Boss DS-1 Modtone Speedbox Distortion pedal shootout

[guitarguy7480]

You can't go wrong with either, IMO. I think the Speedbox was designed to be "safer" with the tone controls, eliminating harshness and the treble the DS-1 is known for. A little less fuss. The result is a loss of character, to my ears. Its a little less lively. The DS-1 has a more "dangerous" EQ sweep that could result in some terrible tones if you don't dial it right to match your pickups. But it has more harmonics to work with after the pedal, a bit more "life", if you will. Both are good.

[workinmanstone]

Ds 1

[oceano901]

the speed box is better than the ds 1

[oceano901]

lol he burped yea thats jack black

[evelskunny]

modtone all the way

[allseriousness]

white coil-ey cable is key.

[Nastypcgaming]

"Original Recipe or Extra Crunchy." Perfect analogy. Well done good sir, thumbs up for you.

[allmosteevreything]

nice the burp

[leusmac]

Hola que tal, me puedes decir cual es la musica que suena al principio y al final del video.. Gracias

[BurtonIbanez9]

how the heck did u do that thing at 4:27?????

[iamsdeathgod]

@BurtonIbanez9 pick scrape, on the bottom 3 strings...E,A,D

[oceano901]

@BurtonIbanez9 pick slide and vibrato

[userboy6]

they both suck my ass

[AlterEgoEffectors]

cool

[blueleadguitar]

I had a DS1 but sold it as it didn't cut it for me

[TheOtherJarhead]

Listening on a MacBook Pro and can't hear much difference. If that's an accurate assessment, I'd go for the looks of the ModTone.

[zaifro]

GOOD TES MAN!!!!

[iannyrockwell]

should i get the mod tone speedbox or Boss metal zone? please help!!!

[Sazman]

@iannyrockwell are you going to play metal? or something along the lines of playing lead solos?

[iannyrockwell]

@Sazman Solos, like getting paramore tune,my kind of sound is like quite crunch,punchy and electric feeling.

[Sazman]

@iannyrockwell In all honesty you would have to try those 2 pedals yourself. I tried using an Mt-2 Boss Metal Zone as a boost for solos with my gear but personally it wouldn't give me that punch that I needed...you could get one and try to tweak the knobs till you find your sound, I'm just saying it didn't work for me. But whatever pedal you choose, just make sure you have a boost pedal like an overdrive or clean boost or a volume pedal...that would really help in making those solos scream

[wolfgar926]

BOTH SUCK BALLS!!!

[SpinGoldmusic]

Blue LED's ftw!

[IronMetl]

0:50 ha-ha-ha! Vote up if u forgive him xD

[Xidkwhat2callmyselfX]

modtone is better and looks cooler

[Aerosmitty77]

I had the modtone. It wasnt too bad.

Definatley not the best, but much better the ds-1

[Ploopy125]

I keep thinking he is going to play "Hold on Loosely" by 38 Special.

[magiman407164]

@Ploopy125 I think he threw it in at about 1:54

[dashfront21]

modtone wins.. no competition

[ZelgadissGreywords]

Certainly "Breaking The Chains" =D

[aids696969]

is the guy talking jack black?

[nepalnt2121]

@aids696969 who?

[maltjik]

it'd be really cool to hear a shootout between different unmodded ds-1's. japanese, taiwanese, silverscrews, black and silver labels, op-amps and whatever now differs between them.

alot of talk here and there about the 'good' old ones and the 'bad' new ones.

so what's the truth!?

[Maxx61]

I've tried, oh lord have I tried but I can't squeeze a pleasing sound out of those damn DS-1's if my ass depended on it. Hate 'em. I'm glad others like it because it is an inexpensive pedal and can be had for peanuts but to my ears, I can never seem to dial out the fizz without things turning to a mosh pit of mud.

[metalhead930430]

@Maxx61 its possible that your more of an overdrive kinda guy, the DS 1 are kinda raw, but its my favourite pedal

[dashfront21]

@Maxx61 have u tried the modtone? what do u think about it?

