Think I am going to buy a Boss SD1 today

fek

fek

Well-known member
I haven't really spent any time with one and everyone seems to say that they are great with Marshall's so why not?

Other OD's on my board are Koko, Shiba Reloaded, Cusack V2 Screamer, and a Buxom. If the SD1 is a good as it should be, maybe I can sell one of the others (not the Koko) and get some cash back!
 
I have purchased endless overdrives over the years at many price points in the quest for something "extra special". I ALWAYS come back to my cheap stock modern SD1. I've finally realized all I really wanted out of those other overdrives was to do what the SD1 was already doing perfectly fine.
 
Great pedal, I really like what it does to the bottom end response. When I was using a JCM 800 I used both a Maxon od808 and a sd-1 together which was awesome, but I felt that between those two the best stand alone boost for that was the sd-1, just my 2 cents.

I've not used any of the boosts you mentioned with a marshall though
 
They are...okay..... always found they thinned out my tone too much for my liking. I like the original ZW44 pedal much more.
 
I've tried a lot of different OD pedals over the years and really enjoy all of them for something, but at the end of the day the SD-1 into a crunchy amp is better than most and as good as the best. The only issue I have is that it's noisy (all of them are), so I run mine in a a noise gate loop.

I see why people like the TS-9, but I never liked it as much as the SD-1. In theory, the more transparent boosts out there should be even better, but I never like them quite as much.
 
I was going to say, that koko boost should cover a lot of ground and be an excellent pedal. I then read the rest of your post :LOL: :LOL:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having an SD-1 around. It's done the job for Zakk on live tours like No More Tears which was iconic. With that said, the ZW44 pedal would probably be the one I'd want to do a 1 on 1 comparison against an SD-1.
 
Bought it. The local GC is about a mile away so I just stopped over at lunch. Will give it a proper run through this weekend.
 
Its a great pedal made for a Marshall.. did you get the Waza or the standard? I have a Taiwan and a black label Japan.. hard to tell any difference other than the power supply adapter differences.
 
lespaul6":3u9actw3 said:
Its a great pedal made for a Marshall.. did you get the Waza or the standard?
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The standard. $49 plus tax. If I don't like it, just take it back! If I do, sell one of the high $ OD's that overlaps and pocket some cash.
 
fek":1sae4g1y said:
I haven't really spent any time with one and everyone seems to say that they are great with Marshall's so why not?

Other OD's on my board are Koko, Shiba Reloaded, Cusack V2 Screamer, and a Buxom. If the SD1 is a good as it should be, maybe I can sell one of the others (not the Koko) and get some cash back!
Click to expand...

I have a Cusak and KoKo right now on my board too. Cusak is a little edgier than a TS-808 but to be honest I could use either. I just have it on there because i paid more than what I paid for the TS-808.What you want with a Marshall is an OD-1. Seeing as they are expensive, a clone of one. Now that said, at volume (anything over 4), your returns on fancy shmancy overdrives is diminished. A TS anything or SD-1 is going to sound as awesome as any modded amp. End of Story. SD-1's are so cheap as well... such a go to if ever your entire rig got stolen and you had a gig in an hour.
 
glpg80":ffe2u2ir said:
I was going to say, that koko boost should cover a lot of ground and be an excellent pedal. I then read the rest of your post :LOL: :LOL:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having an SD-1 around. It's done the job for Zakk on live tours like No More Tears which was iconic. With that said, the ZW44 pedal would probably be the one I'd want to do a 1 on 1 comparison against an SD-1.
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First generation ZW-44.. the newer ones sound a little fuller. Too much so in my opinion. If I am wrong about that and it is the exact same circuit, than I just totally cork sniffed and I appologize!
 
Kapo_Polenton":1eqw9k8r said:
glpg80":1eqw9k8r said:
I was going to say, that koko boost should cover a lot of ground and be an excellent pedal. I then read the rest of your post :LOL: :LOL:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having an SD-1 around. It's done the job for Zakk on live tours like No More Tears which was iconic. With that said, the ZW44 pedal would probably be the one I'd want to do a 1 on 1 comparison against an SD-1.
Click to expand...

First generation ZW-44.. the newer ones sound a little fuller. Too much so in my opinion. If I am wrong about that and it is the exact same circuit, than I just totally cork sniffed and I appologize!
Click to expand...

I watched a couple Youtube vids comparing the ZW44 and SD1 and you are correct! The ZW was a bit more full. Several other threads said the same as well.
 
I tried the original version ZW and it was good too.,, maybe a little too metal sounding for me.. in other words it imparted it own sound through the amp rather than just boosting the amps natural tone.. I found the sd 1 better for that.

I had an OD 1 and the stock SD 1 sounded better.. they improved the OD 1 with the SD 1 for a reason. A lot of hype there, I think
 
I have the ZW pedal. I bought it used, so don't know which version it is. I'd actually assumed all that had changed was enclosure and cosmetics. Apparently, I was wrong? Anyhow, I would have described it as smoother than the SD-1, which is probably the same thing others are describing as fuller. There's a harshness to the SD-1 that the ZW doesn't have, and for metal tones I like that harshness more.
 
I never looked back when I got my SD-1 after someone recommended it with my first Dual Rectifier....bought a Keeley SD-1 shortly after and that's been my #1 pedal for 15 years....lately though the KHDK Ghoul Screamer has been giving it a run for it's money.
 
I think the comment that the zw44 is smoother /thicker is true. The highs are also less....brittle? scratchy?

The zw44 also has an internal switch to change it from the ZW voicing to the mxr classic OD setting. So that's so cool future as well. I recently bought one used locally and it sounds great boosting my JVMs orange channel.
 
OD1X. Adds a touch of upper mids, and can keep your low end intact or add a bit if needed. Cusack, Savage Drive etc all very cool but I sold them when A/Bing with the Boss. If you want the effect of the original OD1 just drop the bass on the pedal down to 9 o'clock.

That said, I also have a 25 dollar used SD1. They are the old standby for a reason.
 
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