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I noticed that the OP asked twice if the DS-1 is weak/wimpy, etc...
Not sure what would really dictate that, but I'll try to give my perceptions, for what they're worth -
A stock DS-1 gives the impression of having much more distortion than a TS or clone (such as the Bad Monkey) because of the scooped mids and heavy compression when the pedal distorts. The stock tone control can sound very tinny and weak (IMO) for these reasons.
The stock opamp chip in the current DS-1's is typically viewed as inferior. It's actually counter-intuitive as to why this is. It's because the chip is a higher fidelity Mitsubishi chip that the originals didn't have. Despite what you may read online, hi-fi chips are generally bad in pedals, IMO. A somewhat "blurry" chip like the original Toshiba actually kills some of the fizz in the stock circuit. The good news is that the new ones can be de-fizzed by carefully selecting 2 replacement clipping diodes.
If you tweak the stock tone circuit for flatter response, the DS-1 really fattens up remarkably (2 resistors and 2 or 3 capacitors). Swapping 2 diodes will get you even closer, and replacing a single capacitor (C3) with a .033 uF one will take the last of the fizz out, and really bring the pedal home. If you concentrate on these 3 areas, the rest of the suggested mods that all of the big names do are very slight or degrees of overkill, IMO...
...The only reason that I keep bringing up the issue of tweaking a DS-1 is because so many guitarist do end up using it as a doorstop. For this reason, you can grab used ones for next to nothing and tweak them.
A stock DS-1 is weak, IMO. No shortage of distortion, but all the wrong kind...
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