This feature packed pedal takes off where the classic Boss DS-1 left off. It seems Boss designed the DS-2 for tighter more focused crunch by adding the useful “Turbo” mode. The distortion runs the gamut from the mild grit of the Red Hot Chili Peppers all the way to the wall of sound of Nirvana and beyond. Mode one was so close to our old Japanese DS-1 that didn’t spend tons of time with it. Mode two is what makes the DS-2 really stand out. It’s mean and thick with just enough open valveyness to keep it from treading into the tone-less realm of white noise. It’s right on the edge of falling apart. Combine this chaos with a great tube amp like a Marshall or Boogie and the effect is pure nirvana. On the other hand, if your mucking about with a puny solid state practice amp you’ll hear a small fraction of the mighty power of the Boss DS-2.