Link to the aNaLoG.MaN main page
For orders, see our new website buyanalogman.com for stock Boss pedals and modified Boss pedals We also have the new for 2007 pedals (Fender Bassman, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Dyna Drive, Fuzz, and Metal core) there, not on this old website yet.
Mod Basics | DD-6 Delay | TU-2 Tuner | Boss SD-1 mods | Boss DS-1 mods | Boss BD-2 mods | Boss DD-3 mods | Boss DD-5 and DD-6 mods | Boss/Roland History | Boss GE-7/Pro mods | Boss MT-2 mods | Boss TR-2 mods | Boss EQ-20 mods | Boss RC-2 | Boss RC-20XL | Boss RC-50 | Boss RT-20 | FV-500 volume/expression pedals | Boss OD-1 mods | Boss OD-3 mods | Boss CE-1 mods | Mod Reviews | Sound Samples | True Bypass | New Boss pedals | Used Boss pedals | Purchase information | Online ordering | Mod Form for sending with your pedal |
Are boss pedals True Bypass or can you do a true bypass mod? |
Here is a cool Boss Serial Number Decoder if you would like to know when your pedal was made.
The TU-3 tuner replaced the TU-2 and we carry these now,
to order go to
buyanalogman.com .
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
The Boss DD-3 is made with the same technology as the DD-2 which was
the first compact stomp-box digital delay pedal. Introduced in 1982
using the same chip as the awesome rack mount SDE-3000, the DD-2 was
very expensive. After a few years it was renamed DD-3 and lowered in price
when the memory chips got cheaper. They stopped using the big SDE-3000
chip about when they moved production out of Japan in the 80s.
They are very warm and natural sounding
for a digital pedal, as they use the same compressor/expandor
chips as an analog delay, and redo the echoes each repeat unlike
the newer pedals which just spit out the same bit samples for each
echo with a sterile sound. Our HIGH CUT mod really makes this
pedal sound great, as it cuts each repeat more and more, like
an analog delay. See our delay mod page for more info
on the DD2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.
If you plug something into the DIRECT OUT on the DD3, the main output will be only the delayed signal. This can be very useful.
If you don't need the features of the DD-6 (long delay time, stereo inputs, tap tempo, reverse mode) or if you want the ultimate warm tone with nearly one second of delay, the DD-3 with our high cut mod is the way to go. The price is excellent too.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
Sorry no longer available
We have a reverse KILL SWITCH mod and a HIGH CUT mod available if you have one of these pedals. For more info see our Boss DD-5 mods page.
Sorry no longer available, DD7 is now available with better features.
The DD-6 does not need our reverse mod, as the BLEND control can get
100% delay with no non-delayed sound in reverse mode, unlike the DD-5.
The DD-6 Digital Delay is the first BOSS delay pedal to offer true
stereo delay and panning effects. The STEREO inputs allow sending
both outputs of our STEREO CLONE CHORUS through the delay and keep
the signal in true stereo!
Features include built-in tap tempo capability and a delay/hold time of over 5 seconds (5,200ms).
A new Reverse mode makes it easy to get trippy 60s and 70s-style effects, while the newly designed
Warp mode creates radical delay effects on the fly. Inside it uses
better quality components than the DD-5 so the sound and performance
should be better. DD-6 draws about 50mA of power.
We now have our HIGH CUT mod available for the DD-6 pedal. It is also available on the RV-3, DD-2, DD-3, and DD-5. The high cut only effects the ECHO sound, the DRY sound is still the same, nice and clear. It is a 3 position switch. The center setting is the original bright echo sound, one position is a medium high cut, and the other position a heavier cut. This makes the effect sound quite analog and you can distinguish the repeats from the original sound. This mod on the DD-6 sounds a little better than the same mod on the DD-5, very smooth. The high cut functions on OUTPUT A only, all repeats come out of output A except the super long delays where you have to use output B. We charge $55 for this mod if you send in a pedal, but to keep the price down we will offer a new pedal with the mod for only $43 extra.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
The GE-7 is a very popular EQ pedal. But it can add some noise if you move the sliders away from the center. Even bringing a slider DOWN will add noise, try it! Our mod replaces three chips with the King of Tone chip, which is a low noise chip designed for tone controls, so it's perfect in this application. We also change a bunch of cheap capacitors used for tone control to high grade metal film caps. This lowers noise and improves tone. We also move the frequency of the lowest 100Hz slider up a bit, as it's too low for normal guitar use. The chips we use take about 40% more power (goes from 16mA to 23mA), so a battery will not last as long, better to use a power supply. A normal alkaline battery will still last over 15 hours, so you can still use batteries if you want.
VOLTAGE : The stock GE-7 can not be run over 15V. We modify it so it will run fine on 18V, which will give even more clarity and headroom to the pedal.
Before the mod, the pedal has a slight honkiness and the highs are a bit dull. After the mod, the SNAP is back in your playing- the transients and highs sound a lot better. And of course there is less noise.
Thanks to the people on the diystompboxes forum who posted info on modding this pedal. We used their ideas and tweaked it a bit to make it the best sound for the price. We can modify the oldest Japanese or more recent (but not SMT) GE-7 pedals.
