Recommend me an OVERDRIVE

[warioblast]

Hi DYEers,
I want to build an od, something that sounds different than my Ibanez TS-9. I own the ts-9 for 10 years and actually, I have only tried a few ods  . I play with a LP copy, a telecaster & a stratocaster through a Marshall DSL 50 and a bunch of pedals.
I don't have a sound in my mind, I just want a pedal that will sound totally different than the TS-9. I know it's going the first overdrive of a long story  .
So where to look at ?

[toneless]

Ampeg Scrambler

[hairyandy]

If you really want an overdrive and not something really different or weird I would try the DOD 250/MXR Dist.+.  The Ampeg Scrambler is over the top, not what I would characterize as an overdrive really.  You could also try the MiniBooster or the BSIAB,  both very good sounding overdrive/boosters.  Both of these would be different than a TS9.

[Toney]

I love a decent overdrive....I 've built quite a few.

I'd say ROG's Peppermill.....doesn't get discussed that often.

It's outstanding. (with my set up)

[wampcat1]

Distortion +
Marshall bluesbreaker
Nobels odr-1 is a cool tone from a familiar circuit
Aron's booster 2.5 and the variants can be a cool od/distortion as well.

Hope that helps!

bw

[markm]

I just built one of these.....

Seems to provide a real "Tubey" type drive when the gain is 2/3+.
I like the way it sounds with my Tele and Twin Reverb, but, I'm a Country Picker!!
Thanks Dragonfly.....Well Done!!!
   MM

[trevize]

is the sparkle boost the blue magic?

[warioblast]

I built the sparkle boost and the fat boostered. I'm looking for more gain. The mini-booster is on the list 

[Toney]

Seriously,
build the Peppermill and the Distortion plus.
They are both way simple and winners.

[markm]

is the sparkle boost the blue magic?

No it is not but, to my ears seems to be much fuller and more "natural" sounding.
I built the blue magic as well.....it's okay but, I'm really diggin' the Sparkle Boost alot.
It is impressive to me that it's so simple a design yet, delivers a complex tone.
Just another wonder of the world I guess

[bwanasonic]

My vote would be for Tim Escobedo's  Tripple Fuzz. This is a unique pedal that is not a copy of any pedal on the market AND works really well with other ODs! Instead of muddying things up when used in series with another distortion, it seems to add a defined edge, while still kicking up the perceived gain. It's almost magic ! Let alone the fact that on it's own, it goes from a nice subtle grit tone, to a full-on *sick* fuzz. It's a low part count build, and should be on any DIY distortion fans list of "must build" pedals.

Kerry M

[jonathan perez]

My vote would be for Tim Escobedo's  Tripple Fuzz. This is a unique pedal that is not a copy of any pedal on the market AND works really well with other ODs! Instead of muddying things up when used in series with another distortion, it seems to add a defined edge, while still kicking up the perceived gain. It's almost magic ! Let alone the fact that on it's own, it goes from a nice subtle grit tone, to a full-on *sick* fuzz. It's a low part count build, and should be on any DIY distortion fans list of "must build" pedals.

Kerry M

i second that!

[Mark Hammer]

Many people, including myself, are big fans of CMOS invertor-based overdrives.  They do not sound like TS-9 variants, and are not fuzzes, though they can occasionally be made to sound like them.  The Way Huge Red Llama is an example, as is the Snarling Dogs Tweedy Dog, Black Dog and the original Electro-Harmonix Hot Tubes (which the Snarling Dogs pedals were near clones of).  Personally, I like the way invertor-based units sound when the major gain is achieved somewhere other than the invertors themselves.  This little circuit ( http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/mhammer/Forty-Niner.gif ), which is really an adaptation of something Craig Anderton published in Guitar Player 30 years ago, sounds terrific to my ears.  The circuit spanning A-to-B is Anderton Frequency Booster, which you can easily omit without changing much other than which chip you use.  That 1st op-amp stage can really be anything you want - TL071, half a 4558, NE5534, whatever - since the sonic properties are coming from the invertors being pounded.  Drive and Volume pots are log and Tone pot can be whatever you like or have.  The 0.1uf caps at invertor inputs can be bigger, though they shouldn't be much smaller if you want some bottom.  If you are going to just go directly from A to B, stick a 2.2uf to 10uf cap between the op-amp and 10k Drive pot, the way it is shown with the booster section.

Stellan Lehrberg's "Slowfinger" design ( http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/humperdinck/223/slowfing.gif ) uses this approach in a more developed and tonally versatile circuit.

The 3-Legged Dog and Double-D designs over at Runoffgroove.com also use the 4049 invertor in smart and sonically pleasing ways.

[Gus]

here is something that has TS type boost with out the clipping.  Think of it as a mild boost with an EQ

Mark I think people can read this one.

It is a low parts count drop in almost any NPN transistor you got circuit.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/pedals/gusOverdrive.gif

C2 can be 10uf or 33uf or 47uf

C1 to taste

C3,R5  sets the mid boost freq

R7,C5 remove just enought edge IMO

C4 can be an electro + to R6 and Collector

The values were set by math and then using a modded laney vc30 and a single coil strat type guitar

[cbriere]

the best one i have builted is the highway89,
it goes from decent overdrive to controled smokey
blasting tone using only the guitar volume control
(with is preaty convenient to use, no bother with switching effects
on and off). For blues style playing, it's increadebly efficient.
search on this site for some comments on this one,
basic schematics is from Doug Hammond,
i have done some mods to it,
(schematics stay non public ) as requested by Doug.
cbriere

[Mark Hammer]

Mark I think people can read this one.

Even the elderly near-blind like me can!

[alltherightpills]

another vote for the original Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit (not the new pedal!).  great low to medium gain overdrive.  it plays well with all of my guitars - SCs and Humbuckers.

[Joecool85]

If you want a simple OD that goes from middle range overdrive to middle range distortion, I'd build a 5th Gear OD.  Super easy, cheap, sounds great.  The schematic is here: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=40832.0

**edit**
I should note that I have sound clips of the pedal on the wiki over at ssguitar.com

[spudulike]

ROG Peppermill.
ROG Tube Reamer.
ROG Odie.
BSIAB2.

[warioblast]

If you want a simple OD that goes from middle range overdrive to middle range distortion, I'd build a 5th Gear OD.  Super easy, cheap, sounds great.  The schematic is here: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=40832.0

**edit**
I should note that I have sound clips of the pedal on the wiki over at ssguitar.com

thanks for the link.
Not really liking your OD  , but I like the clips of the distortion +, thunderchief & RDV OD.