Pedal suggestion?

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

Wondering if anyone can shed some light... A friend has asked me to build him a pedal. I asked what sound he is after and he said he wants a really ballsy 'Zach Wylde' crunch sort of sound that will really accentuate pinch harmonics. What do you guys think I should build that would do this job?

[petemoore]

Wondering if anyone can shed some light...
   Add light:
  What guitar?
  What Amp?
  What 'else'...
  I'm in the dark...can't really say other than a ZW circuit w/socketted input cap 'n maybe diodes.

[tcobretti]

The schematic for the Zakk Wylde pedal is floating around - as I recall it is a slightly modded MXR Distortion +.  I don't know how experienced you are with pedal building, but I'd describe a Dist + as medium difficulty.  I'm sure that if you look thru the Layout Gallery you can find a strip board layout for the Dist +, and mod it to Wylde specs.

However, what Pete said is true.  There is no substitute for a decent sounding rig.  I believe that the most critical component of a good sounding guitar rig is the amp.  Using a pedal to try to make a bad sounding amp sound good is like polishing a turd. 

[Seljer]

^^ to what I remember, its more of a Boss SD1 with a couple of small part differences

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

Yeah I don't think he has the best quality gear and I have told him that he needs to upgrade to get the sound that he wants. If it's as simple as the Dist+ then I think I might just make him one of them and throw some LEDs in instead of the n4148s... that should give it balls! Then he can work on his playing style and gear by himself!

[tcobretti]

Compliments of Torchy's Layout Gallery

[tcobretti]

^^ to what I remember, its more of a Boss SD1 with a couple of small part differences

Looking at the schems, you are right, it is an SD-1 derivative.

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

Cheers!!! Might see what I can do with that one then

[jonathan perez]

is he using it before an amps drive, or just the Wylde Drive alone? you wont get a massive crunch with it, by itself...

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

^^Not sure about that... might have to investigate further. I really don't think he is going to get much crunch anyway with the b-grade gear that he has anyway

[Seljer]

Well the SD1 is very similiar a Tubescreamer which I've made and I find it gives a great boost (espescially for things like those squealling pinch harmonics), even on my solid state amp (the internal circuitry of the dirty channel is based on one of those CMOS inverters)

[MikeH]

I built one of these, and it doesn't actually sound anything like a DS-1.  It sounds way more like a tube screamer.  A lot like a tube screamer, and very gritty.  But pairing it up with something like a DS-1, gives a wicked-tough sounding distortion.

[petemoore]

  When choosing clipping elements, switchable's cool...
  but you can ask if he sets the gain high or uses it for how much volume boost. That will tell you probably something about how much he's liking any distortion created by the amp.
  If he's setting the clipping for harder on his TS type box, and not using a whole lot of boost past unity...
  I would say use medium threshold diode clipping elements, so as to get clipping more/sooner [and would have less output than higher threshold clip diodes], then throw a booster in front of that for even more clipping before amp input.
  And...maybe others have thoughs on this...having more symmetric [or slighty assymetric] clipping will allow more volume to be even on both sides of the waveform, allowing the amp to push even on both sides also, possibly allowing a bit more headroom before clipping occurs in the amp, on one side of the waveform.
  Generally opting for the the 'easy' route, I haven't done alot of tweeking on other than tube amp tones.
  ...that's just one take though
 
 

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

Pete, you know way too much about this stuff man!