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Hatsubai « The SD-1's older brother »
Published on 04/07/11 at 11:34The Boss OD-1 was the predecessor to the now famous SD-1. It's a very similar pedal in many ways, except this pedal only has a level and gain knob. There is no tone knob like there is on the SD-1.
UTILIZATION
The Boss OD-1 is housed inside of the famous Boss enclosure that has basically become synonymous with the Boss name. It's an extremely sturdy and reliable pedal that'll withstand decades of abuse without a problem. It uses a FET boost which kinda sucks some tone and leaks a bit when it's off, but given its age, it's somewhat forgivable. Just keep that in mind if you're using this in your chain. You might want to get a true bypass looper or get in there and start soldering. I haven't read the manual on this particular item, but there really is no need for one. I mean, there are only two knobs...
SOUND QUALITY
This pedal is a great overdrive that works awesome with Marshalls. With the gain off and the level cranked, you get this wonderful overdriven sound on amps such as the JCM800. It gives it this really angry character but still sounds fairly natural. The same can't be said for the DS-1. When you start cranking the gain, you can really get into some pretty high gain territory, but you want to be careful as there's no tone knob. You'll want to watch the brightness as it might get too harsh for some people.
OVERALL OPINION
Since the SD-1 is around, this pedal is losing its relevance fast. It's also not as easy to find on the used market as the SD-1 is, and there's actually a good reason for that. The SD-1 is fairly close in tone, and the SD-1 is more versatile, so this pedal is mainly reserved for people who need "that" sound when trying to mimic some old school sound. If you're looking for an overdrive pedal, I recommend getting the SD-1 or the TS-9 instead of this.
UTILIZATION
The Boss OD-1 is housed inside of the famous Boss enclosure that has basically become synonymous with the Boss name. It's an extremely sturdy and reliable pedal that'll withstand decades of abuse without a problem. It uses a FET boost which kinda sucks some tone and leaks a bit when it's off, but given its age, it's somewhat forgivable. Just keep that in mind if you're using this in your chain. You might want to get a true bypass looper or get in there and start soldering. I haven't read the manual on this particular item, but there really is no need for one. I mean, there are only two knobs...
SOUND QUALITY
This pedal is a great overdrive that works awesome with Marshalls. With the gain off and the level cranked, you get this wonderful overdriven sound on amps such as the JCM800. It gives it this really angry character but still sounds fairly natural. The same can't be said for the DS-1. When you start cranking the gain, you can really get into some pretty high gain territory, but you want to be careful as there's no tone knob. You'll want to watch the brightness as it might get too harsh for some people.
OVERALL OPINION
Since the SD-1 is around, this pedal is losing its relevance fast. It's also not as easy to find on the used market as the SD-1 is, and there's actually a good reason for that. The SD-1 is fairly close in tone, and the SD-1 is more versatile, so this pedal is mainly reserved for people who need "that" sound when trying to mimic some old school sound. If you're looking for an overdrive pedal, I recommend getting the SD-1 or the TS-9 instead of this.