GCS Overdrive

[RoanldJ]

On the scematic shown in the link there are two points for 9v+, do I connect the battery to both or chose one or the other??

[Bill Mountain]

The battery connects to both.

[Bill Mountain]

What would you call this type of biasing scheme?  I've seen this a few different places.

[deafbutpicky]

Hi,
It's called a voltage divider bias if I'm not taken wrong, but I think your wondering about C2. It's a boostrap  capacitor (therefor the need of R1),
just a way to get a bigger input impedance.

[caspercody]

How much overdrive does this produce? I only get a clean boosted signal out of this?

[John Lyons]

As with any boost it will depend on the amp.
CLEAN amp will be less drive. Cleanish amp with break up more
as it's closer to the overdrive (pushing the input into OD) threshold.

[caspercody]

I am running it into a tube amp (Peavey VTM60) very clean. So I guess I am not using it correctly?

[John Lyons]

To be honest I have not made this OD so I should probably shut up. 

But still, if your amp is clean then the OD will affect it less or not at all
dist/OD wise. It will be more of a boost in volume not crunch.

[caspercody]

Thanks John! That is exactly what it is doing, just a boost.

Is there a proper and not proper way to use dist/OD pedals? I just use them to create dist/OD. My amp is only a one channel amp, and the dist is not to my taste.

[RoanldJ]

I am building one of these and wondering if there is a way to add at least a volume control?

[caspercody]

Change R8 to a pot, and come off of pin 2 for the output.

[RoanldJ]

First attemp FAIL! My fault, lack of component placement planning, anyway, gonna try again today.

I'm using one of theses for a makeshift board:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103799&znt_campaign=Category_CMS&znt_source=CAT&znt_medium=RSCOM&znt_content=CT2032230

With better planning it seems pretty good for a low parts build, and since there two of them, I think a simple higher gain OD circuit driven by the GCS in one pedal is a good idea.

[Kipper4]

I breadboarded this tonight and it worked after a few tweaks (first attempt needed to rearrange a few bits)
I was not that impressed on a cleanish amp but stick it infront of a nice high gain dirty amp and its good.
I really like it.
I used BC109 as a tranny

[RoanldJ]

Just finished the GCS, it works!!
Sounds really good, transparent, but bigger sound, and just the right amount of grit thrown in.

I built it without a volume control but will add that later this afternoon, got a 100K A laying around.