DIY mod to convert Distortion pedal to Clean?

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:59 pm

I'm not too keen with DIY but is it pretty easy to mod a boutique tube distortion pedal to provide a clean signal instead?

Swapping in a 12AY7 to lower the push doesn't help. It sounds sweet, yes, but doesn't give me a cleaner signal.

The pedal is a Tubester DS-1, but I'm sure there's a resolution that's common to any pedal like this. Any advice is appreciated.

paully · Post by **paully** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:38 am

Well, it is a distortion pedal after all. Are there not user adjustments that'll get rid of some of the distortion? Not clear on what you expect from this pedal. What exactly are you looking for? Different flavors of 12A tubes will definately affect the sound.

Best, Paul

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:16 am

KennyLusk wrote:I'm not too keen with DIY but is it pretty easy to mod a boutique tube distortion pedal to provide a clean signal instead?

Yes, activate the bypass switch on the front of the pedal. Instant DIY clean mod.

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:32 am

Thanks for the reply guys.

Yeah, it has controls, including a wonderful knob that controls voltage to the tube plate (killer feature), but there always remains some distortion even at the lowest settings. Not much but it's like an old blues amp, when you get to pushing the guitar you hear the push in the signal and it breaks up a little. Very dynamic pedal. Just like some of my old tube amps.

The bypass is a true bypass and I use it in bypass mode just to thicken up a digital signal now and then, it's very handy. But then the tube is out of the path.

Basically I'm trying to avoid having to purchase a clean, tube guitar pre and convert this one because the construction and features are so tasty and the quality in the circuitry is top notch and hand-wired. I don't want to sell it because it's a rare box, but may have to.

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:21 pm

Schematics help, but well focused photos of the guts might do in a pinch.

I suspect from it's description that it's got some clipping diodes in there somewhere. Finding these and removing them should get you a "clean boost".

bipedal · Post by **bipedal** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:02 pm

+1 on previous posts -- not familiar with this circuit, so hard to suggest anything without seeing a schematic.

The bypass is a true bypass and I use it in bypass mode just to thicken up a digital signal now and then, it's very handy. But then the tube is out of the path.

Huh? If it's true bypass, what's there in bypass mode to thicken the signal from 'in' to 'out'? Maybe I'm misunderstanding your comment, but this got me curious.

. . . the construction and features are so tasty and the quality in the circuitry is top notch and hand-wired. I don't want to sell it because it's a rare box, but may have to.

Two reasonably solid reasons right there to not make any mods to this pedal, unless it's very easy to restore it to original state (for example, if all of the clipping is coming from diodes).

Dunno about others, but for adding a little "girth" to a sterile instrument signal, I've been really pleased with my ultra-cheapy Behringer MIC100 Tube Ultragain preamp. No frills, but it's worked remarkably well for the minimal $$ I put into it.

JGriffin · Post by **JGriffin** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 2:22 pm

KennyLusk wrote:Thanks for the reply guys.

Hope you know I was just taking the piss.

As bipedal said: how does a "true bypass" do anything to the sound? It shouldn't, by definition.

Knights Who Say Neve · Post by **Knights Who Say Neve** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:51 pm

ashcat_lt wrote:Schematics help, but well focused photos of the guts might do in a pinch.

I suspect from it's description that it's got some clipping diodes in there somewhere. Finding these and removing them should get you a "clean boost".

What he said. But, get a schematic.

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 5:28 pm

I don't have a schematic but am working on getting one - not counting on it though.

Pics will follow shortly here.

As far as using it in bypass to thicken up digital sig's...the pedal seems to inject (in bypass mode) that 3D feel back into a sterile 2D digital signal in some cases. According to the accompanying literature the bypass seems to be routed around the transformer. Maybe not though, maybe it just routes the signal around the tube circuit but still passes through the transformer. Here's where I wish I knew more about analog circuitry.

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:06 pm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34920185@N ... 7/sizes/l/

bipedal · Post by **bipedal** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:22 am

Sorry, I can't really tell you much based on that picture -- in lieu of a schematic, I think we'd also need a close up of the circuit board (component side and trace side). As overdrive/distortion pedals go, this doesn't seem to be one of the "usual suspect" pedals that have readily available schematics and are ripe for mods. Compact layout there - may be more trouble than it's worth to do any mods to the board...

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 8:08 am

There's no circuit board, everything is point to point. This thing is a total work of art. Teflon coated silver wire and cloth covered, insulated copper with heat shrink at the points. You're probably right about leaving it as is. It's actually pretty big, 5" x 7" so there's room to work but if I screw it up it'd be a shame because I've never heard a pedal that had balls like this one before. Had the clean version of it some time back and never should have sold it. Never never never should have sold it.

roderick · Post by **roderick** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 8:16 am

KennyLusk wrote:http://www.flickr.com/photos/34920185@N ... 7/sizes/l/

Without seeing what components are hidden in the bottom-left corner under the terminal strip, it's pretty hard to give advice.

Also, the transformer at top center is the power transformer. There doesn't appear to be an input transformer that the guitar signal passes through.

I also noticed on this link that there's a CL-1 "clean overdrive" version of the pedal. You might consider finding/testing one of those and selling yours. Edit: from your previous post I guess you already knew that. Oops.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 8:57 am

all the eyelet boards compounded by the lump of epoxy in the upper left isn't really helping here.

unless you want to partially disassemble the pedal and unmount the boards and take some macro shots (and maybe x-ray the epoxy lump!), we're getting nowhere.

schematics!

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:21 am

roderick wrote:
KennyLusk wrote:http://www.flickr.com/photos/34920185@N ... 7/sizes/l/
Without seeing what components are hidden in the bottom-left corner under the terminal strip, it's pretty hard to give advice.

Also, the transformer at top center is the power transformer. There doesn't appear to be an input transformer that the guitar signal passes through.

I also noticed on this link that there's a CL-1 "clean overdrive" version of the pedal. You might consider finding/testing one of those and selling yours. Edit: from your previous post I guess you already knew that. Oops.

Yeah, the input goes straight to the plate after the bypass switch (sweet) so no tranny there.

I bought a CL-1 when the guy first started making them in albuquerque ...loaded with silver wire. Like I said, never should have sold it. No longer in production, these things are impossible to find - I'm sure you guys have had similar experiences with boutique stuff like this before.

It's kinda like having an Alice mic from Scodiddly...once you have one it's best to hold onto it - FOREVER.

But, if my endeavors to get the schematics work out I'll make sure to post it.

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DIY mod to convert Distortion pedal to Clean?

DIY mod to convert Distortion pedal to Clean?

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