The mod is $55 on your pedal or we will sell you a new GE-7/Pro pedal for $155 with the mods. We can also install a super bright LED in different colors. For new modified pedal orders, see buyanalogman.com
Brent Mason got one of these in late 2011 to use along with his TR-2/Super pedal. "Uncle Larry" Tom Bukovac is also using these on his Nashville sessions.
The MT2/pro mod takes the fakeness away, that cocked-wah super-saturated, big hair, harsh and noisy distortion. It leaves plenty of distortion available, but you can hear the guitar's actual sound after the mod. On the stock pedal, if you sweep the mid range frequency knob it sounds like you are sweeping white noise. After the mod, it sounds like you are sweeping a parametric EQ or wah pedal. The mod is very expensive to do and includes two of our rare KOT clipping diodes, and a chip change on pedals made before 2008. As on the DS1, Boss copied some parts of our mods and are using the JRC chip we specified, on their newer pedals. Also it includes most of our silver mod parts from the tube screamer, many upgraded capacitors. The mod also reduces noise by 5dB with all knobs at 12:00.
I don't usually offer sample settings but this one is a little tough so here is how I like to set it for a starting point:
Level 10:00, Low 3:00, high 1:30, mid freq 10:00, middle 1:30, Dist up high.Tone sweep, first stock, then our mod.
The pedals are available new with the PRO mod, or you can send in your MT-2 with our Boss Mod Form .
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering a new pedal, it allows several payment options and easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
Mike Hermans demonstrates the MT-2 and DS-1 mods:
In about 2021 the TR-2 became an SMT pedal which we cannot modify. The older ones have metal on all 4 sides of the power jack, and is made in Taiwan.
If your tremolo sounds weak we have come up with a mod to improve the tone and make it stronger too. Stock, they lose some volume and tone when ON. We have tweeked it to sound just like the tremolo in my '66 Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. This mod changes out many of the cheap components and replaces them with better sounding components too, like our SILVER mod. The mod is $45 and is now on the mod form.
We now put a small TRIM POT inside the pedal so you can set the exact volume you want when the pedal is ON. We set it (and mark it) to the same volume ON and OFF, you can bump it up even more if you want the tremolo to stand out. This mod does not increase the hiss like most other TR-2 mods. We can optionally mount an external VOLUME KNOB on the pedal if you want to adjust it.
We got this note from a customer who bought every tremolo on the market (price is no object) and liked the stock TR-2 quite well, deciding to send it to us for some finishing :
The TR-2 arrived on Saturday and I cannot stop playing it! It sounds better than the "boutique trems" and is so much quieter, richer, fuller than the stock pedal-definitely a keeper! And it will be on its way to Bob Bradshaw by weeks end for inclusion in my rack system which I hope to receive sometime this century.
We now stock new TR-2 pedals with our SUPER mod for $145 or we can Modify your pedal.
Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys got our TR2/super several years ago and it was still on his board in 2010.
I found out that Brent Mason is using our TR/2 Super when he put out an awesome video in 2011: BRENT MASON Recording Guitar and showed it on his board. Brent said Analog Man does a great mod on it, really makes it sound like an old tube type tremolo. I recommend getting this video!
You may have heard of a "C4 mod" - that by removing C4 from the circuit, the pedal is louder and sounds better. We have never changed C4, but finally got curious. On a new TR-2 we put the capacitor on a toggle switch so we could switch it in and out while playing. It made no difference at all, at any setting. It's what we call a "placebo mod". That cap is in there to stabilize the tremolo pulses coming from the LFO, so not a good idea to remove it.
We can also add a VOLUME knob to these, as seen on the left, though it's not really needed as we put a trimpot
inside so you can adjust it to taste.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering.
The EQ-20 has several programmable EQs you can step through. But you have to bend over and press a little button to do so. We can mod it in 2 different ways.
Mods are $50 for either one. The EQ-20 is available again in 2010, for $199 plus $30 for either mod. We can supply a momentary switchbox with a cord for $30.
See our Mod Form for more info on sending in your pedal for the mod.
(shown at left with optional switch added)
This is a cool little pedal for looping. You really need a remote switch plugged in to use it live. The remote switch plugs in on the right (STOP/TEMPO jack), and allows you to stop the loop, or when stopped, set the tap tempo. If you don't want to buy an external switch, or don't have the real estate for it, we can mount a stomp switch on the RC-2 which works the same way. It's a soft-touch switch so you can easily press it without pushing down on the RC-2's normal switch. And you can still press the normal rocker switch by pressing on the right. We don't add the 2nd external switch, that one switches between saved banks.
In stock! See buyanalogman.com for ordering.
We can also do the mod on your RC-2 pedal,
Use our Boss Mod Form to send it in for the mod.
Whether for use onstage or at home, the new RC-20XL allows musicians to create multi-layered performances in real time. Loops and riffs can be stacked repeatedly until the 16 minutes (!) of ample recording space is full. Never before has it been so easy to create a massive one-person band sound in real time.
Price : $249
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
We can mod this pedal with an expression control jack on the right side. It can control the LEVEL knob so you can set the volume of the loops while they are going (fade them in or out too). We may be able to control a different knob (Guide etc). It's a $50 mod.
