So I have 4 Boss SD-1’s

E

EyesOfTheSouth!

Well-known member
I have the following: old MIJ, modern MIT, Waza, and and the 40th anniversary black one. I’ll preface by saying the SD-1 is my favorite OD/Boost ever. It has sent tons of boutiques packing. Just love what they do to my tone. I use them all in typical boost fashion in front of modded Marshall style amps. Volume up and gain off or barely cracked.

I’ve always just grabbed one and never took the time to compare until today. Guess what……they all sound different. Quite dramatically to be honest.

The modern MIT is my favorite. It tightens everything up nicely and produces a focused/punchy high gain with little to no fizz.

The 40th anniversary (which is supposedly identical to modern MIT) is darker, looser, and fizzy. Mid boost is much lower q than the MIT. Also has more gain coming through when set to zero. Not sure what is going on here unless it is component tolerances. Or maybe it actually is a different circuit and not just a different color housing.

The Old MIJ is somewhere in between the above two and gets the job done. Sounds perfectly fine until I move back to the MIT without letting ears rest.

The Waza surprised me since this is my first time A/Bing them. It is much smoother and tubescreamer like on the stock setting. Has a honky mid peak and noticeably more gain than the MIT. The custom setting with the volume backed down to 1:00-2:00 is actually closer to the MIT than the stock Waza setting when it comes to tightening up the amp.

Anyway, just thought I would throw this out there.
 
Its my favorite standard 3 knob OD of all time. I'm also with you on that the Waza version does have that TS mid hump but sounds a bit more aggressive. I was surprised by that. If you wanted both a TS and SD all in one solution, the Waza is the way to go.
 
Thanks for writing up the differences between the four. Appreciate it (y)
 
i have one of the 80's made in japan. not sure about the year. Got it from 232 cap. I has a really different sound from my tube screamer. I don't keep a lot of boosts around because i am picky and they usually are gone within a month. I don't use boosts almost at all with my wizard. But these two I have are so good that i made a small pedalboard again, and every once in awhile i will boost with them and compare them.
 

Attachments

  • pedal board.jpg
    pedal board.jpg
    28.7 KB · Views: 38
Hey guys.
I have two mid 80's - SD-1's MIJ.
Amazing overdrive pedals.
Buy them when you can.
Also grab HM-2 MIJ Pedals , they work great together.
Cheers.
 
I've got a 90's MIT, I've never gotten rid of it. Have tons of improved pedals and boutique'ish stuff but whenever er i throw it back down in front of a Marshall, it's the goods.
 
I have a newer MIT version and the 40th. Have not given them a proper A/B but guess I should.

Bought and sold several SD1's over the years and that magic formula did not stick with me until a few years ago. It never leaves my board now.
 
I have a bunch of them lol. Totally agree on your tone analysis. I usually use a MIT as well. I’ve also got a few mods I’ve done on some, but usually just use a stock one. Definitely my fave pedal.
 
I used to have an older SD-1 that I modded out and got rid of for some dumb reason. I picked up one of those black anniversary ones and DAMN does it sound nice. Really sounds great with Marshally type amps.
 
I have 3. Two MIJ, one I bought brand new. It is so faded it is almost white now. Just picked up a relatively new one, not sure where it is made. Been using it lately, has more upper mid which helps with the 7 string.
Never liked how you would lose all the bass in front of an older Marshall, so I modded the old ones to not do that.
 
I just got an ‘85 Japan SD-1 to compare with my current Waza version. The vintage one sounded noticeably more warm and musical. I always thought the Waza was great, but until I compared them I suddenly realized how clinical the Waza sounded. It was more clear and bright but was missing a lot of warmth and fullness in the low mids compared to the original. I did have a MIT a long time ago but can’t remember how it sounded.
 
I’ve had a few over the years. I’m happy with an early 90’s MIT. Best $30 spent.

Tolerance differences in components clearly play a part. I had a bunch of VFE standouts and they all sounded great. That said, one stood out more than the others. Just had the tone. Same with amps, etc.
 
Try the Wylde Overdrive as well. The old ones, not the Berseker ones. They're like an SD-1 with a touch less low mid clutter and a slightly bigger low-end.

Also, everyone says the SD-1 works great in front a Marshall, but I think it does wonders for a Recto as well. I like a TS with a 5150 better because it's that sound, but an SD-1 really compliments the EQ curve of a Recto and tightens it up much better than TS does, IMO.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fek
What's the relationship between the SD-1 and the TS? Were they supposed to be the Boss answer to the TS?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top