[Maxx61]

@dashfront21 For MH below as well. Actually, one of my favorite pedals right now is the Digitech Hardwire series. I'm enjoying their delay and metal pedals and they seem to work very well with high output pickups, whereas the DS-1 seems to be overwhelmed by my rig. I haven't tried any Modtone's yet but I've heard very nice comments about them, especially for the scratch. I think both of the pedals above are better used with lower gain pups. At least that's been my experience.

[JOHNNYTRUBLUD]

They sound pretty similar but i found the speedbox brand new for $35 used for $25 and the BOSS is about $47 new $30's used on amazon

[jukeboxhero844]

white coily cable LOL XD

[guitarshreder1231]

@Duality1005 depends on what you mean by thrash, because i have a ds-1.. i love it, for me i can get a good metal tone out of it, but alot of other's on the net hate on it... depends on what kinda tone and stuff your looking for

[mtsn]

the green one wins. Hands down.

[chillilover1]

Sounds like Dokken at 1:36 .........."Breaking the Chains"?

[MrHardman50]

he sounds like Jack Black

[mark3777]

boss sounds a bit smoother but that's about it

[grigno97]

orange BUUUURP (excuse me) tiny terror....

[mrmusica]

I feel the speedbox a bit muddier, just ordered the DS-1 hope it fits my style :) I need a clear pop-ish distortion

[scorpguitar79]

the modtone seemed warmer and more dynamic. True Bypass seals the deal.

[Duality1005]

The Distortion DS-1 would work fine to play thrash metal?, I´m looking for a good pedal and not too expensive

[nymetsrock]

@Duality1005 use the boss metal zone

[BlakeMacey]

I just got my ModTone Speedbox distortion today for Christmas. Its is absolutly amazing.

[tr4itor08]

@BlakeMacey can you get a modern rock tone out the speedbox?

[FingerLickinGoood]

Could i use the speedbox for bass?

[Somepoopy]

@FingerLickinGoood I just got it for bass and it works great

[CaseyViolette92]

I have the SPeedbox, and it is good for anything, even death metal, just with the right settings that is

[wallyhooker]

Good demo! Thanks! They both sound really good. I think the modtone looks a little cooler, and has true bypass.

[rickyjshiznit]

i like the modtone...

[stonerruby]

DS -1 seems louder than the Mod Tone Speed box

[SkinUnzipper]

ds-1's clipping seems kind of nasty in comparison

[ecgedsel]

pleaze respond man please which of these should i get boss ds1 digitech hot head or the bad monkey please tell me

[mindflashbr]

@ecgedsel The Bad Monkey is a great overdrive pedal for the price. It's a no brainer. The DS-1 is also a no brainer for the price, but it doesn't sound great in all amps. I wouldn't get the Hot Head though.

[Adicone16040]

r u make compare of this two pedal?

[koukouroukou12345]

ITS JACK BLACK !

[stayonmytoes]

@BigTy3986 cool thanx man

[1713162434]

nice video ;)

[yobhsiFehT]

Most Boss pedals just sound like one thing to me: the 80s!

[jb1563700]

My God, they both sound horrible.

[earjwee]

The Boss sounds like Digital Trailer Trash.....

[AllroyPA]

OK ... I got my Modtone Speedbox, so I did the head-to-head. Modtone can be described as having a more scooped tone over the DS and has a bit more of a modern crunch stock. If you tend to EQ your mids down and bass up then the choice is obvious ModtoneSpeedbox. If you just color your sound with a bit of dist then you could go with either I suppose. Speedbox feels right to me. And is light as a feather in comparison.

[VanishaGlamChick6]

Ds-1 is one of the gretest pedals ever made and i have to say it´s impressive that it costs only 40 box.

I´m definitely getting one.

[stayonmytoes]

what's the downside to not having true bypass?

[mikeyfatstrings]

ahahaaha. man, you are such a genuinely awesome person.

[nymetsrock]

relating to price, sound, and quality, the ds 1 might be one of the greatest pedals ever

[jb1563700]

Both sound like ass, and I don't mean like the ass of the good kind

[angusvansantana]

fender ilk hahaha love it

[holyshiteater]

I bought a DS1 yesterday after trying it at the shop. I have a MI Audio Chrunchbox and a Big Miff PI. The Chrunchbox sounds a bit like the overdrive channel of my amp and the Muff is a bit to much fuzz... Still great pedals though. So I got the DS1 because I just wanted a plain old distortion next to my amp's OD. I have an Orange BUUUUURRRP AD30 wich sounds great with the gain up untill 3 or 4 o'clock depending on what guitar I use, but further on it turns into a bit of a hissy noise.

