Boneyard mods

[Thexawakening]

Just wondering if anyone has any good mods for the pedal. Also, has anyone tried different clipping diodes? Would it be safe to use a MOSFET or silicon?

[jkokura]

Oh yes, using any type of diode for clipping is safe. Is it a good idea? Sometimes. You could try socketing those parts and trying a variety of diodes for clipping just to see what works well for you.

Jacob

[chip46]

The only thing I've done with mine so far is changing R5 to 47ohm down from 470. Don't know if this is a mod so much as a fix though. Sounds a million times better now.

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

The clipping diodes should change how it sounds very noticeably. Yes try mosfets, silicon, other germaniums (bat41, 1n270) or even LED's! I've come to like LED's as clippers, they offer a big open crunchy sound. Less gain so its more clear. I've been using the little 3mm blue super brights recently and I'm lovin it!

[kokohi5]

I just built this the other day and so far I'm loving it. Has anyone tried using mosfets for clipping yet? I think I have some around that I may have to try since I really like them in other pedals. I'm guessing it'd also be possible to use jumpers (I used sockets) and have no clipping diodes.

[redbean]

The clipping diodes should change how it sounds very noticeably. Yes try mosfets, silicon, other germaniums (bat41, 1n270) or even LED's! I've come to like LED's as clippers, they offer a big open crunchy sound. Less gain so its more clear. I've been using the little 3mm blue super brights recently and I'm lovin it!

Are they Kingbright Waterclears?

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Are they Kingbright Waterclears?

I really don't know about LED brands. I believe I got them from Tayda though. Why do you ask? How can I identify LED brands?

[redbean]

I really don't know about LED brands. I believe I got them from Tayda though. Why do you ask? How can I identify LED brands?

Because I have some Kingbright Waterclear blues I bought from Mouser ($0.20 apiece) and Mammoth ($0.16 apiece), both of which are the same model, and some LITE-ON blues from Tayda. The Tayda were a LOT cheaper ($0.04 apiece), and had a different brightness/voltage rating. So, I wanted to know how they performed (apparently well). Thanks.

The brands were identified in the descriptions of the products. For example, the Tayda blue LEDs are called "LED 3mm Blue Water Clear Ultra Bright," and if you click on the 'specifications' tab you will see "Manufacturer: LITE-ON" at the top of the text box. Link: http://www.taydaelectronics.com/servlet/the-1888/LED-Blue-Ultra-Bright/Detail

[ODwan]

Hi all,
I just wanted to share the mods I performed on my Boneyard build:
First of all if you change R5 to reduce gain you have to reduce C5 as well to maintain the frequency response. I use 100R and 1µF here.
For clipping I like a 2N7000 and a BAT41 on one side and a 2N7000 and a red LED on the other. This makes for a bit smoother clipping, less raw. I have stock and modded clipping on a switch.
I also soldered a cap across the lugs 1 and 2 of the Tone control to smooth out the highs a bit on higher settings of the tone control. Values from 10nF to 22nF gave good results.
C7 is a good place to shape the response of the bass and lower mids. Try values of 68nF to 100nF. I found the stock 68nF a bit woofy with my setup, so I changed to 82nF and am happy now.
A little goes a long way and can make this circuit sound REALLY good!
Happy modding,
Timo

[shawnee]

ODwan is right. If you change R5, you need to change C5 to keep the same frequencies. I tried a lot of resistor/cap pairs today (if you double the resistance, you need to half the capictance):
47 ohms + 2.2uF
68 ohms + 1.5uF
100 ohms + 1uF
130 ohms + .8uF (.47uF+.33uF)
150 ohms + .69uF (.47uF+.22uF)
220 ohms + .47uF
370 ohms + .28uF (.22uF+.056uF)
470 ohms + .22uF

By the time I got to 470 ohms with a .22uF cap, I could turn the volume, gain, and boost wide open and not get squeal (although there was still quite a bit of hum). If you are looking to tame this beast a bit I would try the ranges between 100-220 ohms with the correct cap.

[shawnee]

Man I spent all day trying to add Bass Mid & Treble in place of the tone control and can't seem to get it right. Has anyone done this yet?

[k.rock!]

...if you change R5 to reduce gain you have to reduce C5 as well to maintain the frequency response.

This makes sense...

... (if you double the resistance, you need to half the capacitance):

So in the case of changing the original values of R5 and C5, 470R and 2.2uF, to

R5: 47R, C5 would be something like 4.7uF?


-Kaleb

[shawnee]

Start with the original Plexitone values of 47 ohms and 2.2uF. The list that I posted above will all work.

[andregarcia57]

I would like a little more bass, how do?

[shawnee]

I would like a little more bass, how do?

Maybe try different value for C7.