Boss Distortion DS-2 – Review
Any amateur, hearing the word “electric guitar” imagines the sound of distortion. Any professional, imagining distortion sound, hears the Boss Distortion DS-2. How many guitar pedals can boast a wikipedia page? Boss Distortion DS-2 can. This is how popular it is.
Pedal development history
The success story of this guitar pedal began in the late 1980s with the first Boss Distortion DS-1. This was the era of heavy music and the novelty immediately won the hearts of many popular today, but then unknown rock music idols. “Boss” recognizable distortion can be heard in music of such bands as Nirvana, Alcatrazz, Eagles, Burning Rain and others. In the late eighties, “Boss” engineers decided to change and added a Turbo mode to the pedal, which made the sound more harsh and crushing. The last redesign Boss Distortion DS-2 survived in 2017. It was forty years since the release of the first model. The pedal was painted black and produced in limited editions. At the same time, the sound remained the same.
Settings and operating modes Boss Distortion DS-2
The Boss Distortion DS-2, like its predecessor, is a quality, versatile distortion pedal. This model is the direct successor of the pedal beloved by millions of guitarists around the world, providing even more settings for creating a sound unlike anything else. Owners have two operation modes – “Turbo I” and “Turbo II”. In “Turbo I” mode, the guitar sounds powerful, clean. Distortion is balanced, without large drops in EQ, clearly conveying the natural sound of the instrument. In “Turbo II” mode, the tone of the sound changes. Mids sound more powerful and low frequencies, in contrast, are quieter. In this mode, the sound becomes sharper and more assertive. Ideal for long plays in hard rock music.
Three adjustments available for fine tuning: “Level”, “Tone” and “Dist”. The “Level” control is responsible for the overall volume level. The “Tone” control adjusts the brightness of the sound. The “Dist” control controls the level of overdrive (distortion). With such controllers, any musician can adjust the distortion to their desired level for any genre and style of performance from classic rock to modern heavy music.
“Boss” engineers care about musicians. Therefore, they added the ability to connect a footswitch (such as the FS-5L) to the pedal. Footswitch provides the ability to switch between “Turbo I” and “Turbo II” modes on the fly, giving guitarists more control during live performances.
Body and appearance
The DS-2 guitar pedal has a durable metal body that can withstand years of heavy use. The list of safe items does not end there. Boss Distortion DS-2 is equipped with a proprietary silent footswitch with a rubberized work surface. These footswitches have become a “Boss” signature and have earned the reputation of being a rugged structural component. They significantly outperform standard 3PDT buttons in durability and ease of use.
Boss Distortion DS-2 after 10 years
The sound check for legendary boss turbo distortion ds-2 after 10 years of use. We gonna test the pedal in different modes and you will listen the result. According of so long term of use Boss Distortion DS-2 appears to be one of the best guitar effects pedal of all time. Just watch in our demo play what this small device could show you.
Thanks to the high quality buffered bypass implemented here, you don’t have to worry about losing signal quality when using long guitar cables and a lot of effects in the mix. The pedal can be powered by either a 9-volt crown battery or a 9-volt DC power supply. Attention! Batteries are not included and must be purchased separately. No additional tools are required to replace the battery – just unscrew the front screw and lift the cover.
Boss Distortion DS-2 Sound
In terms of sound, the Boss Distortion DS-2 is the hallmark of heavy music styles. This is a powerful, sometimes overly harsh sound. In “Turbo II” mode, the mids press on the listener. But in general, the pedal allows you to achieve the effect of drive, and sometimes even euphoria among music audience. In a sense, we can say that it is such guitar pedal that makes popular musicians out of ordinary musicians. Don’t forget that every “Boss” guitar pedal are designed for the convenience of guitarists. Therefore, in order to achieve a good sound, it is enough to set all controllers to 12 o’clock. But the Boss Distortion DS-2 sounds best with the following settings:
- Level – 12 o’clock;
- Tone – 1 o’clock;
- Dist – 3 o’clock;
Simply set the controllers into these positions and enjoy the hallmark sound of the DS-2 Boss Distortion.
Specifications Boss Distortion DS-2
| Modes | 2 |
|---|---|
| Сontrols | Level, Tone, Dist |
| Sockets (INPUT/OUTPUT) | Jack TS 1/4 |
| Socket (INPUT/OUTPUT) | Jack TS 1/4 |
| Power | 9-volt battery or power supply (not included) |
| Impedance (input) | 1 MOm |
| Impedance (output) | 1 kОm |
| Power consumption | 12 mA |
| Dimension | 0,24 х 0,4 х 0,20 ft |
| Weight | 0,9 lb |
