Build Your Own Clone Message Board

For the tweakers, modifyers, etc...

What parts in a Screamer kit would be replaced by Silver Micas? I want to build the best sounding, lowest noise (since I stack ODs sometimes) Screamer that I can.

Someone (might have been Nick, can't remember) gave me a cool reference thing once saying something like "between this value and this value, I use electrolytics, between this and this I use Metal film caps and between this and this value I use silver micas. " I lost it in a hard drive crash and am wanting to see what values of Mica I need, to replace the tants, ceramic discs, or whatever they are in that range.

Now that I've opened this can of worms, what are your favorite caps and resistors in the screamer? If you upgrade, what parts to you upgrade, and with what?

I like to hear why guys like a certain brand of cap or resistor, as this can be part of the fine tuning of what I might like vs what someone else wants when I build them one. I know from my old stereo mod days that one cap might be more smooth and the other more open, one more warm, one more detailed, etc. I also know the parts in these circuits are not as critical as in high end audio stuff, but I want it to be as good as it can.

I'm replacing a Keeley Modded TS9 with my BYOC kit. I want it to be at least as good as the Keeley. I heard the significant improvement in tone plus the lower noise floor, when I sent it off for mods a couple years ago. I know he uses at last 3-4 silver micas in it, and cites lower noise etc.

rule of thumb is that any components before the gain stage and in the gain stage will affect noise the most. if you keep the components in these areas high quality (metal film resistors, silver mica caps, etc), then there is less inherent noise for the gain stage to amplify. carbon comp resistors and ceramic disc caps are typically the worst for noise. polarized caps in the signal chain dont really induce noise, but they do have poorer frequency response than other types.

after the gain stage, the noise inherent in the components is not amplified further so it matters little what kind of components you use. (some builders, though, will INSIST that they can hear a difference.... it's mostly wishful hearing, though.)

thanks for that info. Now all I have to do is learn to read a schematic so I can figure out what parts to replace.

Nothing beats a BYOC kit... except learning how to read a schematic. It is so key in so many areas of pedal building.

BTW... Google and Wikipedia are your friends.

I checked out the schematic Stephen posted, and think I have identified the parts I'd replace. I'll post them here in a little while so you guys can critique my circuit reading ability.