Good Overdrive Preamp to pair with Engl High gain preamp

[fretzburner]

Hello, I need to build an overdrive preamp to pair with Engl or Black forest high gain build.Any recommendations? I'm looking at the model H type sound or similar,is it possible to add full tonestack to modelH and call it a preamp?
Thanks

[J0K3RX]

Hello, I need to build an overdrive preamp to pair with Engl or Black forest high gain build.Any recommendations? I'm looking at the model H type sound or similar,is it possible to add full tonestack to modelH and call it a preamp?
Thanks

Man, you want a lots o knobs huh? I am leaning towards a 1 knob treble booster type of some sort... Maybe a rangemaster or variant?

[fretzburner]

Man, you want a lots o knobs huh? I am leaning towards a 1 knob treble booster type of some sort... Maybe a rangemaster or variant?

My application for this is not to push the Engl but act as second channel (engl off and od on) and still connected direct to power amp or fx return.connecting my modelH direct to PA seems lacking.

[J0K3RX]

Man, you want a lots o knobs huh? I am leaning towards a 1 knob treble booster type of some sort... Maybe a rangemaster or variant?

My application for this is not to push the Engl but act as second channel (engl off and od on) and still connected direct to power amp or fx return.connecting my modelH direct to PA seems lacking.

Crunch channel? If you want a second channel maybe just add a second gain and volume on a stomp switch and set them at lower settings? The boost switch on the black forest, if setup correctly will act as lower and higher gain channels... You can aslo have a very good clean channel if you bypass Q1, Q2, and Q3 and connecting the first stage to the 5th stage, although the tone setting may not be optimal going from high gain to clean...

[fretzburner]

Not really a crunch channel,but more on an OD sounding dirt for lead stuff which can be controlled by the guitars volume control.just like around the model H sound.If i can add full tonestack or bass treble tone on model H that will make it compatible as a preamp direct to power amp,i'll take this route.

[ggedamed]

Black Forest (or should I say Blacker Forest - I saw you modified its name, Jim) can go to quite clean if you lower the resistor between pin 1 of the GAIN pot and the ground. Or you can even replace it with a jumper to be able to use lower gain with any guitar.

[fretzburner]

Black Forest (or should I say Blacker Forest - I saw you modified its name, Jim) can go to quite clean if you lower the resistor between pin 1 of the GAIN pot and the ground. Or you can even replace it with a jumper to be able to use lower gain with any guitar.

Maybe this also sacrifice the high gain capability. I need 2nd channel .I will try my modelH first in series with my engl and will just switch them one at a time(engl for heavy stuff and modelH for the rest).both are connected to the channel loop of my F1.Will be back after some test.
 

[ggedamed]

That resistor ONLY sets minimum gain level. Nothing else. It has nothing to do with the "high-gain capability".

[fretzburner]

Model H tested and sounds ok to me as lower gain od to pair with my engl build.Will use this setup for a while and evaluate.Thanks both of you high gainers jok3rx and ggedamed for some inputs.