An answer was given in your other thread,
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=125692.msg1198189#msg1198189
You need to add a resistor in series with the 500k pot. Similar to R7 in this circuit,
TS-9 like first stage

Since you have 1k (R46) to ground instead of 4.7k (R6) like the TS-9 you will need to use a resistor value around 10k instead of 51k (R7).
FWIW, your circuit has a 500k pot and a 1k resistor (R46) so that's going to produce a lot of gain. If your pot is linear taper it's going to be difficult to adjust the gain at the clean end.
If you don't need a heap of gain when the gain is maxed out then you can increase your R46 value and decrease your C28 value. The TS-9 values are fine.
This completely sorted it out! Took me a while to wrap my head around, still early days haha, but finally got there.
Thanks so much mate I really appreciate it.
I have another question if thats ok.
The moment of truth came whilst I was rearranging the gain pot wires - I still get kinda confused when I'm hooking them up, usually just jumbling up with lug leads where. I had the signal entering through the pot on the far left, Signal heading out to the rest of the circuit from the centre lug and finally I was initially placing signal leaving the remaining pot to ground.
When I was doing that it wasn't really working and when I went to rearrange it again I pulled out the wire heading to ground, at that point it was fine and I realised it was all working perfectly just using the two lugs (Or if I just run both centre and far right lug to the rest of the circuit it works still)
Is this normal to not always need all three lugs when wiring up a pot? Or am I doing something hell wrong?
I hope I'm making sense haha - any and all insight is greatly appreciated <3 Hope everyone is well!