For those awaiting the arrival of a new industry-leading looper, the wait is finally over. Introducing the RC-50 the most feature-laden Loop Station BOSS has ever built. It s the best live looping tool ever built for that matter. Housed in a spacious seven-footswitch floor unit, the RC-50 lets you manipulate three stereo phrase tracks simultaneously, with each track supporting multiple overdubs. In other words, you can record phrase upon phrase, one by one, on each track, resulting in a monstrous stack!
Price : $499
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
From the Beatles to Jeff Beck, Santana to Stevie Ray, many guitar greats have embraced the rotary-speaker sound on stage and in the studio. Today BOSS proudly announces the newest member of its Twin Pedal series the RT-20 Rotary Sound Processor. Employing COSM -modeling technology, the RT-20 authentically reproduces classic rotary-speaker sounds. It offers adjustable Rise Time, Horn and Bass speed, Overdrive, and more. And not just for classic twirl, the RT-20 can be used to create unique overdrive and pulsating effects as well. This pedal sounds amazing, and offers a stunning graphical view of the virtual rotors on its built-in display.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
Roland / Boss has finally come out with a really heavy duty pedal, for people who don't like the plastic pedals normally available. This pedal is really cool because it works as a normal volume pedal OR an expression pedal, by plugging into different jacks. For expression use, you don't have to use a Y or Insert cable like with most volume pedals, just a normal cable with stereo ends. They also have an adjustment screw on the bottom for more or less force to move it. The 500H is high impedance for mono guitar or expression pedal control using a high resistance pot. The 500L is stereo and works with low impedance signals for keyboards or active electronics or expression control with a low resistance pot.
Please use our new website BUYANALOGMAN.COM for ordering so you and we can easily keep track of the order status, tracking numbers, etc.
Basically we modify many production pedals to make them sound better. After the mods they are smoother and less harsh, more musical, less like a pedal and more like a great cranked tube amp. We can sell you new pedals already modified. New pedals are available on buyanalogman.com or you can send in your pedal to mod, it takes just a few days for us to finish the mod and ship it back to you. Prices for the various mods are found below or on the Mod Form for sending in with your pedal. Please fill out the form, then print it and send it in with your pedal to mod. It explains everything you need to send in a pedal for the mod.
Here are some samples showing comparisons of our various modified pedals. It is a POPUP WINDOW of Back in Black AC/DC licks.
Here is a short sample of the DS-1/SUPER mod, Ohbayashi san playing my strat through the Deluxe Reverb.
Here is a sample of a customer, Eric Nelson, playing his SD-1/808 with tone at 12:00, drive at 9:00 and volume maxed, playing a Strat through a cranked Gilmore Jr amp (a 1/2 watt kit amp).
Boss pedals are awesome for STACKING (running with other
pedals, to add thickness, sustain, etc). Here is a video
from
Pascal Vigne, a professional guitar-player from
France.
He is playing a Vigier guitar ---> TS-9 silver mod ---> DS-1 pro ---> Marshall 30th
Anniversary (Clean Channel). Here is the
youtube video
A lot of guitarists with heavy sounds and high gain amps are using our Boss SD1/808 pedals as a boost. Bob Rossi used the SD1/808 pedal on ROB ROCK'S 2007 release "Garden of Chaos". You can hear it on the solo on Metal Breed .
The Old Tone Zone website has an awesome page where you can compare many different overdrive pedals. Anthony has included our SD1, BD2, and TS9DX so it's a great way to hear the different settings. You can choose three settings, clean, medium, or full gain. You can hear the samples with (studio mix) or without (raw) a backing track. Raw really allows you to hear subtle differences while the studio mix is great for hearing it with a band.
Some of my favorites are comparing the stock BD2 to the BD2/Super. Also you can compare our SD1/808 in Boss and Ibanez modes, use the high gain setting and raw to really notice the difference on the attacks of each note.
Here is the link to The OD Pedal Comparinator.
We modify the Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive to close to Ibanez TS-808 specs, including the chip. This is the yellow Boss pedal, not the orange DS-1 Distortion. The yellow SD-1 has the same basic design as a Tube screamer but with asymmetrical clipping. We can leave the clipping as-is (Boss style asymmetrical clipping) if you wish, but we normally change it to the Ibanez (symmetrical) style on the SD-1/808 mod. Ibanez told me that Roland (Boss) has a patent on asymmetrical clipping, which gives it a bit more volume, harmonics, and crunch. With Ibanez style clipping, it sounds similar to a TS-808, but still has a touch more edge and drive available. With Boss style, it gets yet a bit more volume, edge, and harmonics. Symmetric clipping creates mostly "ODD HARMONICS", while asymmetric creates both odd and even harmonics, for a sound that is not as pure, but richer. The Brown option is standard on the SD-1 as it really helps to smooth out the sound.
We can change the LEVEL pot to a PUSH PULL POT in order to switch from stock asymmetrical clipping to Ibanez style symmetrical clipping. This is a $25 additional option at time or pedal or mod order, or $40 to later add just the push pull pot to a pedal. When PULLED OUT, you will get the louder, crunchier Boss asymmetrical clipping. Instead of the push/pull pot, we can mount a mini TOGGLE switch to select the clipping. It's the same price and may be harder to accidentally change the setting on. We put the toggle under the LEVEL knob as seen in this picture.
