Sobot Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_p...es.html#details I finished my guitar, and I've noticed that I don't use my tone control AT ALL. I was thinking of replacing the cap with one of those. Has anyone ever used one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 It's a piece of crap, never read a positive review of that thing ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 LOL. I installed one in my first build. Do a little search in this forum and you will get all the info you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinTheWizard Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 (edited) Yeah, as far as I know, this thing just contains two germanium diodes (it may contain a capacitor or two as well, but I don't know that for sure, since it's encapsulated in epoxy); I guess you could do just the same for a few cents, and see if you like it. You may - or may not; it's a pretty crude distortion device and having one on-board may not make a lot of sense either - but why not try. I suggest trying the DIY way as I said: connect two germanium diodes in parallel with the guitar output, each in opposite direction from each other. You should probably be able to switch this off, because otherwise it will distort all the time once the volume is high enough. Edited August 14, 2005 by MerlinTheWizard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 Funny the stewmac still sells it though...I've read that the distortion effect is very mild, especially with single-coils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 It's a piece of crap, never read a positive review of that thing ever. That's more or less what the consensus seems to be. I do know of one instance where the guy loved it. I personally think it's a waste of time - I mean you're clipping the relatively weak output from a guitar pickup. Ge clipping diodes really belong in a distortion pedal, IMO. Even then, I like the sound of Si diodes better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted August 14, 2005 Report Share Posted August 14, 2005 (edited) I got it to work ok, but it takes a lot of "oomph" to activate. I used overwound HB's (12K ohm) and 250k pot (required). Best heard at low to mid frequencies. It does make your normal distortion effects sound a bit "dirtier" but its no great shakes by itself. Edited August 14, 2005 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 works great, but not in new amps, and certainly not in solid state amps. Great with a plexi, AC30, or an old fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sobot Posted August 15, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Okay, thanks guys. I guess it's a bad idea for me then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 (edited) Someone came up with something that they called "Strawberry Ice" that looked a little better than the disdained "Black Ice". It uses Schottky diodes instead of Ge diodes. Listen to the soundclip and decide for yourself. http://members.aol.com/ku07090/strawberry_ice.html EDIT: here is the schematic that isn't showing up on the HTML file: http://members.aol.com/ku07090/strawberry_1.jpg Edited August 15, 2005 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 yeah, actually, i should modify what i said... I use "Brown Ice's", which are ever so slightly different to the black ice, and certainly easier to use than the Strawberry Ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 yeah, actually, i should modify what i said... I use "Brown Ice's", which are ever so slightly different to the black ice, and certainly easier to use than the Strawberry Ice. ← What's a "Brown Ice"?! Or is that a trade secret? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 yeah, actually, i should modify what i said... I use "Brown Ice's", which are ever so slightly different to the black ice, and certainly easier to use than the Strawberry Ice. ← What's a "Brown Ice"?! Or is that a trade secret? ← trade secret its my modified version of the black ice idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sepultura999 Posted August 15, 2005 Report Share Posted August 15, 2005 Am I to expect a "brown noise" effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sobot Posted August 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2005 Am I to expect a "brown noise" effect? ← Hahahaha That's some funny stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebun Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 what type of diodes can one get at their local electronics store that compare to a passive overdrive? what does one look for in picking out a part for a passive overdrive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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