Loud distortion circuits for multi-effects unit

[jimladladlooklike]

Hi folks. Wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a circuit that would work to increase both gain and volume as the final stage of a circuits I'm building. It's going to be a Marshall Guv'nor into the gyrator circuit from the Intersound IVP into another distortion I haven't quite decided on yet. I've thought about the MXR distortion +. I just want to make sure that my mate has plenty of gain and volume on tap as this is going to be used for solo parts. Circuit will be powered with 18V from a charge pump as I figured this would help with volume.

Thanks!

[FiveseveN]

Circuit will be powered with 18V from a charge pump as I figured this would help with volume.

You can power a Distortion+ with 500 KV straight from the power plant but the signal is never going to get louder than the clipping diodes' threshold voltage. Same goes for Guv'nor.
So any post-clipping gain is going to provide you with the volume aspect you're after. Make it a JFET/MOSFET/CMOS stage or two to provide the desired level of saturation (not just gain).

[merlinb]

Use two or three pairs of diodes in series instead of just one pair and you will have plenty of volume.

[ElectricDruid]

Use two or three pairs of diodes in series instead of just one pair and you will have plenty of volume.

...and if you've got a signal boosted to 18V headroom you'll still get loads of distortion.

The usual problem with raising the clipping threshold like that is that you then don't get such heavy distortion, since the signal has to be a lot louder in order to start clipping. But if you've got a distortion that's running at 18V, that won't be such an issue since you can *make* it a lot louder!

[jimladladlooklike]

Alright then, that is for the pointers once again folks. Series diodes in the MXR distortion + clipping phase sounds like a great way to go in this case!

[GibsonGM]

If not mentioned, don't forget that LEDs and other types of diodes have a higher forward voltage, so can 'get you there easier' - and they also SOUND different, so you might choose to audition a few of them (by color etc).     The clipping options are limitless, ha ha!

[Ben N]

You can power a Distortion+ with 500 KV straight from the power plant...

I'd pay good money to see that. 

[GibsonGM]

I've only ever dared to run mine at a B+ of 350V...

[Ben N]

I've only ever dared to run mine at a B+ of 350V...

Might be fun to create a high voltage discrete op-amp with power transistors and such, all mounted on a heat sink the size of a couch.

[GibsonGM]

Someone call Forrest Mimms III.....