Be sure to check out the sound clips of the Boss vs Ibanez mode in the Sound Samples area from The OD Pedal Comparinator.
Several years ago a customer pointed out to me that he could hear a fuzzy buzzy sound in the background when his SD1/808 pedal was OFF with the DRIVE knob was up all the way. Listening carefully, I was able to confirm this, though I and thousands of other people had not noticed it before. It can be heard on any SD1 pedal, the mod did not affect it. We found a way to kill the "bleed through" on one of the DIY EFFECTS websites, but it was messy, consisting of tacking a FET and other components onto the board. It is too messy and possibly unreliable so we did not do this bleed fix unless we got a customer complaint (only about twice out of about 1000 SD1 pedals sold).
In 2007 we got an email from Claus Holm Jensen from pedalsite.dk who told us he found a simple fix for this problem. I tested it out and it was perfect! I studied the schematic and layout and found a way to do it even easier, by moving just one component and one wire, and it seems to work just fine. Also it is a very reliable mod as there are no parts floating off the board. So we will now (October 2007 and later) do this "bleed fix" mod to all SD1 pedals that come in for mods or repair. If we have previously modified your SD1 and you are annoyed with the bleed through, we can do this mod for you for $10 plus S & H.
I have spent weeks of research changing nearly every component on the SD-1 and have found the ones that really make it sound better- like pulling a blanket off the speaker cabinet! The stock SD-1 and many other Boss pedals have a "chalky" tone, we make it creamier. we The SD-1/808 mods are the same price as TS9 mods even though there is much more work involved in the modification and more parts to change. Some people really like Boss pedals, and they have much better switches than the TS9, so this is a great choice and cheaper than a TS-9/808 if you want a good smooth overdrive. Also the SD-1 seems to have a bit more low end after the mod. Our SD-1 mod improves the tone and low end even when OFF, as we change two capacitors that are sucking tone and low end when the pedal is ON or OFF. The silver mod improves the bypass tone even more, we now put in New Old Stock TS-808 switching FETS to clean up the bypassed sound.
People often ask what is the difference between a TS9/808 and the SD-1/808, here is what Rob from Australia wrote after getting both done by me:
Well, both pedals sound nearly identical. Nearly. The Boss SD-1/808 has a tiny bit more girth, grit, and harmonic decay, whereas the TS9/808 is smooth, sophisticated and completely "gritless" (?). Like a Romanian Countess.
Both have a crisp, edgey attack and a noticeable but not overwhelming upper-mid hump (very tasty) which does not overwhelm the guitar's natural signal. ("cwoahrrr")
Both generate lovely transient harmonic waves, choral feedbacks, and (sorry about the clich ...) excellent sustain. I have set the tone to a balance point where they are otherwise completely transparent. Completely. Fantastic.
And the gain sweep from minimum to full drive is completely useable. I got a real kick now setting and leaving the drive on full bore. Scorching and musical without tearing enamel off my teeth. All up, they both sound very natural, organic, unprocessed, unsynthetic.
There is a review up from early 2004 on All Things Strat Web site.
We used to sell brand new Boss SD-1/808 pedals with our mods due to popular demand. These were brand new Boss pedals in the original box with manuals, with our various mods. Boss changed to cheap SMT construction in 2018 which we cannot mod, but we try to keep some clean used SD-1 pedals in stock to sell, or you can get an older one and send it in for the mods.
The DS-1/Super mod takes the Boss DS-1 distortion pedal, and gives it a professional makeover. The DS-1 can get a lot more distortion than a tube screamer type pedal (like the Yellow Boss SD-1) and make a Fender amp sound like a Marshall after our mods- very full, deep, and rich. The stock Boss DS-1 is fairly thin and buzzy sounding, with a loss in low end and very scooped mids. After our mod, the pedal will be a bit louder with all knobs at 12:00, and a much thicker, fuller sound, with no high end tinny buzzing. Just a true distortion sound, a lot less like the "fake" sound you often get out of a pedal.
Our DS-1/Super mod was designed by Ohbayashi San (CAMTAC) and fine-tuned by Analog Mike. It replaces many of the cheap components that Boss uses (in order to make the stock pedal a super deal for the price) with expensive, high grade audio parts. It does not use LEDs in place of the diodes, but a special NOS diode as used in our SILVER mods. We also re-equalized the pedal for a punchier sound without adding more distortion or noise. Our mod actually removes a ton of high frequency noise from the pedal! This mod has been outdone by the PRO mod below, so the SUPER MOD is only done now if you have an older DS-1 that has the old style chip that we can't change.
The DS-1/Pro mod is the same changes as the Super mod but it pulls out the stock inline chip, and replaces it with a JRC op-amp chip. This chip really improves the tone, giving it more warmth, clarity, and headroom. It's still a DS-1: more distortion, crunchier, and more low end than a tube screamer, and after the mod it sounds awesome even with the DIST knob down all the way. It is a very useful pedal with the DIST knob down for people who don't want too much distortion, or have an amp that is already distorting. It does not have the midrange hump of a tube screamer, it actually has a scooped midrange for more of a modern sound. Most people will use them at high DIST settings, but they sound awesome at low DIST settings too. Play gently and get a clear, clean tone, play harder and the crunch and distortion comes out clear and full!
This mod, like our other Analog Man pedals and mods, is tuned for professionals. Our pedals are designed to NOT sound like a pedal, but to give your guitar natural, musical amp sounds. We don't put a dozen switches, jellybeans and neon signs on the pedals. We are not aiming for a sound that sounds great in your bedroom through a gorilla amp. Other copycat mods may sound great in your bedroom, with big low end, but live onstage their little tricks just don't cut it- like a Zoom multi-effects processor.
The DS-1 has quite a scooped midrange, especially stock.
This is cool for heavier modern sounds but sometimes too
thin in the mids for classic distortion sounds, especially
through a Fender type amp which has weak mids.
After our PRO mod, the lows are better but but it's still
quite scooped in the mids. In 2007 we came up with a mod to allow
dialing in more mids for more of a classic tube amp sound.
We can now add a small MIDRANGE knob under the TONE knob,
as a $25 option. It has the exact stock midrange setting and
sound at about 10:00. Turning it up gives
more midrange and a some more volume. It works interactively along
with the TONE control. We can sell you a new DS1/Pro
with this option or mod your DS1 pedal.
There is no room on the old style DS1 for the midrange pot on top, as they use large pots. But we can add the midrange pot sticking out the back on the side of the power jack, or out of the right side along the input jack. Let us know where you want the knob if you send in an old style DS1.
For best sound on the DS1, keep the TONE knob very low. Our midrange knob works great then, allowing you to add in the normal frequencies that sound great with guitar while keeping the annoying high end under control. Another cool setting this mod allows is to run the TONE knob up really high, which is usually terrible. But by turning the MID knob up really high, it smooths out the sound and gives a cool tone, with almost all frequencies getting through, and very loud too if needed.
Here is a DS1/Pro/Midrange review which ran in Premier Guitar Magazine in October, 2008.
The PRO mod is only available on 1980s-2016 Made in Taiwan DS-1 pedals which have the power
jack attached to the circuit board like the pedal on the left.
The chips we use will not fit in the oldest Japanese or 1st issue Taiwan DS-1 pedals
(on the right in the picture). The oldest version's chips are good sounding anyway,
so they sound great with just our SUPER mod. If you have a newer DS-1, or are
buying a new one from us, we do the PRO mod. We cannot do any mod on
the 2017 and newer pedals which have the power jack on the edge as on
the right pedal, and are usually made in Malaysia.
Jeff Schroeder of The Smashing Pumpkins ordered a DS-1/Pro in 2023 and sent an email :
Hi Mike,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note and say I'm absolutely loving the DS-1/Pro. I know it's a bit of an odd choice, but I'm a huge Satriani and Vai fan and I'm always looking for ways to hint at some of their early tones, especially when recording. Your take on it is so much better than the stock but still retains the sound I hear on those recordings.
Thank you for doing what you do.
Jeff
Scott Henderson bought a DS1/pro in late summer 2002 and wrote me:The DS-1/Pro sounds great - it's what the (*) wishes it was. The DS-1/Pro, SD-9/808 (analog man mod), and the (old stock) DOD Overdrive 250 seem to be very similar in some ways but different enough to keep them all. Too bad I can't say that for the (*) - I'll give it to someone that likes a woofy tone.
(* The asterisk is in place of another, much more expensive, boutique distortion pedal that Scott was using, I don't like negativity...).
Sid McGinnis (David Letterman band, Peter Gabriel, Jim Weider
band, etc) wrote :
Very smooth in the middle, retains bottom end, and nice presence on top.
Fuller sound than the original but still translates nuances of pick
attack.
Sid used the DS-1/pro with the DIST knob all the
way down as he plays quite clean with his 50s Stat and his own
SID TONE Tweed Deluxe amp clone. He originally got our SUPER
mod on his pedal but did not love it. When we came out
with the PRO mod, I mailed him the Pro Mod chip to install,
and that made it work for his picky ears.
Chuck Garvey from moe. got a DS1/pro mod in 2005 before their Japan tour. He ran it after his bicomp and KoT. He said he loves it for crunchy rhythm and riffs, that it really blended in well with the band.
Jeff Pevar (CPR, Jazz Is Dead, Phil Lesh and friends, Graham Nash, etc etc) got a DS-1/pro in late 2002 and wrote me:
I am very impressed with it actually....I used it a lot for the rest of the Jazz Is Dead tour for certain sounds...... It is smooth, sweet and warm... fantastic...... In fact, as I am not going to see my rack until January w/ CPR I took it out of my Bradshaw system to take it with me for my other upcoming endeavours during the rest of the year... so yes, I am very impressed with this pedal..... and I will probably choose to buy an additional one from you to leave one in my rack.. (he did!).
Stuart Swanlund (RIP) of the Marshall Tucker Band and The Tone Generators got one of our SD-1/808/Silver pedals and loved using it in combination with his TS9/808. He got a few extra ones too for backup! Stuart said Lots of cool tones available. I really do think that the Analogman modded pedals sound the best! I have played through others and they are just not the same. Thanks again,Stuart
Steve Rothery from Marillion has a bunch of our pedals and lists our DS1/pro in his EQUIPMENT. He has an extra one over here in the USA on his board that he uses for clinics.
