Robert Keeley “Seeing Eye” Modded Boss DS-1
Distortion is the most difficult effect for me. I think it’s because I’ve grown to not like the sound of distortion all that much – or at least most distortion. I don’t like buzz, and I don’t like mud, and I don’t like distortion where the bottom end is loose and almost indistinct. So I’ve gone through a number of distortion units at this point, and I can’t say I’m completely satisfied.
I had read good things about Robert Keeley and the mods he does on the Boss DS-1, turning it into the “Seeing Eye”. I had been looking for a “third” sound for my Blue Angel – something to give me a good high gain boost for the “over the top” EVH/Ritchie Sambora/whoever else type of leads. Something that makes the amp scream and lets the harmonics and squeals ring out. Well, sorry to say this guy didn’t do it for me.
I found that with the Strat there was a very fine point where I got a pretty good sound with it, but if the knobs are the least bit off I either got not enough drive, or total buzz. This pedal was more useful for rythm sounds, but I was already happy with my sound in that department. In order to get the harmonics to jump out for leads, I needed the tone knob turned fairly high, but then I lost all bottom end – not good. It was different with the Les Paul, but it tended to drive into buzz land much quicker, so that wasn’t great either.
I ended up selling this pedal and the Mr. Ed. In the end neither of those worked as well as the Tech 21 GT-2 for me.