them, customized them to MY specifications, and shipped them back very quickly.

This pedal can go from light to heavy. Its not buzzy, and its solid as a rock. Ive been playing for many years. Im not a tone snob, and im not a boutique snob. I know what sounds good, and I know that just because chad didnt have a flashy website didnt mean he couldnt do a good job. He catered to my needs for a great price.

I know the other pedal guys are great, and im not saying they are all hype. But chads work is solid, and I am definatley going to be a repeat customer. I hope people read this review and give him a shot.

Very easy to get the sounds I was looking for after the mods by Chad. It is a Boss pedal that went from Ok sounding to killer tones.

This is the TS808 SD-1 mod that Chad does. Absolutely one of the best buys out there in terms of bang for the buck. No kinding. The mod fixes the things that are wrong with the SD-1 and improves it 10 fold. I have it on a board that I use for my Fender amps and it complements them very well. Goes from clean boost to medium OD and can cover styles like blues, classic rock etc. with ease. Next up for me is a DS-1 with his dual gain mod.

What's very cool abou this is that you take a pedal like Boss, mod it to what you want, and have a time proven reliable pedal that sounds great.

Customer support from Chad is world class. I sent him my pedal and in less than a week, had it back. He also answers his emails with 24 hours. I can say without a doubt, I will continue to do business with Chad in the future and recommend him to as many tone junkies as I can.

I play everything from The Temptations, to Dwight Yoakum, to the Beatles, to REO, well you get the picture, I cover a bunch of styles. Overdrive is by far the effect I use the most and need to cover the whole range of it. I'm using the SD-1 to cover light to medium OD into a clean Fender amp. It does that very well. Cleans up great when you back the guitar volume down too. The pedal is now one of my main tools for tone.

Since I knew how to use it before Chad modded it, I'd say it's just as easy now. :). 3 knobs - Vol, Gain, Tone.

Decent pedal before the mod. Great pedal after. Altho' I do notice a distinct boost in the mids that wasn't there before. I use this with the Vol up around 2:00 o'clock, the Tone just past 12:00, and the Gain to achieve the overall outout. Gives me a very nice "boost" pedal as opposed to a Gain monster.

Board goes: Line6 Constrictor (okay pedal) - Fulltone 2 - Behringer Blues OD (yep - nice little pedal)- Cmatmods SD-1 - Boss CH3 - Tuner -Amp. Amps are either a Mesa Maverick Prototype, or a Mesa Lone Star. Both great amps on their own right.

Overall, I can get the tones I need for specific songs. And the OD is very warm. Not fuzzy or buzzy at all. Planning on getting a few more of Chad's pedals.

Giving it a "9" because of the mids hump.

Boss pedal. Built like a tank. Chad's mods? Without a doubt, they'll last, too.

Very responsive to emails. Returned the pedal within a week. Wowzers!! How can you ask for more than that?

I currently play in a Modern Country band - female fronted. The pedal probably isn't the best for this music genre` as a whole. But since we cover Rock tunes as well, it fits in nicely. BTW, this is not a flaw of the Mod, just the Boss pedal as a whole.

My other music love is Progressive Rock. And this pedal would be right at home there. Wish I'd had it for the past recordings (home DAW). Would have added some nice flavor.

I would say that I'd wish the Tone control had more ......... control. A better sweep of the tonal range. Not a flaw of the mod, just the pedal. Overall, I'm very happy with the pedal. Glad I did it. And I will get more of Chad's pedals as the $$'s allow.

3 knobs super simple

pedal sounded good when i bought it for 40 bux but had that ghosting problem and a little buzzsaw quality. wow this is a great overdrive (mine is the ts-808 mod). i couldn't stop playing through it once i turned it on. i love the dirty channel on my amp (carr slant 6v) and this pedal really shocked me...THE SOUND OF ROCK!!!

it's boss and chad so far has been first rate, so i see no problems in the future. wouldn't need a backup, but i might get another one and use one for rhythm and the other for lead.

turnaround blew my mind!

so far so great!

