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n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:08 am
by anxietyswitch
Alrighty, so as a bit of a deal sweetener, a dude I'm trading pedals with has decided to throw in a Boss DS-1 - I got rid of my original DS-1 because it just didn't have enough gain for me.
Of course, this was when I was playing my Squier through a solid-state Crate 15 watter with my mid control at 0. LOL
But ANYWAYS...*ahem* lol

Well, I've been really wanting to build/mod a pedal - I attempted to put together a whole Ruby amp, and, while I got it to turn on... LOL That's about as far as I got it haha :picard:
So I'm thinking modding might be a good way to get me started rather than taking on building an amp from scratch (simple as it might be... I warned you, I'm a n00b) , so that's why I asked for the DS-1.

Are there any mods that anyone recommends to make the DS-1 sound like complete shit? LOL
(I know the inevitable "it already does" joke is out there somewhere!)
I just want a totally annihilated distortion sound -maybe something like Carnavas-era Silversun Pickups (think "Melatonin", "Little Lover's So Polite") or something like the lead guitar tones from Siamese Dream - ie, "Rocket," "Soma," "Quiet" sound, or Scarling. type tones. (I'm totally thinking Big Muff through a ripped speaker, perhaps?)

So is there anything someone might recommend doing to this blasted orange bastard?

Oh, and if it matters, I'd be totally willing to try putting it in another enclosure as well (then no one will have to know... haha)

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:40 am
by Scruffie
I think I might have suggested some mods to someone on here before if you have a search... could've been a BOSS HM-2 though...

Anyway, first off, find yourself a schematic for the thing (google is your friend) so you know what's what... http://www.godiksennet.com/images/sch/DS1PG2.jpg

Learn the symbols http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/Sc ... ToReality/

Now... i'd change the clipping diodes ( D4 & D5 )to something else i'd give 3mm Red LEDs a go ala Keeley mods (very popular thing to do to these pedals).

Now I know some models have SIP (single in line) chips... rather than your standard DIP (how you imagine a chip to look with 8 legs) but I dunno about all but if you have the latter you can try changing the chip out for any other dual opamp to see what changes there may be, a very high quality chip alot of people like and i'd suggest is an OPA2134 by Texas Instruments.

The Resistor R13 has alot to do with the gain, so mess with that (change it to a 100k trimmer if you want and set it where you like) to keep the frequency corner the same you'll want to lower the Capacitor C8 when you raise R13 and Vice versa

DS-1 Synth mod (best pics I could find)
http://www.freestompboxes.org/download/ ... d=3444&t=1
http://www.freestompboxes.org/download/ ... &mode=view

Another Mod
http://www.muzique.com/news/fat-mod-for-the-boss-ds-1/

Big Collection of Mods & how to rehouse http://freestompboxes.org/members/5thum ... ortion.pdf

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 11:06 am
by anxietyswitch
Sweetness - thanks!

Doesn't sound too complicated, but the guts of that thing are just a hair more complicated than I thought LOL
But I think I can figure it out.

The Synth mod sounds interesting, but it says I'm not authorised to download? :picard: whats up with that??? :(

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 12:41 pm
by Scruffie
Oh, my bad on the synth mod... You need to be a member of that forum and I can't seem to find simmilar elsewhere as the original from Geocities is down.

If you take a photo of the back of your board, i'l draw on what you have to do for you :thumb:

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:31 pm
by anxietyswitch
cool cool - so what exactly is this synth mod??? what's it sound like?

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 1:51 pm
by Scruffie
Not a Clue! Nintendoy sounds i'd imagine...

There's this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1uMIJIvbdU not a clue if it's the same mod or if the person just circuit bent it.

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:23 pm
by anxietyswitch
they sound so beautiful! lol it brought a tear to my eye 0_o
Some pretty interesting stuff, I can't wait to get started!!!!!

So, Devi, what exactly is your mod to the DS-1 supposed to sound like, considering that other guy added a few extra wires?
I'm searching right now, but chances are you might respond before I actually find something LOL

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 5:32 pm
by Astricii
http://casperelectronics.com/finished-pieces/boss-ds-1/

Coolest sounding mod I've found thus far.

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 5:46 pm
by Scruffie
Astricii wrote:http://casperelectronics.com/finished-pieces/boss-ds-1/

Coolest sounding mod I've found thus far.

That's the synth mod picture that couldn't be accessed :joy:

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 6:32 pm
by Astricii
Huzzah!

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:21 am
by smile_man
anxietyswitch wrote:they sound so beautiful! lol it brought a tear to my eye 0_o
Some pretty interesting stuff, I can't wait to get started!!!!!

So, Devi, what exactly is your mod to the DS-1 supposed to sound like, considering that other guy added a few extra wires?
I'm searching right now, but chances are you might respond before I actually find something LOL


:love:

Devi's sounds like pick sensitive jackhammer tremolo. It sounds cool, but (in mine at least) it affected the signal even when bypassed.

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:17 am
by anxietyswitch
Hmmm, pick sensitive Tremolo?
Kind of like the Rocket, I presume then, since it IS coming from Devi? lol

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:05 am
by anxietyswitch
*ahem* time to change the title to "n00b withOUT a DS-1." :idk:

Go figure that I couldn't even do the synth mod right, and that seriously looks like the easiest shit in the world. :( :facepalm:
I plug it in and I get the faintest signal. Then, I go ahead and remove the components I added, figuring I must've wired it wrong, and now I get NO sound.

*sigh*

I don't even know what the hell I did. Gah, the frustration!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:
Sadly, at the moment, I'm uber-broke, so I can't even afford the $15 DS-1 sitting in my local pawn shop.
Then again with how everythings come out for me so far, I'd probably screw THAT one up to. :(

thank god I decided not to touch my beloved Little Big Muff. :(

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:44 am
by Scruffie
:( Don't give up!

Post some gut shots (of the whole board and then close ups of the solder area prefferably) and we might be able to spot what could have gone wrong and get you a DS-1 Back :thumb:

Re: n00b with a DS-1!!! Mod suggestions anyone???

Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:08 pm
by anxietyswitch
here are some pics of the board - hope you can see where I did what. I don't know, I think it might have just been my inferior soldering skillz.
Maybe I burned a component or something? Although I don't think I did, The iron didn't touch anything for too long...