Brilliant concept: play the same riff through different permutations at a constant volume. This is excellent.

I really liked the way the 1N4148+yellow led sounds. Very surprising. Thank you!

Thanks for commenting. There happens to people who do not appreciate the contributions and prefer entertainment content or simply nonsense, everything is in taste... Greetings

1 : Clean (no pedal) 2 : 1N4148 silicon pair (symmetric; TS-808 stock) 3 : 1N4001 silicon pair (symmetric) 4 : 1N34A germanium pair (symmetric) 5 : 1N4148/1N34A (asymmetric) 6 : Red LED/1N34A (asymmetric) 7 : Red LED pair (symmetric) 8 : Yellow LED pair (symmetric) 9 : Yellow LED/1N4148 (asymmetric) 10 : 1N4148/2x1N4001 (asymmetric)

One of my favorite diode recipes for most stompboxes is a Yellow+1n4001 in one direction, a single green LED in the other. The forward voltage is approx. 2.8-3V each side, so the waveform will be pretty uniform on both the positive and negative side of the wave, but it's still asymmetrical.

I've been experimenting with this kinda stuff in the 80's. If only I had a youtube clip like this one back then.

Best type of comparsion video! Less then 3min, without 20min of bullshit talking.

Chord 00:18 Clean 00:31 1N4148 00:44 1N4001 00:56 1N34A 01:10 1N4148+1N34A 01:23 1N34A+Red led 01:36 Red Led 01:49 yellow led 02:02 1N4148+yellow led 02:17 1N4148+1N4001+1N4001 SOlO 00:10 Clean 00:22 1N4148 00:35 1N4001 00:48 1N34A 01:00 1N4148+1N34A 01:14 1N34A+Red led 01:28 Red Led 01:40 yellow led 01:53 1N4148+yellow led 02:07 1N4148+1N4001+1N4001

awsome dude..rare to find guys who actually do stuff like these in here...im surprised this doesnt have much views

My favourite clipping was 2x4148 and 2xred led. Since i try Ge+4148 and 4148+yellow led they're become my new favourites, more exotic and warm. Thank you sir!

I really appreciate your work of documentation.... thanks mate

Great video thx. Personally, I liked the 1N4148 silicon pair.

I really felt the most interesting sounds of this clip was where the diodes were mixed and matched. I may have to try that next time I have the time to attempt a build.

What a useful video!

Very nice 1N34 and red led

An ancient video, but I've been through this my share of times. Germanium sounded the best in my high gain, soft clipper pedal I've relied on for 15 years, but oddly enough, I did soon discover I like the sound of Shottkys the best. They give the texture of soft tube clipping with the zing, fizz and buzz we never expect out of semiconductors even from the best modelers, but once I got that far, I had to work on refining it all around with so much of the bandwidth unusable and am back to it today, 9 years later! lol

Awesomely useful video dude.

great work man, very very helpfull! thanks!

Sí, va de lujo así logras tener más colorida la melodía

Thanks for the test I have a small Ibanez Valbee, that uses 1N4001 from stock. I modded it to allow me select 1N4001 or red led or nothing on each side of the bridge. To me, 1N4148-red, red-red or nothing-1N4148 are best sounding

Very useful and interesting video.

Nice idea to try unmatched diodes. The lower forward voltage of germanium would start clipping at a much lower volume (signal voltage) than a silicon or an led so only the top or the bottom of the signal waveform would get clipped into a square waveform and you'd get a mix of clipped and unclipped sound until the volume (voltage) levels rise to activate both diodes and the whole signal is hard clipped. A capacitor would round off the hard edges of the resulting square wave so for a softer, subtle clipping like you'd need for a Klon the cap values are as important as the choice of diode. They'd act like power supply filter caps softening the harsh buzzsaw ripple coming from the rectifier diode/s.

Excellent idea, germanium clips most pleasant. Thanks for sharing

Best test of clipping diodes comparition

1N4148+led:the best !

The pair of 4001 was the arrangement I liked most. Although I would like assymetrical 4001 arrangement.

