Boss Waza DS-1W is out

stonevibe · October 2022

The Boss DS-1W is out at last

monquixote · October 2022

Long overdue!

Really surprised they didn't do this in the first run.

stonevibe · October 2022

monquixote said:

Long overdue!

Really surprised they didn't do this in the first run.

Yeah, I guess there isn't much to add to the design anymore. As Keeley etc already tweaked it.

stickyfiddle · October 2022

Is there a switch for "more bees" ?

I'm also very surprised it has already been Waza-ed tbh. I didn't like the modded DS1 I had for a bit (Allums I think) but it's a classic pedal for a reason.

BintyTwanger77 · October 2022

Was this Kurt's distortion of choice or was that the Turbo Distortion?

(*Cobain, obvs)

ICBM · October 2022

BintyTwanger77 said:

Was this Kurt's distortion of choice or was that the Turbo Distortion?

As far as I know he used both.

I've never understood the hate the DS-1 seems to generate, to me it's always been the absolutely definitive distortion pedal. If you can't get it to sound good you've either got it set wrong or you just don't like distortion pedals

.

I'm not sure I need a Waza one though - the 40th Anniversary one I've got sounds just like a DS-1 should. The custom mode adds mids and more volume, but I have an OS-2 if I want that...

I don't know why they've stacked it into the SD-1 and not the other way round either - that's by far the worst sound in that demo - but SD-1 into DS-1 is amazing.

stickyfiddle · October 2022

BintyTwanger77 said:

Was this Kurt's distortion of choice or was that the Turbo Distortion?

(*Cobain, obvs)

IIRC Bleach and Nevermind were mostly DS-1. In Utero was DS-2

Reverend · October 2022

Its the centre guitar on Left Hand Path - which is the reason people get an HM2

BeardyAndy · October 2022

I though the Waza magic was only applied to discontinued models, or have i imagined this?

NorthernStomps · October 2022

BeardyAndy said:

I thought the Waza magic was only applied to discontinued models, or have i imagined this?

Nah there’s loads of Waza models of in production pedals

Speaking of discontinued pedals though, we need a Waza SG-1

monquixote · October 2022

stonevibe said:

monquixote said:

Long overdue!

Really surprised they didn't do this in the first run.

Yeah, I guess there isn't much to add to the design anymore. As Keeley etc already tweaked it.

Also I kind of think of the DS-2 as the refined version of the DS-1

Whitecat · October 2022

I kinda want one. “Out” is doing a lot of heavy lifting though, I think one dealer said “expected in January”.

monquixote · October 2022

ICBM said:

I've never understood the hate the DS-1 seems to generate, to me it's always been the absolutely definitive distortion pedal. If you can't get it to sound good you've either got it set wrong or you just don't like distortion pedals .

I think it's people not understanding what they do. I think a lot of people hear Steve Vai or Joe Satriani use it and assume it's going to be some kind of Guvnor like Marshall in a box.

They are great for the really horrible Nirvana type distortion. You can't get that with an amp and though it sounds nasty isolated it's great in the mix.

It's also brilliant with the gain fow as a boost. Khruangbin use it this way and you can hardly call their guitar sound "harsh and fizzy"

For something to be both Kurt Cobain and Steve Vai's favorite pedal they must be doing something right!

ICBM · October 2022

monquixote said:

Also I kind of think of the DS-2 as the refined version of the DS-1

It's actually surprisingly different, even though the voicing is in the same ballpark - the DS-1 is an IC op-amp gain stage (there is a transistor but it's just used as a boost going into the IC), the DS-2 is all discrete transistors. Interestingly, the DS1W is described there as being discrete as well, so in some ways it might be closer to the DS-2.

monquixote · October 2022

ICBM said:

monquixote said:

Also I kind of think of the DS-2 as the refined version of the DS-1

It's actually surprisingly different, even though the voicing is in the same ballpark - the DS-1 is an IC op-amp gain stage (there is a transistor but it's just used as a boost going into the IC), the DS-2 is all discrete transistors. Interestingly, the DS1W is described there as being discrete as well, so in some ways it might be closer to the DS-2.

It seems like there is almost a lineage in complexity from DS-1 to DS-2 to BD-2 to OD-3

I find it weird the DS-2 isn't held in higher regard as more of a classic. I think it's easily my favorite distortion.

ICBM · October 2022

monquixote said:

It seems like there is almost a lineage in complexity from DS-1 to DS-2 to BD-2 to OD-3

I find it weird the DS-2 isn't held in higher regard as more of a classic. I think it's easily my favorite distortion.

Interestingly I prefer the DS-1 to the DS-2, don't really like the BD-2, don't like the OD-3... but like the SD-1 and the OS-2 which are both IC-based, so I'm beginning to think I just don't like discrete-transistor circuits!

And then on the other hand I love Peavey Transtube amps, which have all-discrete preamps - so maybe there's nothing in that either

.

Musicman20 · October 2022

I’ll get one as I love the Waza line, but I doubt it’s worth putting a deposit down as these will be months away.

JezWynd · October 2022

Musicman20 said:

I’ll get one as I love the Waza line, but I doubt it’s worth putting a deposit down as these will be months away.

Just in time for Xmas I imagine.

GavRichList · October 2022

demo sounds great, but the facial expressions are unbearable. This seems to be a growing problem, and not enough people are talking about it. These people need to be stopped. All those IG guitarists with their big headphones and boutique guitarmies doing the mouth gymnastics are a menace to the innocent social media using public, and should be rounded up and forcefully reprimanded for the good of society.

Today is day 1. Today we can make a stand. Say no to bending notes whilst simultaneously trying to eat your own earlobe.

NorthernStomps · October 2022

GavRichList said:

demo sounds great, but the facial expressions are unbearable. This seems to be a growing problem, and not enough people are talking about it. These people need to be stopped. All those IG guitarists with their big headphones and boutique guitarmies doing the mouth gymnastics are a menace to the innocent social media using public, and should be rounded up and forcefully reprimanded for the good of society.

Today is day 1. Today we can make a stand. Say no to bending notes whilst simultaneously trying to eat your own earlobe.

Honestly drives me fucking potty. That “what’s that stank” face people pull like they’ve got a moustache made of dog shit

GavRichList · October 2022

NorthernStomps said:

GavRichList said:

demo sounds great, but the facial expressions are unbearable. This seems to be a growing problem, and not enough people are talking about it. These people need to be stopped. All those IG guitarists with their big headphones and boutique guitarmies doing the mouth gymnastics are a menace to the innocent social media using public, and should be rounded up and forcefully reprimanded for the good of society.

Today is day 1. Today we can make a stand. Say no to bending notes whilst simultaneously trying to eat your own earlobe.

Honestly drives me fucking potty. That “what’s that stank” face people pull like they’ve got a moustache made of dog shit

Today we rise!

Jetsam1 · October 2022

GavRichList said:

demo sounds great, but the facial expressions are unbearable. This seems to be a growing problem, and not enough people are talking about it. These people need to be stopped. All those IG guitarists with their big headphones and boutique guitarmies doing the mouth gymnastics are a menace to the innocent social media using public, and should be rounded up and forcefully reprimanded for the good of society.

Today is day 1. Today we can make a stand. Say no to bending notes whilst simultaneously trying to eat your own earlobe.

Maybe there are "special" frequencies only those sensitive and skilled enough can detect and they create a sudden lurge in the intestines and that is why they look like either desperately trying to hold or seconds from stinky disaster.

Explains the faces.

normula1 · October 2022

It sounds really good in the Studio Rats demo

stonevibe · October 2022

I think a lot of people don't like the original DS-1 as they don't know how to use it.

They either don't know or forget that the Tone control is super sensitive, essentially a filter that lets through high-end and has a huge impact on the overall sound. Set it to off and add just a touch for some clarity and you are in the right ballpark.

Plus, the distortion knob is basically too much after about 10-12 o'clock for useable drive tones. It is essentially just compression/saturation past 12 o'clock.

I normally turn the Level up to maximum and then control the pedal with the volume knob of my guitar.

impmann · October 2022

stonevibe said:

I think a lot of people don't like the original DS-1 as they don't know how to use it. try to use it as a distortion pedal

They either don't know or forget that the Tone control is super sensitive, essentially a filter that lets through high-end and has a huge impact on the overall sound. Set it to off and add just a touch for some clarity and you are in the right ballpark.

Plus, the distortion knob is basically too much after about 10-12 o'clock for useable drive tones. It is essentially just compression/saturation past 12 o'clock.

I normally turn the Level up to maximum and then control the pedal with the volume knob of my guitar.

FTFY ;-)

TBH, I've tried 100s of times to get the DS-1 to work for me. I used to sell the damned things in the shop I worked in, and I hated them then too. Its a pedal that works for some players, not for all.

The tone control sweep is *wrong* for 99% of people's useage scenarios. Its over bright and fizzy. Yes you can turn it to 'off' but thats compensating for something thats got the wrong sweep. When the pedal was designed, it was designed to sound like a buzz saw - like proper distortion. These days that isn't quite what a distortion box is used as, and the extremes of that sweep are inappropriate for the modern player.

Ditto the distortion knob - as you rightly say above 12 o'clock its pretty much unusable. So why have that? Answer: because Boss were trying to make it sound at launch like extreme distortion (much like a Shin Ei fuzz box) where the sound pretty much collapses, farts out and becomes a square wave. Not a useable sound unless you are playing avant garde mentalism.

Its has a voice that you either like or don't at knob settings much lower than you'd use another pedal with the dynamics of a brick. As a huge Steve Rothery fan, I genuinely don't know how he makes it sound so good as I've tried using his settings using very similar guitar and amp... it still sounded like a jar of wasps being agitated by a bloke riding a Yamaha Fizzy.

