Who knows why this won't work?

[ibanezts808]

I need help.  I have made a pedal, and it was a thorough waste of money.  Check my site out: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/terriblepedals It's the only pedal on there, under Crappy pedal #1.  I don't know how to draw schematics so I did a layout diagram.  Everything is grounded properly, I just didn't know how to diagram that.  Thanks guys.  I hope you enjoy my site.  It's worth a check even if you don't want to answer the question.

[Hal]

you gotta bias the transistor...instead of just throwing a transistor at the guitar, copy a simple boost schematic.  Then put your diodes at the end.

[Mike Burgundy]

try this if you really want to make this thing work and get your own values to boot:
move the diodes to the collector (so the upper connector) and MAKE SURE THE PINOUTS ARE CORRECT (so collector up, emitter (arrow thingy) down, base in the middle. There are lots of transistors with other pinouts that won't work in this layout.
Next, replace the 4k7 with 2k and a  potmeter in series, wired as a variable resistor (so you hook up the center lug to one of the outer lugs, and use those two as one resistor terminal, and the single outer lug ast the other). Say 10k. Trtimpots are fine.
Stick another trimpot from V+ to the base in the same way.
Temporarily take out the diodes and get the circuit to work as a booster, sounding the way you like it by tweaking the trimpots. You might want to tweak the values of resistors and trimpots to get good range.
If youre happy with this, reconnect the diodes to the collector. See if you like that. Carefully take out the trimpots, and measure their value (don't forget the series resistor!). Replace the trims and resistors with a fixed resistor of the closest value you have.
For good measure, you'll want to inlude DC-blocking caps (Um, 0.1u or something? Experiment. These can have quite an effect on sound) on ins and outs, and perhaps a 10k volume knob at the end.
hih

[Marcos - Munky]

I know what is the problem!!! First, put a input and output caps. The input cap is placed between the B of the transistor and the input jack, and the output is placed between the E of the transistor and the output jack. The diodes goes after the output cap, connected to the output. And here is the problem in your schematic: the diodes aren't connected right. Just connect them like in the MXR Dist+ (the part connected to ground is correct, just connect the other two legs together, the one connected to the transistor and the one connected to the output).