Thank you so much... great video! =D

VERY very good video...

fantastic review thanks so much

Yes, it is exactly as you say

I like this video .. very nice !

Thank you.. this is exactly what I've been looking for... I assume these diodes were placed in the gain stage opamp feedback loop (Soft Clipping?) Since that's what the tubescreamer uses? It'd be nice to hear what these diode combinations sound like in the hard clipping location.

i like this video.thank you.

Led y 1n34a the best tone 😮

Yes, THANK YOU! This is pretty much exactly what I've wanted to see, with a little help from the replies! My favorite is at 1:00.

I'd love to see a schematic and put all these in a couple of switches for fun.

Thank you, good's man!

most informative

Sounds to me like Germanium = deep and smooth, slightly unclear. Silicon = thin, harsh, but clear and focussed. LED = Somewhere between those two.

hello, very good video. It's phenomenal I only have two questions. What happens if I put more than 6 diodes in parallel, alternating the porality? Would the Metal sound of Mesa Boogie's MkII be heard?

Ahora, los transistores "mosfet" para mi son los mejores en todos los pedales Boss, exepto el viejo SD1, que le vienen bien los diodos de germanio

1:01 for me!!!!

¿Te refieres a que Gabriel estaría usando cerámicos, donde pasa la señal en vez de poliéster?

2 and 10 sound the best.

I suggest to try 1N5818 schottky barrier diode. Cheers from Indonesia

Great video. If I use 3mm led will I get more distortion the a 5mm

de que serie tienen que ser los diodos?, estoy tratando de hacer hace rato un fuzz pero por alguna razón capta solo los graves de la guitarra y no los agudos, pensé que podía hacer algo si cambiaba los diodos, el transistor que estoy ocupando es un 2n222. Saludos!

con todo gusto implementaria algun tipo de switch para combinar distintos tipos de diodos en un pedal, pero todavia nunca pude hacer un pedal diy que ande...

I have a problem with diodes, can you please help me? Whichever pair of diodes im putting in circuit, it still doesnt make any audio clipping, so the audio is the same as on the input... Also, if only you could give me the circuit you used on the video, id be grateful.

¿De dónde sacaste la info para armarlos? Si me respondes te puedo dar una mano, debo saber si el error fue la fuente del proyecto, o algún mal paso tuyo. Los primeros que armé no funcionaron y eso que tengo 12 años en la electrónica, pasa que quién me dio todo servido tenía errores que nunca supe si fue a propósito o broma de mal gusto. En fin, ahora a partir de diagramas originales rediseño las placas, reemplazo cuando no consigo los componentes que lleva y funcionan a la primera :D

I think combination of 1N4148 with germanium diode sounds exotics. Unfortunately no one have tried to apply a series resistor to diodes network. Have anyone tried to substitute the transistor with CD4069U/HEF4069U/MM4069U? Cheers from Indonesia

I think maybe asymmetrical clipping is sort of harsh but exciting. Symmetrical clipping sounds more 1 dimensional, flat and boring but also less hard on the ears.

I reverse engineered an MXR Distortion + in electronics school, and built it, later when I came across one of the old IBANEZ OD9 circuit schems the only difference were the clipper diodes. One was silicone, the other germanium. Of course stomp box distortion sucks compared to driving a tube amp. (When I played out) I used it for the preamp gain for leads and metal. If you'll indulge my soap box; the problem with stomp boxes drive is like any drug, it limits your experience and who wants to be happy all the time... not me, then what would you have to compare?

una pregunta, ¿el 1n60 de germanio que tal lo ves para usarlo en pedales de distorsion, es tan bueno como otros de germanio para esto? gracias.

I'm about to make a rat pedal clone with an added selector switch. Each mode will be a different row of leds of different colors that will light up as the signal passes through them.

Hey man! I didn't undertand how the clipping leds help on this (it works in the circuit normally like a normal capacitor??) . I am sorry, I am beginner in this thing. Nice video by the way, very helpful.

