The DS-1 is actually used by many artists including Joe Satriani, Kurt Cobain, John Petrucci, and Steve Vai to name a few, BUT most of the big artists don't use the stock one. Why? Cuz it sucks!
The good news is this pedal is simple enough to modify!! In this instructable I will show you step by step, with lots of pictures, how to perform Robert Keeley's DS-ULTRA Mod. Check out the PDF
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Signing UpStep 1: Supplies
Soldering Iron/Station *I LOVE my Weller WESD51 I got for Christmas but it is a bit overkill :]
Eye Protection
60/40 Rosin Flux Core Solder
Wire Stripper
Desoldering Equipment
Third Hand *Something to hold the circuit board while you work; friend, vice, ect.
1/2" and 7/16" Wrench
24 AWG Hook-Up Wire
Flush Cutters
Drill *Anyone want to give me one? :]
1/4" and 7/64" Drill Bits
Components-
24 AWG Hook-Up Wire
1.0uF 50V Stack Metal Film Capacitor x 4
0.1uF 50V Stack Metal Film Capacitor x 5
0.047uF 50V Stack Metal Film Capacitor x 1
47.0pF Capacitor x 1
220pF 50V Monolythic Ceramic or 220pF 500V Silver Mica Capacitor X1 (I'd go with the ceramic one, its
2.4k 1/4W Resistor x 1
20.0k 1/4W Resistor x 1
1.5k 1/4W Resistor x 1
On/On SPDT Switch x 1 *Only if you intend on doing both mods. I got 50 on ebay for $15 w/shipping.
3mm Blue LED x 1 *Optional
3mm Red LED x 1 *To incorporate both modes you need a total of 2 red LEDs. I reuse the one I replace with the blue one.












































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I double checked my components and everything was correctly placed with the specified values.
When I opened by DS-1 to check the components I noticed that the UltraMod switch casing was touching one of the solder points on the Tone knob PCB. The casing of the pedal is a ground and since the switch is attached to the casing I suspect it was inadvertently grounding that part of the circuit.
I detached the switch from the pedal casing and tested it. Guess what? It works fine.
I guess I drilled the hole for the switch a tad to close to the Tone knob
thanks for your brilliant tutorial although I am a bit confused (I'm also new to soldering... :-)
I'm going to do just a Ultra Mod, but am confused as for what to do with D5 and D4.
Do I need to de-solder D5 diode and leave it empty since I am not going to use the switch?
Additionally what do I do with D4?
Thank you any help would be appreciated. D.
I know I'm little late, but I just did this mod and ran into the same problems. The distortion knobs works to about 1-2 oclock then starts to attenuate the signal. At max distortion it will only work if the guitar is played really hard. Soft notes don't go through at all. I returned the Diodes to the originals, leaving everything the same and it still acts the same. Any hints?
Any help would be very appreciative.
Thanks!
I Andrew, any feedback on your problem.
I stricktly follow the instructions and have the same strange behaviors with volume and distorsion knobs after modifications!
Thanks!
Any update on this knob compression problems ?
I really followed the instructions step by step.
I can't believe that only 3 of us have the same behaviour ...
Thanks
Definitely worth taking the time to do this mod. would never use this pedal before now it has a home on my pedalboard. Especially when you drive it with a OCD you get some awesome lead sound to push you out in front of a rocking band.
The only problem I'm having is the bypass. It seems to work (the blue led goes out) but I still hear the distorted sound slightly (like some of it is leaking into the clean signal) and the signal is very quiet and also changes when I move the volume/gain control. It felt like something snapped when I was tightening the nut on the volume pot, but I could't see any broken parts or solder joints...
Any ideas?
I'm really new to this kind of stuff so please forgive me if I get a bit confusing. I'll try to explain to the best of my ability.
I had first bought different parts and put everything together and it had distortion and was working, but it didn't have the sound I was looking for. Also, the distortion knob wasn't working. It was more of a fuzz effect. Another problem is that the 0.047uF capacitor in C11 was too big and was sticking out of my pedal. So I went back and bought the ones that were on here that you provided a link for and got most of them, except one which would be the capacitor on R39. I'm sure it's the same one it can hold. I was excited to hear how it would sound and when I tried it out, the red light was on and flickering pretty fast. The more I turned the distortion knob, slower it would blink. It also had a constant buzz and would get higher tone whenever I lowered it and speed up the noise. It would do the opposite when I turned the dist. knob the other way (low and slow vibration sound). The red light also would get brighter as I turned the switch by the tone. I did everything how you said it and am a bit confused. If you could possibly help me out, I'd appreciate it very much. Let me know if you need further explanation. Thanks
I did this full mod and it worked out great and sounds awesome. This is for you or anyone out there:
It sounds great but still a little harsh with a Strat. I heard you can change the C10 cap. Have you tried using another cap to warm up the sound beside the .022uF cap?
Thanks!
Like a Boss!
thanks again
thinking about doing this mod; I have the tools..
Any ideas how to debug?
Cheers
My pedal works great but I also notice alot of compression before the note. Have you figured out how to reduce this or eliminate it?
Thanks,
First off let me say that this guide was great!! I got everything together and completed the mod and everything works fantastic!! The only nagging issue that i have is what i think is too much compression. When I attack a single note, I hear a volume decrease right before the note. i have to turn the gain way down on my guitar to eliminate it. I researched the issue to see if other people ran into this and saw different things to try. Does anybody have any ideas how to eliminate this or reduce this compression issue?? I figured this would be the best forum to go to for this issue
Thanks!
Thanks a ton... mostly for sourcing all the parts..