Marc Ribot, one of the most unique and amazing guitarists out there, said this in GP magazine in 5/11:
The Analog Man DS-1 is a thing of beauty, the answer to all my dreams.
Here are some Japanese Reviews if you can read them!
There are samples of the sound of the DS-1 mods above in our Sound Samples section.
The SD-1/808 has a lot less distortion available, with a smoother, warmer sound that can get quite clear. It has a lot of midrange. Pretty much a tube screamer sound, with a clean amp it does not add a lot of distortion, but with a cranked marshall it's enough for Monster Magnet's thick Sabbath type tones.
The DS-1/Super or Pro have more distortion available, a crunchier sort of british sound, but still are VERY clear sounding. It can get quite clean too as it has good picking dynamics and cleans up well. Does not have the midrange boost of the SD-1 tube screamer type pedal. Even with a clean amp, this pedal can get quite a good amount of crunchy distortion. The DS-1/pro also has stronger low end than the SD-1/808 or other tube screamer based pedals.
Here is a page where someone tried a DS1/pro and sd1/808 in combination and described the various sounds in different orders and settings - bosscombo.htm.
The Boss BD-2 is quite an excellent pedal but has some drawbacks in it's stock form. Through a Fender amp with Fender guitars it is quite the icepick in the ear... and the TONE knob does not really roll off the high end. It is not a normal TONE circuit, even all the way down it is still quite bright.
They do not have the midrange vocal quality that a tube screamer has - which is a good thing to some people. The sound is less "effected" - more transparent than a tube screamer. I like the TS-808 sound a lot myself but I see where sometimes it is great to use a BD-2 instead. The BD-2 does not have the low-end loss that a tube screamer has so it stays nice and thick on the lows without getting flabby.
My collaborator in Japan (Ohbayashi san), and I came up with this mod as we knew there was real promise in the BD-2 pedal. This BD-2 mod does not drastically change the circuit, but replaces many cheap, poor sounding components that Boss used. This is similar to what the high-end home audio guys routinely do when they buy a piece of equipment - they spend a few hundred dollars putting in the EXPENSIVE capacitors which lets the true sound come through. We are also changing circuit values in several places to make the tone control more useable and less shrill high end.
I think the mod came out great but the caps are VERY expensive so the mod is best for professional guitarists or the type of people who go for the absolute best in their tone. You should use good patch cords like George L's or Lava (which we carry) to allow the full sound to come through. Ohbayashi san is sending me these high grade capacitors from Japan as they are not available in the USA.
NOTE : The BD-2/SUPER can get squeal if you turn all 3 knobs up all the way. But our customers are normally not going for that loud, bright, and distorted of a tone so I have not heard any complaints yet. And the tone knob should never be run up that high with any decent amp.
The difference in sound with our BD2 mod is easily heard at medium settings, and especially with your guitar volume rolled back a bit. There is not as much difference in sound when played through an already distorted amp. But if you crank the gain knob and turn down the TONE knob on the BD2, and play leads with the neck pickup, with the tone knob turned down on the guitar too, there is a huge difference. It changes a ratty sounding near-fuzz into a sweet woman tone, smooth and CREAMy.
The BD-2/Super can get a VERY pure clean boost sound after our mod, more transparent than a tube screamer due to less midrange boost, compression, and distortion. We tuned this mod so that when you put the gain knob all the way down, and the volume and tone knobs at 12:00, you cannot tell if the pedal is on or off. Then you can just turn up the volume knob for your amount of CLEAN BOOST. On the other end, the BD-2/Super has more available distortion than a Tube screamer. It really has a wide range of excellent tones. If the gain knob is up, you can get cleaner sounds as you turn your guitar down, like our Sunface fuzz pedal.
You can use the BD-2/Super along with the TS9/808/Silver
for a great combination! I set them with the TS9 for rhythm
and kick on the BD2 for leads or heavy rhythm. Both on together
make my silverface Twin Reverb sound like a VOX AC-30 on 11!
These setting are from 1-10, not o'clock settings.
TS-9/808/Silver DRIVE:7, TONE:5, LEVEL:5-7
BD-2/Super LEVEL:5, TONE:4, GAIN:3-5
The BD-2/Super also works well with our Sunface pedal. Put the BD-2 after the sunface and it can thicken it up well if you are running into a clean amp. I really like the sound with the sunface with the volume knob backed down for a clean fuzz, then into the BD2 at a medium setting for a very dynamic crunchy sound.
Wayne Krantz from NYC wrote me : I'm getting some nice play from the Blues Driver you modded for me - it could be the start of a new chapter...thank you. Several years later someone saw him still playing the same pedal at a show in Montreal so I guess it worked out!!!
J. Hawkins, a session player from the midwest working on a new CD wrote:
WOW!!! That BD-2/Super is something!!! It has such an incredible bottom end that is comparable to nothing I have ever used! I was impressed just utilizing that and bypassing the TS9/Silver altogether.
