Drunk Beaver Distortion

The Drunk Beaver Distortion is an analog distortion and overdrive pedal built around a heavily modified version of the Boss DS-1 circuit, the classic distortion design Boss launched in 1978¹²³. Where the stock DS-1 gives you one fixed voice, the Drunk Beaver version opens the circuit up: eight clipping options, a three-position mids toggle, and separate op-amp and "Muff" switches let you reshape the gain structure and EQ to taste¹².

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described it as the "latest / greatest edition of the Drunk Beaver heavily modded take on the Boss DS-1 - with additional clipping selection"².

Versions and editions

The pedal has gone through several editions. Drunk Beaver's Distortion line is a heavily modded take on the Boss DS-1, and the current V2.5 is the latest edition of that concept²¹. The V2.5 is built on what the maker describes as a "modified original '78 MIJ circuit," meaning the early Japanese-made DS-1 design rather than a later revision¹. The V2.5 also gets its own product page on this site.

Controls and switching

The control set splits between knobs and toggles. On the V2.5, the mids toggle has three presets: stock DS-1, less scooped, and flat mids¹. The full control layout as reviewed in 2023²:

The clipping switch is the heart of the pedal: it moves between silicon, MOSFET, germanium and LED diode clipping stages drawn from different eras of the DS-1's own history, plus a boost setting². The Muff switch adds a Big Muff-style flavor to the circuit, and the op-amp toggle shifts between vintage and modern gain characters².

Power and build

The V2.5 runs on 9V DC with a center-negative plug and draws 30mA, and it is true bypass, so it leaves your signal alone when switched off¹. The maker specifies high-quality components throughout¹.

Where it sits in the Drunk Beaver range

Drunk Beaver has built much of its catalog around modified classic circuits, and the Distortion is where the brand started. Later releases include the Chernihiv Sonic Distortion, an expanded take on the Maxon/Ibanez SD-9, the Druzhkivka Grunge, a modified DOD FX69, and the XR MD-1 Metal Mind, a rework of Boss MT-2 architecture².