Big Muff clipping mod

[Electron Tornado]

I think I recall someone discussing this, but after looking through several threads I can't find it. So, I'm wondering if anyone has tried this. Here's a schematic in this thread: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=78111.0

Here's the mod. Lift the cipping diodes on Q2 and Q3. Add a pair of clipping diodes in series with a cap to ground between Q3 and the tone section.

Anyone try that?

[brett]

Hi
clip-to-ground is a distinct sound that is quite different to clip and filter in feedback in the BMP. I have no doubt that it would sound vvery different to a BMP.
Another 2c worth says that building an MXR Distortion+ would be a simple way of getting that sound.
cheers

[Electron Tornado]

I've already built myself something based on the Dist +. I've got a Big Muff on the bench, doing a couple of other mods to it, and it would be fun to add a clipping mod. I'm not sure how close to a Dist + it would sound anyway due to the filtering. (A "Muff +" maybe?) 

[Derringer]

I built one for a friend and installed a switch that just removed one of the clipping diode pairs from the circuit

I "think" that it was the second set of diodes that i had the switch remove, but it could have been the first. I honestly don't remember and stupidly didn't write it down.
But, I experimented with germanium diodes and switching both pairs in and out of the circuit ... and whatever i went with on his build was the design that sounded best to me (i kept all the diodes silicon btw)

Switching the one pair out of the circuit (you only have to lift one end- not both- to remove them from the signal path) gave the tone more bass, more volume, more body and grit in general. He was very happy with it.

[Electron Tornado]

I tried two clipping mods.

1. Removing the first pair of diodes: It sounded a little less clipped (well, no kidding) and maybe a little bit more "transparent". However, the difference is too subtle to my ears.

2. Removing both diode pairs and adding a capacitor in series with a pair of silicon diodes to ground on the output of Q3: The tone was a bit different - somewhere between a Big Muff and a Dist +. The caps I tried were 0.01uf and 470pf. The sustain, however, just wasn't there for some reason, and I didn't really like the way notes sounded as they died off. 

The transistors used in this version are the BC550C, and I'm kind of wondering if there was a transistor that wasn't quite right. As you remove the 470pf filter caps and diodes, the notes don't sound as good as they fade out.

[Derringer]

did you try lifting just the second pair of diodes?



and here's a variation worth considering
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/suppasc.gif?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a

[Electron Tornado]

did you try lifting just the second pair of diodes?

and here's a variation worth considering
http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/suppasc.gif?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a

I tried lifting the first set of diodes. Next time I have a Big Muff on the bench I'll try lifting the second pair.

I took a look at the schematic in the link. I wondered if setting up the diodes to ground like that would work better, but didn't have time to try it. (Now it just dawned on me how I could have done that very quickly at the time. Dang.)