The Best Cheap Distortion Pedals - Under $50 & $100 - 2023 | Gearank

This review was written by Alden Acosta who has also provided an extended version that includes some of the settings he uses along with recorded samples.

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Cons

Noisy operation at high gain settings
Can sound harsh, thin and annoying
Needs a real amp and cab to sound good

Pros

Boss compact pedal tried and true reliability
Versatile sound that works with lots of genres
Excellent price-to-performance for a benchmark pedal

The DS-1 Distortion pedal has made its way into my setup more than once or twice in my playing career.

Enamored by its simplicity, ruggedness and sheer ability to mangle a pristine amp tone, this is a pedal I know well.

The DS-1 has a sound and feel that I describe as “real”. It has a great way of distorting your signal while retaining the characteristic sound of your guitar – being analog ensures no latency whatsoever and it really feels like a carburetor as opposed to a fuel injection powered car to use an analogy – completely connected to your tone.

A perspective shot of Alden's DS-1

It runs the risk of being thin and shrill at times, I would sometimes use it as a simple boost for amps with an already good drive channel. Also, as I have gotten older and more experienced, I have opted to use less and less of the “DIST” setting mitigating its tendency to be harsh and unpleasing to the ear.

It works great for punk music and with the volume pot on your guitar rolled off is great for some blues and pop alternative. But lacking the dual-stage chug that something like a Boss MT-2 has, I don’t see it succeeding in many metal situations.

I tried to use it in a recent recording that I was working on and found no useable tones straight into the audio interface. It works best with a real amp and it doesn’t react to VST amp and cab simulators very well.

It’s good to have a copy of such an iconic pedal. You won’t reach for it that often, especially if you don’t have an amp that has opposite tonal characteristics (extremely clean and warm). Many would be quick to pooh-pooh the DS-1 in favor of boutique pedals. But give it a shot, it might be the perfect blend of sweet and nasty your guitar sound needs.