To mod or not to mod

[CheapSuitG]

I have been noodling around with modding pedals. Have done a couple ds-1, an sd-1 and a cry baby thus far.

I got a new to me ds-1 last night, 2002 so has hole through parts still but it is mint. I mean minty mint. Seller had the box and all the goodies minus the boss sticker.

Do I mod it? I’ll be taking a drill to the enclosure.

Do I keep it? Not a fan of the stock ds-1 at all, hence I’ve been modding them. Also it’s old but not vintage or from a particularly good era.

Do I sell it? Got it for pretty cheap, probably could make 50% of my investment back if the right buyer came along. But a pristine ds-1 shopper is rare I assume. If I list it on reverb, those profits go away.

I’m torn, silly thing to be torn about but this thing is like new. The guy even put a new 9v in it for me, he took good care of it.

What’s does the brain trust say?

 

[VanWhy]

My personal opinion is that it could likely resell for more after modding. There are a billion of DS-1's made so they are not rare by a long shot. Marketing is also key. You can spin a sale to make it sound like you made the DS-1 a much better pedal. I personally don't a stock DS-1 either but just a couple tweaks can make a difference. So, my opinion is mod that thang

 

[Feral Feline]

If you're going to keep it for yourself to play, mod it.

If you're wanting to make money off of it, then hang on to it for another 20 years when DS-1 OG units have finally depleted because everybody modded the hell out of them all, and subsequently minty DS-1s will fetch a fortune because all the young kids (now adults) will have heard the tale of the almighty DS-1 but only unbeaten and unmodded ones contain the original Moe, Joe — so it was with vintage VWs. They were ubiquitous and so people modded the hell out of them, but now it's sacrilege to cut up a split-window or even oval-window beetle to make a Baja-bug...

Old, but not vintage... Make it a Baja-bug, I mean, mod it. It's yours, not someone else's — do with it what you will.




Split-windows were only made up to '52 and production numbers were low for the early years.
This one has a rare folding ragtop.
Nose cut off and backend cut off, too. Runningboards removed.
Jacked up for more clearance offroad.
Aftermarket fenders OR chopped & extended stock; quick-release side-windows that don't roll down...
Street-legal but setup for desert-racing with rollcage.
Chromed front end.
Canary-yellow definitely not a stock colour until the '70s (advert is from 1970), and the flames? Well, either you like flames or you don't.


Here's a later Baja-bug, with aftermarket fenders, hood (still stock style though) and nose cone. I have this style of pieces and cage-bumpers awaiting the right bug ('66 or earlier that's been hit in the front and back) to build up.

Note the larger windshield, must be '70 or so but a pre-'73 as I don't see a finger-dent to flip open the gas-filler door.
I'm a little rusty on my VW-spotting capabilities.

 

[CheapSuitG]

It’s for me, or a friend if they dig it.

It’s not about making money if I sell it, just an observation.

Sounds like it’s time to mod it.

I will dub it “Baja bug mod”

 

[Feral Feline]

You've gotta paint those flames on it!

 

[CheapSuitG]

Now the next question - which mod to do?

 

[Gordo]

Agree with the above. I don't think that in our lifetime there will be a groundswell of primo 2002 DS-1's as collectible. If it's a daily driver or for a buddy I'd start drilling. To be honest I've never been a huge fan of DS-1's (although no dislike either) but last week got a Keeley modded one in the shop that had a LED switch installed. I think Keeley may have swapped out some caps as well.

I thought this thing sounded pretty cool. I didn't pay much attention to the mods, as it just needed a footswitch cleaning (with a warning that a replacement may or may not be warranted if the problem happened again), but I was impressed that it opened up the sound of the pedal a bit. Not as compressed.

 

[CheapSuitG]

I’ve done the seeing eye/untra Keely mod and the JHS synth mod.

The Keeley is great, sounds like a ds-1 without the ice pick.

Did the full JHS synth mod, it was fun but useless. That said, if you do everything but the switches it’s a really good drive pedal. Not a ds-1 at all, it’s pretty cool.

Agree with the above. I don't think that in our lifetime there will be a groundswell of primo 2002 DS-1's as collectible. If it's a daily driver or for a buddy I'd start drilling. To be honest I've never been a huge fan of DS-1's (although no dislike either) but last week got a Keeley modded one in the shop that had a LED switch installed. I think Keeley may have swapped out some caps as well.

I thought this thing sounded pretty cool. I didn't pay much attention to the mods, as it just needed a footswitch cleaning (with a warning that a replacement may or may not be warranted if the problem happened again), but I was impressed that it opened up the sound of the pedal a bit. Not as compressed.

 

[VanWhy]

Now the next question - which mod to do?

FWIW I liked the Monte Allums Roxx Tri-Gain Plus Mod. It's very involved but changes it to a much smoother distortion. Some of the Monte Allums Boss mods is what started my pedal building journey.