Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

[Twisteramps]

Ok, I've been messing around with pedal mods off and on for a few years. This weekend I took my modded SD-1 pedal and temporarily wired a socket so I can swap in clipping diodes easily.

To give ya the Reader's Digest version, the distortion of the SD1 and most distortion/overdrive pedals is generated by two or three diodes clipping the output. Some pedals use two diodes, some put it in a different place in the circuit, but a LOT of pedals use this. What's interesting is that you can place different types of diodes, including LEDs to get varying qualities of overdrive. Also, some diode types clip sooner, some later... and some fuzz the hell out of the signal, some barely affect it.

One note about these clips: I set the pedal for full volume and overdrive, and tone at noon. I was NOT trying to get the best out of each combination, and some are pretty craptacular. Guitar used was a USA Charvel strat. Each part is a bridge Seymour Duncan Hot Rails humbucker first, then middle and neck combination with dimarzio vintage single coils. No effects after the fact, except for some normalization to make the volumes closer together.

Each clip except for the clean one has the following test riffs:

1) Some Joe Walsh rhythm thing

2) Sweep lick, to check tracking

3) Little wing solo

I recorded several combinations, using an EL84 Twister amp I built. Here's the amp without the pedal:

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/Clean,nopedal2.mp3

And here's the pedal without any clipping diodes:

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/SD1nodiodes.mp3

One small red LED, and one small diode:

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley...smalldiode.mp3

One large Diode (14007) and one small diode:

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley...smalldiode.mp3

A pair of large diodes (14007)

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/21n4007.mp3

A pair of big red flat LEDs

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley...edflatLEDs.mp3

A pair of the small diodes

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/2smalldiodes.mp3

A pair of small red LEDs

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/2smallredLEDs.mp3

3 small diodes, or assymetrical distortion

http://members.cox.net/kristenturley/3smalldiodes.mp3

Interesting, eh?

Pete

[yabba]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

cool! thanks for posting that [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I love the fuzzed out sound from the 2 large diodes [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Cybersavior]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

I was *just* about to slam you for the "sloppy Jo" (walsh), then the sweeps. <bow> WHAT A CONTRAST.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

Don't pick on Pete for his sloppy sweeps too... Hehehe... I have a hard time with them as well.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

Some of those pedal settings were damn near HARD TO PLAY [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] The sustain was weird, and the notes would kinda fart out. Also, each was a first take/real quick get it out of the way deal, so I could jam another set of hapless diodes in the socket.

Pete

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

Some drastic difference in the different types of diodes. Good to hear them organized and displayed...

[fritzreiser]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

Pete,

I absolutely loved the clip with the pair of big red flat LEDs. I thought the rhythm and lead tones were very smooth.

[yabba]

Re: Giant overdrive comparison w/clips

Originally posted by Twisteramps:
Some of those pedal settings were damn near HARD TO PLAY [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] The sustain was weird, and the notes would kinda fart out. Also, each was a first take/real quick get it out of the way deal, so I could jam another set of hapless diodes in the socket.

Pete

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">that farting out is the sound I love, where the signal is clipping so much it sort of gates itself out with a nasty brbrbrbrbrbrbbbpt sound [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]