I don't like the DS-1 because there are other distortion units that give me the sound I'm looking for - and this one doesn't. Despite years of trying. Perhaps the Waza will be different... maybe

stonevibe · October 2022

impmann said:

stonevibe said:

I think a lot of people don't like the original DS-1 as they don't know how to use it. try to use it as a distortion pedal

They either don't know or forget that the Tone control is super sensitive, essentially a filter that lets through high-end and has a huge impact on the overall sound. Set it to off and add just a touch for some clarity and you are in the right ballpark.

Plus, the distortion knob is basically too much after about 10-12 o'clock for useable drive tones. It is essentially just compression/saturation past 12 o'clock.

I normally turn the Level up to maximum and then control the pedal with the volume knob of my guitar.

FTFY ;-)

TBH, I've tried 100s of times to get the DS-1 to work for me. I used to sell the damned things in the shop I worked in, and I hated them then too. Its a pedal that works for some players, not for all.

The tone control sweep is *wrong* for 99% of people's useage scenarios. Its over bright and fizzy. Yes you can turn it to 'off' but thats compensating for something thats got the wrong sweep. When the pedal was designed, it was designed to sound like a buzz saw - like proper distortion. These days that isn't quite what a distortion box is used as, and the extremes of that sweep are inappropriate for the modern player.

Ditto the distortion knob - as you rightly say above 12 o'clock its pretty much unusable. So why have that? Answer: because Boss were trying to make it sound at launch like extreme distortion (much like a Shin Ei fuzz box) where the sound pretty much collapses, farts out and becomes a square wave. Not a useable sound unless you are playing avant garde mentalism.

Its has a voice that you either like or don't at knob settings much lower than you'd use another pedal with the dynamics of a brick. As a huge Steve Rothery fan, I genuinely don't know how he makes it sound so good as I've tried using his settings using very similar guitar and amp... it still sounded like a jar of wasps being agitated by a bloke riding a Yamaha Fizzy.

I don't like the DS-1 because there are other distortion units that give me the sound I'm looking for - and this one doesn't. Despite years of trying. Perhaps the Waza will be different... maybe

I guess a lot of '70s dark-sounding non-Master Volume tube amps probably helped. The famous user list for the DS-1 is massive though, as when you get it right it sounds pretty glorious.

I hate that Shin Ei fuzz box and had loads of them as a kid (car boot sale specials) and they are awful... LOL

Agree with you on all your points and I guess its a 'Marmite' pedal for many.

Johnnyseven · October 2022

Hasn't the DS1 had a few circuit changes over the years. I think I read on BYOC that the original circuit is quite different to the current one, wonder which this is based off of? Anyway, i'd be interested in trying for the C mode - i've been looking for a dist pedal with mids that works for me for a while.

ThePrettyDamned · October 2022

monquixote said:

ICBM said:

monquixote said:

Also I kind of think of the DS-2 as the refined version of the DS-1

It's actually surprisingly different, even though the voicing is in the same ballpark - the DS-1 is an IC op-amp gain stage (there is a transistor but it's just used as a boost going into the IC), the DS-2 is all discrete transistors. Interestingly, the DS1W is described there as being discrete as well, so in some ways it might be closer to the DS-2.

It seems like there is almost a lineage in complexity from DS-1 to DS-2 to BD-2 to OD-3

I find it weird the DS-2 isn't held in higher regard as more of a classic. I think it's easily my favorite distortion.

The ds2 is so damn good. And worth having access to both sides of it.

Musicman20 · October 2022

GG matched the lowest price and had the lowest price on the RE-202 which I just knew I’d end up getting.

Deposited both but probably a 3-4 month wait.

KevS · October 2022

The added Mids on the Waza sound like a good thing.
The Scooped Mids is what puts me off most Distortion Pedals..
I prefer the Distortion Plus over the DS1 and The Rat..
The Rat has it's uses,but sounds cold and Mechanical to me,,Same with the DS1,HM 2 Also..
The Ibanez SD9 is a bit better than the DS1 for me,but still,,
I'd rather have a TS9 or TS 808 or whatever..
Maybe I indeed don't like Distortions..

Apart from the more Amp in a Box Distortions,,Original Guvnor,,Wampler stuff,,plus the MXR Dist +,
I believe the Tumnus is hard clipping,,I like that..
I am definitely more a Fan of Overdrive I think..

Some Distortions are great for Dirty Rhythm,,but Overdrive is best for lead for me..
That scooped Mid thing,,if that is what is doing it,,robs the note of substance / Muscle..
Before Soft Clipping,,I would have used some type of Boost I think..
I find even a Graphic EQ with lightly boosted mids and Volume boost much better than Distortion for Lead Playing..

Redlester · October 2022

The player in the video is making pained faces because he was contractually obliged to play the most hideous, contrived and generic guitar music imaginable. Have pity.

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Boss Waza DS-1W is out

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