Powering a Tube Screamer style circuit with a bipolar power supply

[bobbysatya]

Hi everyone, I'm planning on building a solid state amp with a tube screamer circuit as the drive channel. In order for the circuit to achieve the maximum headroom available and interact better with the power amp section, I'm planning to power it with -+ 15v. However, I still have no idea on how to do it. Any suggestions?

[mth5044]

A good start is to change the bias voltages and grounds in the tube screamer to ground and -15V, respectively. Not sure how this will change the character of the overdrive. Perhaps the schematic you are planning on using would be helpful.

[idy]

Not sure more voltage will give more headroom to a pedal that clips the signal with diodes... You probably are not getting op-amp clipping with a normal tube screamer, so it is unlikely the higher voltage will change anything at all.

If you want to build a OD circuit that has a higher output, that is a different question. Higher threshold clippers (LEDs? Series of diodes?), maybe a booster after, maybe changing the gain of the second opamp stage (makes things shrill if you don't adjust the tone control somehow.) None of these require higher voltage, but then you might see the benefit.

You would change all connections to ground to -15, all connections to +9 to +15, all connections to Bias voltage to 0v. You are biasing two transistors and two opamp stages.