New BOSS pedals!

[Old_Iron]

Quite a surprise, right? And I bet that modern SMD versions sound pretty much the same, because no special ICs have been used. That might also explain why it is still in the BOSS product line-up.

I don't have a SMD unit, but I do have 4 "different" DS-2 and the early versions (MIJ and early MIT) are smoother then those that came after (not by much, as usual).

The reason for that are the Ge diodes (D14 and D15) and, my opinion here, those orange film capacitors that Boss used by the end of the japanese and beguining of taiwanese manufacturing.

Later on, Boss swapped to silicon clipping diodes, and the distortion became just a tiny bit more "granulated".

About those orange film capacitors, they are also in the OD-1, DS-1 and SD-1 of the same era, and comparing them with units with the same chip and same clipping diodes, but with the "regular" green capacitors, one can hear that somehow they "feel" smoother.

My DS-2 family have a MIJ 1988 just like yours, an early MIT 1990 still with Ge diodes but with red film capacitors, a later MIT 1999 with silicon diodes and silver caps and a recent MIT 2018 with silicon diodes and white (milky) caps.

They all sound great, but the old ones with Ge are the champions.

Take care of yours because it is the best incarnation of this model.

[Pepe]

Thanks a lot for all the good information! Yes, I'm going to keep this DS-2 for very sure.

[fuzzbuzzfuzz]

Quite a surprise, right? And I bet that modern SMD versions sound pretty much the same, because no special ICs have been used. That might also explain why it is still in the BOSS product line-up.

I don't have a SMD unit, but I do have 4 "different" DS-2 and the early versions (MIJ and early MIT) are smoother then those that came after (not by much, as usual).

The reason for that are the Ge diodes (D14 and D15) and, my opinion here, those orange film capacitors that Boss used by the end of the japanese and beguining of taiwanese manufacturing.

Later on, Boss swapped to silicon clipping diodes, and the distortion became just a tiny bit more "granulated".

About those orange film capacitors, they are also in the OD-1, DS-1 and SD-1 of the same era, and comparing them with units with the same chip and same clipping diodes, but with the "regular" green capacitors, one can hear that somehow they "feel" smoother.

My DS-2 family have a MIJ 1988 just like yours, an early MIT 1990 still with Ge diodes but with red film capacitors, a later MIT 1999 with silicon diodes and silver caps and a recent MIT 2018 with silicon diodes and white (milky) caps.

They all sound great, but the old ones with Ge are the champions.

Take care of yours because it is the best incarnation of this model.

That is great info and breakdown Old Iron, thanks

[Pepe]

I’m really on a roll lately! Somehow the best deals just keep falling right into my lap. This BOSS OD-1 popped up for sale last Tuesday, for the incredible price of only 50 EUR plus shipping! I was among the first viewers and I instantly messaged the seller and secured the deal.

The pedal arrived two days ago, in really dirty condition, but the only flaw apart the scratches and traces was a missing knob. I took an original knob of one of my two lang-dash DS-1 pedals (the beaten-up unit, which has two new non-original knobs now; not the NOS pedal in almost perfect condition!) and now it looks really nice. I also inserted a new rubber grommet. I don't know if the V-shaped scratch at the output jack had a deeper meaning, but I'm glad that it is on the side only.

I have never owned an OD-1 before. This one dates back to August 1983. A very nice detail is visible in the last picture. Three solder spots are not as clean as the others. Obviously, a transistor (Q6) was either resoldered or replaced during the quality inspection. It was definitely done at the factory, because the transistor is from the very same batch. I have never seen something like that in a BOSS pedal before, but that's a clear sign that the quality inspection was taken seriously.

[laurie]

Very nice too!