it's been a year, checking back on this video because i had forgotten what mods i wanted to apply. completely forgot about these comments as well, good thing i left them. edit: favorite with a u, why
It's so cool to know that vids like this will probably still be around when I've got kids and they wanna work on stuff like this. Niche tutorial videos are slept on
Interesting video, and glad that the controls weren't changed when changing diodes. One thing I will note is that, because the gain stages are cascaded, the clipping in stage 2 (third transistor from the left) is contingent on what comes out of stage 1. When diodes of a lower forward voltage are used in stage 1, that constrains what stage 2 gets. If there was a means of varying the gain of stages 1 and 2, that wouldn't pose any problem, since we could simply raise the stage 2 gain to compensate. But if all one is doing is changing diode type, then as we seem to hear, there isn't a huge change in tonal quality; volume level seems to be the biggest change. So I'll suggest the following: use diodes with a *higher* forward voltage for stage 1, than for stage 2. So if you want to use LEDs, stick them in stage 1, and use silicon for stage 2. If germanium is the target, then silicon goes in stage 1 and germanium stage 2. And so on. The idea is to achieve the more serious clipping of a lower Vf diode type by assuring it gets hit hard enough. Incidentally, the Sola Sound "Jumbo Tonebender" was essentially a Big Muff circuit, but without diodes in stage 1. I tried out that change in a Big Muff, and wasn't grabbed by it. It provides a little more frizz at the top, but nothing I found compelling. More productive changes can likely be found in changing cap values in the tonestack, and the feedback cap in stage 1. Increasing the feedback cap in stage 1 from 500pf (or whatever it is) to something up to 20% higher (let's say a maximum of 680pf), will trim upper harmonics from the stage 1 output so they don't get amplified by stage 2. Dropping the value of the cap to ground in the tonestack (usually .01uf) will raise the rolloff point on the bass side. With stock values of 39k and .01uf the rolloff starts around 400hz and trims mids and treble from there. Drop the cap value from .01uf to .0068 moves that rolloff point to 600hz, and dropping the cap down to .0047uf pushes it up further to just under 870hz. This does not affect the treble setting on the Tone control noticeably, but will reduce the midscoop. What it *will* do is make the full bass setting more "throaty" and less muted and "wooly". That said, no shortage of BMP mods posted around that may be closer to your tonal goals than what I described. Each to their own.
Yeah, I only wanted to change one set of variables at a time. There will be a video going over those caps you are speaking of as well. That one will be fun.
I'm having a Russian muff being buil for me. I told him I want a diodes switch, and he offered a rotory switch, but is that overkill? I was thinking only having a on-off-on switch for only the first stage diodes. (stock, OFF, red LED's) and keeping the 2nd stage stock. would this be the best thing to do for the most variable tonal variety? For the green Russian do you suggest a Mids Toggle switch, or a tone stack bypass switch?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 I think your suggested switch is quite enough. People can get a little crazy with diode choices, sometimes. My view is that it's a fuzz, What you get to hear will depend far more on how loud everything is and how you set the Sustain and Tone controls than on this or that combination of diodes. I mean, if 3 chords is good enough for rock, why shouldn't a 3-position switch be as well, right?
Are those at 8:00 genuine Germanium diodes or fakes? Because they sound almost identical to Schottky and the market is full of disguised Schottky diodes sold as 1N34A Germanium.
It would be cool to see how you would do this if you wanted to have selectable clipping options using a 3 way switch. Say having the options for both clipping stages to have LED’s, the stock muff configuration, and the germanium diodes.
You could use a single pole, single throw switch (SPST) and that could switch between one set of diodes and another, but that only gives you two choices. You can see how to do that via the Tasmanian Devil PCB, which switches the clipping diodes from silicon to LEDs. If you want more combinations, you will need a rotary switch or a slide switch. Basically, you will be disconnecting and connecting the grounds from the set of diodes that will be clipping and not clipping.