I found that when I engaged both pedals I had to compensate for the increased noise collectively generated by notching back the gain by 2 and cutting some of the output level. I must say, I like the BD-2/Super better than the TS9/silver. While there is great application with the TS9/silver, and I will continue to use both, I found myself favoring the BD-2/super. It seems more consistent with my artistic flavors.
I have been searching many years and have never, with the exception of the first time I played my SLO head through the Bogner 4x12, had a smile so "tantrically," out-of-body, engrossing that I had a lapse of my spatial relationship to the rest of the universe, and returned to one! The BD2/Super, through the clean channel (crunch toggle up) of my SLO, with the gain on 5 and volume on 6, persuaded that Bogner to transcend the now and returned me to that symbiotic comfort only found while swimming in the amniotic fluids. Ahhh, to be whole again.
Another customer wrote me in 2011 after trying one of our modified tube screamers:
My BD-2/Super mod is the mainstay of my sound, the best o/d pedal I've ever bought! To me, its literally the best f***ing O/D available, BAR NONE! Between August 2010 & February 2011, I've been on a tone quest, purchasing some twelve Overdrive pedals, including three different Wamplers, two Landgraff's, a Zen, three Xotic's to mention but a few, and numerous others, all simply returned to sender! It's rendered all 5 of my Strats, (3 Fenders, 1 Anderson & an original Squier), the most healthy addiction a man could ever acquire! I got the (competitor) Mod BD/2 about 2 months before, and, well, let's just say, its been collecting dust ever since I took delivery of the BD-2/Super!
Our Mod Form has a choice for the BD-2/Super mod for $65, please fill it out, print it out, and send it in with your pedal if you would like this mod.
Here are some Japanese Reviews if you can read them!
Be sure to check out the sound clips of the stock vs BD2/super in the Sound Samples area from The OD Pedal Comparinator.
We did some testing and found settings which allow one modified pedal to sound like another, this gives you a good idea on which ones have more distortion/volume/brightness.
DS-1/Pro vs BD-2/Super set to sound similar:
| DS-1/Pro | BD-2/Super | results | |
| Level | 12:00 | 12:00 | same volume at drive settings below |
| Dist/Gain | minimum | 12:00 (halfway up) | DS-1 has more distortion |
| Tone | 12:00 (halfway up) | 10:00 | BD-2 is a little brighter |
Here is some info on the Ibanez SD-9, a distortion pedal that many people are familiar with. This is just to give you an idea of our pedals if you are familiar with the SD-9.
Ibanez Sonic Distortion SD-9 vs BD-2/Super set to sound similar:
| SD-9 | BD-2/Super | results | |
| Level | Max | 10:00 | BD-2 is much louder than SD-9 |
| Dist/Gain | minimum | 12:00 (halfway up) | SD-9 has more distortion |
| Tone | 12:00 (halfway up) | Maximum | SD-9 is brighter |
Ibanez Sonic Distortion SD-9 vs Boss DS-1/Pro set to sound similar:
| SD-9 | DS-1/Pro | results | |
| Level | Max | 12:00 | DS-1/Pro is substantially louder than SD-9 |
| Dist/Gain | 12:00 (halfway up) | 2:00 | SD-9 has a little more distortion than DS-1/pro |
| Tone | 11:00 | 12:00 | SD-9 is a touch brighter |
The large grey AC powered CE-1 was one of the first chorus pedals made. It has a cool sound but does not work very well for guitar, the input is more designed for keyboard level signals. To mod them, you change the input volume pot to a value more appropriate for guitar. We located some of these pots with the correct value and a shaft that will exactly fit the original knobs. So we now offer the CE-1 INPUT IMPEDANCE MOD for our minimum $40 labor charge plus return shipping. This will get rid of the somewhat dull tone and make it right. It's best to use the LOW input level position and turn up the LEVEL knob till the overload LED just starts to blink. We also lower the gain a bit, to keep the OVERLOAD LED from lighting up and causing distortion.
We can also do a STEREO true bypass mod on the CE-1. It's not easy due to the way the jacks work. When using only the mono jack on a CE-1, you get dry and wet out of that jack. When you plug into the Stereo jack, the mono jack just gets wet and the stereo jack gets dry. The CE-1 is not a true stereo pedal like our Analog Man chorus, but it can sound cool. We use a 4PDT switch and a special switching jack to allow it to work just like stock but with true bypass. With true byass, there is no change in function when ON, but when OFF the input is connected directly to both output jacks for true bypass on both jacks.
The CE-1 could use seperate DEPTH and SPEED knobs in Chorus mode to be more useful. We came up with a
mod to do that in early 2014 and can offer it now. After the mod, the DEPTH knob will function
in both Chorus and Vibrato modes. Up all the way is the same sound as the chorus mode before the mod, you can
only lower the depth from the stock setting.
There is no added switch in this option, the Depth knob will always work on both sides.
Use our Mod Form to send it in for the mod, it has prices for
all these options.
Our OD-3 mod does not change the sound of the pedal much, as it's quite useful. It changes out
a lot of the cheap parts which can give a congested, flat sound, and installs high quality
parts that bring your guitar tone through. We change the filter capacitors for better attack
transients as in our silver mods. We also change a few values to keep the guitar signal
clear and up front. As with the other Boss pedals, we can only modify the previous version which
was handmade with throughole parts. See the GE-7 bottom plate picture for how to tell them apart.
