At last, I get to offer something back. The 'Strawberry Ice' is the world's easiest overdrive, and can be found at:
http://members.aol.com/ku07090/strawberry_ice.html
It's not entirely original, but I think I've given it a new twist. The sound file is rather long (>1 MB), and still doesn't do the sound justice, but it gives an idea. Enjoy.
Not bad for a passive circuit... Not bad at all. Actually quite cool sounds. Got to try that too.
How about an "overdrive" cable. I think that could be cool. Got to mark that one really good or it will sooner or later cause trouble. :)
Looks very interesting. If I get one of these switches I will try it.
I can just see it now..... TurboCable :?
I replaced one of the tone controls on my strat with a similar arrangement to the black ice but I used a Ge pair. Gotta switch that out for some schottkys at next string change. I still like it with Ge's in there too with the control set most... but not all the way up. :D
Wow! I did something akin to what you mention near 1985 (no kidding).
Instead of putting the diodes towards ground, I put two antiparallel Ge diodes in series with the signal coming out from the pickups. It added some grit which was sort of interesting. At that time I was only 15, so I didn't realize my circuit was actually generating crossover distortion.
This is a schem of what I did back then:
by-pass
_/
.---o/ o---.
| |
| |
| 1N34 |
| .->|-. |
from pickup | | | | to volume and
selection o------o--o o---o----o tone control
switch | | potentiometers
'-|<-'
1N34
(created by Andy´s ASCII-Circuit v1.27 beta www.tech-chat.de)
Regards,
STM
Schottky's rule... ;-)
ohhhhhhh my god. the overdrive cable. that is the best thing ive ever heard. im making one of those RIGHT NOW. i PROMISE if anyone ever asks me to make one of these ill send you a %age :D
cheers, and thanks for that AWESOME suggestion
Jim
I'm still not clear on the wiring on this... where does the input and output connect to the switch? The drawing doesn't seem to match the picture. :?
Quote from: Paul MarossyI'm still not clear on the wiring on this... where does the input and output connect to the switch? The drawing doesn't seem to match the picture. :?
In the drawing, the there is an arrow that connects the 2 diodes, I think that goes to the "live" terminal on the output jack,
The mp3 sounds cool, is there a volume drop when you switch the diodes in?
Yes, that part is kinda obvious (kind of), but where does the signal come into the switch? Still, the wiring in the picture looks different than the sketch. I can't tell from looking at the picture how it's wired in regard to the output.
The 'input' and 'output' are, if you like, at the same point, since the circuit is between the normal signal line and earth. That's why the gadget does not involve any changes to the existing wiring.
There is a marked drop in volume when both diodes are in circuit. When only one is engaged, the volume drop is negligible - probably the accentuated harmonics make the sound seem louder.
Of course, operating the normal volume and tone controls have a significant effect on the sound produced. It's pretty flexible.
QuoteThe 'input' and 'output' are, if you like, at the same point, since the circuit is between the normal signal line and earth. That's why the gadget does not involve any changes to the existing wiring.
I follow you on that part. What is confusing me is that it looks like the wire is connecting to two points on the switch. Is one of those connected to ground via a shielded cable or something?
If you're talking about the photo, yeah, the ground (middle pin LHS) and the junction of the diodes are connected separately to screened cable which then goes to the pickup selector switch to be grounded and wired to the output line. This is unnecessary if the compartment is screened, but the Idol isn't.
Ok, thanks. Now it makes sense. Sorry to be so dense, I just wasn't getting it... :oops: