The humble Boss SD-1 follows a simple philosophy that keeps it among the top overdrive pedals today – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
This three knob pedal continues to satisfy guitarists of all styles, and is the practical solution for applying classic grit and dirt to your sound, or driving tube amps.
It still works just as it did when it was first introduced, cutting-off some of the low frequencies in favor of emphasizing the mids. This makes the pedal ideal for cutting through a loud band.
It comes with a straightforward set of knobs, including a Level knob for adjusting volume, a Drive knob for adjusting gain and a Tone knob for fine-tuning the drive sound. Giving this pedal its tube like behavior is its asymmetric overdrive circuit, which emulates the natural growls of driven tube amps.
Some might consider the pedal as run-off-the-mill, but many more look to it as an easily available must have tool in their arsenal. Although it does not really do anything special, the pedal’s ability to preserve the nuances of your playing makes it an effective blank template for crafting your sound. It can also be a convenient addition for those that need a bit more warmth and grit without affecting their tone too much.
Here is a cool demo that showcases the capabilities of the Boss SD-1:
The SD-1 Super OverDrive pedal produces the warm, natural distortion of an overdriven tube amplifier while maintaining the subtle nuances of a player’s picking technique. This is one of BOSS’ more subtle and smooth overdrive pedals, perfect for blues and rock.
While many still use this pedal as is, various after-market “mods” or modifications are now available for the SD-1. This allows the players to tweak some of the pedal’s characteristics while retaining its transparency. Some claim that these mods will easily make the SD-1 on par with more expensive overdrives.
The Boss SD-1 pedal is currently retailing for just $49 and is easily available online and on many major guitar and music retailers. For more information, you can visit Boss US.