What's the Boss SD-1 to get?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rex Rocker
  • Start date Start date
I have black one and the standard yellow. They sound identical. Sold 5 or 6 over the years as well.

Some say the old Japanese pedals sound better. Don't know about that, but the SD1 my favorite boost with Marshall types and you can't go wrong for $50'ish new.
 
fek said:
I have black one and the standard yellow. They sound identical. Sold 5 or 6 over the years as well.

Some say the old Japanese pedals sound better. Don't know about that, but the SD1 my favorite boost with Marshall types and you can't go wrong for $50'ish new.
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Are they both thru hole or SMD?

Not saying one is better than the other, but I wonder if that makes them sound any different. Both of the ones I've had have been thru-hole.
 
i have the basic ’over the counter’ ones and they sound great. I just buy used ones on Guitar Center when they go down to like $25. That way if they don’t work, i can return them. No need to spend extra on a paint job or the goofy SashimiCraft version.
 
I'm using the 40th Anniversary SD-1 with my 3rd Power Kitchen Sink. Sounds great!
 
Rex Rocker said:
Are they both thru hole or SMD?

Not saying one is better than the other, but I wonder if that makes them sound any different. Both of the ones I've had have been thru-hole.
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No clue. Have never opened up either one. Both were bought new over the past 5 years though so I am guessing whatever people say is the inferior build! I have stopped going down those rabbit holes a few years ago.
 
fek said:
No clue. Have never opened up either one. Both were bought new over the past 5 years though so I am guessing whatever people say is the inferior build! I have stopped going down those rabbit holes a few years ago.
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Well, if you want to mod them, thu-hole is a safer bet, LOL.
 
Greazygeo said:
Pick one…they all sound the same. MIJ run on 12v so can be tricky finding a power supply.
I have three, 2 MIJ that are modded to not lose bass. One new one to be able to use with my 9volt power supply. They all do the job.
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I have a mij with a resistor change to run off 9 volt. Rexrocker, where you located?
 
I've had a few SD-1s. Currently settled on the 40rh Anniv model. It does whatbthey all do...add some mild boost with bass cut and Xtra mids. It's great into the right amp. Nothing a Tim or Timmy can't do. More bass cut than a Klone. Less stuffy the mids than a TS.
 
I have several MIJ versions with different chips and capacitors and have had several of the typical Taiwanese versions.

Do they sound different from each other? Yes.
Is that difference meaningful? Eh.... not really.
 
It depends on whether you want to run it on an already distorted amp or on a cleaner tone. The Waza model sounds awesome, but the pedal has a real nice kind of clipping to begin with. If you're just going to distort a distorted amp then I don't think you'll be able to appreciate it's tone. A standard one would be perfect. If you want to be able to appreciate the SD-1s tone, use it on with clean or light crunch.

As for Waza, standard, or whatever, there are various affordable mods because that pedal has been around for a long time. I would suggest buying the standard one and then getting it modded to fit the sound you're going for.
 
I’d grab an 80s version, a Waza, and the newer MIT version and compare. Return the one(s) you don’t care for. They’re all a little different in the end.
GC usually has enough that you can find all 3 and use the 45 day return policy
 
JackBootedThug said:
Wayne for the Win. He's my pedal guy and my secret is getting out....
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Shhhh .....
I've put a stock SD-1 up against mine ...... with the updgraded components and no buffered bypass ..... mine just sounds better .. IMO of course .
it's a lot cleaner sounding and has more fidelity ..... replacing all the electrolytics with Nichicon Gold Audio caps does so much for these older " go to " circuits .
Plus with the amount of Mod info online ..... you could just build one to whatever spec you want .... Keeley mods , Analogman etc ...
But I got to say ... just bumping up the quality of parts in this circuit makes it sound really really good ...
 
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