Next Build: BYOC's New Overdrive 2 Kit...

[duhvoodooman***]

Here's a quick clip I dashed off with the MOSFET Overdrive 2. Forgive the quality of recording, because I mic'ed the speaker cab through my crummy PC onboard sound, and it's very noisy & boomy sounding. I really need to buy a decent USB recording interface....

Recorded using my Strat Plus, bridge-middle pickup setting, into my Egnater Rebel 20 amp head connected to a Drive 2x12 ported cab with Eminence Legend speakers. This seems to be a fairly neutral sounding combination--neither bright nor dark. The Egnater was set up for a clean tone--Master & Gain both around 10:00, tube mix 60% EL84/40% 6V6. Treble 1:30, Mids 12:00, Bass 3:00. Bright and Tight switches both off.

The same sequence is repeated 5 times. Here's what's what:

1. Clean signal
2. MOSFET Boost on, Overdrive off
3. MOSFET Boost on, Overdrive at 9:00 (20%)
4. Overdrive at 12:00 (50%)
5. Overdrive at 4:00 (90%)

Again, ignore the recording quality problems and focus on the tone of the guitar.

http://www.box.net/shared/jb4mu5iv49

[thearabianmage]

Nice tones! I'm especially liking the ones with more OD to them. Very cool!

[markb]

So far so good. One interesting test, since you've got an Egnater Rebel would be to compare the pedal's sound with EL84s and 6v6s separately rather than using a mix. OD pedals can be so sensitive to the amp's tonal character. What d'you say? One demo for the Marshalloids and one for us Fenderheads?

[sunvalleylaw]

I like those clips! I don't know if I can say for sure, but it sounds hotter overall than my Bad Monkey (at least as compared to how I set it up mostly, with level at noon and all the rest of the settings at 2), and warmer than the overdrive settings in the Rodent. I have played with the rodent settings more, and I am pretty confident that the Rodent has a more transparent, hotter overdrive characteristic overall. Nice! I wonder how the two (this one and the Rodent) would combine as a team, and how you think this one compares to the Monkey overall.

[piebaldpython***]

Nice clips, sounds good DVM.
1.....Is the OD-2 as versatile in the sounds it makes as the Bad Monkey?

2.......Did you ever post clips of the Tri-boost? If so, where are they?

While comparing the Tri-boost and OD-2 is like comparing to apples and oranges, in your opinion, which pedal gives one more of what you can't get anywhere else?

[tot_Ou_tard]

Nice range of tones there. All of them sound good.

[mrmudcat]

Im hoping to have a non mosfet one:

[tot_Ou_tard]

Im hoping to have a non mosfet one:

Does hoping involve sending cash to Vood?

[F_BSurfer]

Sounds good DVM...........I like the MOSFET

[duhvoodooman***]

Nice clips, sounds good DVM.
1.....Is the OD-2 as versatile in the sounds it makes as the Bad Monkey?

2.......Did you ever post clips of the Tri-boost? If so, where are they?

While comparing the Tri-boost and OD-2 is like comparing to apples and oranges, in your opinion, which pedal gives one more of what you can't get anywhere else?

1) Much more. Has a greater range of gain available, two switchable clipping modes as well as a "diode lift" no-clip setting, and three switchable bass EQ settings. And that doesn't even touch on the integrated booster function the OD2 has. No comparison, IMO.

2) Using the Fret.net Search function (DVM:Pie), you'll find that here:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=5575

Triboost - OD2 comparison: You're right, it's apples to oranges, or maybe more like apples to pineapples. The Triboost is a great booster pedal--basically BYOC's Dallas Rangemaster germanium treble booster clone, with two other switchable boost modes. These are a bipolar silicon transistor boost based upon the popular Linear Power Boost circuit, and a MOSFET boost. Most people buy this kit for the germanium treble boost, based upon the Rangemaster's legendary reputation--the famous "Beano" boost reputedly used by Clapton on the Mayall Bluesbreakers album. If you want a pure booster pedal, this one is very difficult to beat.

The OD2 is really two pedals in one. First, a very flexible overdrive that can be built to TS specs or as a MOSFET overdrive, or a hybrid of the two. Then you get a completely independent booster circuit with it's own footswitch in the same enclosure. The same bipolar silicon or MOSFET circuits from the Triboost are your two choices for the boost circuit in the OD2, but it's one or the other, not both.

So two very different pedals, both excellent at what they do. Both are quite unique in the combination of features that you get in a single pedal. If you have a hard time choosing, I'd be happy to build you one of each!

[duhvoodooman***]

So far so good. One interesting test, since you've got an Egnater Rebel would be to compare the pedal's sound with EL84s and 6v6s separately rather than using a mix. OD pedals can be so sensitive to the amp's tonal character. What d'you say? One demo for the Marshalloids and one for us Fenderheads?

Might be a couple of days, but let me see what I can do. Would probably make sense to record the Fendery one with a Strat or Tele, and the Marshallicious one with an LP, don't ya think?

Does hoping involve sending cash to Vood?

Only if you wish to convert hope to actual tone.

Since you mention it, if anybody is interested in purchasing an assembled OD2, check out THIS THREAD....

[mrmudcat]

Does hoping involve sending cash to Vood?

Of course it does but ive got it covered

[sunvalleylaw]

1) Much more. Has a greater range of gain available, two switchable clipping modes as well as a "diode lift" no-clip setting, and three switchable bass EQ settings. And that doesn't even touch on the integrated booster function the OD2 has. No comparison, IMO.