[mezol1zee]

play your hit song "pick of destiny" DO IT!

[Peruviandude96]

@mezol1zee its beelzeboss

[BloodandRainbows]

The DS-1 seems to give a deeper sound.

[sirgerry]

What an Orange costs also makes me burp

[ShirtlessChiliPepper]

@sirgerry best guitar demo comment ever.

[jbsnightrain]

if anyones got the digitech whammy and the ds1 theyve got the worst pedals in existence!

[NNX7]

@jbsnightrain then steve vai would be the worst guitaris ever cause he's got both of them...hmm nah!

[BradSpead7]

@jbsnightrain add Tom Morello to the list of Whammy users... and Kurt Cobain to the list of DS-1 users.

Granted, i hate Kurt Cobain's stuff, but he was an influential musician

[mrik21]

"BuuuuuuuuUUUrrrp excuse me !"

This guy rock !

xD

Sacrée américain !

[Ncuab]

Speedbox - slightly more treble, sounds warmer, maybe more mids

DS-1 - bass sounds crsipier

[antifaith82]

screw the pedals... I'm gettin some snakeskins!!!

[race1717]

Use BOTH of them and give us a demo of it!

[falloftroy555222]

dude, you play guitar like jack black, you sound like jack black, you use gibson like jack black, and you burp like jack black! hahha

[mattbo12]

i personally dont hear much difference between the two but i must say im loving the boss ds-1

[shanesreallycool]

i own both and i have to say i favor the modtone for a few reasons. one of the reasons is the true bypass, which really helps on my board. another thing that got me is the actual bypass switch because its alot easier to hit, and its easier to tell if its on with the amazingly bright LED. i still use the ds1 though alot for more classic sounds

[pureoffering7]

Hey, gearman... thank you for demoing these cheaper distortion pedals for us guitarist on budgets... but something that came to my attention was that you may in fact be using more inexpensive pedals, but you're using pretty darn high-end gear... what? An orange head with 2 fender cabs... and a most likely +1000 dollar gibson... I was just wondering if you would be willing to try using some cheaper gear along with the pedals sometime... regardless, great , amazing demos.

[rdt78]

boss ds 1 is pretty cool.....

[TheLetheProject]

The Modtone sounds fuller and more "realistic" to my ears. In my opinion, a most of the high-ish gain Boss pedals sound as if they try to emulate a dirty sound; it sounds "grainy" rather that "dirty".

[AllThingsGuitar]

It's funny, because both of these are selling locally on my kijiji. The ds1 for 35$, and the modtone for 25$

[GuitarFreakNation]

He forgot to say "...and a fulltone patch cable"

(:

[scizor000]

1:33 sounds like dokken, lol

[hablomos]

does anyone else swear that the guy doing the video is Jack Black's doppelganger?!

[klingman308]

that was a good burp

[bigfish0804]

the DS-1 really sounds better with the tone below 50%. the amp you use makes a huge difference too...

[joakorush2112]

00: 51 you are welcome ;)

[RNRDOLL]

The speedbox sounded tighter. I have a ds-1 and it doesn't sound fuzzy in higher settings like that, yours is weird GMD!

[OKaeporaGaeboraO]

epic burp

[Steeyfan]

what's the song in the beginning? I LOVE THAT PART !!!

[rodwyr]

When I first got my DS-1, it didn't sound very good. Seemed like the bottom end dropped off the planet and sounded thin and buzzy. Put in a Monte Allums Rectifier Tri-Gain Mod...let's just say it put in everything the stock DS-1 was missing. Couldn't have been more pleased with the change.

[fredericiscool]

I'm suprised at how good the DS-1 sounds in this video. In other videos it seems very thin sounding.

