Drummer76 wrote:
Hello, new builder here. So in the instructions it says B10K and A1M pots, but when I looked at the actual pots they said A10K and B1M. So I disregarded the letters and soldered according to the 10K and 1M. Was this the right approach? I've never played a real Boss OD-1 but I'm having a hard time getting any amazing sounds out of this through my hot rod deluxe. It sounds mostly tinny/treble-y, with zero low end, slight mids, but the overdrive seems ok. When I eq the amp it sounds better but not anything to write home about. Is this the nature of this model? Any way to add some meat to this pedal?
Also are there any links that I can learn how to test circuits, ohm, voltage, signal, etc? And any good reads on how to learn to modify pedals? Like this one, if I wanted to add more low end what could I replace or add? I'm curious to learn everything I can. Thanks!
The pots should be B10k and A1M. The A and B refer to the taper. Using a different taper makes no difference in terms of sounds. It just affects how quickly or slowly the volume and gain turn up or down as you turn the pot.
The OD-1 is very very similar to the Tubescreamer, so pretty much all of the mods you can do to the TS circuit, you can do here. If you want to add some more low end, the easiest way is to increase the C3/47n capacitor (located near the gain pot eyelets). 220nF or .22uF is a pretty popular value. If you want more gain, reduce the R5/4.7k resistor (located just to the right of C3). 2.7k is a popular value. If you want to reduce some of the highs, you can increase the C4/18n capacitor. This is the one place where the OD-1 is a bit different from the TS, so this one doesn't have a "general concensus" mod value. I guess it depends on how "shrill" you find it. If it's just a hair, I'd try a 22n or .022uF. Like say...turning down the tone knob on a TS or SD-1 by a quarter turn. If you want something more like turning down the tone know by half a turn, maybe try a .033uF. And if you wanted to turn the "tone knob" all the way down, you could repurpose that .047uF cap you pulled from C3. You can purchase snap-off SIP sockets and install those. That way you can plug in various values till you find what you want.
_________________
*patience is a virtue*
Please do not PM me. email is prefered.
keith@buildyourownclone.com