MXR Distortion + Which mods do you like which do you hate?

[Canucker]

Theres a bunch of mods for this pedal but which ones do you think are useful? I used silicone diodes and doubled them up and that was in my opinion a HUGE improvement (IN4001 and IN4148)...but then I did the tone mod and it was really lame...it acted more like a secondary distortion control...it just seemed to reduce the distortion to nothing rather then get more bassy.
Any love/hate for these or other mods?

[Mark Hammer]

The mods that are out there are not really intended to somehow transform the D+ into a different kind of circuit or provide more "tricks".  Rather, the circuit provides a useful basis for getting a certain sort of sound, and people find that it is occasionally incompatible with what they are trying to do, or else would perfect if only it had a little more (or a little less) of "that".

So, the mods you'll find are those generally addressing things like not enough bass, too much treble, and not enough output level.  As such, they are not mods to love or hate, but rather mods that simply don't do the job you needed them to do.  In many instances, it is simply a matter of doing a "Goldilocks" experiment with different values (too hot, too cold, just right).

[Electron Tornado]

I agree with Mark. The best way to determine which mods you are going to like is to try them yourself. It's also part of the fun of DIY. Go try stuff and take notes.

I, and I imagine several others, have built or modified this, or something similar. If you have questions about specific mods, ask them and someone will reply with what they did. It's also helpful to post, or post a link to a schematic for referencing component numbers. 

[Canucker]

Not really expecting to transform anything. I was just seeking out peoples opinions on things they had done. I liked the diode mod I did and didn't find that the tone mod provided much tone control. Its not a matter of right or wrong answers just sharing views. 

[electrosonic]

I like the MXR Distortion+ stock. It has a signature sound that I really like in some situations. If I could only play with one distortion pedal it would not be my first choice, but if you have two or three distortions on your board I would include one.

Andrew.

[Canucker]

I like the MXR Distortion+ stock. It has a signature sound that I really like in some situations. If I could only play with one distortion pedal it would not be my first choice, but if you have two or three distortions on your board I would include one.

Andrew.

Interesting....I've never actually met someone or seen a band perform using one. Not sure if they were available in Canada back in the day. What amp do you use and what style do you play and which version of the distortion plus do you have? original MXR or dunlop MXR reissue? I have a 1978 MXR version and didn't want to mess around with it so I built one using silicone diodes instead of germanium....my original one is way more aggressive and harsh which seems backwards considering the diodes...but some capacitor values may have drifted in the past 34 years!

[electrosonic]

I've never actually met someone or seen a band perform using one

I dunno, maybe they aren't cool anymore...

What amp do you use and what style do you play and which version of the distortion plus do you have?

Mid 90's American strat into a few pedals into a  brown Fender Super (1963,  2x10" speakers, 2x6L6), my distortion+ is a clone I made.

Play a bunch of songs, rock stuff I guess

Beatles,
Stones,
Sabbath,
Queens of the Stone Age
The Who
Neil Young

More indie rock stuff

Pavement
Guided By Voices
Hot Snakes
Television

We just play for fun so whatever anyone in the band wants to learn.


Andrew.

[Canucker]

I imagine that anything you plug into that amp will sound sweet! If your looking for another project to build try a tubesound fuzz http://www.tonepad.com/project.asp?id=65 Through that set up it would sound awesome! Pretty easy build and no pricey components!

[anchovie]

I hate the "no output jack" mod. I wish I'd never come up with it.

[wavley]

I really like doubling the germanium diodes on one side and adding an LED on the other and then adjusting the level of clipping to taste, I put a trim pot in to tune it, I forget which resistor number it is.

[deadastronaut]

I hate the "no output jack" mod. I wish I'd never come up with it.

i use that mod on all my pedals..

[Quackzed]

if you have 2 diodes one way and 2 diodes the other way-to ground, you can try adding a 5k or so resistor from the junction of the 2 diodes on one side (either side)and ground. adds some even order oomph and is even more open sounding.
i did alot of 'saturation' type experimenting on mine and this is the setup i liked best. more amplike, less compressed.

----diode>-----diode>---G
---<diode--,--<diode----G
                \
                  '---5k-------G

[Electron Tornado]

Here are some things I fiddled with when I built myself one of these:

1. Clipping diodes - list different combinations and try them out. 1n34, 1n4148, 1n4001, LED ,etc.
2. There is a cap and resistor that connect to the drive pot. Change the values of those for a change in EQ.
3. Output cap from the op amp. I think MXR used 1uf while the DOD OD250 used 10uf. I split the difference with 4.7uf.


You can add a simple tone control as well. I didn't, but I was trying to keep it relatively simple. Try things and see what you like.

[chromesphere]

Ill 3rd expermenting with diodes in the dist+.  I know its the most basic mod, but i find the dist+ has a very obvious reaction to diode choice.  2 silicons i'd say are too harsh.  1 ge + 1 si is a nice combo in my opinion.  Try 2 Ge's as well.

I recently recorded a video about using dead Ge's as diodes and there are a few sound samples of the dist+ with 1 x si and 1 x (couple of ge's and a bat41).  Sound samples start about 3mins 45sec in the clip if you want to skip forward:

Paul