BOSS DS-1w

The BOSS DS-1W is a distortion pedal made by Boss, a Waza Craft special edition of the DS-1 that Boss has built since 1978¹². It keeps the three-knob format of the original but adds a second voice: Standard mode reproduces the original DS-1 sound, while Custom mode offers fatter distortion with focused midrange, more input sensitivity, and 6 dB more available level for driving amps and pedals¹³. It reached US stores in October 2022 at $149.99 and is built in Japan with a discrete all-analog circuit⁴³¹⁵.

Boss positions it as "The Classic BOSS Distortion, Enhanced with Waza Craftsmanship," part of the Waza Craft family of premium compact pedals¹⁴. GuitarPlayer's Rod Brakes described it officially as a "complete redesigning of the original circuits by the original developers"⁶.

The controls: Level, Tone, Dist and the S/C switch

The front panel follows the original DS-1 layout, with three knobs and a mode switch. Guitar World's launch coverage notes the sound "can be tweaked via Tone, Distortion and Level knobs"⁹.

The Tone knob behaves differently depending on the mode. In Standard mode it simultaneously boosts and cuts the low and high frequencies as it is turned; in Custom mode it is tuned to boost mids and presence at once¹¹. Delicious Audio's buying guide puts it in player terms: "the Tone knob can make your guitar cut through during a solo or tame the highs for chord sections"¹⁰.

Standard and Custom modes

The two modes are the main thing separating the DS-1W from the regular DS-1. Both run through the same newly revised two-stage gain circuit with discrete analog components¹¹¹.

Guitar World reported at launch that Standard mode is a recreation of the first, made-in-Japan iteration of DS-1 tone, delivering:

Custom mode, by contrast, "sets its sights on harnessing a thick, mid-focused sound that provides even more fatness and cut to stand out in the mix"⁹. Delicious Audio summarizes the split simply: Custom mode "offers a bigger sound and more input sensitivity"¹⁰.

Because Custom mode raises the available level by 6 dB, the pedal also works as a gain booster, and Delicious Audio notes that the two modes offer increased versatility when it is used that way¹¹¹. Premier Guitar's demo material describes this as letting players "dial in the sound for any application, from sharp rhythms and searing solos to maintaining low-end clarity when boosting amps and other drive pedals"¹².

DS-1 versus DS-1W

The standard DS-1 remains in the Boss range at a much lower price, listed at $59 by Delicious Audio in May 2024, against $149 for the DS-1W at the same date¹⁰. By April 2025 Gearnews listed the Waza edition at $125.00⁷.

The differences a player actually hears come down to the second mode and the revised circuit. The DS-1W fuses "the look and character of the original with a newly revised discrete all-analog circuit for expanded range and versatility"¹. The DS-1W is made in Japan⁵, and carries the same Boss five-year warranty as the original¹¹³.

Delicious Audio's coverage gives useful context on why Boss revisited the circuit at all. The original DS-1, however popular, "was starting to sound a little passé to many guitarists due to its weak dynamic response and tendency to sound thin, making it less than ideal for blues"¹¹. The same guide also notes the DS-1 circuit is "extremely prone to modding," which is part of why so many boutique distortions trace back to it¹⁰.

History: from the 1978 DS-1 to the Waza Craft edition

Boss released the DS-1 in 1978²¹⁰. Boss's own Waza Craft article says the pedal "changed the guitar world, introducing players to a new high-gain sound with rich harmonic overtones"¹⁴. Gearnews calls it "the most classic of all distortion pedals, and Boss's best-selling pedal of all time"⁷.

The DS-1W arrived in 2022 as the latest addition to the Waza Craft family of premium compact pedals⁴¹⁰. Guitar World's Alex Lynham described it as the moment "Boss reissued the DS-1 in the form of the DS-1W Waza Craft"¹⁵, and Guitar.com's Josh Gardner framed it as "taking the iconic DS-1 circuit and giving it a Japan-made overhaul"¹⁶. The Waza treatment extends to small details: the pedal carries a 70s-style silver battery compartment thumbscrew, a nod to the original's era¹⁶.

Boss's Waza Craft line, as the maker describes it, delivers premium versions "featuring a complete redesign of the original circuits by the original developers"⁸.

What reviewers said

Reviews of the DS-1W were largely positive, with Custom mode drawing the most praise.

• MusicRadar's review listed "Custom mode is a significant upgrade on the original" among its plus points¹⁷.
• Guitar.com's 2026 buying guide concluded that "it's the newly added 'custom' mode that really impresses"¹⁸.
• Delicious Audio called the DS-1W "an expected update to what's in all likelihood the best-selling pedal ever"¹¹.

The wider DS-1 line has also earned recognition in the press: Guitar World's cheap distortion pedals guide named the DS-1 "Best distortion overall" in January 2024¹⁹. That Pedal Show compared the DS-1W Waza Craft against vintage and standard DS-1 units in an October 2022 episode²⁰.

Delicious Audio's buying guide flags two limitations worth knowing: the original DS-1 "won't do 'bluesy warm' nor 'fat,'" and the pedal is "not the best choice if you have a solid state amp"¹⁰. Both criticisms are aimed at the original circuit's character, which Standard mode preserves by design.

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