BOSS: The X factor

So BOSS revamped their indestructible duo to sound intriguing. I was fortunate to hear them in action at Swee Lee (BB branch). The X-factor was there alright, no contest.

The DS is not the meek version of its traditional incarnation. At full-on distortion, it's metal as metal should be- intense. Within that turn of the (distortion) knob, you can have at least 3 voicings at your disposal- the traditional DS-1 tone, a hard rock crunch & that metal-esque thunder as mentioned. Moving on to the OD, as opposed to distinct voicings, this one offers saturation excellence. At maximum drive, you won't hear anymore of that signature, meek, OD-3 type hump. Instead, you have one of the smoothest, fusion-worthy drive at your disposal; it's something a boutique unit would churn out as staple. I'm also totally happy with the EQ sweep on offer (despite being only 2-band); they offer extremes but usable ones & that's saying a lot. The level of response here is rightfully next-gen looking at where BOSS is coming from. Impressive.

Let's just stop here & do a little thinking. Let's work our little grey cells to opine if these are really worth their (more than) $200 price tags. Let's be fair, shall we? The outright answer to this is a resounding YES. However, the mod dweebs had beaten BOSS to this if you have not realized it by now. These X pedals are nothing a modded version of the standard DS-1/ OD-3 wouldn't cover (in terms of tone & voicings); you just have to know what kind of mods need to be done & who to go to. But let's give it to the BOSS chaps; they did it their way & they did it well. More importantly, they did it to impress you. After a personal encounter, I won't say the DS-1X/ OD-1X are game-changers in terms of distortion & drive aspects. They are different & they are good. The purists wouldn't be pleased, though. These pedals just sound 'too much' when measured against their traditional versions. You can't stretch the traditional voicings without eventually sounding different. However, it might be one of the costliest non-true bypass pedal you would be buying.

BOSS: DS-1X/ OD-1X

Avaialbility: Swee Lee Co.

Price: $209 each
Rating: 88%