Whats your favorite of the 2 Tube screamer Boss sd1

[JustABluesGuy]

Depends on what either is being used for. Currently I am using a TS Mini to tame my Fuzz Face and boosting duties. Gain on zero volume past unity. I recently bought an old SD-1 because it was $25. I am a big fan of the BD-2 but SD-1 is a classic. We’ll see where it lands.

The situation does matter doesn’t it? When playing low volume jams with friends in my living room I like a wider EQ range than when playing in a band situation, with bass and drums.

At that point it makes sense to cut the bass and highs to avoid muddying the mix.

 

[brookdalebill]

Between the two, I prefer the TS.
If I were wanting a drive pedal, I’d get a Durham Electronics Mucho Boosto.

 

[scottser]

on its own, the tubescreamer but the sd1 is great with other drives. right now i have the bd2 in front of it and for hoots i might put a ds1 into it. an sd1 and ds1 together are just fantastic.

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

One great trick Learned from a guitar magazine was a Billy Gibons trick of using a Boss SD1 like a treble booster, turn the treble and volume all the way up and the gain almost all the way down. This sounds surprisingly good, it won't replace your vintage Rangemaster but it really makes the SD1 versitile

 

[schenkadere]

SD-1 sounds a bit better to my ear...maybe a touch smoother, maybe a touch less congested? YMMV

 

[cousinpaul]

I like the SD-1. It's 1MEG gain pot (as opposed to the TS's 500k) is a major difference. Also, we're talking about two pedals with the strongest low-cut available (AKA mid hump). I do a resistor swap to pass a little more low-end and flatten the hump a bit.

 

[0SubSeanik0]

Great, now this dude is going to do one of his "Tested" videos and prove to us that SD/BD/TS/Klon are actually all the same.


https://youtube.com/@JimLill
"I'm just a performer, I know nothing about circuits, but..."

 

[11 Gauge]

Personally, I don't think that asym vs sym clipping to be that big of a deal in TS types of pedals, because it's actually an asym output signal from either one that's IMO responsible for 'what we hear that we like'.

Notice in the above pic how it's not a symmetrical sine wave? Both a TS and a SD-1 do that.

As cousinpaul mentioned, the SD-1 has a bigger drive/gain pot than a TS, which allows for more dirt. Also, the tone circuit in the SD-1 is just a little bit different. There's also an 'additional' treble-removing filter in a SD-1 that the TS doesn't have, that is probably responsible for things sounding smoother/warmer/etc.

The other cool thing about a SD-1 is that it has a lower value for its 'minimum gain' resistor - it's 33K in a SD-1 vs 51K in a TS. So if using as a quasi-boost with drive at minimum and level/vol turned up, the SD-1 should be the cleaner of the two.

 

[middy]

I like the SD-1 for goosing clean Fenders and the TS for tightening up driven Marshalls.

 

[Tone Quest]

Having had both, I prefer the SD-1. To me it is more alive and can stand out in the mix.

Disclaimer: My opinion only, others may differ.

 

[Brent Hutto]

I've not experimented much with overdrive/distortion pedals but I've played around with almost all of the "Booster" emulations in my Katana's effects section. That has certainly saved me from wasting any money on those mid-focused TS-style pedals. With the amp settings I prefer (nearly flat EQ, definitely not "scooped", probably slightly mid-forward) and the way I play, any of them either turn into a muddy, middy mess or they honk like a goose with a glandular condition.

 

[Cheap Trills]

Ignore, removing my original post. I misread as Blues Driver vs Tube Screamer.

 

[Marc Morfei]

I think the SD-1 and TS9 are so different you can't say one is "better." To me the SD1 sounds open and fuzzy, and the TS9 finds very compressed. I have them both and use them for different things. As someone else said, it depends partly on the guitar.

Question: why are so many people commenting on the Blues Driver BD-2? The post asked about SD1 vs TS9.

 

[kinkstah]

I vote for the SD-1 (although my go-to is actually its close relative, the OD-1)

 

[davidge1]

Both will make your nice Fender amp sound like a transistor radio. Maybe slightly less so with the SD-1.

 

[Trenchant63]

I had the original TS-9, then the Reverend Overdrive, liked it better, then a Barber Direct Drive - liked it WAY better, but got curious with the OCD - nope - back to the Barber.

 

[Blackmore Fan]

I couldn't get the tone right with an SD-1. I'm currently using a Maxon OD-9 modified by Analogman and it works well for me.

 

[codamedia]

I have no problem with a BOSS SD-1, but I'll take the TS-808 or TS-9 over it any day. There is something magical about the Tube Screamers on stage... they are not nearly as polite as the SD-1.

 

[4pickupguy]

One great trick Learned from a guitar magazine was a Billy Gibons trick of using a Boss SD1 like a treble booster, turn the treble and volume all the way up and the gain almost all the way down. This sounds surprisingly good, it won't replace your vintage Rangemaster but it really makes the SD1 versitile

Back in the Paleolithic era, when Money For Nothing was a hit and I still played guitars with tone knobs on them. You could turn the treble and gain all the way up on the SD-1 and the tone knob down on the guitar to get Mark’s wah tone exactly. Follow me for more useless tips!

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

Back in the Paleolithic era, when Money For Nothing was a hit and I still played guitars with tone knobs on them. You could turn the treble and gain all the way up on the SD-1 and the tone knob down on the guitar to get Mark’s wah tone exactly. Follow me for more useless tips!

I love that tone, going to give it a try, thanks!