Fantastic content presented very well! I really liked the way the germanium diodes and the MOSFETs sounded. If you were going to try different pairs for the first and second stages, what order would you put them in? IOW would you want the higher forward voltage diode in the feedback loop for the first stage or the second stage?
Transistors as diode and GE diodes would be a killer combo too. You'd Prolly get a very touch sensitive big muff if you messed around with positions in depth a bit more. Awesome video man.
this is great. Thank you. I was searching for a way to reduce the distortion on a big muff (I am using the tone wick model) this is a good start to that. Do you do mods for “clients”?
I think you need to try GE in first stage only with silicon diodes in second stage and vice versa too. That GE tone was awesome it just needed clean boosted louder. With a GE set and a SI set in each position you should get some bad ass cleaner tones at low guitar volume and even more bad ass tone with everything dimed!
Hi guys, what could be the cause of the self-oscillation problem in Big Muff? I tried different capacitors, cleaned everything, tried different transistors, but I still have oscillation, help! the thing is that I've made a couple of muff before and they didn't have this problem
Im curious if anyine has had this happen, Has anyone taken out D1 and D2 and gotten a severely cut signal? Like I have to crank my amp to get the same volume as bypassed? Why might this be happening?
Funny you should mention that. I have one that I am working on right now that is designed around a 1590BB enclosure. Look for the Super Siberian, coming to a theater near you.
They both do their "own" thing, but I would surmise that the first set would be a bit more impactful as that is getting the sound amplified to go into the next clipping stage. Pulling them out all together will put out more unclipped volume meaning the remaining clipping stage will have more signal to clip as a whole. It might convert the pedal to more overdrive and less distortion and fuzz.
@@erikvincent5846 My favorite sample was when the first stage was out and the second stage stock. it sounded so huge! If I decide to put the first stage on their own switch and the second stage on its own switch, would it be better to put higher forward voltage Options (silicone, LEDs and no diode) on the first stage? Then lower voltage (germanium, silicone, LEDs, in that order) on the second?
Hello, I am interested in starting to build effects pedals with your kits, but I really don't know where to start equipment/materials wise. Right now, I have no equipment (no soldering equipment at all) nor do I have any pedal materials. What exactly do I need to purchase so that I have all that I need to build a pedal kit from your website (soldering stuff, enclosures, pedal/circuit components?) Thank you! -Luke
Well, I would start out by getting a soldering iron, some solder, and possibly some solder wick. Make sure the soldering iron is for small electronics, and not those large soldering guns used for automotive and such. Also make sure it can get up to 400 degrees C. You don't need to get that hot, but soldering irons that can, tend to be better. Parts and components can be found on our site, so that should cover that area. However, we may be out or not stock some specialty parts. If you need those, don't be afraid to send us an email on our site and we can help you source those additional parts.
Round about, but yes. As you can hear with the germanium diodes and schottky diodes, both having lower forward voltage, it sounds less fuzzy and even has a bit of volume drop as Mark mentioned.
4:05 silicon stock
5:31 silicon second stage only
6:49 no diodes
8:00 germanium
9:35 schottky
10:58 red leds
12:58 mosfet
second stage silicon is my favourite but red leds are a close second. no diodes is also a flavor i'd enjoy as an option.
thanks for the video!
it's been a year, checking back on this video because i had forgotten what mods i wanted to apply. completely forgot about these comments as well, good thing i left them.
edit: favorite with a u, why
It's so cool to know that vids like this will probably still be around when I've got kids and they wanna work on stuff like this. Niche tutorial videos are slept on
or for people like me, they will still be here when we actually get around to working on this stuff.
@@calinguga lmao same. I still don't think I've gotten to it tbh
Let` hope. If youtube someday only “allow“ videos that makes a ton of money, this videos will be gone completly.
@@calinguga I still haven't gotten to working on this lmao
This is really gold info man! Sating it as an electronic engineer that its not so deep in audio, keep going, love it!
