The DS-1 is a compact distortion pedal for electric guitar. It uses a two-stage circuit with transistor and op-amp gain stages, and the distortion knob covers a wide range, from a mild boost for driving an amp or other pedals to heavy gain for rhythm and lead playing. The tone is described as hard-edged while keeping the character of the guitar and pickups.

The tone control works differently from a simple treble-cut filter: turning it clockwise adds highs and reduces lows, and turning it counter-clockwise does the opposite. This allows settings from tight rhythm sounds to fatter lead voices, and helps keep low-end definition when the pedal is used as a booster with vintage-style amps. Turning down the guitar's volume cleans up the sound.

The pedal has quarter-inch input and output jacks and a DC input. It runs on a 9 V battery or on a PSA-series adaptor, which is sold separately. A check indicator signals battery status. A limited-edition pearlescent white version, the DS-1-WH, was introduced in 2024.