Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

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Old_Iron
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Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Tue Jul 06, 2021 6:02 pm

I just bought this unit from ebay, didn't need it and it's too beaten up to my recently up raised collection policies, but could not resist to its strangeness.

First, it's a long dash with a black plastic screw, so it suppose to be from March 1981 to January 1982, it has a Made in Taiwan PCB, with old style greeny capacitors, and that uncommon six digits stamped batch number that puts it at January 1983 (262600).

Finally, the "use a coin" recycled back label.

Really an oddball...

Click in the pic to see it big and then again to see it bigger:

Image Image Image Image
Last edited by Old_Iron on Tue Jul 06, 2021 9:20 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Pepe
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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Pepe » Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:53 pm

Taiwanese PCB and long dash. Odd, indeed!
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fernieite
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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by fernieite » Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:10 pm

Maybe someone put the guts of a Taiwan ds-1 into an old case, and had an older "use a coin" back plate and long dash top in the parts bin?

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Old_Iron
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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Tue Jul 06, 2021 9:01 pm

Pepe wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:53 pm
Taiwanese PCB and long dash. Odd, indeed!
fernieite wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:10 pm
Maybe someone put the guts of a Taiwan ds-1 into an old case, and had an older "use a coin" back plate and long dash top in the parts bin?
I though about that fernieite, but it is too many mismatches in one single unit, specially because it is from Japan, not really a place where people use to do that kind of thing, although it's possible.

In the Boss book there is a report of an oddity like that with the last runs of the OD-1, still a MIJ but has a MIT pcb.

But, as Pepe pointed out, the long dash is suspicious, maybe the lid has been replaced.

I will wait to see it "in person", and then I will bring any other information about it.

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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by laurie » Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:27 pm

It does feel like a mis-match built from a number of different pedals.

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Old_Iron
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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Tue Jul 06, 2021 11:47 pm

laurie wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 10:27 pm
It does feel like a mis-match built from a number of different pedals.
That would be funny, Laurie. I will call it Frankenstein (I want to liiiiiiive!) 😊

As I said, could not resist to buy it, and thought it could be a rare thing. :)

There are a few things to be analyzed still.

One detail is the use of the old style greeny capacitors (although not Yamato), the last DS-1 (and SD-1) Japanese production used yellow capacitors, I have a 1988 DS-1 (and a SD-1) that came with the yellow capacitors, and the same seller has a DS-1 MIT for sale that have part of the pcb with that yellow caps, and some transparent green as well. (pic below)

So, did Boss (Taiwan) jumped from the yellow to the transparent green and then back to the old greeny?

Does the MIT pcb regularly comes with the Made in Taiwan printed on it?

The lid has some distinct marks bellow it, I will compare it to my others silver screws long dashes to see if I could say its era of production.

I will also take a look at the internal components, like the pots, to search for clues about its year of production.

I don't know if it is ACA or PSA (in the case it is really a later MIT pcb)...probably it is ACA.

I would immediately think it is a "fraud" if the batch number was a "regular" one, but that 6 digits "nobody_knows_why" stamped, makes me be in doubt.

My 1988 DS-1 pcb with yellow caps:

Image

A MIT from the same seller, the pcb has no "Made in Taiwan" printed on it, and there are 2 types of capacitors: (note: the seller mistakes it for a 1981 because the batch number sticker have some characters missing)

Image

Image

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304051369274?h ... Swzktg3S1d

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Old_Iron
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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Thu Jul 08, 2021 3:55 pm

I think I have a theory for this pedal "oddness".

That pcb is an original Boss replacement part, the pedal was serviced and the complete pcb was replaced, more on that later.

About the lid (long dash) and the label (use a coin), I ask: How much we can rely on the decoder for 6 digits stamped batch numbers ?

I mean, it works great for most manufacturing periods, but not so for early MIT sticker printed batch numbers, giving a false result, saying those pedals are from early 80's, when actually they are from the 90's.

