Diode differences...

[benallison]

1N4001. 1N4002. 1N34A. 1N914. 1N4148.

These seem to be the most commonly used diodes for boosts and ODd's. Is there some sort of database of these... not just specs, but how they'll sound when used for clipping. Which are interchangeable... what the practical differences will be in something like boost or OD circuit?

I'm not really an egghead, so looking at the numbers doesn't really do anything for me, in terms of knowing how they'll impact how a circuit sounds.

[R.G.]

Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. 

There is no way anyone can tell you how a different diode will sound to you. They can only tell you how different diodes sound to them, which, as we know, varies.

The true joy of DIY is that you get to try it on your own and find your own beautiful reality, as the sage once said... 

[snoof]

All of the diodes you listed are interchangeable in OD crkts.

[aron]

Check out the Wiki:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=Simplemods#Simple.2C_Easy_Mods.2FTips_.26_Techniques

[petemoore]

what the practical differences will be in something like boost or OD circuit?
  The signal from the string swings from like Vbias [idle], er most guitars have passive pickups, but it doesn't hurt to think of the guitar as idle = centered in the middle.
  When the string starts moving, voltage swings +/- of the 'center voltage'.
  So far hopefully I've confused mattters, do reading to figure out where I'm misleading about Vbias and pickup output voltage [both are AC.
  @@Rate...diodes...if they're placed in a spot where the boosted signal voltage from the pickup reaches the diode threshold [see data sheets, different types-different threshold voltages]...anyway say you have a GE [low threshold] diode, and during the peak + voltage swing the threshold is met.
  The diode [in a DIST+, diode to ground type clipper] shunts everything above threshold to ground. No more signal wave tops, signal above ''X'' is shunted and gone.
  The opposing polarity diode [say this is an Si diode, higher threshold]...when it sees a - voltage swing that meets it's threshold, it shunts all that to ground.
  The example is of assymetric clipping, the + peaks are chopped off at a lower voltage [more is shunted to ground, and at a different period in the wave], the Si starts shunting 'later' stops shunting sooner, only nipping a touch off the bottom of the - wavepeak.
  Cool thing is the diodes are real easy to come by, and any ones, two seriesed etc. whatever you want.
  Low threshold [back to back <> Ge's] will be lowest output, hardest clipping [most mangulated waveform, back to back 2x Si's of course will be much more output, and clipping if any will be less.
  Boost the input and of course the larger voltage swings will hit the diodes differently, more signal = more signal to clip off, nothing gets past other than what the diodes let past, that means boosting before makes more signal shunted to ground, putting a stiff cap on output.