Electra Distortion MODs????

[Canucker]

anyone have any mod ideas for this thing?

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album17/distortionpcb/electra+distortion+pcb+layout.gif.html

I posted about my attempts at a tone control.... any other ideas? possibly simple ones cus I'm pretty new at this. 

[trjones1]

Use a switch to disconnect the diodes from the circuit.  It will boost the output and lower the amount distortion.

[Earthscum]

This is an easy one that you can spend some time on... just play with different diodes in different positions. Ge or Schottky pointing one direction and regular Si pointing the other... then flip them around and see how the sound changes.

Also, try connecting one of the ends of the diode pair to each end of a pot, and put the pot lug to where one of the ends used to go. When you turn the pot back and forth it will change the tone of the clipping. It's really neat and simple. I'd use a 10k or 50k, whichever one you have access to. I assume you don't have a collected stash of parts yet, or I'd say I'd use a 20k to start with.

Another mod is to put a small cap across the diodes, say try something in the 470p-560p range first. This will work with the output pot to shunt the higher harmonics and smooth out the sound. *Just looked at the schems... are you using an output pot? This still may work for you if you aren't, but it will be more dependent on what's downstream of the signal.

[.Mike]

You
should
check
out
AMZ.



Mike

[Canucker]

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album17/distortionpcb/ELECTRA+DISTORTION+layout.bmp.html

I'm using the 100k log pot like they say here.... I'm really not very well educated on this stuff....just go by what I find online and I have the old "electronics projects for musicians" book. I actually built this ages ago and thought the 470R was a typo and they meant 470K...so I built it a few times with that in mind...then looking at more stuff online I found out that R was for ohms so I got the right part and fixed my three attempts at this....thats why I wanted to do some mods...cus I have a few!

[Steben]

Use a darlington transistor.
More crisp transparent (higher input impedance)

[Renegadrian]

You may want to check TROTSKY and ELECTRADRIAN (the second is my adaptation) - both had birth from the Electra OD.

[Renegadrian]

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3071&g2_serialNumber=4
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3056&g2_serialNumber=2

Also check Lovepedal Woodrow

[CynicalMan]

http://sites.google.com/site/distorque/home/projects/modded-electra-distortion
http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.com/2008/02/clock-of-tone-50-modifed-cot50.html

[mac]

Mods for electra distortion? Mmhh, a Distortion+ 

mac

[culturejam]

I'd suggest checking out Lovepedal's historical product lineup for some ideas.

[Canucker]

thanks for the ideas guys. I'll noodle with stuff this weekend....the store i get parts from is an hour away so I'll have to see what I can do with what I have on hand.

[jcuempire]

You may want to check TROTSKY and ELECTRADRIAN (the second is my adaptation) - both had birth from the Electra OD.

I just built the ELECTRADRIAN today - simple to build and it sounds great.  Thanks for the project!

[Renegadrian]

Thank you very much, Keith, I appreciate your comment!!! 

[deadastronaut]

heres a great mod for i did to mine....:..all you need is a hammer and a strong arm swing...whack it several times, ..voila' ..... sounds much better!...