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alex_law
Silver Member
168 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2005 : 16:33:55
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First of all, hello to the forum - I've been reading for a couple of weeks and it's been very interesting, thanks!
Anyway, I've been a boutique snob for the past couple of years, and wouldn't allow anything in my house that hadn't been handwired by Trappist monks between the 13th and 17th of November when the planets align (etc.) because that's the only way to get a usable tone. 
Just for fun though, I picked up a silver screw "0100" DS-1 in pretty good condition for $110, knowing I could turn it around easily if need be. Anyway, it's been 15 years since I tried one, and I'm stunned. There are a lot of usable high-gain sounds in there! Perhaps it's because 15 years ago I was using solid state and now I'm going into a big-ass 4x12 tube amp, but it's exactly what I'm looking for. After all the $200-$300 boutique dirt boxes I've bought and sold, who would have thought?
I went out and picked up a new Taiwan model, and I really couldn't tell the difference. Perhaps the Japanese one was smoother, perhaps, but there's such a placebo effect going on that I couldn't really be sure. Close enough anyway that I quickly sold the DS-1 on eBay for $160 and bought an OD-3 (arriving today) - so I got the DS-1 for "free". :)
I think this might be a fun little hobby. Certainly more affordable than what I was doing before...
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2005 : 16:51:31
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Welcome to the forum.
Interesting to hear that you found the new DS-1 similar to the old one. I haven't got a Japanese DS-1 so I haven't compared but there's a lot of people who says that the old versions sounds much better. |
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alex_law
Silver Member
168 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2005 : 17:45:15
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Thanks!
While we're talking about Japanese models, here's a quick tale to chill you to the bone. When I was 18 and living in England (80's) I bought a full set of Boss pedals to fill up a Boss pedalboard, you know, one of those ones that hold seven or eight pedals. I'm a freak about keeping things pristine, so these (and the case) were all perfect. If I recall correctly, I had the power supply pedal, a compressor, a digital metalizer, a graphic EQ, a digital sampler delay, a flanger... Not sure what else, at some point an RV-2.
Anyway, in the midst of teen stupidity I took it to Denmark street to trade it for a guitar. I ended up with a Epi LP that I threw away a couple of years later. The shop in Denmark street bought my entire pedalboard for 100 pounds because "nobody uses pedals anymore, everyone's using racks". 100 pounds. Sigh.
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phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 04:34:32
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You should have titled this thread, "Confessions of a pedalphile" - Hey, I see we have a new member using that name now. 
Welcome back to the real world. And you even want to admit that you can't hear the difference between a MIJ and MIT? What about the "Golden Ears"? What about the cloth covered wire? What about the evil electrolytic caps? Please don't tell me that you think an audio circuit with a limited bandwidth sounds good on a PCB? Oh, the heresy!!
Whew! That felt good!
Sorry about that. After years of listening to audiophiles and pedalphiles jabber, I've grown a little weary of it all. 
I don't have an SD-1 yet. Now, I might have to go find one. I did pick up an OD-3 that I've just spent a little time with. At first I didn't like the edgy-ness of it. But, after a little playing, it's growing on me. It's similar to a Tubescreamer, but it's definitely got it's own sound, which I like. A little more bite, a different midrange EQ. I'm always amazed at how many versions of distortion/overdrive exist. And they all find their place, this one good for this and that one good for that....
Welcome aboard!
Grace and peace,
Steve
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Sunburst
Silver Member
427 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 11:35:08
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I have a story about the quality of the DS-1 MIJ. I havent compared mine with a MIT DS-1, but I did compare it side to side with a Robert Keeley modded DS-1 I used to own. To my ears the DS-1 MIJ sounded fuller and more focused, and actually was more responsive to picking nuances and subtle playing, and great both with humbuckers and single coils.
Anyway, as I said, I ended up selling the Keeley DS-1 and that tells something about how good the MIJ DS-1 pedals are. It resides quite firmly on my pedalboard and I will never sell it. |
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alex_law
Silver Member
168 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 17:11:28
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"Confessions of a pedalphile", exactly! And it didn't stop at pedals - I built three "Marshall 18W" style amps, and with each one agonised over the differences between Sprague and Mallory capacitors at various stages of the circuit. Bandwidth? Don't talk to me about bandwidth... ;)
OK, one last thing, Taiwan vs. Japan. The truth is, I don't want to spend much thought on it, especially while I'm trying to get out of the boutique cycle (lust, buy, sigh, eBay). The thing about Boss pedals that appeals to me is the same as with buying a Strat; in any reasonably sized town in the world, you can pick one up and know it'll be the same. Consistancy has great value.
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phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2005 : 18:46:52
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"Consistancy has great value." Exactly.
And a circuit designer who is producing multiple quantities is trying to create consistent, duplicatable results. But, I've noticed that humans love things like "mojo" and "voodoo" and mythical special parts that are no longer available. We're all gonna worship something or someone....
I'm all for mods that acually change something meaningful, but I've seen enough of the -phile worlds to know that a whole lot of this is BETWEEN your ears, not IN them. 
There is no way to listen to a pedal, amp, speaker, etc. then spend minutes to hours to swap things out and listen again and have any clear way of knowing whether it is different. You HAVE to be able to do a live, instantaneous switch between the 2 things you're comparing - preferably in a blind test, or you'll always apply your own prejudices. If you WANT it to sound different, it WILL.
I've even caught myself changing my picking style (rotating the pick up to get more bite) when comparing 2 pedals with the A/B box to convince myself that one is brighter than the other!
Thanks for the vent.
Grace and peace,
Steve
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Edited by - phostenix on 12/10/2005 18:58:38 |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2005 : 00:35:37
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It is scary how much you can imagine hearing if you want to hear it.
I used to be quite deep into hifi. I compared lots of amps and speakers and imagined myself that I heard a big difference. One day I read about a new amp (I believe it was either Yamaha or Pioneer's top model) and all the magazines praised it as a huge improvement compared to the old model. I listened to both amps and totally agreed. This amp was a lot better. By chance I also had access to the schematics for both amps so I had a look trying to find out what they changed. There were no differences. They changed the front plate and that's it. When I listened to the two amps again I had to admit I couldn't hear the difference. After that my hifi interest gradually disappeared.
After that experience I try to be more critical but I'm sure I still sometimes let my mind decide before I actually hear any difference |
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phostenix
Gold Member
USA
754 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2005 : 06:25:30
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The new one probably had a shielded power cable and cable elevators on the speaker wires!
I gave up on audiophiles when I saw an ad for a CD demagnetizer. Now, at this point you're just stealing, folks.
Grace and peace,
Steve
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Johnrocks
Silver Member
Brazil
175 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2005 : 06:25:33
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Hi there!
I tested a MIT DS-1, three months ago, and well, it didn�t sound good! It was like "you�ve gotta be kidding!". It sounded really bad!!! I remember that I used to have a DF-2, and I got it when it was released that time (that was first pedal) and it sounded very good. So, I think that the old MIJ DS-1 pedal must sound good.
Well, George Lynch can�t be wrong... |
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Rediscovering the DS-1
