Only six DS-1 Distortions were ever produced in commemoration of 6,000,000 Boss compact effect units having shipped worldwide by 28 February 1998, making it the most limited Boss-produced pedal ever. The “ulra mega rare” pedal (as it is being sold on Reverb) was originally only presented to overseas joint venture firms for their contribution to BOSS sales. Apart from its flashy gilded finish, the pedal sports ‘Oct 1977’ and ‘Feb 1998’ in place of the usual input and output labels to tribute to the 6,000,000 production run.
The pedal itself, as the Reverb bio proudly claims “if you plug in a guitar, it’ll give you distortion”. It ought to, with the auction price sitting at nearly $10,000 at the time of publishing. The seller is Portugese retailer Rui’s Gear Bazaar – they have not mentioned how the pedal came to be in their posession. Usually, a Boss DS-1 distortion retails for less than $100 and is known as one the simplest and trustiest workhorses in many guitarist’s arsenal.
Keen to hold a slice of Boss history? You can bid on the Gold DS-1 on Reverb here.