Your favorite diode clipper?

[E-money]

Looking through my supplies, I realized I have a decent supply/variety of diodes.
I recently completed a fuzz project based on R.O.G Multi-face where I used 6 position rotary switches to switch between 6 differnet input and output transistors, and I'm thinking of doing something similar with a diode clipping circuit.

Does anybody have any diode clipping circuit suggestions that might be a good starting point to build this project?

[Hanglow]

I did the same thing with my first build - a GGG TS-808 clone. It was easy as in the mods pdf there was instructions for adding a switch to choose between the normal and aysmetrical diode configurations.  I just put a rotary switch in and did four other combinations, with Ge's, LEDs etc. Now I have a nice selection, with the LEDS going a fair bit louder.

[MartyMart]

Distortion + and TS-9 are good candidates, have a look at this : http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/ScreamerLab/index.htm

[WelshWonder]

Distortion + and TS-9 are good candidates, have a look at this : http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/ScreamerLab/index.htm

That's a great article. Learned loads off that. Thank you very much 

[Dragonfly]

DeArmond Squarewave is cool too.

[markm]

I'm an OD250 fan. 

[km-r]

whats the tone difference between si and ge diodes?

[petemoore]

I'm an OD250 fan
 Something like that or Dist+ is what I use, very similar to the 250, ~different values here....works, is modded...clips.
 But a diode to ground clipper like this, 1 stage of hard clipping demonstrates the differences diode material and configurations have on the sound pretty well.
 The use of 741 'spoils' the clinical-ness of the test because 250 and D+ will both distort with no diodes, when the gain is up the opamp does some distortion, a different sound, on it's own...but this is cool and the diode changes make notable differences.
 A more 'clinical' opamp from say TL series might be another option to consider. See 'Liquid Drive', or just substitue the 'lowly 741' with a higher performance OA in the 250 or D+.
 I like the 'rougher' sound of an LM 741 for D+, 'cleaner' opamp is a different sound.
 I like 'extra hard' clipping, and so I goose the D+ with some type of boost, for LED clipping, having a pre-boost raise voltage output of a D+'s opamp to diodes hit the clipping elements harder may allow hearing 'more' of the LED [and LM741 if that's what's in there].
 TS is good too, but doesn't tend to hit the diodes as hard.
 Hitting 2x BTB diodes with higher voltage starts sounding like BTB diodes do with a lower voltage put to them...ie lower voltage and lower voltage threshold can be made to clip similarly to a higher voltage swing being clipped at a higher clipping threshold, opamps tend exhibit more opamp distortion when providing higher voltage output...depending on the opamp.

[petemoore]

  Ge's are 'low voltage threshold' about .6v, this equates to lower voltage output, the signal gets clipped harder/earlier, sounds more distorted, less loud.
  2 ge's BTB, are somewhere near the same VT as BTB si's.
  Si's...read data sheets or test with DMM...will have higher threshold which equates to softer clipping, letting more output out/louder.
  these are 'symmetrical clipping' options, BTB Si/Ge is an assymetrical clipping option as is 2 Si's one way, 1 si the other way.
  LED's have even higher VT than Si's, 1.some volts [I don't recall correctly]...and let lotsa signal pass before clamping/will increase output level.
  See AMZ's lab notebook for more clipping options.
  pre and post clipping voicing! [?]
 
 

[boyersdad]

I just recently started using some old 2N404's as clippers. I've just put one into a SD-1, BTB with an Si diode, and really like the sound, but it seems to knock the over all output down. It'd be really usefull if I could put it on one side of a DPDT and have some kind of gain recovery on the other...

[Cardboard Tube Samurai]

I did the same thing with my first build - a GGG TS-808 clone. It was easy as in the mods pdf there was instructions for adding a switch to choose between the normal and aysmetrical diode configurations.  I just put a rotary switch in and did four other combinations, with Ge's, LEDs etc. Now I have a nice selection, with the LEDS going a fair bit louder.

This is precisely what I would recommend! I modded mine with a basic toggle switch to go between n4148s and LEDs, but if I had a rotary switch on hand at the time, I definitely would have gone for it!!! It's an awesome sounding pedal to begin with and multiple clipping options would just make it super versatile

[petemoore]

  A 2 or 3 way diode, switch and offboard swaps so you can try lots and switch right back to...whatever you choose as choices.
  But I used a socket on one side so swaps there are just plug ins.