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Zonkin' Yellow Screamer Owners
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Thread: Zonkin' Yellow Screamer Owners

  1. #1
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    Default Zonkin' Yellow Screamer Owners

    Let your voice be heard!

    I still have my Mark II pedal - I should have kept version 1 I think! Just for historical purposes. The version 2 sounds at least as good.

    If you have one, which chips do you use in it? I'm not sure where I put my little chips that came with the pedal. I use the stock one but I wouldn't mind trying that one that Keeley uses.

    ZYS FTW!!
    The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
    Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.

  2. #2
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    Version 1 here. Serial number 04 or 05 I think. I haven't used it since getting my M13. I think I'm going to deconstruct my analog pedal board and sell a few things off it, but not the Zonker. I have several chips for it and have only tried 2 of them and I can't tell you which one is in it right now (and to think I used to be a geek about that stuff). I should dig it out and experiment some with it. Always happy with what I get from it for sure.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

  3. #3
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    I have a MkII and love it. I have whatever chip in it came with. i liked it so much I never messed with the other chips.
    Steve Thompson
    Sun Valley, Idaho


    Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
    Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
    Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay


    love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
    - j. johnson

  4. #4
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    Not surprisingly, I have two--the original Mark 1 I built from the old BYOC Overdrive kit, and a Mark II (S/N 029) that I threw in for myself during a run of customer builds. I have a special little adapter board in it that I got from Monte Allums that let's me run two op amps simultaneously, and for clipping, I have the BS170 MOSFET pair on one side and a single BS170 on the other side. This latter is an interesting concept I read about on Jack Orman's site in THIS ARTICLE. To quote Jack directly:

    "An alternate method is to use on a single mosfet. With this clipper, the positive voltages are clipped by the gate-source diode and the negative voltages are limited by the body diode. This version gives asymmetrical clipping that tends to emphasis the even harmonics.

    If the gate-source threshold is 2v and the body diode is 0.7v then the signal will be able to swing only +2v and -0.7v. Try this setup for a different and unique sound. "


    It's a little louder and cleaner than the dual MOSFET clippers, and has a real pleasing character to it. I have that first clipping position set up with sockets so that I can change the clippers as the whim strikes me. Another diode combo I really like is one 1N914 silicon diode on one side and three 914's in series (in the opposite polarity direction, of course) on the other side.

    My thanks to all of you who purchased ZYS's over the 4 years I was selling them. In total, I sold about 70 of them before I decided to stop building commercially, by far my most popular pedal. A lot of the credit has to go to Robert and his excellent ZYS demo videos. A major portion of the gear I have was purchased with the proceeds from those pedal sales.
    DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:

    Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE

    Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue

    Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!

    DVM's Gear Photos
    Visit MY WEBSITE!



  5. #5
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    I've got the Lutheran man's version of the ZYS. Honestly I don't remember what the difference is any more, other than there is no switch to change the order of the effects. I've never taken out the stock chip. IIRC, the other chip I have is the infamous TS808 chip.
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
    Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
    Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
    "I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn

  6. #6
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    I still have people emailing me about the ZYS. Maybe the original ones will sell on eBay for $600 a piece soon.
    The Law of Gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float, and you think I float, then it happens.
    Master Guitar Academy - I also teach via SKYPE.

  7. #7
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    I have the "poor man's ZYS" otherwise known as the OD II. Love that pedal, mine has the MOSFET boost. Per a discussion with DVM, because I also have his Rabid Rodent, I did a mix of the chips.....meaning I have one of each in opposition to each other........and that gives the OD a different flavor.

    I have the same version as Marnold (he had a Lutheran decal affixed IIRC) and I think the only other difference he has a difference boost than the MOSFET on mine.

    The RR is set-up with it's chips so that the OD II chip set-up would be a replication of what I get out of the RR. Vood suggested a mix and match for the OD II to vary things up.

    Perhaps, DVM will chime in to explain about the mix-and-match chip thing. lolol

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by piebaldpython View Post
    I have the same version as Marnold (he had a Lutheran decal affixed IIRC) and I think the only other difference he has a difference boost than the MOSFET on mine.
    Yep! Mine has the silicon boost. I do have a MOSFET clipping option on the I found my spare chip and it is the JRC4558D aka the TS808 chip. I opened my pedal up to confirm that it has the Burr Brown OPA2134 chip.

