modded my sd-1

[metalmachine]

ok so "modded" is a bit of a stretch but i did pull C6 from the circut. made the highs really open up and is less compressed feeling. gave it more crunch. i really like it and it is a super easy mod to do. get it a bit closer to Tubescreamer territory. anyone ever tried this?

[Chickenwings]

Re: modded my sd-1

yep. I think the newer ones dont even have c6 in there anymore.

[metalmachine]

Re: modded my sd-1

i just bought this one a month ago new. but who knows ho long it was in the store

[Chickenwings]

Re: modded my sd-1

my mistake....its D3 and R31 that they no longer have.
do you have any other plans for modding it?

[metalmachine]

Re: modded my sd-1

i dunno thought about some monty allum mods. that was the first time i had ever done anything to a pedal. i am starting out slow.

[misterwhizzy]

Re: modded my sd-1

I think that's a good way to go. Do each mod, test it out, and see what it did. That way, if you want to fine tune things later, you know what differences each mod made. It might be a good idea to keep notes. (In essence, that's exactly what this thread did for you.)

[Chickenwings]

Re: modded my sd-1

try replacing c1,c2 and c3 with .1uf caps. c3 makes the biggest difference in adding bass, but all 3 work together nicely.
Do each one one at a time and test each time so you know if and when you have made a mistake.
R6 is a gain level resistor....its 4.7k...if you take it down to , say 2.2k you will get heaps more gain on tap if you want it.
The three tone caps and R6 make the biggest impact on the sound of the pedal.
D4,5 and 6 are the clipping diodes. I reckon they sound pretty good as they are, but removing d6 will change you pedal from asymmetic clipping (boss style) to symmetric clipping (ibanez style). A cool and subtle mod is to replace d6 with a led. It will just sound a little smoother and less gainy. The led wont really clip at all in this configuration, so your pedal will gain some headroom and volume. just make sure its polarity is right. Some people like to put a germanium diode in d6, but its not really a drastic difference. I reckon stock is pretty good.
Last thing maybe would be to replace the opamp with a burr brown, which reduces the noise floor a little and gives a tiny bit more clarity.
Have fun!

[metalmachine]

Re: modded my sd-1

Thanks man!

[Van Noord]

Re: modded my sd-1

I just did this as well. Love it! I haven't used my SD-1 in yeeears because it was so cloudy sounding with artificial sounding highs.
Here's my review of the mod I posted on another forum.

"I know there are a lot of mods out there for the SD-1. I decided to do the easiest one.
I removed the C6 after reading some reviews stating it would make the pedal more transparent and "open" sounding. I guess most of those users used the pedal as a stand alone OD box, but I use my only for boosting. I tried it anyway.

I found it did clear up the somewhat cloudy tone the pedal has when boosting. It also seems to have reduced some output, thus making the pedal less noisey when boosting. I raised the gain a bit more than usual on this pedal and that makes up for the output, only it doesn't mud up the tone. Doing that just adds some thickness and edge. It sure wouldn't react like that before.
It may have reduced some lows, but it could also be the change in the pedals treble giving that perception. I do like that the high end is less artificial sounding though. I never liked the treble freq that the SD-1 added to my tone. Now it's much more pleasing.

So now my SD-1 has the smoothness and natural feel of an OCD and the bite and articulation of an 808.
The mod is easily reversible, so give it a shot and hear the results for yourself."

[WoodGrain67]

Re: modded my sd-1

Man i must be going blind; I can't find C6 on my ~2 year old DS1!
Where is it?

[devastone]

Re: modded my sd-1

On a SD-1!

[WoodGrain67]

Re: modded my sd-1

Whew, think I'll go have a beer now...