Even later MIT batches (still printed stickers) with letters before the numerals, we should leave the letters out and use only the numerals.

What if those stamped 6 digits are not correct interpreted by the decoder ?

The decoder give us January 1983 for the pedal (262600), it is very close to what would be consistent with the lid and label, early 1982, just a year.

Why Boss stamped after the 06XXXX ? Never saw a good explanation for that.

To say it was a sticker shortage is too simplistic and too demeaning with Boss organizational capabilities, even because it happened quite a few times !!!

What if Boss removed the original batch number in serviced units, stamping a new and actual, for the time of the service, batch number to mark that unit as "serviced" in a very discrete way ?

At some units, the service would be imperceptible, like change an IN/OUT jack.

This could be the explanation for those stamped post 06XXXX batch numbers.

Back to the pcb, the capacitors (film and electrolytic) are very old style in appearance, doesn't look like to be from post 1988/89 (MIT era), they look like from early 80's for sure.

And the "Made in Taiwan" wrote on the pcb, I never saw a "legit" MIT (post 1988/89) pcb with that.

So the Mr. "M's" late 80's OD-1 reported in the Boss book, would be also a serviced unit, with the "Made in Taiwan" original replacement part.

This is like Fender guitars, if you have an American built guitar and want to modify its appearance, you will buy Mexican made original Fender replacement parts, like pick guards, knobs, etc.

So this is my theory for now. I will take a better look when the pedal arrive and bring more details of it.

I am prepared to accept that it could be just a rumble pile of different pedal parts (in the lid and label case), but also excited to have a serviced, confusing, mysterious DS-1 in my collection. :P

If I am right about the pcb being an original Boss replacement part, then it is a very rare thing because of the high reliability of Boss pedals, right ?

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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:54 am

And my theory went down the hole... :(

Look what I found, a "sister" of my pedal, at least my pedal is not a mix of pedal parts, an oddity but an original unit!

This one is from an immediately previous batch, but same month : JAN 1983 (262500).

It is modified (by a past owner), but have the same characteristics of mine: long dash, black thumbscrew, dark pcb with vintage look capacitors, stamped 6 digits batch number and the "use a coin" label.

There is no pic of the pcb solder side, but all the other points matches.

Well...mystery solved. 8-)

edit: Noooooooooo! Keep reading. :(

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144088702811?_ ... %3A2047675

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Last edited by Old_Iron on Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:21 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Fri Jul 09, 2021 4:26 pm

The same seller has 2 other DS-1 with similar characteristics.

A 14XXXX and a 17XXXX, both are 6 digits stamped batch numbers, long dashes, black thumbscrews, one have the "use a coin" label and the other don't, no pics from inside.

It seems that this period 1982/83 is the oddballs era.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144083374702?_ ... %3A2047675

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144088702901?_ ... %3A2047675

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Re: Boss DS-1 "Oddball"

Post by Old_Iron » Mon Jul 19, 2021 7:47 pm

Just received it, and it's a Frankenstein. :oops:

The lid, has a different gloss and a slightly different color shade from the body.

The back cover screws are 3 smalls and one big, but all 4 looks Boss originals.

The led pcb has a chromed screw holding it.

The wires that goes in and out of the pcb looks re soldered, but only those wires, not the other components, or the wires end that goes to the jacks and pots.

The pcb solders looks legit.

So... What the fluke is this pedal? :?:

Still thinking that the pcb is an original Boss replacement part, made in Taiwan, and from the early 80s.

What about those other DS-1s that looks like the same ? Same period, same 6 digits stamped batch number, same part mismatches...

Who did that? Who refurbished those pedals? Did it Boss, an authorized technician or a looney tunes trying to make money out of discarded pedal parts?

Why all those "Frankensteins" DS-1 have that unexplained 6 digits stamped batch numbers?

Why, why, why ?... :x

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