Conclusion:
Call me surprised! I really like it. The pedal sounds really good on a large range of settings and provides an excellent overdrive/distortion for the dollar. It does have a bit of an edge I like to call ‘digital consistency’ to some of the tones that make it feel less lively than some analogue pedals. The bypass and construction are on par with all modern boss pedals, and the mod work is very well done. The sound is pretty compressed (very much so on higher gain settings) and there isn’t an incredibly light setting where dynamics are fully captured. The range of the tone knob is excellent, moving from a dark scooped sound on one end to a much more cutting midrange when cranked
.
I think it sounds best in it’s low-mid gain settings while the rear switch is set to overdrive. I would feel pretty good if I had to take this where I needed some light dirt for a live situation, and a little more hesitant as my only option for recording.
As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment or let me know
Note: A rating of 5 = acceptable and should considered a ‘good’ basic score
Versatility: 7
Sound: 6
Value: 8
Overall: 7
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Wow. I’m pretty impressed. You were right in not trying out a stock DS-1 with bass. I have tried one, and it does not sound pretty, and I don’t mean in the good way. It actually belonged to a guitarist friend of mine (glad I didn’t spend any of my money on it). Having had that experience, I probably would have given it around an 8, but of course that would be biased. Still, it’s great for the money.
Also, how’s that Schecter working out? I’ve thought about getting one for a while now. I’ve always loved the Fender Bass VI (what the hellcat is based off of), but they’re too expensive. I just wish it had a trem and better pickups with more low end.
awesome pedal, thx for review!
nice pedal but quite generic sounding imo good for the price though
The Schecter is fun, but it is a tad flawed. For sure worth the money when compared with what a Bass VI costs!
Since it’s modded, can they also mod it for true bypass? That would be a great addition to an already impressive pedal.
no, true bypass would be a downgrade from the exisiting superb boss buffered switch
^ ya. With a TRUE bypass switch, you can’t have an LED on/off indicator. So even if it says the switch true bypass, if it has an LED, it’s not bypassing 100%. Boss did such a good job buffering the switch that true bypass just isn’t worth it.
Hey………
Buffers are great as line drivers. I would actually recommend having an appropriate buffer near the front of a long pedal chain. The problem comes with 15 buffers in a row. That is one of the reasons that True bypass is a standard issue feature these days. (we simply use more effects & don’t need/want all those buffers). While it is true that a true bypass signal still shares a ground connection with the effect when in bypass mode, the *signal* line has no electronic connection to the circuit in most cases, (acts as a patch cable when no power is applied) with or without a LED. As long as steps are taken to avoid any noise leaking through the ground connection, True bypass is a perfectly viable set-up, and not without good reason…
Just to be clear…… :^)
-Mario