Most Versatile Distortion Pedal

[Ben N]

I haven't looked at the values, but the BSIAB is basically two miniboosters/muamps in series. (As are various other designs, like the Booster 2/2.5, and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret--recently reversed at the "other forum"). It might be possible to switch one of the stages in and out, or, say, switch the first stage for a single jfet booster to get a lower overdrive tone using basically the same topology.
It sounds like you are not really looking for a DIY solution, though, right? If so, and unless you want a two-in-one pedal, like a Boss OS-2, then the Rat or OCD/Cool Cat Drive are both good recommendations.

[ninjaaron]

The Omnidrive is a DIY pedal by the great John Hollis, the schematic and stuff is here http://www.hollis.co.uk/john/circuits.html

Crap man, that's awesome. Every DIY'er should be be required to study that schematic. I think I just learned something.

[Lurco]

I haven't looked at the values, but the BSIAB is basically two miniboosters/muamps in series. (As are various other designs, like the Booster 2/2.5, and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret--recently reversed at the "other forum"). It might be possible to switch one of the stages in and out, or, say, switch the first stage for a single jfet booster to get a lower overdrive tone using basically the same topology.
It sounds like you are not really looking for a DIY solution, though, right? If so, and unless you want a two-in-one pedal, like a Boss OS-2, then the Rat or OCD/Cool Cat Drive are both good recommendations.

Which are the other muamp designs that are unloaded by FET sourcefollowers a`la DLS?

[piloto117]

  Yeah I think you're looking more for a production product than a DIY project...in that case I second the Tube Zone from MI audio, it's a GREAT pedal.  I own it, and it's one of my favorites.  It can effectively go from creamy blues to metal (maybe not so uber metal, but metal enough for my taste), it's VERY tweakable. Great, great product.  On the other hand, last night I finished modding my BSIAB2 and i gotta tell you it's no one trick pony at all!  I added a toggle switch for swapping "dark" and "bright" modes, and also added a footswitch for hi/lo gain. 
  If it's flexibility you want, the BSIAB is a good candidate but you have to mod it.  I got help from LIQUIDS on this forum, to my knowledge he's a pretty reliable source if you're looking for BSIAB mods.  But if you want to save yourself time and work, then check out the Tube Zone on youtube and hear for yourself.
  Good luck!

[Schappy]

I love the BSIABII. I didnt even think of modding it. Maybe I will build another one with mods. Has anyone seen Brian Wamplers Super Plextortion?

It sounds very similar to the BSIAB(at least the clips I heard on You Tube).
However it has a Hi/Mid/Low gain switch.

If anyone can give me some info on modding the BSIABII. I will search around as well.


Thanks

[Joe Hart]

I really dig my DOD 250 clone that I modded with a 6 position rotary switch for clipping diodes (and a switch to add another diode for asymmetrical clipping -- 12 different clipping configurations) and a BMP tone control. I can get lots of different sounds out of it. True, it's all diode clipping distortion, but I find it quite versatile.
-Joe Hart

[DSV]

Mine 
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=74219.0
It's more of a preamp than a standalone distortion pedal, but it can be easily modded into one.

Seroisuly, anything with enough gain, pre- and post-equalization will do the trick.

[ninjaaron]

I haven't looked at the values, but the BSIAB is basically two miniboosters/muamps in series. (As are various other designs, like the Booster 2/2.5, and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret--recently reversed at the "other forum"). It might be possible to switch one of the stages in and out, or, say, switch the first stage for a single jfet booster to get a lower overdrive tone using basically the same topology.

The ROG Thor (JFET ape of a Marshall Super Lead) is very similar to what you are descriping. It has two cascaded JFETs for the 'preamp' into a mu-amp (which they claim "better simulates the odd order harmonics of the amp's AB push-pull distortion"). The clips sound awesome, especially if you're into early Van Halen.


Back to the thread topic, I don't know if I'd call it versatile. It sounds like a cranked Marshall. Doesn't really do TS, Fuzz, or "diode to ground" based distortion sounds. I keep saying Rat because it can get all three sounds (though it is a "diode to ground" thing). Some people even swear by it for cpoping Marshall tones (though it probably does the late JCM 800 sounds better than cranked plexi).

[earthtonesaudio]

Here's one by Slacker/Ian that does two distinct types of clipping circuits with the twist of a single pot:


http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/slackers-stuff/album170/softhard.png.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1
Sounds good too, there's an MP3 in his gallery.

Turned one way, it's TS-like, the other way, more like a Muff (but just one stage so not quite).  If you were to replace the input buffer with a phase splitter, you could get one additional distortion "texture" with the control at halfway.  Haven't tried it yet though.

[andronico]

SansAmp GT2 all the time ! It´s not the most easy pedal to DIYed but it works OK and is very versatile !

[petemoore]

  For live, I like no-knob-turning type versatility.
  For that...the Tube Amp and...
  Whatever else...get the PU's, guitar and amp to break over slightly to begin with, turn the amp down a touch.
  Stick anything in front and tweek that, boost as first stage.
  Boost can be:
  Compressor
  NPN Boost
  Minibooster  [what I have on there, FF actually counts as a boost too here].
  Distortion can be:
  A booster
  A Distortion [I also have a DIST+ which I use as a 'distortion engine' to which I ffeed 'idle' sources [no boost] and boosted or compressed or compressed distorted boosted etc.
  @@rate, 'simple' isn't really the right word ''understandable to me'' is what describes it...hit the input of 'that' amp from different 'angles' and with various softness or ferocity and...sweet to agressive to over the top 'reactive load' type harmonics can be had at the switches [I like to hit just one at a time, adding the above carefully ''tweeked/modded to work well where they are'' stages as needed].
  Without the tube amp there, you'll be having a clean or terrible sounding amplifier/speaker sound, iow: Clean final amplification. I chose to not understand as well this method of distortion [which meant I didn't have to wrack my brain and work out all the details of experimental builds, I around with some solid state amps, and very cool, my buddy has one..does a modern-lead-metal tone that'd be hard for me to beat [as I said I'd buy, choosing to not work out all the details of SS]...anyway that's an Epiphone Triggerman 60, I believe it makes 2 tones and you can boost/cut the input levels to go to the available in-betweens.
  Yupp...takes a lot of diddling with transistors to make a line signal level distortion that is super versatile, and killer [iow, in A/B tests, holds it's own], I found the skills and transformers to simply use the speaker as more of a reactive load on the amp...so I'm told, and as I believe it, this method is working...JC to JH, Clapton etc. not particularly 'metal' tone though, that particular 'modern metal lead' tone is an adventure I've been on, and don't know that my present vehicle [tube amp and described above stuff] truly nails that, I'm ~sure something like the Sansamp or other, making a really well done line level signal type distortion...would do that, I might need more clean headroom or 4x12''s to really get it up in the band mix though.
  But I'm lugging tubes around anyway, that 'angle/ferocity' [frequency / gain] interacting with the reactive load [speaker/OT/Tubes/PS] of the output amp has proven to be the way to tweekable versatility [without bending over] for me.
  I'm sure I know less about the 'other ways' than those who have continuously persued or used them as the way to versatile distortion, and I should try a sansamp.