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drapeau_rouge
Published on 09/16/14 at 02:39
Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive modified by Robert Keeley to improve it.
The improvement consists (according to the website of mister Keeley) keep the tone color of the SD-1 "stock" while increasing the gain, making it more precise and definite. It is also to make the SD-1 almost true-bypass and prevent sound leakage especially when the pedal is off and the volume knob is more than three quarters.
Not knowing all the sound of the original Boss SD-1 or other "mods" that can make boxes as MonteAlums or other, I can only congratulate Mr Keeley since the defects mentioned above are not present. No loss of true-bypass, it's perfect.
In case, the SD-1 won a mini-switch in addition to the usual trio (gain / tone / level). This is a switch for selecting a germanium diode rectification (low position) or by LEDs (high position).
Nothing wrong side features, it's reliable, it's well thought out (thank you Boss format), the mini-switch is perfectly placed. Impeccable.
UTILIZATION
The general configuration is very simple, especially as the SD-1 is supplied with a written by Robert Keeley manual to explain the benefits of the change.
The SD-1 offers us an overdrive in the vein of the Ibanez TS-9, but with a sound sharper, more defined, more "heavy" (plus any what) but less "boost of mediums." Basically, you can have all the uses that you have with a Tube Screamer but with a different sound. And that's exactly what I'm looking, I was disappointed by a Maxon OD-808 that I kept 4 or 5 years.
SOUND QUALITY
Admit as much at once, the sound on the clean channel of a tube amp is pretty good without either rock the house. It was quite an overdrive "neutral" without much character rather "right" and a little gum shades game (too compressed?). That said, the knobs do the job and changes brought Keeley SD-1 in the territory of distortions. This type of sound can appeal, but here I still find that my Maxon OD-808 was doing a little better. This Keeley SD-1 is, however, largely the work and can suit many guitarists.
On an already saturated channel, it is a different story and there the sound is sublime. It surpasses anything I've tried in overdrive. It adds that little extra power and sharpness that sometimes missing on this property heavy metal riff or passage well without adding too much fat might make less precise sound. A real butcher!
The two positions of the mini-switches are usable, we pass a compressed sound, sweet and well saturated with germanium diodes in a more open and sharp but also less saturated with LED's.
OVERALL OPINION
I got tired of the sound of my Maxon OD-808 which happily puffed my lower spectrum and boostait me my mediums. The SD-1 is a tube screamer with more aggressiveness, more gain and a better balance bass / mid / high, which makes it less sexy than a Tube Screamer into overdrive on the clean channel of an amp but much better boost in overdrive channel.
I use it for almost 3 months and I think I found my grail in booster overdrive channel. It surpasses anything I've tried in terms of overdrive / distortion for this specific use. For use as OverDrive on a clean channel, I would tend to advise the Keeley BD-2 or TS-9 pedal style if the bump in the midrange and the trough in the low do not mind (that is a shame when you do blues).
However, this price Keeley SD-1 is prohibitive. Objectively, pay over € 150 for a Boss pedal that was changed a few components, it's frankly not given. Subjectively, it is theft. But it is a choice I would do because I have not found anything better yet.
The improvement consists (according to the website of mister Keeley) keep the tone color of the SD-1 "stock" while increasing the gain, making it more precise and definite. It is also to make the SD-1 almost true-bypass and prevent sound leakage especially when the pedal is off and the volume knob is more than three quarters.
Not knowing all the sound of the original Boss SD-1 or other "mods" that can make boxes as MonteAlums or other, I can only congratulate Mr Keeley since the defects mentioned above are not present. No loss of true-bypass, it's perfect.
In case, the SD-1 won a mini-switch in addition to the usual trio (gain / tone / level). This is a switch for selecting a germanium diode rectification (low position) or by LEDs (high position).
Nothing wrong side features, it's reliable, it's well thought out (thank you Boss format), the mini-switch is perfectly placed. Impeccable.
UTILIZATION
The general configuration is very simple, especially as the SD-1 is supplied with a written by Robert Keeley manual to explain the benefits of the change.
The SD-1 offers us an overdrive in the vein of the Ibanez TS-9, but with a sound sharper, more defined, more "heavy" (plus any what) but less "boost of mediums." Basically, you can have all the uses that you have with a Tube Screamer but with a different sound. And that's exactly what I'm looking, I was disappointed by a Maxon OD-808 that I kept 4 or 5 years.
SOUND QUALITY
Admit as much at once, the sound on the clean channel of a tube amp is pretty good without either rock the house. It was quite an overdrive "neutral" without much character rather "right" and a little gum shades game (too compressed?). That said, the knobs do the job and changes brought Keeley SD-1 in the territory of distortions. This type of sound can appeal, but here I still find that my Maxon OD-808 was doing a little better. This Keeley SD-1 is, however, largely the work and can suit many guitarists.
On an already saturated channel, it is a different story and there the sound is sublime. It surpasses anything I've tried in overdrive. It adds that little extra power and sharpness that sometimes missing on this property heavy metal riff or passage well without adding too much fat might make less precise sound. A real butcher!
The two positions of the mini-switches are usable, we pass a compressed sound, sweet and well saturated with germanium diodes in a more open and sharp but also less saturated with LED's.
OVERALL OPINION
I got tired of the sound of my Maxon OD-808 which happily puffed my lower spectrum and boostait me my mediums. The SD-1 is a tube screamer with more aggressiveness, more gain and a better balance bass / mid / high, which makes it less sexy than a Tube Screamer into overdrive on the clean channel of an amp but much better boost in overdrive channel.
I use it for almost 3 months and I think I found my grail in booster overdrive channel. It surpasses anything I've tried in terms of overdrive / distortion for this specific use. For use as OverDrive on a clean channel, I would tend to advise the Keeley BD-2 or TS-9 pedal style if the bump in the midrange and the trough in the low do not mind (that is a shame when you do blues).
However, this price Keeley SD-1 is prohibitive. Objectively, pay over € 150 for a Boss pedal that was changed a few components, it's frankly not given. Subjectively, it is theft. But it is a choice I would do because I have not found anything better yet.