Not to be confused with the slightly darker, and more popular DS-1 (a distortion), the super affordable BOSS SD-1 was the Japanese builder’s answer to the Tube Screamer, and its circuit was so good that you can still find a new one in the stores unchanged from the original one, released in 1981.
Unlike the green competitor, it delivers asymmetrical clipping, it sounds a little less compressed, and is a little less smooth and round, letting more clarity through at any gain level.
The more recent Waza upgrade, the BOSS SD-1w (pictured below) adds a Custom mode that delivers a more modern overdrive with higher gain and a fuller tonal response in the mid and lower frequencies.
Check out the videos below, comparing the two.