1:14 and 1:54. I cant decide. I might try Ge diode/yellow LED

I’m just getting back into electronics ( 2 years in high school ) after 50 years And 30 years of being a mailman …. By changing one of the 3 diodes to achieve different clipping sounds..how does that effect the voltages’ that come after the LED SILICON & no diodes with the different values from each part…and how do you determine the voltage the next component can have without putting a strain on the already figured out path…I’m not sure I even know what I’m talking about…so be kind ….I would also like to see a whole schematic of the gain circuit..to better understand how to visualize signal paths..and that stuff .. ELECT-RON LOL

Para compararlo con el original, se lo voy a prestar a un colega que tiene guitarra Stratocaster y ampli Fender valvular. Si quieres respóndeme de dónde sacaste el diagrama para checarlo y que guitarra, pastillas y ampli tienes. Saludos

1N4001 with red led? or 1N4148 with red led?

Hard clipping/soft clipping?

Hi friend!!! Very great Video!!!! Please, can you show me the schematics for the overdrive circuit you used to do the Test???? Thanks again!!!

can i expirement with diodes by changing the diodes in my pedal to whatever, or will there be biasing issues like there is with changin the transistor

I'd like to see 2 blue LEDs in the comparison...

No entiendo a que te refieres con “serie” si es a cual modelo específicamente? Te responderé que eso estará en el diagrama del cual lo armaste. Ahora si quieres tener más gamas de colores vale cualquier diodo que tengas a mano, sea rectificador o led, como los ejemplos del video. En cuanto al sonido final, si es que quieres parecerte a “X” guitarrista debes tener en cuenta que dejando de lado “tocar como esa persona” debes poseer el mismo amplificador y tipo de guitarra.

1:30 wait whats? Now even LEDs can distort?

Did you tied with a blue LED? I'm curious beacuse they doesn't existis in the inventio of this stomp box years

1N34A for crystal radios.

La informacion que da Gabriel es escasa; un fuzz generalmente trabaja con PNP y él usa un NPN pero no sabemos realmente qué cosa está armando. Que si es ceramico o poliester no importa, podría estar cortando frequencias con un electrolitico de valos equivocado... pero tampoco sabemos.

Te dejo de ejemplo que mi último pedal ensamblado es una copia del “Big Muff Pi” de David Gilmour “Pink Floyd” y no me suena ni parecido ya que tengo una guitarra Les Paul copia de Gibson; Y él utiliza Fender. Sin mencionar que mi ampli es común y él posee uno de primera.

Gabriel Ignacio: el 2n222'2' no es bueno para FUZZ su hFE llega máximo hasta 300.. este transistor es mejor para hacer un booster o para hacer un light-overdrive... los transistores para utilizar en un FUZZ son mejores los Darlington's como MPSA13, MPSA14 o BC517 y otros, en el primer y segundo el hFE llega hasta 10000 y 20000 en el segundo, BC517, llega hasta ~30000. Porque trabajan en baja tensión y baja corriente, son muuuuy silencioso... busque en youtube: "mini-fuzz 7min".... es el mas simples de todos mas el sonido esta muy bueno... allí podrás "jugar" y utilizar varios diodos o led's entre el emiter y la base de tu transistor, yo hice con un BC517 y quedo en mi pcb un diodo-led azul con un condensador de 10pF,en paralelo al diodo-led, el sonido queda muy lindo, incorporado y silencioso! El facto que en tu circuito el efecta solo las frequecias bajas significa que esta usando uno o mas condensadores eletroliticos con valor muy alto en la entrada de tu circuito.. ponga uno de 1uF o máááááximo 22uF... así vas a ver la diferencia

Hola amigo, estos donde se conectan, me interesa particular mente la instalacion de los 1:1N4148 2 :1N4001, el ejemplo 10 2:07

what is the difference BTW in4148 and 85c 5v1 aet

... revisa bien el valor de todos los condensadores, creo estás cortando frecuencias altas...

2 yellows for me

0:22 0:47

why is this funny

...and germaniun wins!!!!

arent all LEDs the same, surely the colour is determined by the outer plastic.

Not worth my time