Help: Input Impedance

[Electric_Death]

I know this much for certain, a 1 meg resistor to ground on my circuit completely kills the gain. Now something under the 100 K region, works like a charm.
Is my circuit original?
Somewhere out there, I'm probably not the first but out of everything I've seen built on DIY pedal sites, I've yet to come across the same circuit. It started out a basic design and has slowly grown into a two stage overdrive.

Be nice and maybe I'll share

[stumper1]

Come on Doug, we all know that the 'filter resistor' is what sets our own personal impedence for when the output impedence of our fingers interacts with the input impedence of the guitar. Obviously, the higher, the better, because less of your talent will be shaved off from the voltage division between your fingers and the guitar. It's really straightforward Doug. But there are a couple of difficuties involved with changing its value. First, it is very difficult to locate and you have to find it by first searching for your talent. Second, it is located in your ass.

Now I understand.  Thank youl.

[PerroGrande]

...so you're saying that a 1Meg resistor from the input (from the guitar) to ground BEFORE any coupling capacitor kills the gain of your circuit?

Or is this resistor somewhere in the middle?

I'm not trying to be nasty, I'm just trying to make sure we're talking about the same thing...