[MrAlfredocolon]

ds1 is more trebley. i have one and love it. i dont use it for metal or hard rock ( got my big muff there for that hard rock ) but the ds 1 is perfect for a bluesy boost if you put the distortion at 0 and the tone at 10. level is up to you but great for rhythm. i dont know about leads but its awesome

[crushapple2]

nice shoes

[tankarlos]

dude I LIKE UR VIDEOS

A LOT!

thanks for sharing

[VampolkaXL]

I have a JCM 2000 and want to know what pedal would be best for getting a heavier sound. I use the amps crunch channel for straight rock, but when I want to play heavier stuff, the amp feels like it needs an extra push.

I have a devin townsend sort of sound in mind, is there anyway I could get that sort of crunch through the amp or what pedal should I get?

[1012musicman1012]

i have the JCM 2000 as well. i dont use the dirty channel. I run pedals through the clean channel set to clean. For my hard rock/metal i use a Fulltone GT-500 with the gain dimmed. Then to saturate the gain on the fulltone, i grabbed a super cheap MXR classic distortion and i run it at zero gain before the fulltone to bump it up to hard rock territory. After that its messing with your mid sweep knob between scooped and boosted.

[ihavenoname93]

it depends on if you want to boost your lead channel or have all the gain from the pedal

[bigfish0804]

If i need a lot of distortion i boost the OD1 channel with an ibanez TS9 (gain 0, tone 10, level 10) for blues i stay on the classic channel in crunch mode, and for punky stuff i use a distortion pedal through the clean channel.

[STRUMGROOVE]

I agree the DS-1 sounds a little more full

[TheJasonwallace13]

SPEEDBOX ALL THE WAY BABY!

[MrCooterbruzer]

nearly identicalisticaly alike. one sounds like a hot chick wearing spandex and ones sounds like a hot chick wearing bubble wrap and you'd do em both.

[jamesstone123]

modtone sounds a little more fuzzy with less of a midboost. Prefer it over the DS-1

prefer the modtone on switching too and the LED is much easier to see on stage

[twinheadlamp]

Thanks, how a demo SHOULD be, clear and staight to business! One thing about the DS1 is the annoying lag from you press that button to the thing kicking in! On mine anyhow. So Speedbox for me as it goes for the throat more too.

[FunkyMonks217]

DS-1 is a great pedal i have one now. i would reccomend them to anyone

[cob4lyf04]

i think the mod tone is better i had a boss ds1 and returned it in a day i hated the way it responds to your picking dynamics

[KickingAss24]

the intro music sounds like social distortion

[Markn951]

wow both sound like garbage

[shabond901]

it dosent sound different to me either

[gmlasam]

Hmmmm sound the same to me.

[06scorr]

JACK BLACK!

[Scumkill2]

I have the DS-1 but I would say that Mad Tone Speedbox sounds better. It has more meat.

[92stone]

Dude its really Jack Black

[RRyyNNee]

boss distortion wins

[OZZYTS808]

the DS1 Is Digital right

[Scumkill2]

Boss DS-1 is fully analog distortion. It was designed in 70's.

[titanAE2008]

nice boots... is that snake skin?

[mellodicus]

very nice!! thanks man!

[guitarguy1067]

i like the mod

[MVilorio]

rich harmonic tone at 0:50 Beauttiful!!!!!!! i love it!!

[sexpistolio]

i like'm both :)

[Eva03product]

I kinda favor the speedbox because I like the extra crunchy and it sounded like it sustained the notes and chords a little longer than the boss,

the boss sounded like it had slightly smoother sound and more mid tone, making sound thicker, but it kinda wimped out after a second of holding a pinch harmonic...

[coronet67]

Actually, I was cranking an old Musicmaster Bass amp (8watt?) with my DS-1 and it sounded bretty beefy. I recorded some killer tracks with that setup with an old Ibanez delay the other day.

[JAespies]

wats wrong with the boss u just got one and its fine

[tonemeister3]

i like extra crispy he! he! for the price i'll get both!!!

[coronet67]

How come people keep copying Boss pedals, putting them in lame boxes and trying to sell them for more money Gearmandude?

