As far as pedals go, the Boss DS-1 is arguably the most famous. This humble orange box has lain at the feet of countless players since its inception in 1978 – coincidentally, the exact same year that the formidable ProCo RAT made its debut – and has been the secret weapon of many six-string icons. Thankfully, you can score the Waza variant at a discounted price this Prime Day, as it is currently 14% off at Amazon.
Famed for its hard-clipping, distinctive tone, and bomb-proof build, there’s a reason this pedal has remained so popular for so long. For as basic as the humble DS-1 is, with its iconic three-knob layout, it's been used by some of the most famous players around. It helped Kurt Cobain speak to the disenfranchised youth of the '90s, it was there when Steve Vai redefined instrumental guitar music, and was even around when The Cure took goth to the masses - not too bad for a pedal that costs so little.
Now, the list of players who have relied on the DS-1 is as long as your arm, but here are just four that are closely tied to this famous stomp.
1. John Frusciante
The Red Hot Chili Peppers axeman has had a long history with the Boss DS-1 and its sibling, the DS-2. A quick glance at his absolutely massive live pedalboard reveals that the RHCP funk-master has a deep love for all Boss pedals, not just this tangerine dirt box.
2. Kurt Cobain
The grunge legend has been associated with many distortion pedals over the years, from the DS-2 Turbo Distortion to the ProCo Rat, but it would be the humble DS-1 that he would rely on for Nirvana’s debut album, Bleach. Paired with a ‘67 Fender Twin amp, this spikey and fierce sound would go on to define Kurt’s tone and catapult the band to mega-stardom.
3. Steve Vai
Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai has had a long-running relationship with Boss and was rarely seen without this orange stomp by his feet in the early days of his musical career. Okay, he would move away from the pedal as his musical style evolved over time, but initially, it was his go-to distortion pedal.
4. George Lynch
No matter how many pedals George Lynch collects, he always comes back to his beloved DS-1. Using the pedal consistently since the ’80s, the DS-1 has become the guitar icon’s default distortion.
Why we love the Boss DS-1W
Unlike other distortion pedals, the DS-1 was not based on an op-amp. Instead, the original used the Toshiba TA7136AP preamplifier for a gritty and warm overdriven tone. When the Toshiba chip became harder to source, the circuit was redesigned in 1994, resulting in a few less-than-favorable side effects.
The revamp pedals weren’t as loud as before; they had noticeable noise issues at higher gain settings and a characteristic fizzy top-end that some players felt was unpleasant. Thankfully, Boss has a solution.
Enter the Boss DS-1W. With this Waza version, Boss seeks to give the DS-1 the boutique treatment with the new custom mode that eradicates the issues found on the post-1994 version of the pedals, with better filtering, no fizz, and a more stable high-gain distortion tone.
For more amazing offers, check out our Prime Day guitar deals hub, where you can find a variety of top bargains from Amazon and other retailers.