Interesting video, and glad that the controls weren't changed when changing diodes. One thing I will note is that, because the gain stages are cascaded, the clipping in stage 2 (third transistor from the left) is contingent on what comes out of stage 1. When diodes of a lower forward voltage are used in stage 1, that constrains what stage 2 gets. If there was a means of varying the gain of stages 1 and 2, that wouldn't pose any problem, since we could simply raise the stage 2 gain to compensate. But if all one is doing is changing diode type, then as we seem to hear, there isn't a huge change in tonal quality; volume level seems to be the biggest change. So I'll suggest the following: use diodes with a *higher* forward voltage for stage 1, than for stage 2. So if you want to use LEDs, stick them in stage 1, and use silicon for stage 2. If germanium is the target, then silicon goes in stage 1 and germanium stage 2. And so on. The idea is to achieve the more serious clipping of a lower Vf diode type by assuring it gets hit hard enough.
Incidentally, the Sola Sound "Jumbo Tonebender" was essentially a Big Muff circuit, but without diodes in stage 1. I tried out that change in a Big Muff, and wasn't grabbed by it. It provides a little more frizz at the top, but nothing I found compelling. More productive changes can likely be found in changing cap values in the tonestack, and the feedback cap in stage 1. Increasing the feedback cap in stage 1 from 500pf (or whatever it is) to something up to 20% higher (let's say a maximum of 680pf), will trim upper harmonics from the stage 1 output so they don't get amplified by stage 2. Dropping the value of the cap to ground in the tonestack (usually .01uf) will raise the rolloff point on the bass side. With stock values of 39k and .01uf the rolloff starts around 400hz and trims mids and treble from there. Drop the cap value from .01uf to .0068 moves that rolloff point to 600hz, and dropping the cap down to .0047uf pushes it up further to just under 870hz. This does not affect the treble setting on the Tone control noticeably, but will reduce the midscoop. What it *will* do is make the full bass setting more "throaty" and less muted and "wooly". That said, no shortage of BMP mods posted around that may be closer to your tonal goals than what I described. Each to their own.
Yeah, I only wanted to change one set of variables at a time. There will be a video going over those caps you are speaking of as well. That one will be fun.
@@erikvincent5846 I'm quite confident it will be, and look forward to it. Keep up the good work.
I'm having a Russian muff being buil for me. I told him I want a diodes switch, and he offered a rotory switch, but is that overkill?
I was thinking only having a on-off-on switch for only the first stage diodes. (stock, OFF, red LED's) and keeping the 2nd stage stock.
would this be the best thing to do for the most variable tonal variety?
For the green Russian do you suggest a Mids Toggle switch, or a tone stack bypass switch?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 I think your suggested switch is quite enough. People can get a little crazy with diode choices, sometimes. My view is that it's a fuzz, What you get to hear will depend far more on how loud everything is and how you set the Sustain and Tone controls than on this or that combination of diodes. I mean, if 3 chords is good enough for rock, why shouldn't a 3-position switch be as well, right?
@@markhammer643 haha good point! if you had to choose on the diode switch, you could you modify the first or second stage diodes?
The Mosfet as Diodes sound the best to me.
It smoothed out the rawness of the muff but retained the tone. Very cool! I think I will try this one!
This is the best video you have put out on this channel
Absolutely killer video and explanation. More please!!!
Paul?... what's happened to your voice?..
Are those at 8:00 genuine Germanium diodes or fakes? Because they sound almost identical to Schottky and the market is full of disguised Schottky diodes sold as 1N34A Germanium.
Great series, very educational. Maybe do one for the Rat?
It would be cool to see how you would do this if you wanted to have selectable clipping options using a 3 way switch. Say having the options for both clipping stages to have LED’s, the stock muff configuration, and the germanium diodes.
You could use a single pole, single throw switch (SPST) and that could switch between one set of diodes and another, but that only gives you two choices. You can see how to do that via the Tasmanian Devil PCB, which switches the clipping diodes from silicon to LEDs. If you want more combinations, you will need a rotary switch or a slide switch. Basically, you will be disconnecting and connecting the grounds from the set of diodes that will be clipping and not clipping.
