ways to "spice up" a pedal

[acehobojoe]

what are some interesting things you've done before to make a boring pedal awesome? thought it could be a cool discussion.

[JFace]

Put an active eq before and/or after the circuit

Change the active components

Change clipping method (change diodes, remove them, move them)

Tweak component values for more/less gain or more/less bass

Use as a paper weight

Put it in my workbench drawer, find it four years later, don't remember what it is, try it, and stand amazed why I haven't used this all these years

[acehobojoe]

[R.G.]

Seriously - as Jface says, get yourself a cheapo stereo graphic equalizer off craigslist. Put one channel before the pedal, one channel after it, and start playing and twiddling the settings.

But be prepared to lose a weekend, as each setting will be more wondrous - or just disgusting - than the last. EQ before and after the clipping is in many ways more important that the actual clipping.

[PBE6]

+1

I actually did this, and it was a real eye-opener, especially with the lower frequencies.

*One note, if you pick up a cheap stereo rack mount unit, you will need to boost your guitar signal before feeding it to the pre-EQ stage.

[Mark Hammer]

Add an envelope-controlled parameter.

If you can split/tap the signal near the input, before the pedal "does something" to the signal, and feed that to a rectifier stage, like the one found in the Dr.Q, you can use the output of the rectifier to drive and LED, and use that LED to control a photocell, placed wherever you think it might be interesting in the circuit.

F'rinstance, I took a basic Phase 90 circuit, set up an envelope follower in that manner, and placed the photocell in parallel with the Speed control, such that when I dig in, the speed increases, gradually settling down when I ease back on the picking.  But you could use it for things like tremolo depth, or phaser/flanger resonance/feedback, and a host of other things.

[cloudscapes]

-wet dry blend does a lot, especially on fuzzes
-resonant filter on some is a no-brainer
-some kind of modulation

[GGBB]

Hmmm... I was thinking of suggesting a fancy sticker or two, but I won't now because the answers so far are way smarter. 

[GibsonGM]

Ha ha....have you ever seen that psychedelic 'oil dip' swirl painting?

You take a small bucket of water, lower your pedal in it (no electronics, lol!) on a coat hanger.

Add a few drops of (enamel; oil based) model paint...like, red, black, yellow or what have you....move the paint around with a stick until it looks cool...slowly pull the pedal up thru it so the film sticks to it.    Let dry.  Clear coat. 

Dispose of water responsibly...I filter it thru a coffee filter to remove the paint.   Just takes 4,5 drops per color.

The 60s Live! 

[tca]

Try a Steiner filter it can do LP, HP and BP (or a Moog ladder filter, only LP) after and before a basic distortion well known unit. Play with the resonance parameter and frequency...   you will be amazed!

Cheers.

[acehobojoe]

what are some good ways for band passing with caps, got any links to cool things?

[R.G.]

The interesting band passes will usually involve an active device - transistor or opamp - to sharpen up what the cap does.

Look at one-transistor gyrators and the several threads on parametric and graphic EQs recently. Or just search for "gyrator".

[Brisance]

Add an LFO or envelope follower to one or more of the parameters.

[FiveseveN]

Racing stripes.

[davent]

Cayenne sprinkled liberally on wet clearcoat.

[GGBB]

Cayenne sprinkled liberally on wet clearcoat.

Dave - I don't think the topic title was meant to be taken literally.

[rousejeremy]

Cayenne sprinkled liberally on wet clearcoat.

Dave - I don't think the topic title was meant to be taken literally.

It's probably a trick he uses to get those great finishes.

[davent]

It will be put to the test!

Tumeric for shades of yellow, paprika and cayenne for the reds, chili flakes, basil, oregano, coffee grounds and tea leaves, ground pepper, it's play time...

Have tried using salt.

[CodeMonk]

Below is a 2P6T rotary switch.
Currently shown its only using 1 pole.
First one I built used both poles, each side had capacitors of various values (IIRC : 0.01uF, 0.015uF, 0.022uF, 0.047uF, 0.1uF, 0.22uF)  which I used with a Jordan Bosstone to change the input and output capacitors.





Heres a trace if you want to make your own (Yeah, its kinda sloppy looking but it does its job).




This is the switch I used : http://www.radioshack.com/radioshack-2-pole-6-position-rotary-switch/2750034.html#.VLI5rSvF-VA
Smallbear has pretty much the same thing (Without having to cut the shaft) : http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/open-frame-2p6t/

[idy]

Merkins. The beard has long been a symbol of wisdom and virility.