Tube Screamer Mod

[WGTP]

The TS is commonly praised/faulted for it mid-rangey EQ.  Mods are frequently made for more bass and gain.  This one will Ratify your TS by replacing the stock 4.7K/.047uf RC circuit with modified Rat type parallel RC "legs" for a bit more gain with more treble & bass.  In theory it should have 2 db more mids with 7 db more bass and treble.  The clippers used may effect the way this sounds and the added bass may make it less smooth sounding.  I would try it before replacing the stock values.  It also could be switched with the stock parts.    Use a:

2.2K resistor - 47n cap
                &
22K resistor - 100n cap

If you really want to make your screamer bark, these values will produce the same response curve, but with over 10db more gain:

1K resistor - 100n cap
              &
10K resistor - 220n cap

Let me know what you think.   

[Gus]

Good post

Old stuff but fun to play with and learn from.  I think this is a very good way to learn what things do in a TS.  But for me the more I play with changing passive stuff in TSs the more I kind of like the stock circuit.  I do like other opamps.


IMO it is not a TS anymore when you shift the boost point.  The clipping stage is a gain of one to where the gain control starts to work (turnover freg).  Remember the clipping stage is a gain of one stage until about the 1/2piRC 

The cool design aspect about the TS is how stock it boosts the highs about 720hz the top string at the high E is about 690Hz IIRC (22 frets standard tuning) so it boosts more of the note(s) overtones. then the passive lowpass network reduces the highs starting at about 720Hz

Yes moving the high boost turn over and the lowpass filter around you can do some fun things But it is not realy a TS it is a different sound, can be a good sound.

  It is a cool thing to play with and learn from.  Say maybe for a bass or guitar you move the boost point up or down and match them or make the high pass lower than the boost to work with the gain control up etc.........

When you up the gain you loss control range of the the gain setting pot because once you start to clip say at 1/3 up not much changes as you go to 100%.  Maybe for bass reducing the gain might be cool because the output of most bass pickups are much hotter.

When you do this try different basses P,J and stingray etc. and single coils and humbucker guitars IMO differnt changes work better with different inputs