BJT overdrive distortion

[allesz]

Hallo, I just post some updates on the circuit after real life tests:
I went to 1M for the collector of the first transistor, maybe it's not correct but it sounds good.
Then I removed the first couple of diodes and put a 4,7k in series with the second couple of clipping diodes.

The first circuit was too dirty at minimum gain, now it is better as a booster and the sound is more amp like.
Of course I lost some distortion at max gain, but it is a better overdrive... I really could add a switch here, to toggle between od and dist; but I am quite happy right now.

[GibsonGM]

Well, that's pretty nice, Allesz.   Have you though of messing around with a capacitor in the feedback loop, parallel with the 1M that is there now?
Just a thought...

If it sounds good, then "it is correct" 

[allesz]

Well, in the breadboard phase I messed almost with everything.... and I am still messing with it 

Messing with the first stage with caps like you said killed the treble content and even volume with some values; remember that the output of the first stage is quite low. But it sounds nicely trebly and crunchy (sort of a fender clean overdriven), and the tone pot (not my design of course) works very good.

A strange thing that I remember from the breadboard stage (hey, it takes minutes to breadboard this), is that a cap (even a small 100pF) in parallel with the second 1M res on the second stage gave a sort of octavey misbiased sound...

At first I wanted something more high gain; but I must admit that in the end I like an overdrive / distortion to put out at least a decent boost. Guess that a switch to select between clipping options, and maybe also a no clipping option, will give more flexability to the "design"  .

I just wanted to update the project; it's nothing special and a lot of pedals can do similar things, but not with just two plain and humble bjt stages....