    This is one pedal that I would never dream of selling. That and my delay are generally the only two I have in front of my amph. Here's the original thread of the birth of my pedal from way back in July of '09. http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/11850-Dvm-Od2
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
    Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
    Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
    "I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by marnold View Post
    This is one pedal that I would never dream of selling. That and my delay are generally the only two I have in front of my amph. Here's the original thread of the birth of my pedal from way back in July of '09. http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/11850-Dvm-Od2
    That's interesting. I don't think I have anything like that. Even my most faithful guitar would probably be on the market given the right circumstances (moving, etc.), though in all honesty I might just have someone look after it instead of selling it. But for almost everything else, I have no 'sacred' equipment. I kind of like it that way, but it's weird given the culture of musicians and guitarists.
    Quote Originally Posted by Spudman
    Does anyone read the original post?
    Guitars: Gibson LP Studio, MIA Fender Precision, Carvin C350
    Amps: Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 + Avatar B212 / Genzler 12-3, Acoustic B20
    Pedals: Pod HD500X, Diamond Compressor, Tech 21 VT Bass, Sonic Research Turbo Tuner

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric View Post
    That's interesting. I don't think I have anything like that. Even my most faithful guitar would probably be on the market given the right circumstances (moving, etc.), though in all honesty I might just have someone look after it instead of selling it. But for almost everything else, I have no 'sacred' equipment. I kind of like it that way, but it's weird given the culture of musicians and guitarists.
    I hear you. I have two reasons why I wouldn't dream of getting rid of this. The first is practical. It covers all my overdrive / boost needs perfectly. I've yet to find a pedal with similar versatility.

    The second reason is personal. It was made for me by someone I consider a friend. From the internal tweaks to the external graphics, it is something that is uniquely mine.

    My only complaint about the pedal is that looking on the inside reminds me of how bad my soldering skills are
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
    Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
    Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
    "I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by piebaldpython View Post
    I have the "poor man's ZYS" otherwise known as the OD II. Love that pedal, mine has the MOSFET boost. Per a discussion with DVM, because I also have his Rabid Rodent, I did a mix of the chips.....meaning I have one of each in opposition to each other........and that gives the OD a different flavor.

    I have the same version as Marnold (he had a Lutheran decal affixed IIRC) and I think the only other difference he has a difference boost than the MOSFET on mine.

    The RR is set-up with it's chips so that the OD II chip set-up would be a replication of what I get out of the RR. Vood suggested a mix and match for the OD II to vary things up.

    Perhaps, DVM will chime in to explain about the mix-and-match chip thing. lolol
    "Chips" generally refer to IC's, which would be the op amp in the context of this pedal. I think what you're referring to is the use of two different types of transistors in the ZYS/OD2--the silicon bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) used in the stock OD2 (and the classic TS808 circuit) or the BS170 MOSFETs (which stands for metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor) that can be substituted for the BJTs in three places in the circuit. These are the input and output buffers in the overdrive part of the circuit, and the gain stage of the boost circuit. You can also use a pair of MOSFETs in the overdrive clipping section, but they're not functioning as transistors there--you're basically just using the diodes that are part of their internal structure as signal clippers. There's a rundown on the effect of these substitutions in THIS POST in Marnold's thread. My personal preference is to use the MOSFET in the input buffer and for the clipper pair, and stay with the BJT's in the output buffer and the boost stage. But this is highly subjective and "YMMV" applies here, in spades....
    DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:

    Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE

    Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue

    Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!

    DVM's Gear Photos
    Visit MY WEBSITE!



  12. #12
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    I found a "note" from DVM to me when I asked a question that explains the "chips" I was referring to:

    "You can even mix the two types--one 1N914 and one red LED--for a kind of hybrid sound. If you do that, be sure that the flat side of the LED and the black stripe on the 1N914 face in opposite directions. Just be a little careful when removing the diodes from the sockets. The 1N914's in particular are quite fragile--the body is made of glass--so don't grab 'em with a pair of metal pliers! Lifting straight up and pushing straight down works best when removing or installing these."

