Keeley modified Boss DS-1 and the world of overdrive/distortion

[The Interceptor]

I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it. It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone. Goes
great with a wah too.

What I have now is a progressive selection of overdrive/distortion:
1) Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - great with a 30-40% blend of clean tone; good
for the Les Paul but not enough of a kick for the Strat. With the Les Paul
this is my Neil Young "Winterlong" tone.
2) Hardwire Valve Distortion - really sounds like an overdrive to me, but a
good pedal. Great on the Strat in the neck pickup.
3) Keeley/Boss DS-1 - still learning about its potential, but I have no idea
why this was on eBay - why you would sell one?
4) Boss Metalzone - strangely, seems to work well with the Strat, in that I
don't long for a humbucker in the bridge position.

Perhaps in a perfect world, the Metalzone might also be a Keeley modified
unit, but it does the job for now.

Brett

[unknown]

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it. It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone. Goes
great with a wah too.

Nice score, man. I was on the lookout for one of them until I bought a
RAT the other week. What'd you end up paying?

The week after I bought said RAT I got a Keeley modded AD-9 Analog
Delay (the simpler pre-expression-pedal model).

It's SWEET. Love his work.

[The Interceptor]

Post by unknown

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it. It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone. Goes
great with a wah too.

Nice score, man. I was on the lookout for one of them until I bought a
RAT the other week. What'd you end up paying?
The week after I bought said RAT I got a Keeley modded AD-9 Analog
Delay (the simpler pre-expression-pedal model).
It's SWEET. Love his work.
--
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

I paid AUS $135. New price in Australia (via the only importer I can find)
is AUS $200; direct from Keeley is US $160 (inc freight). I figure since
Boss pedals are more or less indestructable a second-hand one will do the
job. This isn't always the case for boutique pedals, where switches don't
seem to go the distance.

I've just been testing it some more and can report that it does some good
work with the Strat too. Best on the Les Paul though.

Brett

[Monster Zero]

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it.  It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone.  Goes
great with a wah too.
1) Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - great with a 30-40% blend of clean tone; good
for the Les Paul but not enough of a kick for the Strat.  With the Les Paul
this is my Neil Young "Winterlong" tone.
2) Hardwire Valve Distortion - really sounds like an overdrive to me, but a
good pedal.  Great on the Strat in the neck pickup.
3) Keeley/Boss DS-1 - still learning about its potential, but I have no idea
why this was on eBay - why you would sell one?
4) Boss Metalzone - strangely, seems to work well with the Strat, in that I
don't long for a humbucker in the bridge position.
Perhaps in a perfect world, the Metalzone might also be a Keeley modified
unit, but it does the job for now.
Brett

Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones and I don't have one any more so I was thinking of a Keeley
modded one or something else. Maybe a Tone Bone. I've never liked the
Metalzone pedals. Anyways I'll be doing some hunting this weekend so
hopefully I'll come up with something. My gigging amp (Carvin XV212)
does great by itself and using the BM for leads but I can't quite get
the pre gain down enough where I can tame it with my volume knob for
clean work so I'm going to use pedals in the clean channel only. Shame
really as I do love the dirt channel on the Carvin, kind of
Marshall(y) but enough non Marshall tones to keep me interested.

Maybe I will just get another BM and have that modded I dunno..

[Monster Zero]

Post by Monster Zero

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it.  It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone.  Goes
great with a wah too.
1) Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - great with a 30-40% blend of clean tone; good
for the Les Paul but not enough of a kick for the Strat.  With the Les Paul
this is my Neil Young "Winterlong" tone.
2) Hardwire Valve Distortion - really sounds like an overdrive to me, but a
good pedal.  Great on the Strat in the neck pickup.
3) Keeley/Boss DS-1 - still learning about its potential, but I have no idea
why this was on eBay - why you would sell one?
4) Boss Metalzone - strangely, seems to work well with the Strat, in that I
don't long for a humbucker in the bridge position.
Perhaps in a perfect world, the Metalzone might also be a Keeley modified
unit, but it does the job for now.
Brett

Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones and I don't have one any more so I was thinking of a Keeley
modded one or something else. Maybe a Tone Bone. I've never liked the
Metalzone pedals. Anyways I'll be doing some hunting this weekend so
hopefully I'll come up with something. My gigging amp (Carvin XV212)
does great by itself and using the BM for leads but I can't quite get
the pre gain down enough where I can tame it with my volume knob for
clean work so I'm going to use pedals in the clean channel only. Shame
really as I do love the dirt channel on the Carvin, kind of
Marshall(y) but enough non Marshall tones to keep me interested.
Maybe I will just get another BM and have that modded I dunno..

BTW the Carvin is a two channel amp but I don't have the FS so I
suppose I could just get one at Voodoo Labs.It's the only place I've
seen that makes em, Carvin doesn't any more.

