Dr Boogey mod (Modern/raw/vintage-switch)

[Flemming]

Hi fellow stompers,

I recently got into this hobby of building stompboxes. I can easily etch PCBs, solder parts and make a pedal work like instructed. I'm not at all capable of figuring out mods/substituting parts for different sound and so on, so this is why i humbly ask for the input of experienced builders like you! I searched the net, and i did found related posts, but they were too 'general' for me to comprehend

My Dr Boogey is a very nice box, but i keep reading about ppl mounting a switch which toggles between 3 'modes': Modern, Raw and Vintage. This interests me a LOT So, this is what i've found out for now:

- The cap in question is C1 in Gauss Markov's Dr Boogie layout
- One switch setting uses the original cap
- One switch setting uses no cap at all
- One switch setting uses a 'larger' cap
- Some also substitutes a resistor

This leads to my questions:
- What value would a 'larger cap' have to be?
- What's up with the resistor swapping? It is needed at all?

I cross my fingers that someone with Boogey experience maybe can help clarifying this mod for me.

Thanks guys

[J0K3RX]

Hi fellow stompers,

I recently got into this hobby of building stompboxes. I can easily etch PCBs, solder parts and make a pedal work like instructed. I'm not at all capable of figuring out mods/substituting parts for different sound and so on, so this is why i humbly ask for the input of experienced builders like you! I searched the net, and i did found related posts, but they were too 'general' for me to comprehend

My Dr Boogey is a very nice box, but i keep reading about ppl mounting a switch which toggles between 3 'modes': Modern, Raw and Vintage. This interests me a LOT So, this is what i've found out for now:

- The cap in question is C1 in Gauss Markov's Dr Boogie layout
- One switch setting uses the original cap
- One switch setting uses no cap at all
- One switch setting uses a 'larger' cap
- Some also substitutes a resistor

This leads to my questions:
- What value would a 'larger cap' have to be?
- What's up with the resistor swapping? It is needed at all?

I cross my fingers that someone with Boogey experience maybe can help clarifying this mod for me.

Thanks guys

What resistor/s are you talking about swapping? R2? you can mess with R2, maybe change it to 1.2k.or 1.5k

You can change C1 from 1uF to something like 220nf will give you a tighter sound or instead of switching between 2 caps suddenly you can use a fake variable capacitor so you can have a wider range of adjustment... call it a tight control  - See the 2nd diagram below


You can also change C16 from 1n to 10n to cut some highs

You can put a 10k pot in place of R14 to give you a sweep or scoop effect on the over all characteristics of the tone stack... will either make it very mid heavy or very scooped and in between...  

You can mess with changing C10 and C11. Say for C10 - 6.8n to 3.3n or 10n likewise on C11 maybe 100n to 440n

just experiment and see what sounds good to you...

More extensive mods are like dual gain and volume controls on a foot switch for a fake added extra channel - personally I don't want my volume to change via a foot switch... I would rather just put a 1M resistor across the gain pot for low gain on a footswitch plus much easier to do. I can control the volume on my guitar and I don't want the volume to spike or drop out while I am playing...

my personal favorite is to put a tube screamer TS808 circuit in front of the Dr.Boogie!

[mistahead]

TS into the Dr. would be VERY nice...

If I'm not mistaken some of the better (even good) nu-metal oufits run (even dual) big muffs into recto's so there may be something there... if you've detuned enough... 

[J0K3RX]

TS into the Dr. would be VERY nice...

If I'm not mistaken some of the better (even good) nu-metal oufits run (even dual) big muffs into recto's so there may be something there... if you've detuned enough...  

Yeah, I have heard people say that big muffs sound good into certain things. I haven't tried any though as I am ANTI MUFF or FUZZ of any kind! Maybe I would have a change of heart if I tried one in a different configuration?? Dunno? Not discounting it, just haven't tried it. Another thing that sounds great into these jfet preamps are treble boosters like the Brian May TB and the Texas Range Master.. they give almost a TS effect and tighten up the bottom end etc.. but, they also introduce a lot of noise. If I could get past that noise I would probably start using those instead of the TS but for now the TS is my fav..

I need to make a 1 knob tube screamer for metal players with just a LEVEL knob

[mistahead]

I'm slowly getting the point of Fuzz, but I started with digital toys and am working backwards - still not sold on fuzz vs good OD on tubes as a way of GENERALLY producing dirt, but can see its place more and more with time.

I was thinking those simple "mostly clean" boosts, but then remembered the muff thing and typed it instead lol.

Oh - nah - you've got to also have a switch on it that implements a second (tighter) clipping stage and label it "More / Less". Box that up with a ram's head pentacle with glowing red eyes in an enclosure thats around 12 inches wide and only accepts a AC mains kettle cord PC style...

Or do the same with the missing gain knob set to 1 and the missing tone at around 2 o'clock and put it in a brass box with a man horse... oooooooh never mind.

[Flemming]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback...

I finally found some values for C1 in this schem http://imageshack.us/f/509/drss.png/
He uses 470nF and the standard electrolytic 1uF (and none for middle position)... but i must say that the variable cap idea is somehow a lot more appealing

A 10K pot to replace R14 for EQ sweep sounds like at good idea. I'm not sure what 'sweep' will do, but i kinda hope that it will work like the 'mid freq' knob on the Boss Metal Zone?

I tried messing with C10 and C11, which did have an impact on the tonestack, but the Mids knob kinda lost it's functionality, so i went back to stock.

I didn't try to push it with a boost in front yet. But i recently built an Xotix BB Pre which should be able to give a treble boost. Will try this out tonight!

[J0K3RX]

I don'y know if a Xotix BB Preamp will give you the same effect as a treble booster or tube screamer but who knows?

The name treble booster is a bit misleading... but they do give you a nice tight bottom end boost with a sharp attack. The Brian May boost almost gives you a stuck wah effect and a lot of mids... not something I might want to use all the time but great for leads