Convert tubescreamer to an octave up pedal?

[tomnottom]

I read somewhere by adding 3 diodes in series to D2 of a tubescreamer would give you an octave up effect. Does anyone know if this istrue and has anyone tried it. I also saw an article done (allegedly) by Brian Wampler that jumpered pins 6 and 8 on the IC to make a synth pedal there was even an mp3 file. If none is true is there a mod to turn a tubescreamer into an octave up pedal?

[Mark Hammer]

When I was a kid i the 60's, and interested in cars, I remember seeing ads in Road & Track for places where you could buy a fibreglass retofit body that would go over a VW bug chassis and give you something that looked for all the world like an Italian sports car.  You could turn your $1500 VW into a Ford GT for that matter.  Obviously, underneath it was still a VW.

The moral of the story is that you probably CAN extract other octave-ish sounds from a TS with the right sorts of mods, but it's just not the optimum engine for the task, really.  It takes so little to actually produce octaves, you are best advised to simply make a separate pedal and let the TS do what it does best....in peace.

[Zben3129]

If you really need octaves in the tubescreamer, and want them to atleast sound decent, just slap a switchable green-ringer-style-transistor-octave-section (can even use part of the the green ringer if you want) between the tonestack and output buffer (coupled, of course). DPDT would get you a complete bypass of the section (stock), where a spdt can switch the section on and off but I am not sure if it will affect the tone w/ the output of the ringer section connected. SPST can also be used the switch the section but the signal might be loaded a bit because the ringer section would always be connected, just shorted in one position.

Zach

[petemoore]

  Some one was typing that the TS produces octave tones [I forget but think it was octave up], can;t remember all the details something to do with pre-boost of some type ?
 Adding a few diodes probably won't produce much if any octave up with the TS.
 There's an 'Octave Screamer' at GEO {IIRC} I tried it, tacking a transformer and diodes at the end of the TS.
 I've been just using 'simple' octaves...Simple Octave Up [SOU], Bobtavia, and Green Ringer.
 Fox Tone Machine was Marks Favorite, produces pronounced octave effects [as good or better than most], he's been trying out the SuperFuzz, both are a bit more involved builds, both make Gnarly tones.
 Then I dropped names...and left a whole buncha names out too..Octave Up Sick Box [good octave, pretty easy].

[brett]

Hi
anything that creates 2nd order harmonics gives an octave up effect.  (I think that's what RG Keen has said, but I'm only 99% sure).

So, if you mod for asymetric clipping (by adding a third diode) in a TS, you'll get a more tubish, more octave-rich output.

For some reason my ear is very sensitive to this, and I very much prefer the TS with 3 diodes. I use 3 x 1N4148 (=1N914) in mine.
cheers

[Br4d13y]

When I was a kid i the 60's, and interested in cars, I remember seeing ads in Road & Track for places where you could buy a fibreglass retofit body that would go over a VW bug chassis and give you something that looked for all the world like an Italian sports car.  You could turn your $1500 VW into a Ford GT for that matter.  Obviously, underneath it was still a VW.

The moral of the story is that you probably CAN extract other octave-ish sounds from a TS with the right sorts of mods, but it's just not the optimum engine for the task, really.  It takes so little to actually produce octaves, you are best advised to simply make a separate pedal and let the TS do what it does best....in peace.

Ha ha ha.......... my friend has one of those kits.....

[tomnottom]

Thanks all! Tom

[alex frias]

My 2 cents:

As Mr Hammer suggested one time, I tested the Ampeg Scrambler with some kind of mild distortion before it. In my case I used my ETM (Harmonic Percolator based) and a TS. Both sounds awesome. Some years ago, I used to combine TS and Green Ringer with bood results.

But, as this is the case, I would really suggest this combination (TS + Scrambler) as the blend control can add a fatter resulting signal, you get the octave with a nice body if you want. Using different setings, you can achieve some control over the octave up raising and falling. I call it the Octo Screamup.

[Ben N]

Not quite as simple as you suggested, but either of these ought to be graftable onto a standard screamer with a little ingenuity.
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/Screamer%20Octave/tsoctave.htm
http://folkurban.com/Site/OctupBlender-722.html

[wampcat1]

that circuit bend trick on the TS that I did a while back was just a 'fun' thing - if I was wanting a serious octave that wouldn't be my first choice.
bw