[The Interceptor]

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it. It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone. Goes
great with a wah too.
1) Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - great with a 30-40% blend of clean tone; good
for the Les Paul but not enough of a kick for the Strat. With the Les Paul
this is my Neil Young "Winterlong" tone.
2) Hardwire Valve Distortion - really sounds like an overdrive to me, but a
good pedal. Great on the Strat in the neck pickup.
3) Keeley/Boss DS-1 - still learning about its potential, but I have no idea
why this was on eBay - why you would sell one?
4) Boss Metalzone - strangely, seems to work well with the Strat, in that I
don't long for a humbucker in the bridge position.
Perhaps in a perfect world, the Metalzone might also be a Keeley modified
unit, but it does the job for now.
Brett

Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones and I don't have one any more so I was thinking of a Keeley
modded one or something else. Maybe a Tone Bone. I've never liked the
Metalzone pedals. Anyways I'll be doing some hunting this weekend so
hopefully I'll come up with something. My gigging amp (Carvin XV212)
does great by itself and using the BM for leads but I can't quite get
the pre gain down enough where I can tame it with my volume knob for
clean work so I'm going to use pedals in the clean channel only. Shame
really as I do love the dirt channel on the Carvin, kind of
Marshall(y) but enough non Marshall tones to keep me interested.

Maybe I will just get another BM and have that modded I dunno..

If you like the Bad Monkey (which I also have, but it's in the "pedal
cupboard"), don't rule out the Hardwire Valve Distortion. Similar tone but
with more grunt (not gain).

Brett

[eric weasel]

Post by Monster Zero
Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones and I don't have one any more so I was thinking of a Keeley
modded one or something else. Maybe a Tone Bone. I've never liked the
Metalzone pedals. Anyways I'll be doing some hunting this weekend so
hopefully I'll come up with something. My gigging amp (Carvin XV212)
does great by itself and using the BM for leads but I can't quite get
the pre gain down enough where I can tame it with my volume knob for
clean work so I'm going to use pedals in the clean channel only. Shame
really as I do love the dirt channel on the Carvin, kind of
Marshall(y) but enough non Marshall tones to keep me interested.
Maybe I will just get another BM and have that modded I dunno..

I absolutely love my Keeley modded TS9-DX. It's the best distortion
pedal I've ever used. I will never, ever, ever sell it.

eric

[Dr. Zontar]

Post by Monster Zero
Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones

FWIW, I've had both Japanese and Taiwanese DS-1's. I honestly can't
hear a difference, except that MAYBE the Japanese had a tiny, tiny,
tiny bit more high end. What makes you like the Japanese one more?

- Rich

["Monster Zero" >]

Post by Monster Zero
Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones

FWIW, I've had both Japanese and Taiwanese DS-1's. I honestly can't
hear a difference, except that MAYBE the Japanese had a tiny, tiny,
tiny bit more high end. What makes you like the Japanese one more?

- Rich

My old DS-1 was definitely much warmer and more organic feeling than the
newer one I had. Not sure why but it was.

[dvaoa]

Post by Monster Zero

Post by The Interceptor
I scored a Keeley "Ultra Mod" DS-1 from eBay this week and I'm very happy
with it.  It seems to have plugged a gap in my selection of
overdrive/distortion tones, with a bold but not overbearing tone.  Goes
great with a wah too.
1) Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive - great with a 30-40% blend of clean tone; good
for the Les Paul but not enough of a kick for the Strat.  With the Les Paul
this is my Neil Young "Winterlong" tone.
2) Hardwire Valve Distortion - really sounds like an overdrive to me, but a
good pedal.  Great on the Strat in the neck pickup.
3) Keeley/Boss DS-1 - still learning about its potential, but I have no idea
why this was on eBay - why you would sell one?
4) Boss Metalzone - strangely, seems to work well with the Strat, in that I
don't long for a humbucker in the bridge position.
Perhaps in a perfect world, the Metalzone might also be a Keeley modified
unit, but it does the job for now.
Brett

Cool to know as I am officially on the hunt for another Distortion
pedal. I get a pretty good rhythm sound out of my Bad Monkey and I'm
thinking of just chaining 2 of them together but I've been considering
other stuff like a DS-1 but I really only like the older Japanese made
ones and I don't have one any more so I was thinking of a Keeley
modded one or something else. Maybe a Tone Bone. I've never liked the
Metalzone pedals. Anyways I'll be doing some hunting this weekend so
hopefully I'll come up with something. My gigging amp (Carvin XV212)
does great by itself and using the BM for leads but I can't quite get
the pre gain down enough where I can tame it with my volume knob for
clean work so I'm going to use pedals in the clean channel only. Shame
really as I do love the dirt channel on the Carvin, kind of
Marshall(y) but enough non Marshall tones to keep me interested.
Maybe I will just get another BM and have that modded I dunno..

Look at the Monte Allums DS1 mod...my favorite distortion mod (the
rectifier tri-gain).

-d