DS-1 Distortion | Compact Distortion Pedal | The Benchmark in Guitar Distortion | Hard-edged Attack & Smooth Sustain | Wide Tone Range

I’ve been using the Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion and it’s become one of my go-to distortion pedals, especially when I want more attitude and flexibility than a basic distortion box. The standout feature for me is the dual turbo modes — it gives the pedal two distinct personalities in one box. Tone & character This isn’t a one-note distortion pedal — it really does cover a wide range of driven tones: • In Turbo Mode I, the distortion is warm and rich with a solid low end, making it great for crunchy rhythm parts that still feel musical. • Switching to Turbo Mode II kicks in a mid-range boost that really cuts through for leads or more biting, aggressive sounds. That mid boost really helps solos punch through a mix, and the extra gain stage gives a beefier edge compared to the classic DS-1. Many players describe Turbo Mode II as having more midrange presence and saturation, which definitely shows when I crank it up. Controls & usability The controls are simple but effective — Level, Tone, Distortion — with the turbo switch giving you access to both sound modes. It’s intuitive, and I can dial it in quickly whether I want a gritty crunch or more cutting distortion. I also like that there’s a remote jack so you could hook up a footswitch to toggle modes hands-free if you wanted to (I haven’t used that yet, but it’s a cool pro-type feature). Where it shines I find this particularly great with a clean amp or slightly overdriven channel — it brings out the pedal’s voice without making things muddy. And because of the two modes, it gives me options for both rhythm drive and more expressive solo distortion without needing a second pedal. Players online often talk about the DS-2 having a thicker distortion and less fizz than some classic Boss distortion pedals, giving it a slightly different vibe that can be really useful in rock and grunge contexts. A few things to note It’s not the tightest high-gain distortion in the world — if you want super modern metal tones, you might prefer something with more EQ control or dedicated high-gain voicing. But for classic rock, grunge, and expressive blues-leaning distortion, it’s excellent. There’s also a bit of noise if you crank everything all the way up — that’s pretty normal for big analog distortion, but a noise gate can help if that bothers you. Bottom line The Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion is a versatile, fun, and very musical distortion pedal. I love having two distinct distortion voices in one box — from warm crunch to mid-focused aggression — and it’s built with the usual Boss durability I expect on my pedalboard.

The Boss DS-1 is a timeless distortion pedal that delivers every time. It’s super easy to use, built like a tank, and gives that perfect crunchy tone for rock, metal, or punk. The tone control is very responsive, and it sounds great with any amp. For the price, this pedal is unbeatable — a must-have for every guitarist!

PERFECT This is the perfect distortion pedal at the most perfect price. Looks great, sounds great, settings are accurate, top tier in quality.

Not bad at all, especially if you use it with the right amp. I like OD-1X better - even for metal. This is the only reason I give it four stars: I'd expect it to be more suitable for hi-gain setups than OD-1X. The pedal is not bad and can sound exceptional - still higly depend on what you are plugging it to. I found myself twisting dials back an forth to get well sound, unlike OD-1X which sound great at all dials set to 12. I'll keep this pedal for sure.

Works great,Sounds great..

Guitarists have become a bunch of cork-sniffers. There are so many players more concerned with the name on the headstock of their guitar and their amp and the endless "boutique" pedals in their collections that many seem unable or unwilling to give a listen to "stock" gear, or anything that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The fact is that if you're a gigging musician, and I am, you come to realize that all those subtle, detailed nuances of tone that so many want to obsess over get lost in the band mix, and in the poor acoustics of wherever you're playing. Yes, we want to sound good to ourselves because that's inspiring, but frankly, I don't need $200+ dollar distortion/OD pedals to be inspired. I haven't owned a DS-1 in a long time, but recently got one because I was looking for a distortion pedal on a budget. Frankly, I'd forgotten how musical this pedal is. With the distortion set to minimum (it never gets clean) it's a good, moderate-gain overdrive that still lets your guitar's basic tone get through. I play a strat & and jazzmaster - those guitars still sound like themselves with this thing. With the gain at halfway you get great AD/DC crunch. And even with the gain maxed out you still get excellent note definition on chords. What more could you want? Sure, it's "old school" rock distortion. The usual "may not appeal to metalheads" caveat applies, maybe. Combine this with an eq and you could scoop the mids as much as you want. I also have a Barber LTD (great, relatively cheap "boutique" moderate gain OD that doesn't break the bank) and a Visual Sound Route 66, which is a tubescreamer clone (with much more gain) and a compressor in one pedal. Both the LTD & Rt 66 have the usual TS9 midrange hump, though much less pronounced on the LTD. What's refreshing about the DS-1 is that the strong mids are there, but the overall tone is not in the same realm as a tubescreamer, so it can sit well on a pedalboard and bring a different flavor to the party. The tone on the DS-1 can get very bright, but as I indicated I play with single coils, and I have no problem finding sweet spots on the tone knob - I generally run it around 9-10:00. Overall this pedal is a steal - look around and find a used one for a good price. I'd considered a modtone Speedbox, but decided to go with the generally bulletproof Boss instead, for basically the same price. I couldn't be happier.

Tenía otro pedal de distorsión y no conseguía hacerme con él. Demasiado ruido. Vi el DS-1 de toda la vida por debajo de los 100€ y no me lo pensé. Acierto total. Distorsión ajustada a tu deseo en cada momento. Con los controles justos para conseguir lo que quieres cada vez. Lo dicho, un clásico con casi cincuenta años de experiencia.

Been using it for 4 years without issues

Es el único pedal que podrías llegar a necesitar, el modo turbo es el mejor de los dos el modo default no es tan bueno y necesitarás mucho volumen o ganancia para que suene aceptable, pero aún así es muy bueno :)

Vraiment très bonne pédale pour tous les styles jusqu'au métal. Sons très claires très défini, très pur dynamique et puissant. c'est la disto à avoir !!!! Largement supérieur aux anciennes pédales BOSS !!!!

Can't go wrong with boss effects pedals