" Well this is my third pedal modded by Chad, and the
man is on his way to being one of the Mod Kings".
Really 1st rate mods, and your pedals produce first
rate sounds. Chad takes all the cheap sounds out of a
pedal and makes it sound like it should have sounded
in the first place. Thanks for the great sound I am
now turning heads with. Tried doing some mods myself,
and what a disaster. Thanks for bailing me out Chad.
It definitely is a talent, and you certainly have it.
Keep up the good work!"

I have the SD-1 with bass/treble toggle switch that allows great sound with strats and humbucker's on a guitar. I love it!

I am using a Fender 72 thinline Tele, Fender Strat with Holy Grail Lace Sensor PU's, & Gibson Les Paul. I have a Peavey 50 watt Classic Blues amp, Traynor YCV50 blue amp, and a Roland JC-120 amp. I have a Cmats modded MT2, SD-1, & DS-1.. along with various other pedals and Rack mounts units too numerous to list. I have GAS. I am a pedal Freak. Chad's pedals are totally quiet and the soldering is first rate. I am saving to also have Chad do the TS-9 mod on another SD-1.. wow what a sound.

Looking at the soldering, yes I can say I can depend on this pedal. But the thing I can really depend on is Chad! I would definitely gig without a backup.

The company is "Chad", and you can always depend on Chad to answer back imediately, and to make the customer first in order of importance.

I have been playing guitar about 10 years after playing Bass for 25 years. I love Blues, R&R,Funk, and old Motown. I have bought& sold hundreds of pedals over the years looking for the "great" sound. I am finally getting it with Chad's modded pedals. If someone stole them, I would have to get Chad to do it again with the same pedals.

3 knobs easy!

Before the mod it was a fair pedal. I could hear the effect when the pedal was off. He said that all SD-1's do this but he had something called a M-Circuit that eliminated this problem and it was only $15 with the mod so I sent it in. WOW what a TONE monster now!! It is the best OD that I have ever heard and it sounded better than overdrives costing 3 times more. This is a pedal that I can not live without! If you like overdrives you will LOVE this pedal. Tone, Sustain and grind!! GOTTA LUV IT!!

I opened it up and checked it out. Great looking soddering and very neat work. CMAT modified Boss pedal it will be here forever!

This guy is awesome. The best!!! Super fast return time I had it back less than one week after I sent it! WOW!!

The absolute best overdrive ever and the best Guy ever. This pedal really inspired me to play more. Thanks CMATMODS!!

The unit is very simple to operate. It has the 3 usual knobs, Volume, Tone and Gain. After the mod there wasn't hardly a bad sound to be found and it was very easy to dial in a great tone.

I use a Fender 69 Relic Strat thru a 68 Fender Princeton Reverb amp. The effects chain is a Boss TU-2 tuner, Fulltone Fulldrive II, CMATMODS Boss SD-1, HomeBrew Power Screamer, CMATMODS Boss Metal Zone & Boss DD-3 Delay. I couldn't be happier with the tone of this pedal after the mod. The overdrive has the crunch you want, yet retains the clarity of notes. The bass is tight with no tubbiness. The drive or gain can be set very low for a nice bluesy sound or it can be turned up for a more of an almost distortion sound. This is probably one of the best overdrive pedals I've had, and I've owned alot of them over the years.

This unit is built like a tank and should last through anything I can put it through. Chad checks all the solder joints and switches when he performs the mods and I wouldn't have a problem with playing this unit without a backup.

This is where I've been most impressed. Chad has responded to e-mails within a few hours of sending him something and after I bought this unit he actually contacted me and asked that I ship the unit back as he had discovered an upgrade that would cut the bleedover when the gain was set high. Not too many will do that. His responses are very friendly and he makes suggestions on what type of pedal will meete your needs, depending on the type of sound you are looking for. I sent a friends TS-9 to be modded and he actually fixed the switch and several problems on the board for nothing.

I play mostly blues and contemporary christian music. I've been playing for over 20 years and have experienced several guitars, amps and effects. I know tone is very subjective, but I am extremely happy with this pedal and would replace it immediately if it were stolen. I actually had Chad put together a second SD-1 with a different chip for a little higher gain also. I've owned several Fulltone, Matchless, Tonebone and Keeley products and this will run with the best of them. Do yourself a favor and try one of these mods. They're cheaper than the other's stated above cost wise but the quality is top notch.