Fantastic content presented very well! I really liked the way the germanium diodes and the MOSFETs sounded. If you were going to try different pairs for the first and second stages, what order would you put them in? IOW would you want the higher forward voltage diode in the feedback loop for the first stage or the second stage?
Transistors as diode and GE diodes would be a killer combo too. You'd Prolly get a very touch sensitive big muff if you messed around with positions in depth a bit more. Awesome video man.
Excellent, eye opening presentation/lesson. Thank you.
this is great. Thank you. I was searching for a way to reduce the distortion on a big muff (I am using the tone wick model) this is a good start to that. Do you do mods for “clients”?
I think you need to try GE in first stage only with silicon diodes in second stage and vice versa too. That GE tone was awesome it just needed clean boosted louder. With a GE set and a SI set in each position you should get some bad ass cleaner tones at low guitar volume and even more bad ass tone with everything dimed!
Hi guys, what could be the cause of the self-oscillation problem in Big Muff? I tried different capacitors, cleaned everything, tried different transistors, but I still have oscillation, help! the thing is that I've made a couple of muff before and they didn't have this problem
Im curious if anyine has had this happen, Has anyone taken out D1 and D2 and gotten a severely cut signal? Like I have to crank my amp to get the same volume as bypassed? Why might this be happening?
Do you guys make this on a larger pcb. These tiny boards are hard to work with when doing mods and experimentation.
Funny you should mention that. I have one that I am working on right now that is designed around a 1590BB enclosure. Look for the Super Siberian, coming to a theater near you.
What if you remove D1 & D4?
if I could only pick the first or second stage diodes to modify on a switch, which would yield a bigger result?
They both do their "own" thing, but I would surmise that the first set would be a bit more impactful as that is getting the sound amplified to go into the next clipping stage. Pulling them out all together will put out more unclipped volume meaning the remaining clipping stage will have more signal to clip as a whole. It might convert the pedal to more overdrive and less distortion and fuzz.
@@erikvincent5846 My favorite sample was when the first stage was out and the second stage stock. it sounded so huge!
If I decide to put the first stage on their own switch and the second stage on its own switch, would it be better to put higher forward voltage Options (silicone, LEDs and no diode) on the first stage?
Then lower voltage (germanium, silicone, LEDs, in that order) on the second?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 I would go with that.
@@erikvincent5846 What about the clipping caps? would that be worth having those on a switch as well?
@@levijessegonzalez3629 possible if making a baritone mod
Hello,
I am interested in starting to build effects pedals with your kits, but I really don't know where to start equipment/materials wise. Right now, I have no equipment (no soldering equipment at all) nor do I have any pedal materials. What exactly do I need to purchase so that I have all that I need to build a pedal kit from your website (soldering stuff, enclosures, pedal/circuit components?) Thank you!
-Luke
Well, I would start out by getting a soldering iron, some solder, and possibly some solder wick. Make sure the soldering iron is for small electronics, and not those large soldering guns used for automotive and such. Also make sure it can get up to 400 degrees C. You don't need to get that hot, but soldering irons that can, tend to be better. Parts and components can be found on our site, so that should cover that area. However, we may be out or not stock some specialty parts. If you need those, don't be afraid to send us an email on our site and we can help you source those additional parts.
does lower ford voltage means less drive from the diode ?
Round about, but yes. As you can hear with the germanium diodes and schottky diodes, both having lower forward voltage, it sounds less fuzzy and even has a bit of volume drop as Mark mentioned.
Thanks bruv. Great video and thanks so much for the efford. much love, see you on the flipside
hello paul/erik! on the lich king (which i assume has been updated) what is the new D2? is it another Zener 11v or something else? thanks
Nah, added an actual reverse polarity diode instead of one to regulate over-voltage.
Don't mess with perfection
I hav a green russian big muff pi is it the same thing ?
Yes and no. The basic circuit is the same, but some component values are different, resulting in a somewhat different tone.
What I don't get is how a big muff modded fetches 5x the money
My best guess is a quote of Publilius Syrus. Everything is worth what the purchaser willingly pays for it.
Hello sir
Min 13:00 awesome