Boss DS-1W Distortion Waza Craft

About the Boss DS-1W Distortion Waza Craft

The Boss DS-1W is the Waza Craft version of the classic DS-1 Distortion, made in Japan. It adds a two-mode switch: Standard keeps the familiar DS-1 voice (the same circuit heard on Nirvana records), while Custom brings more gain, fullness and extra mids. It costs more than the standard DS-1, which is one of the cheapest distortions around, but keeps that iconic DS-1 character with a hotter option.

In one paragraph

The page's figures as one paragraph, assembled for quoting; not written by hand.

Listings of the Boss DS-1W Distortion Waza Craft we watched from listing to sale typically went in 13 days (19 watched), a fast mover; it sells for a median of €85 over the last 90 days across 43 recorded sales, with most examples landing between €80 and €90. New, it costs €135 at Thomann (read 4 October 2026), so a used one at the median saves about 37%. There are 166 listings live right now across Reverb, eBay Germany, from €72 asking, a median ask 73% over the sale median. Figures computed 18 October 2026 by Doirado from cross-platform listing data.

What owners have said elsewhere

Paraphrased from 46 discussion threads among 9 owners, 2024-2025. No names, nothing quoted.

Owners who try the DS-1W tend to come away won over, one who had never bonded with a DS-1 says the Waza made him a believer, and others call it great on its own (with less of the runaway feedback of a Metal Zone) and simply killer, a distortion you can't go wrong with. The two modes are the point: Standard is the classic DS-1, and Custom, which some run all the time, fills the sound out with more mids and gain, enough that owners feel they can rely on it alone. It also carries the original circuit behind the Nirvana tone. The way owners use it is to stack: a Tube Screamer or a Blues Driver in front tightens and fattens it, and running it into a Big Muff, with the tone around eleven o'clock and the gain pulled back, focuses the fuzz. The honest caveat is value: the Waza costs well over twice the standard DS-1, and at least one owner found that, with his particular amp and pickups, the DS-1W did not sound noticeably better to him. If you love the DS-1 and want the build and the Custom mode, though, it delivers.