how to dirty up a fetzer valve

[GreenEye]

I am the king of stupid questions:

I'm going to goof around with the fezter valve.  How can I dirty it up during my testing?  I'm not trying to turn it into a BSIAB or anything, but I'd like a clipping diode or something in there somewhere for sh*ts and giggles.  Any advice?

[Peter Snowberg]

Look at the Dist+ schematic and copy the shunt clipping you see there to add diode clipping.

Dirtyer? Each stage can produce only so much gain, so the dirt you see is mostly created by the following stage. Try two boosters in series. The second one will be driven past its limits by the first.

[Rodgre]

I think the trick with the Fetzer is that you put it in front of another overdrive or booster. That's it's role on my pedal board. I can leave it on by itself for a little punch and then kick in another drive after it and get the gain.

Roger

[JimRayden]

There are many ways of dirtying it:

1) two of them in series
2) clipping diodes from output to ground
3) AWFUL misbias
4) a VERY hot humbucker

Transistor distortion is caused by too much input. The guitar alone can't provide that much voltage, you'll need to boost the signal by another transistor.

And then there's Bazz Fuss...

------------
Jimbo

[wampcat1]

See the 68k at the input? remove this. Take the 1.5k down to 470ohms or so. If you want diode clipping, after the 22n cap connect diodes to ground there (both pointing opposite ways of course), however I suspect you won't get alot out of that in this circuit. Better luck could probably be had by connecting another fetzer valve after this stage (see MartyM's classic 30 emulation for ideas on how to do that).

Hope that helps!
Brian

[vanhansen]

Dragonfly has the Fetzer X2 in his Layouts Gallery which is 2 Fetzer Valves connected together.

http://aronnelson.com/gallery/Dragonfly-FX-Schematics-%21/FETZER_X2A

[GreenEye]

thanks guys!  [enter maniacal laughter of a mad scientist]