Can you make my Boss Pedal true bypass??
In order to make an Ibanez, Boss or other electronically- switched pedal true bypass, you need to drill a hole on top and mount a standard round metal stomp switch. You also need to hot-wire the circuit so it is always ON. We have not offered this mod as drilling and mounting the switch is very time consuming and messy. Also these pedals do not suck tone like a wah wah when off, as they use active electronic FET switching so it is not much of a benefit. The Boss pedals seem to effect your tone a bit less than the Ibanez pedals when OFF (less high end attenuation).
In 2024, due to requests, we started doing some Boss true bypass mods, installing the switch under the rocker so the pedal still looks stock. Email us with info on your pedal if interested and if we have time we will consider true bypassing your Boss pedal.
An easier solution would be to use a TRUE BYPASS box, which is a small box with IN, OUT, SEND, and RETURN jacks, and a switch. When OFF, the signal goes direct from the IN to the OUT jack. When ON, the signal goes through the SEND/RETURN effects loop (and the pedal(s) that you have in that loop). These are handy for having around, you can even use it as an AB box. We can build these out of the MXR PAPERWEIGHTS that we have, or in generic cases. It is also possible to build multiple true bypass boxes with multiple loops/switches. They are about $85 for a normal true bypass box in a generic case. See my switchbox page for more info.
We do have some of the popular "clickless true bypass" modules in stock, and we can use them with the stock momentary switch to true bypass a Boss or Ibanez pedal. But these pop a bit, especially with a higher gain pedal. If you don't mind a TICK or a little pop, check with us for pricing on the pedal you want to true bypass.
Steve Vai was using our DS1/Pro pedal on the Zappa Plays Zappa Tour in 2006. There was a cool article from tc electronic about his rig. Here is the picture.
Ric Fierabracci has been using our Boss DD6/hicut on his bass for a few years now with Frank Gambale, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, etc.
Page Hamilton of Helmet uses our DD5/hicut along with
our TS9/808/Silver and SD9 mod. Thanks for mentioning us
on the new CD!!!
Scott Henderson (pictured at left, Tribal Tech, Chick Corea, etc),
Jeff Pevar (CPR, Graham Nash, Jazz is Dead, etc etc),
Sid McGinnis (David Letterman band, Peter Gabriel, Jim Weider
band, etc), are using the DS-1/Pro. Also Matt Scannell
(Vertical Horizons) likes all the available tones on his DS-1/PRO,
he thought it was unuseable to him before the mods.
Wayne Krantz from NYC is using our BD-2/super. Stevie D.
is using the SD-1/808/Silver with Buck Cherry, was playing
with Automatic Black when he got it back in 2004.
Jason Roberts used our SD1/808 with push pull with Ben Kweller
and HYMNS. Live and recording, Jason is using just a good Fender tube amp
and the SD1/808/Pushpull. In 2012 Jason is using his pedal on tour with Norah Jones.
Jimi Bell picked up our SD1/808 silver when he was rehearsing
with the HOUSE OF LORDS at my practice space.
Bob Rossi used the SD1/808 pedal on
ROB ROCK'S 2007 release "Garden of Chaos".
You can hear it on the solo on
Metal Breed .
If you already own one of these pedals, we will modify your pedal, normal turnaround is 2 days here plus 2-3 days priority air mail shipping. Often we are able to get pedals out the same day we get them, depends on our shipping schedule. Please click on the line below to fill out the:
We also have some BOSS THUMBSCREWS for the small Boss pedals which hold the battery door closed. If yours is missing or broken, send $5 along with any mod or other pedal order. Sorry we are too busy to sell just parts.
and send it to me with your pedal. This form has all the shipping and payment details for sending me your pedal to mod.
Click on the image on the left for a link
to Ohbayashi san's Japanese page, you may not be able to read much of
the Japanese language but it is interesting!
Ohbayashi san, CAMTAC (Certified Analogman Modification
Technician And Collaborator)
will modify your pedal in Japan but does not sell new pedals
at a shop. He is a modification technician, not a dealer.
See the link at the top of our Tube Screamer page to our Japanese Dealers
for our Classic TS-9/808 pedals or buy any of the modified pedal versions
direct from Analog Man in the USA.
Many customers (especially overseas) have asked to buy pedals which are already modified, for convenience so they do not have to ship the pedal here and back. Also overseas prices for some pedals are higher than my modified ones. So we were stocking brand new Boss pedals that you could order pre-modified. But Boss started making them with tiny circuit boards using SMT parts which cannnot be replaced with the quality through-hole parts we use, so we cannot modify any new Boss pedals including the WAZA.
For easy ordering of a pedal with mods, check out our new website buyanalogman.com . The new website uses a shopping cart for everything so it's very easy to buy multiple items or add in options. It allows using paypal in addition to several other payment methods including credit cards. It also keeps track of status, tracking numbers, etc and allow editing orders after they are placed so it's best to use our new website. We try to keep some clean used Boss pedals in stock for our mods.
Keep on Screamin!
mike aNaLoG.MaN
