The Ibanez PDS1 is a distortion pedal from the company's DCP series, made in Japan between 1987 and 19921. It belongs to the family of distortion pedals, but it stands out for how it is controlled: rather than the usual knobs, it uses eight push buttons, plus a SEDI cable out2. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as a distortion pedal designed to provide a wide range of tonal possibilities for guitarists, with a hybrid circuit type3.
The button control layout
The PDS1 comes from a moment in the 1980s when button-driven controls were in the air. As Josh Scott and Nick of JHS Pedals put it, "The 1980s gave us those wrist watches that had buttons and calculators in them... Ibanez followed suit with their PDS series"2. The result on the PDS1 is a panel of eight buttons in place of the knobs players expect on a distortion pedal, along with what the JHS pair called "a weird SEDI cable out"2.
"Okay, I say let's leave it alone. No knobs."
That verdict is worth noting: even though the reviewers disliked the button interface, they came down against modernising the pedal with knobs. The layout is part of what the pedal is2.
Availability and collectibility
The PDS1 was made in Japan from 1987 to 1992 and has been discontinued since then, so every example in circulation dates from that original production run1.
The PDS1 is a discontinued vintage pedal. Any unit a player finds today is from the original 1987 to 1992 run, and condition will vary accordingly1.
Where it sits in Ibanez's distortion line
The DCP series is one of several distortion families Ibanez produced across the 1980s and after. Players comparing the PDS1 with other Ibanez dirt boxes may also come across the DS10 Distortion Charger, the MS10 Metal Charger, the MT10 Mostortion, the SD-9 Sonic Distortion and the SML Super Metal, all from the same era of Japanese-made Ibanez effects.
Videos
The Pedal Guy
guitarstring
Questions
Is the Ibanez PDS1 still in production?
No. The PDS1 was made in Japan between 1987 and 1992 and has not been re-issued since. It is a discontinued vintage pedal, though the used market availability is described as quite good and its collectibility as medium, so players who want one can generally find one without much trouble.
Why does the Ibanez PDS1 have buttons instead of knobs?
The PDS1 belongs to Ibanez's DCP series from the 1980s, a period when button-driven digital controls were fashionable. Instead of knobs it uses eight push buttons, plus a SEDI cable out. Josh Scott of JHS Pedals, despite disliking the button approach, argued the pedal should be left as it is: no knobs.
Sources (3)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- DO THEY NEED KNOBS?, JHS Pedals
- DCP series PDS1 by Ibanez, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
