Neutrino, Burst Vs Black spec.

[Ward]

Well I'm not gonna post pics, I just want to say what I think the differences are between the Burst and Black version. I was looking around and couldn't find anything that actually said anything about the differences.
Well there are a lot of Burst users here and a lot seem to really like it. I didn't like it one bit, I think it's just too gainy and too hissy, I thought there was little to no articulation and that immediately rules out this pedal for me.
I tried in through a JTM45 clone that I built both with single coil and humbucker guitars. With the humbucker I thought it was a rude annoying racket of swill. Of course, I'm looking for a pedal that sounds great with the amp turned up, when I put the amp on 2 it was better but still no cigar.
So today I swapped it to the Black spec:
I think this is way better, a bit more articulation and still plenty of gain but the beautiful JTM45 was robbed of what makes it a great amp, without going too much into that, the pedal made the amp sound hard, not harsh but hard, if you've ever played a JTM-45 you will know all about the softness in the feel and this is what makes it such a great amp. The Black just sounded and felt hard.
I read somewhere around here that someone replaced the chip in the Burst with a NE5532, well I tried that chip in the Burst and thought it just mushed everything up but decided to try it again now that it was the Black version. 
The Black version to me with the NE5532 is everything I ever wanted in a pedal, the amp now retains it's feel and now the pedal just pushes the amp further into the best drive tones AND feel that I've ever experienced and I'm 57 so I've been searching for ah, a long time.
I urge anyone who has the Black version to try the NE5532. I only played a strat through it so far and was getting some fantastic tone and feel. It's impossible to describe. Maybe someone else can try the chip and let us know what you think but for me, without the chip I wouldn't have kept the pedal.
Sorry to all those who like the Burst and the stock Black. I guess I should finish up by just comparing the two?
Well the Black still has quite a lot of gain, but is a little more articulate, oh and another thing I found with the stock Black, when I rolled the guitar volume back the tone got cleaner alright but lost body and sounded very bland/bad, with the new chip this didn't happen. Build the Black with the NE chip and you'll know why I'm so over the moon about it. In comparing the Burst to the Black, I say why bother, the way to go is with the Black and the NE chip. 

[gtr2]

Thanks for the info.  I've got a neutrino board on the way and this will come in handy. 

Josh

[josetxu]

Thanks for the info, I have a neutrino black version board waiting to go to a enclosure so I will have to try this

[Jimihendrix1987]

Thanks man! I also have one neutrino board waiting to be soldered into something. You have convinced me about making the black version working with the NE chip!

Thanks!!

[Ward]

Well now we need to hear from you guys and how you like it. I hope I haven't dug my grave with this one

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Well now we need to hear from you guys and how you like it. I hope I haven't dug my grave with this one

I got a neutrino board in a big pcb buy I did so I might as well take your suggestion and build this one to black specs, especially with the passion you expressed! 
I'm curious, what chip did you use originally that you didn't really like? I noticed the doc says you can put a Burr Brown OPA2134 chip in there and also JRC4558. I'm thinking the OPA2134 will sound really good!!

[Ward]

Well now we need to hear from you guys and how you like it. I hope I haven't dug my grave with this one

I got a neutrino board in a big pcb buy I did so I might as well take your suggestion and build this one to black specs, especially with the passion you expressed! 
I'm curious, what chip did you use originally that you didn't really like? I noticed the doc says you can put a Burr Brown OPA2134 chip in there and also JRC4558. I'm thinking the OPA2134 will sound really good!!

I put the LM1458 as per the spec sheet. After I put in the NE chip I left well alone, of course you can exp with whatever you like, I'm just saying that the NE chip did it for me and the difference was very noticeable compared to the LM chip. I don't like the burr brown chip much but you can try it, I like it in the GE-7 where you want max clarity. At the time I posted the original post I was very passionate indeed. I'd just come from one of those playing sessions where it all went right, the next day things weren't quite as wonderful. You need to be in the right mood to enjoy playing guitar whether it be the Neutrino or anything else IMO. As I'm a single coil guy mostly I do find the Neutrino is pretty full on and because of that I think you need to be in a full on kind of mood to take advantage of the pedal.

[tenwatt]

Just like every other pedal...this is highly subjectable.  I haven't A/B'd "Black" vs. "Burst" but my "Burst" version is my favorite OD I've ever played through...and I've played through just about anything you could name.