Distortion in EA tremolo

[Thugpoet]

I made a GGG EA Tremolo but it sounded a little bit dirt.It sounded like i put a ts808 in front of it,actually i did not.Though it also sounded good but how can I fix it or made it clean.
The transistor were  Q1=2n3904 Q2,Q4=2N5457  Q3=2N5088

[Processaurus]

The distortion is a quirk of the simplicity of that circuit.  Moving the volume control to the beginning of the circuit works, as does padding down the input.  Which schematic are you following?

[Rob Strand]

Another option replace R17 with two resistors in series, then connect C9 to the centre of those.

For example,
- You can use 3.3k to the source of Q4 then to a 6.8k (and C9) then the 6.8k to ground.
  That might be enough to knock the edge off the dirt.
- for more attenuation use say 2x 4.7k's

[Processaurus]

Oh, duh, you're using the GGG schematic.

Another option replace R17 with two resistors in series, then connect C9 to the centre of those.

For example,
- You can use 3.3k to the source of Q4 then to a 6.8k (and C9) then the 6.8k to ground.
  That might be enough to knock the edge off the dirt.
- for more attenuation use say 2x 4.7k's

That's what I did, I think I used two 4.7K resistors there as a voltage divider, and haven't had headroom problems with my (admittedly) single coil guitars. 

[aflynt]

I just stuck a 1Meg resistor in series with the effects input on mine. It's a bit noisy, but I can blast the input with a RangeMaster now without distortion.

-Aaron

[Processaurus]

I just stuck a 1Meg resistor in series with the effects input on mine. It's a bit noisy, but I can blast the input with a RangeMaster now without distortion.

-Aaron

Yeah, that accomplishes the same attenuation, but at the cost of noise and making the input shaky and super high impedance.  Making the voltage divider on the source like Rob explained isn't a difficult kludge.