Modding A Boss DS-1

A week or so ago, I got a package in the mail, it was from my friend Al, from the band Cannibal Papaya. A couple months ago on facebook I asked if anyone had any guitar pedals they wanted to sell for cheap, and Al being the cool guy he is, sent me this Boss DS-1 for free.

When I got the pedal, the first thing I remembered was the gated feedback mod I saw on Casperelectronics' website, so I decided I'd install that.



This mod is extremely easy, and you only need three things: the DS-1, an SPST toggle switch, and a 2N3904 NPN transistor.

The point of this mod is to add some cool feedback to the distortion without having it squealing when you're not playing anything.

I had these laying around from a couple failed projects, that's why they're not in the prettiest of shape, but who cares? 

Here's how you should be hooking up your transistor, and remember to throw the switch on the collector.

And here's the whole thing soldered up:

Thankfully there's plenty of space inside the DS-1 to mount the switch on the back side.

To make sure the transistor doesn't short anything out, wrap that S.O.B. in electrical tape or heat shrink tubing. Then you can feel safe cramming it all into the pedal.

Like A Glove.

And there you have it. A nicely modded DS-1. The end result is a nice bassey feedback effect. It's not something that I'll be using all the time, but for some weird experimentation, it'll work just fine. If I'm feeling more ambitious, I think I'll add a 1/4" jack instead of the toggle switch, so I can add an external foot switch to turn the effect on and off.

Now that I've added this neat effect, I think I better fix that dim dull LED Boss put in this thing.