DIY distortion for that 80's LA Metal tone???

[powerplayj]

I'm contemplating a DIY distortion to run in front of the clean channel of my amp.  My Peavey Classic 30 doesn't get into metal territory so I need something else that will work well with an open-backed combo amp.  To be honest, although the metal zone 2 wasn't the exact tone I wanted, it provided the perfect amount of treble and bass to go with this middy Peavey.

 I'm thinking of a 80's metal tone similar to Lynch/DeMartini which is saturated but, refined.  I also like the more grainy tone of Kixx/LA Guns.  I like the sounds of the 3 Legged Dog and the BSIAB but I don't know if they will be saturated enough to get that Lynch Soldano tone.  Also, the MXR distortion + is an option but, it may be too grainy.  

Any suggestions are welcome.....

In the meantime I'll be searching for some glamorous paint colors!!!

[Paul Marossy]

How 'bout Mark Hammer's "Chaos"? Or RDV's "HMP"?

[space_ryerson]

Maybe the JCM 800 Sim? I haven't built it yet, but that may be close. I know a number of those 80's guys used Randalls, and Munky traced out the dist. preamp for the randall rg-100 on his website, but it takes 24v.

[Doug_H]

Rat

[dosmun]

RAT

[petemoore]

DIST+ you can mess with, AMZ mods if you're interested I can tell you.
 Liquid Drive...[Dist+ type] [Phillip @ FUzz Central] Smooth...great performer.
 You might want to try a board or two of DIST+ types, Zakk and Yngwe's stuff etc.
 I'm just gettting into an 'ol DS-! clone, I just re-DIY'ed it to great result, adding a Compression Diode Op Amp [Joe Davisson's] and Jfet/LED/DPDT true bypass indicator [RG Keen] in a good box. This box is nice and has Tone Control that works good.
 Voicing options...Notch filter maybe? if the amps mid friendly this might or might not [too many add's 'n cut's?] be a good idea.
 1 x 12'' speaker in that amp could use a buddy, Greg got a matching 12'' and hauls around the second cabinet, more bass/bass definition becomes present...pushing a speaker hard changes the voicing, getting the output of the amp to distort by 'pushing' it does too [often fondly referred to as output tube distortion], I found out I prefer not to hear the sound of a speaker pushed hard. That amp IMO is great, but needs another speaker to really do what it does 'right'...again IMO...I could surely be shown other ways...4x12'' cab and that amp takes off...
 oh distortion...DIST+ or DS+1 [minus all that Jfet switching stuff]...there's probably a myriad of Distortion/Settings/Amp Settings you can get happnin', most of these Distortion circuits can be made to sound at least good...YMMV.
 You got a nice amp, 3 tone controls, I'd say get a simple clipping device, voice it for what you and your amp 'want' with your guitar as source.
 BTW I don't use LM741's except in a DIST+ these days, and that's just for pure retro sampling purposes   .

[powerplayj]

RAT

I had a Rat but, even with Jack's mods it still didn't have enough bass for an open back combo amp.  Also, I hated setting my eq for one specific pedal rather than a general setting for all applications.

[powerplayj]

That amp IMO is great, but needs another speaker to really do what it does 'right'...again IMO...I could surely be shown other ways...4x12'' cab and that amp takes off...
   You got a nice amp, 3 tone controls, I'd say get a simple clipping device, voice it for what you and your amp 'want' with your guitar as source.

Yeah, I recently swapped out a Vintage 30 in favor of a Eminence Cannabis Rex.  The C Rex is awesome for thicker Strat tones but lacks the bite for humbuckers that thrive with a British-sounding speaker.   The new Groove Tube 12AX7M kills in this amp!

Thanks for the all the suggestions.  There are more fans of hair metal than I expected!

[RDV]

I'm trying to talk myself into building that Rectifier sim. I've got a builder's block going in a big way. I'm just staring at all my parts these days. It's been a month or better.

Sigh

RDV

[j0shua]

hmmmm like 80 Metal sound

1- MXR DIstortion+ easy to build and great sound
2- Proco Rat Clone  
3- BSIAB or BSIABII
4- RDV Heavy Metal Pedal ( very good )
5- Big Daddy ( www.Runoffgroove.com, for easy pcb mode draw http://aronnelson.com/gallery/album02 )
6- My Pain Master Distortion
7- DS-1 Clone ( tonepad.com )
8- torchy Zack W. clone veroboard
and many more ..........

[Ed G.]

That clip that someone recorded of the "Chaos" pedal...that sounded sustained, tight, reminded me of some Queensryche stuff. I'd give that a try.

[Paul Marossy]

I think the Chaos circuit would get you there. That tone control on there makes it pretty versatile.

EDIT: I was just thinking that "Howie's Metal Simplex" had quite a bit of gain for a simple circuit. I'm not sure if it's quite an 80's metal sound, though.

[ninoman123]

Ehh my metal simplex isnt all that 80s sounding. I used 3904s and a silicone diode for it. Nice pedal but not 80s. I vote for chaos

[tungngruv]

I recorded these a while ago direct into a sound card. Sounds way better through an Amp. Here are two clips of Mark Hammers Chaos pedal. Both are recorded w/no effects so you can hear the pedal only. I lowered the volume a bit so they recorded better than the Jack Orman OD Pro I did a day ago.(sorry Jack!!, I'll re record yours). Both clips are original material and the first has the basic guitar tone, then the pedal kicks in and the tone knob is swept to both extremes. Second is a solo example. Once again, I recorded directly into the computer, gain is all from the pedal ( and I cannot stress enough how much better this one and the OD Pro sound through an amp rather than a sound card!!!!!). My fingers aren't really warmed up either, it's about 20 degrees here in Peoria.  Anyway, I love the pedal and hope this helps anyone who's interested in it. 5mm red leds instead of 1n914's


http://home.grics.net/~tungngruv/mywebs/MHammerChaos1.mp3

http://home.grics.net/~tungngruv/mywebs/MHammerChaos2.mp3

[tungngruv]

Jacks Overdrive Pro and Marks Roseyray are good alternatives to the mainstream pedals also. I did a clip for Jack at www.muzique.com
It's on the projects page and the clip is downloadable there. I also did this of the Roseyray, not a metal song but it's got the 80's solo tone (the best I could come up with anyway).

http://home.grics.net/~tungngruv/mywebs/Roseyray.mp3

[bwanasonic]

You might try the Tech 21 GT2. I'm not sure you can get the desired girth from the classic 30 if you are talking about stage volumes.

Kerry M

[Torchy]

Mark Hammer's Roseyray.
RDV's HMP.
MXR ZW-44 clone.
:wink:

[Ed G.]

Err...I said "Chaos" but I think I meant "Roseyray." I knew it was a Mark Hammer design, though.

[cbriere]

May want to check (and listen) to my
shredmaster, it put out a lot of bass
and the mid is a scoop type ( it can dig
a big hole in the mids),
here is my page:
http://pages.infinit.net/cbriere/_sgt/f10000.htm
check at the bottom,
christian

[Paul Marossy]

Ehh my metal simplex isnt all that 80s sounding. I used 3904s and a silicone diode for it. Nice pedal but not 80s. I vote for chaos

I haven't played mine for a while...  :oops:
I just remember that it has a lot of gain.