nonamemx Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Now, I understand that you can add more overdrive of distortion in a pedal by adding a diode or two in the diode loop. What if you have, if you went nuts, and put 5 diodes on each side of the diode loop, what would happen to the sound? thank you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 Actually, adding diodes in series decreases the distortion by raising the forward voltage - with 5 silicon diodes in each side of the diode array, you would have to to push over 5 volts peak to peak before clipping (compared to 1 volt or so with a single pair). You'll have to adjust the gain before the clipper just to make it clip! Check out Aron's Stompbox Page and Geofex for info on modding distortion circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonamemx Posted May 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 So, There is a point where the clipping reaches a peak in of distortion, and then decreases from then on? Hmm . . . .Im thinking about buying a Boss DS-1 distortion and tinkering with it (because its a great pedal, and it has a great price.) Im thinking about putting in 2 diodes in the diode loop, (for a balanced overdrive/distortion, not asymetrical.) I have some low voltage diodes that I bought in a multi-pack at the Radio Shack. How do Radio Shack's diodes sound? aaaaaaaaand. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 So, There is a point where the clipping reaches a peak in of distortion, and then decreases from then on? No, the clipping voltage goes up with each additional diode, so unless you adjust the gain, the distortion decreases. . . . .Im thinking about buying a Boss DS-1 distortion and tinkering with it (because its a great pedal, and it has a great price.) Im thinking about putting in 2 diodes in the diode loop, (for a balanced overdrive/distortion, not asymetrical.) The DS-1 already has symmetrical clipping - you might try changing to a different diode type (some people use red LEDs with good results) and adjusting the opamp gain (you'll need more to drive dual diodes or single LEDS). Asymmetrical clipping adds some second harmonic distortion, making the sound more amp-like and less like a fuzzbox. I think there's a great deal more potential for improvement by tweaking the pre-distortion EQ and the tone control than adding diodes. YMMV. How do Radio Shack's diodes sound? Just like everybody else's, only more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 haaaaaaaa more epensive its funny cause its true.. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonamemx Posted May 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 Hm. . .I have a Boss GE-7 EQ, does it go before my distortions or after? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted May 18, 2004 Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 It goes where you need it - if you have a distortion that has way too much bass response and sounds farty or flubby, putting the EQ before the distortion can cut some bass and clean up the problem, but if your pedal is fizzy and too bright, the EQ after the distortion can smooth out the high-end. The EQ tweaking I was talking about is in the DS-1 circuit - the input cap, the caps and resistors around Q2, the opamp feedback cap, the diode clipper smoothing cap and the tone control all contribute to the tone-shaping of the distortion, and are all ripe for the tweaking. Take a look at the schematic, and compare it to some similar designs, like the YJM308, DOD Overdrive250, Marshall Shredmaster or MXR Distortion Plus. They're all extremely similar, but all sound different. Try these two pages for extensive info on modding a DS-1: Keeley DS-1 Mods Fuzztech Ds-1 Mods That should give you a place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonamemx Posted May 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 ooh, those are neat. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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