[Relayer1968]

you obviously arent taking in the tonal differences. listen to the distortion texture

[coronet67]

Hard to tell on Youtube. The Modtone sounds a bit more creamy and complex texture. The DS-1 a bit more gritty and one-dimentional. But they are pretty close.

[topicrass]

wtf,,,,

dude....

Boss is all digital... those pedal you think are copys are analog...

Boss is not the best Brand in the world ... dig other pedals... look proguitarshop demos as well....

[coronet67]

Um, some newer Boss pedals are digital, but the DS-1 is not.

[topicrass]

copy a link where it says Ds-1 100% analog??? where?

ive a 3 Ds-1.... aJapanese , the taiwan, and keeley modiifed...and let me tell you.. they all suck....(except the keeley pone.. its amazing!!!!)

[coronet67]

Dude, what are you talking about? The DS-1 has been around since the 70's. It's a fairly simple analog design. You cant "copy a link" on youtube, but if you search google you should find something.

"The DS-1 has a very simple circuit, based around a single op-amp. The distortion is produced using a variable gain circuit with diodes shorting the output to ground to produce hard clipping of the input waveform similar to the ProCo Rat distortion pedal....."

[lameguy1123]

Thats true the tonal qualities are some what similar but theres a part with the sqeal at 3:21 that the boss cant handle the pitch..

I think i'll get the mod tone soon, My friend has a ds-1 and i have to say its pretty good(considering we're all poor guys and these bang for bucks pedals make us happy)

[MiLemonPie]

I think that was just a mic issue... GMD please clear this out!!

[sgcody5]

Yeah, the speed box has more bass grumble.

[electrofreak97]

boss kills any pedal

[PhatJoe170]

Except for T Rex, MXR, ModTone, and just about any other pedal...

[Relayer1968]

lol love it

[djbro16]

I had a DS-1.. sold it, never used it.. it beheads the tone off your signal.. very loud and obnoxious pedal

[coronet67]

Yeah. It's a distortion for sure. It's good for buzzy 90s hair metal. I prefer an overdrive Tubescreamer type sound. I;ve got a SD-1 I use a lot.

I have gotten some cool tones by turning the gain almost all the way down on the DS-1 and running it after the SD-1 for a thick super chunk tone.

[alexgoodbourn]

Oh man the tone suck at 1:10 eerrrggghhhhhh!

[myway43]

the DS-1 has more of a nasally quality. I think the Modtone has a general better sound.

[redlinetillthedead]

yea i own both now... just got the modtone and both have their advantages... modtone is meater and warmer distortion (i like it for chord werk) ds-1 has a little more boost and it's more transparent (whick i like for lead werk)... so i thought the modtonewould replace the ds-1 for me, but now i run both

[HolyShitBobMcBob]

just a question... but does anyone else know thats its metal and not mertal? anyone

[purpledohboy]

YEAH, HEAVY MERTAL

[redbird963]

i prefer an MXR dist. + my opinion anyways

[Zachy6297]

put your guitar in drop d or c and play some heavy mertal stuff

[Phishboy26]

Boss DS-1 has been a standard in the music industry just like the Tube Screamers have been. I dont like all these weird ass pedals that model others

[joethfc]

i think the modtone sounds a little better - you can tell which one is analogue - depends what you want though

[itachi746]

Wait sorry, after watching the full vid.

The Boss beats Modtone.

My mistake.

[itachi746]

I think the Modtone has a bit more,

Better quality.

The Boss does have just about the same sound, But if you listen,

You can hear a difference in them.

And Modtone turns out better.

[metalguitar1313]

got a UHHH! scuse me, orange lol

[BLUHENLAX]

i want a distortion pedal but i have no idea how to use them.... does hitting the pedal turn it on?

[Trist808]

Just step on it like he does in the video and it will work fine.

[CrimDellayo134]

wowowow

[marc20999]

hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahah­aha lol 0:51 the best of the video

[brampy]

3:15 was stupid..haha

[Dr1fta55]

hey gearmann,

u seem to hav heaps of experience with distortion/od pedals. ive got a ds-1 at the moment. quite impressed with it but there is a EHX double muff for sale for cheap at the mo. would it be a worth it trade?? cheers yo

[ZornSabreLing]

hahaahahahaha, he burped