The OD2 is really two pedals in one. First, a very flexible overdrive that can be built to TS specs or as a MOSFET overdrive, or a hybrid of the two. Then you get a completely independent booster circuit with it's own footswitch in the same enclosure. The same bipolar silicon or MOSFET circuits from the Triboost are your two choices for the boost circuit in the OD2, but it's one or the other, not both.

So two very different pedals, both excellent at what they do. Both are quite unique in the combination of features that you get in a single pedal. If you have a hard time choosing, I'd be happy to build you one of each!

I am confused by the above. I am interested in hearing the TS spec pedal, and knowing how the hybrid works. But basically I am lost in sorting it out at this point. I think a really versatile TS type pedal would be awesome. I like the MOSFET clips, but I am wondering how the TS setup sounds. Not saying you have to build one to show us, but just sayin'. All the sounds are great so far!:

[mrmudcat]

SVL: Vood is doing mine like that !! He can post clips of its sound as I hope to pay him this weekend,so he can start building!

[sunvalleylaw]

SVL: Vood is doing mine like that !! He can post clips of its sound as I hope to pay him this weekend,so he can start building!

Very cool! Congrats! Is it the TS spec or a hybrid?

[duhvoodooman***]

I am confused by the above. I am interested in hearing the TS spec pedal, and knowing how the hybrid works. But basically I am lost in sorting it out at this point. I think a really versatile TS type pedal would be awesome. I like the MOSFET clips, but I am wondering how the TS setup sounds. Not saying you have to build one to show us, but just sayin'. All the sounds are great so far!:

Apparenly I created some confusion with my non-specific language, so let me clear this up.

The BYOC Overdrive 2 is still very much a Tube Screamer TS8080 circuit clone. The basic overdrive circuit is the same one that's in the original BYOC Overdrive, and the one my ZYS pedal is based upon. It also includes a separate booster stage within the same enclosure, fully independent of the overdrive. This booster would behave no differently if it was in a separate pedal enclosure located the next spot down in your pedal chain.

It is still possible to build the overdrive portion of the OD2 as an exact circuit replica of the original BYOC Overdrive, if what you want is the closest thing you can make to a vintage TS808, period. What the OD2 adds is options. Options for how it's built, and options for how you operate it.

One of the options for the build is the MOSFET conversion. All this does is allow you to replace "stock" TS components (mostly bipolar NPN silicon transistors) with a different type of transistor known as a metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor, or MOSFET. There are 5 places these can be used. One of them is in the booster stage, so let's just forget about that one and concentrate on the overdrive portion, where the other 4 are located. These are: the input buffer, the output buffer, the clipping stage, and the operational amplifier (opamp). The first three all use a discrete MOSFET known as a BS170. The opamp, however, uses MOSFET technology built into an IC chip. As I understand it, most opamps used in effects pedals use JFET (junction field-effect transistor) or bipolar transistors, and MOSFET opamps are much less commonly found in these applications. Don't ask me why--I have no idea. In any case, MOSFETs have different properties than other transistor types, which are reflected in somewhat different tonal characteristics. Because MOSFETS also have internal diodes, they can be used as signal clippers. In this role, they're known for having a somewhat warmer, smoother sound than the commonly used silicon diodes such as the 1N4148 or 1N4001.

In any case, you can use the MOSFET components in all, some or none of those four places in the OD2 overdrive circuit. Use none, and you're building to "TS specs". Use them in all four places, and you have a full MOSFET overdrive conversion. Use it in some places and not others and it becomes a hybrid. In point of fact, the tonal impact of their use is most apparent in the clipping section, and quite subtle elsewhere. AAMOF, if you listen to certain audio clips posted here recently (hint, hint), it's a comparison between the 3 different opamps provided with the OD2 kit--one MOSFET and two non-MOSFET--that you're hearing. The differences aren't big, to say the least. The impact of the MOSFETs in the two buffers is more subtle yet. There, the primary effect is to raise the impedance, which helps preserve top-end response. But the impedances are already quite high with the stock transistors, so there's little if any real audible impact there.

There are a couple of other choices you can make as far as the OD2 build options go, but the other options with real tonal impact come from features added to the OD2 to let you change the way you run it. These include:

• Two switchable clipping choices as well as a "diode lift" setting that passes the signal through unclipped.
• Three bass response settings: stock (Normal), more (Full), and more yet (Fat).
• Three internal trimpots to adjust minimum gain, maximum gain, and the output level of the second stage of the opamp ("Louder" trimpot). You have to be a little careful about the max gain setting, because it also affects the bass response. And the Louder pot will affect the sensitivity of the pedal's Tone control.

Bottom line: whether you build to stock, MOSFET or in-between (hybrid) specs, the pedal still has a lot of tonal flexibility from these other features. Not quite as much as my ZYS, where you have the max. gain as an external control and more range on the bass control, as well as 3 different clipper choices, but still much, much more flexibility than a TS808 offers. Or most other overdrive pedals, for that matter.

Hope that helps fill in the blanks....

[duhvoodooman***]

Here's the graphics design I've put together for the non-MOSFET version of this pedal:

[tunghaichuan***]

Sweet! :

You really have a talent for developing graphics for pedals, DVM. :

tung

Here's the graphics design I've put together for the non-full MOSFET version of this pedal:

[duhvoodooman***]

You really have a talent for developing graphics for pedals, DVM.

Thanks for the encouragement, Tung!

Here's the MOSFET conversion counterpart, with a tip of the hat to Tot for a great name idea: