How can I get the best sound out of my Boss DS1?

As it turns out dude, I actually do have a DS-1!
Well to be honest, since I got my Behringer V-Amp 2, I no longer use the DS-1 in my home guitar rig.
I still use the DS-1 at school.
Basically, I don't use the DS-1 as a distortion pedal, because honestly you're not going to get great results out of it, especially since I know you're into metal and shred, and believe me, using the DS-1 through an amp clean channel wont cut it.
I use my DS-1 through the overdrive channels through the school amps to give the lead sound more bite and attack, and extra gain. Typically, I run the level at about 75 per cent, Dist I run at 1/4, and tone at about 1/2.
Bear in mind, with a little soldering knowledge and really cheap electronic kits, you can modify the components in the DS-1 to your liking. When my dad comes back from working overseas. I'm going to ask him to modify my pedal (his an electrician by trade, so he will know what he's doing luckily, unlike me), because there are certain mods you can do to increase the mid range boost, and to cut out some of the more hissy and piercing high frequencies you can sometimes get from a DS-1.
That said, I believe Steve Vai used a stock DS-1 for ages, and got great tones by using it as a preamp boost.

^As for hooking up two overdrive pedals, that will never get you sounding as good as one pedal boosting an amps pre-amp. I mean, if the sound you are going for needed that, it's okay, but since you're a shred guy like me anyway Mike, I can guarantee two distortion pedals together wont sound good for your style.

You know, I forgot I posted this topic . I'm using my DS-1 through a marshall JPM head (very old, not much distortion at all), I'm pretty much getting all the sound out of the pedal that I can and it's still not that shred sound I want.

Send him to Analog Man who will mod it and it will sound better ;)

Steve Rothery uses an Analaog Man DS1 ;)

Woa. This thread lives.

Err, Mike, what are you using right now?

The Marshall with the DS-1 in front of it?

had a DS1, a Rat, and my personal favorite the MXR Distortion+, but I came to feel the best I got was a good amp's natural overdrive (had a Mesa-Boogie Studio Series).. in fact I think a pedal is best with a big, powerful set-up where it can really give an extra dimension without losing too much gain or tone

My favourite one, in the same kind of spirit of the DS1, is the MI Audio Crunchbox. It's a bit like a Marshall amp in a box! It sounds really great!!

I played a lot of distortion pedals but this one is still on my board ;)

I just got my behringer V-Amp2... now I am chucking away all my pedals and just using the V-Amp straight into the mixer. No more rows of pedals to worry about when setting up- bliss.