  13. #13
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    I have a version 2. I never took the time to experiment with the different chips to see what difference it makes. It sounds great already.

    I use it every week at band practice. This past Sunday we played a half-hour set at an Open Mic and I got some response that the guitar sounded gritty. The only small issue with my ZYS is that the volume control of the overdrive likely has a lot of gain, since I engage the overdrive mid-song a lot I have to tweak it carefully because just turning up a little bit makes the guitar a lot louder than without the overdrive engaged. Sound-wise there can be no complaints.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by piebaldpython View Post
    I found a "note" from DVM to me when I asked a question that explains the "chips" I was referring to:

    "You can even mix the two types--one 1N914 and one red LED--for a kind of hybrid sound. If you do that, be sure that the flat side of the LED and the black stripe on the 1N914 face in opposite directions. Just be a little careful when removing the diodes from the sockets. The 1N914's in particular are quite fragile--the body is made of glass--so don't grab 'em with a pair of metal pliers! Lifting straight up and pushing straight down works best when removing or installing these."
    OK, those would be the clipping diodes. The ZYS Mk II's have compression sockets installed in the clipping diode eyelets for the first clipping position (toggle to the left side), so that you can try diffierent clipping diode combinations and see what you like the best.

    Quote Originally Posted by aeolian View Post
    ....The only small issue with my ZYS is that the volume control of the overdrive likely has a lot of gain, since I engage the overdrive mid-song a lot I have to tweak it carefully because just turning up a little bit makes the guitar a lot louder than without the overdrive engaged. Sound-wise there can be no complaints.
    Sounds like you probably have one of the early Mark II's. I found that the volume for the OD side came on too quickly and the boost volume came on too slowly, so I started switching the linear taper pot on the OD side with the audio taper pot for the boost volume in later builds, which seemed to take care of the problem nicely.
    DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:

    Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE

    Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue

    Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!

    DVM's Gear Photos
    Visit MY WEBSITE!



  15. #15
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    Default Chips Ahoy!

    To be honest, I’m not really sure what version my ZYS pedal is. DVM, perhaps you can provide me with some input on that as I’d be interested to know.

    Chip-wise, it’s really a can’t miss endeavor. To my ear, they all sounded good. As I recall, DVM’s personal choice was one of the Texas Instruments chips - largely on the basis of overall responsiveness across all of the different settings. Having used all (3) of the included chips at one time or another, my favorite is still the JRC4558D – i.e. the chip used in the original TS-808’s. Even with all the tonal flexibility the ZYS has on tap, there’s a certain old school ‘feel’ that the JRC chip imparts that’s hard for me to move away from. Having now come across this post, I may again re-explore my options in that dept. – if for nothing more than an enjoyable afternoon of playing and tone-farming.

    The reasons I like my pedal are far too many to mention. But one in particular, I think, extends the highest compliment a player can extend. DVM’s ZYS is at the headwaters of not one – but two of my personal ‘go-to’ tones. And when I say that, I don’t mean that I’m emulating a famous player’s tone or sound. These are my tones. As in when I want to put my personal stamp on a piece of music, these are two of the silver bullets in my gun.

    Anyways, after five years of regular playing, my ZYS – i.e.“Big Yellah” - - is still going strong. Which is good, cuz’ I have a lot of music left to create. Cheers to the ‘Old Guard’. - - nelskie

  16. #16
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    Hi... I am new here and hope to learn a coupke of things about this pedal. I woukd like to get one, based on reviews, but I'd like to know what the mods are as compared to the original byoc od2 kit?
    Is this an ok question to ask?

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by loopyloop View Post
    Hi... I am new here and hope to learn a coupke of things about this pedal. I woukd like to get one, based on reviews, but I'd like to know what the mods are as compared to the original byoc od2 kit?
    Is this an ok question to ask?
    Here's all the gory details. http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimag...l/zys_mkII.htm

    DVM doesn't build them anymore but he has contracted out to someone who will build one for you. His site has the details.
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
    Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
    Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
    "I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn

  18. #18
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    Thank you very much indeed... now I have to learn what it all means!

  19. #19
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    My ZYS MkII is my Golden Monkey. About three years rocking hard - bandmate swears he hears the freedom of ladies' undies when the stomp happens.

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