Boss size dietortion box ?

I'm looking for a quality distortion pedal to fit my board and be approx Boss size with the same A/C connector as Boss, any ideas ?

What is the distortion vibe you are going for here?

How about a Boss? Hehe. :grin:

Joking aside I have a Boss DS-1, it's a great all-rounder, if you haven't already you should check it out!

If I recall correctly, you're a fan of your modded OD3, correct? If so, you could go with the timeless Boss DS1.

There's a simple mod that you can do on a DS1 that you might like. It makes the pedal a bit more punchy and open-sounding. You just replace two diodes (D4 and D5) with LEDs. It's just one extra step compared to the OD3 mod, and it makes a considerable difference (just like said OD3).

Later...

Maxon SD-9 Sonic Distortion

Maxon SD-9 Sonic Distortion
Does it have a power connection to accept the Boss power supply ?

There's always the whole Keeley Modded box thing. I, for one, think some of the Boss boxes are really great, but you can always get 'em upgraded.

As much as I like the BD-2 stock, I bet the modded version is killer.

There's always the whole Keeley Modded box thing. I, for one, think some of the Boss boxes are really great, but you can always get 'em upgraded.

As much as I like the BD-2 stock, I bet the modded version is killer.

Yeah, I'd like to hear one first which unfortunately isn't going to happen around my area. May just have to pull the trigger on one.

I do not know how much different is size you need, and what tone you are looking for here. Marshall-esque, tweed, 80's, etc. The DS-1 with some sort of mod may work. It tends to be smoother. I do not think of a BD-2 or similar as a distortion pedal really more OD. For gritty distortion you may want ot look at a fuzz of some type. I like the smoother ones and have a Fuzz Head that does a great AC/DC, ZZ Top and Throughgood type tone. Zep seems to be in that thing as well as a bit of Gilmour (though the Top Fuel appears to nail that one from the clips). All are the size or smaller than a Boss.

I'm looking to get a smooth distortion, my OD-3 gives me the overdrive I need but some solos require a good sustained and buttery distortion. The DS-1 was not a pedal I really got on with and the DS-2 although better, just doesn't hit that spot completely.
ZZ Top, Gary Moore, early Clapton, Paul Kossof etc. is in the ballpark bracket area of the distortion I am looking for.
Boss have a couple of new ones out so maybe I should try them out to see if they come anywhere near what I want.
Sometimes it is so difficult to describe a sound and this is certainly one of those times.

Hum ... I do not really think of ZZ and early Clapton as real smooth. Both of them at least early in their work. More tweed style which is a bit gritty. But, check out these clips and see if they are in the game.

Top Fuel
http://www.myspace.com/8nakedbuddhas (Morning Star)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENv3DE8eolM

Fuzz Head ...
http://www.robertkeeley.com/fuzzhead/

BFJ Fuzz (get past the rhythm work here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRLkakXJVWg

There is a Peppermint by Analogman that does that sort of lead as well.

The Fuzzhead is pretty darned close to that sound, maybe I'm looking at the wrong pedals by seeking distortion, it's very much that "fuzz" sound I'm trying to get. Has anyone tried the new Boss FZ-5 yet ?

I've had all the Boss dirt pedals over the years and they're very good; I'm very into my Fulltone Distortion Pro right now. Very tubey, really makes the solos stand out, plus it is very tweakable to suit your style and instument. Sounds killer with my Relic '51 Nocaster!!

The Fuzzhead is pretty darned close to that sound, maybe I'm looking at the wrong pedals by seeking distortion, it's very much that "fuzz" sound I'm trying to get. Has anyone tried the new Boss FZ-5 yet ?

Nearly all those clips were made with a tele clone. The Fuzz Head is VERY tweakable. You can alter the level of distortion internally. It comes set middle ground. It can be less intense (or more so). As for less intense it actually can be pretty clean if set right. The cap changes alter the basic voice. It comes middle of the road with three additional caps to change to to have more bass, treble etc emphasis. The SI/GE switch adds some gain, makes it brighter and smooths it out some (also more compressed). The other tweak is the treble cut. The manual describes it better than I can ...

http://www.robertkeeley.com/manuals/fuzz_head.pdf

Does it have a power connection to accept the Boss power supply ?
Yes (http://www.maxonfx.com/9/sd9/)

For the "buttery" sustain you're talking about I would recommend some of the "boutique" pedals such as a Hermedia 'Zen Drive', Lovepedal 'Eternity', Fulltone 'Fulldrive II', BJFE 'Dyna Red'. There's handfuls of them. All of these except the Fulldrive are Boss sized or smaller, think MXR, and take standard 9v. tip neg AC adapters

If you want smooth tones, and not so much AC/DC, ZZ the BB Preamp and AC-Tone were the smoothest I have heard. I almost bought a BB but my SFX-03 has the smoothest sustaining lead tone I have ever heard form a pedal. None of those are really as gritty as the AC/DC and ZZ thing to me though. But the thing is every rig sounds different (player-guitar-amp) and each of us have a tone in our head we want to hit. Unfortunately there is no real way to communicate them to one another. And ... there are a LOT of great pedals!

You could try one of these Cusack Screamers:

http://www.cusackmusic.com/?page=details&type=Products&item=Screamer

I got to try one out the other day, very good sound, and incredibly well built. It is built in Holland, MI which is where I grew up. The guy who made it is an electrical engineer, so he knows his stuff. They are hard to find though, and kinda pricey....

For a pure distortion box, I am a huge fan of the Fulltone Distortion Pro. Very tweakable, low end grunt and Boss size box.

For a second best, a Fulltone OCD/Pick another OD in front of a Fulltone Fat Boost give an acceptable distortion. (Set both at medium low drive)

scotland, have you tried the blues driver?
Brian