02 - That Pedal You’ve Heard Hundreds of Times Without Even Knowing it

What do Joe Satriani, Mike Stern, and Steve Vai have in common? They’re all guitarists, of course, but more specifically, they’re musicians who love distortion. In the world of music, some instruments naturally take center stage: guitar, piano, drums, bass, or violin, to name just a few. Yet there’s also a multitude of instruments and accessories that often go unnoticed, even though they make all the difference in a sound. This is especially true for the Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal, a pedal you’ve probably heard hundreds of times… without even realizing it!

It was in 1978 that BOSS, the division of the Japanese company Roland Corporation, released its very first distortion pedal, the DS-1 Distortion Pedal. Its popularity grew quickly, thanks to its affordable price and the quality of its distortion tone. In fact, the very next year, several competing manufacturers released their own distortion pedals to rival the DS-1.

Video Credit: Middle Aged Gear Junkie on Youtube

When designing the pedal, BOSS engineers combined the two most common types of drive circuits at the time, transistors and operational amplifiers (op-amps), into a single hard-clipping design. Its operation is quite simple: just three controls are enough to shape the distorted sound we all love. There’s the output volume (Level), the distortion amount (Distortion), and the treble control (Tone). Once the settings are dialed in, the effect is activated with a simple footswitch, hence the name “pedal.” BOSS later released an improved version in 1987, the DS-2 Turbo Distortion, though it never gained quite the same fame as its illustrious predecessor.

Countless musicians have used, and continue to use, the DS-1. As mentioned earlier, the legendary Mike Stern has been a devoted fan since the start of his career. “I’ve used the distortion, the DS-1, on every one of my own records, and on a lot of other people’s records too. I use it all the time. It just works for me, and it’s got a really nice sound to it, so I’ve been using it forever,” he said in a 2006 interview with the BOSS Users Group.

 

Beyond the famous Joe Satriani and his former student Steve Vai, who has long since moved beyond that role, other guitar icons have also embraced the orange pedal. This includes George Lynch, who revealed in an interview with the BOSS Users Group that he’s been using it since the 1980s. Then there’s John Frusciante, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who described the DS-1 and DS-2 as key elements in crafting their iconic album Stadium Arcadium.

 

It’s impossible to talk about distortion without mentioning the 1990s and the rise of grunge. Acting as ambassadors of the movement, Nirvana helped popularize distorted sounds like never before. And, as you might have guessed, Kurt Cobain was also a big fan of the famous orange pedal. He reportedly used it extensively while recording the band’s first album, Bleach.

Credit Images: Kurt Cobain's BOSS DS-1 

 

Seattle producer and musician Jack Endino remembers it well: “It’s a ’67 Twin. In fact, I still have it; it’s called the ‘Bleach Twin’ because Kurt used it on Bleach. And I can tell you Kurt was using a BOSS DS-1, the orange pedal with three knobs. That was his sound in 1989.” Later in his career, Cobain switched to the DS-2 for much of his remaining work.

The Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal has earned its place as a true industry classic. As Josh Scott of JHS Pedals points out: “It literally is the distortion pedal. When you say ‘distortion pedal,’ an orange box pops up in my head. It’s a cultural pop icon to me.” Few pedals can boast such impressive longevity. Essential since the 1970s, the DS-1 continues to captivate musicians, and its future looks brighter than ever. New models come out every year, yet fans aren’t ready to say goodbye to the famous orange box. Proof that sometimes, perfection lies in simplicity.