DIY TS9/808: what's your favorite Diode Clipping set up?

[mateusborges]

1N4001 to 1N4007 are different VOLTAGE sort-outs from the same (original) process.

The current rating sets the diode diameter. Big hose for big flow, or otherwise. The 1N400x are all "1A" diodes.

The voltage rating is like baking cookies soft or hard. You get some too gooey to pick up, others can be used as weapons. Back in 1964 they got a lot of 100+V parts, not many 500+V parts. They sold the low-V parts as '001, the high-V parts as '006 at 2 or 3 times the price of an '001. (The 1,000V 1N4007 came later when they really mastered the process.)

At 9V, the difference between 100V or 1000V rating is super small.

And in this 21st Century, essentially all 1N400x on the market ARE 1N4006 or better; a 100V breakdown would be a sign of a severe problem. They have the process dialed-in so close it makes 900V-1300V parts all day long. Even the back-alley diode foundries.

They mark some of the parts with lower numbers to satisfy purchasing agents working from old plans from days when the '7 really did cost pennies more than the '1.

Buying DIY quantities, get a 10-bag or 100-bag of 1N4007. Any difference in bulk price (for thousands) is swamped by the labor markup on small quantities.

Thanks a lot again PRR! You're a monster!

[Invertiguy]

In my clone I have them switchable between a pair of red LEDs, a pair of 2N7000 mosfets with a 1n34a in series with one of them, and none. They all have their uses depending on if you want to use it as a booster to tighten up a high gain amp or if you want to actually generate dirt out of it.

[niektb]

Symmetrical Yellow LEDs for a high headroom

Or assymetrical 1N4148s (2 - 1)

[iainpunk]

i genuinely don't like the standard clipping setup of the TS-9 or 808.
the guitar i use most doesn't really play nice with that style soft clipping, because the amount of clean signal after the clipping is louder than the clipped gain signal, and it gives off a nasty fizzy drive badly mixed in with the clean signal.

having said that; my favourite TS9 mods are:

• using asymmetric 1n4148
• taking out C5 0.22uf and replace them with clipping diodes
• taking out R7 and putting in clipping Ge diodes (for some cross over distortion) and a 2.2k in series
• replace the tone control's R8 and C6 with a daughter board which houses 2 gyrators at 100 and 1000 Hz
• replace C3 with 1uf for more low end thump

this takes it into HM-2-ish territory, which is great if it still looks like a tube screamer

cheers