I'm not a big fan of any Boss overdrive/distortion pedal, not if the idea is to have the pedal produce the sound all on its own into a clean amp. The SD-1 is however well tried and tested to run into a high or semi-high gain amp to get that little extra. For this purpose it's in competition with the classic tube screamer. What you prefer is a matter of taste, but I think you should treat yourself to both flavors.