![]() Some of you may be familiar with how crystal radios work, and the fact that they commonly use germanium diodes for the detector. Even a geek like me has his limits!īTW, funny story about this experiment. There are other diode types that can be used for clipping, like Zeners or MOSFETS, but I didn't get that far into it. ![]() I wouldn't want a pedal with only the germanium clipping diodes, but using them as one of 3 switchable diode combos (the other two being silicons and LED's) gives the pedal quite a diverse range of overdrive tones. The germaniums also have a significantly lower volume output, so you have to crank up the pedal's Level knob or roll up the volume at the amp. Nice for that just-starting-to-break-up overdriven amp sound, and particularly well suited for blues. Germanium diodes clip very softly, so you get a very smooth & subtle overdrive compared to silicon diodes or LED's. Truly i think they all sounded good except maybe #4 - 1N34A germanium pair (symmetric).Īctually, I like the germaniums quite a bit, but it's almost a completely different sound vs. IMO, the differences between these various diode combos has a much more significant impact on the sound of the pedal than what kind of opamp is used. Here is the order of diode combos used:ġN4148 silicon pair (symmetric TS-808 stock)ġN4148/2x1N4001 (asymmetric clipping option included in BYOC Overdrive kit) The same riff sequence is played through a total of ten times. Level was adjusted to keep the amp speaker output at a relatively consistent volume. I had the pedal set up at the normal Overdrive gain range and the stock TS 720Hz bass rolloff, the Tone at midpoint and the Drive control dimed. Once set up, the amp wasn't touched during the recording of the different clipping combinations. The amp model used was the Boutique Clean (for minimal coloration), with a bit of reverb and no other effects. The audio clip was recorded using my Epi Elitist LP Standard (bridge p'up) through my AD30VT. Here's a photo, showing a yellow LED/1N4148 silicon asymmetric diode combo ready for testing: Then it was a simple matter of just spot-soldering the various diode combos together and attaching the alligator clips to either end. I disconnected the two wires connecting the switchable diode setup to the PCB, and soldered alligator clips to each end of the wires. In response to a request by another pedal modder over at the BYOC forum, below is a link to an audio clip I recorded to demonstrate the different clipping tones afforded by various diode combinations, using my Zonkin' Yellow Screamer as the "test bed".
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