Have you ever tried adding clipping to a Blue Magic?

[Chris Goodson]

I think it's a great sounding pedal on it's own, but I guess I just got bored so I tried this last night.  I got the idea from Aron's simple mods page.

I just soldered in a couple diodes on the volume pot from the center lug to the grounded one.  I tried pairs of LED's and then Ge's and the Ge's sounded the best to my ears.   It sounds pretty nice, but I need more time to check it out(I'm waiting for my wife to get up :twisted: ).   This might work well as a switchable feature.  
If anyones interested I could put up a sound clip when I get done torturing it.

[boogielicious]

I'm just starting that project and would love to hear a clip of your mod.  Did you go with the 22K resistor on the tone pot, or did you make it switchable as the build suggested?

Thanks,

Scott

[Chris Goodson]

Right now I've just got a switch that will connect the "open sw." holes together, it gets a more raw type of sound.  I'm planning to try some resistance there when I get a chance.  
I'm hoping for time to make and upload a clip or two later this evening.

[Karmasound]

I'm gearing up to build this too,let us know what you come up with.

[petemoore]

Does the diode clipping amount change with volume adjustments?>>>seems like it would, I always tagged the diodes across lugs 1 'n 3, of somewhere around the output, signal path to ground, for circuit mod diode clipping experiments.

[Chris Goodson]

Does the diode clipping amount change with volume adjustments?

Yep, your dead on with that one Pete.  Is that a bad thing? :oops:   I might try moving them.  That was just my first guess at the place to put them looking at the schem.  I am digging the new sound I'm getting though.  To me this is more fun than the mids switch which I have to really strain my ears to hear a difference with.

[swt]

Hey Chris!! I've also found the blue magic to be a bit flat, and wanted some grind out of it. The best way i've found to get it, without losing the bluesy and natural sound, is to implement something like in the big muff. You put a back to back pair of diodes ( 1n4148, and 1n400x for some assymetric), with a cap, Socketed, from drain to gate. The cap is definitely going to change the sound, so experiment to taste. Some will let the bass pass unmodified, which i think is better. Can't remember what i have right now, i think it's a .047 uf, but not sure. Let me know if you try this and how it sounds for you.