JesusCrisp
New member
Re: Your favorite OD pedals to kick a medium-gain amp into high-gain?
So I present: the Guvernator. Kit by musikding.de, took a bit long until it arrived due to the company being on vacation in the meantime.
Anyway, it's assembled and ready to rock. Socketed the spots for the clipping diodes as the original came with a pair of LEDs and the kit with four 1N4148 diodes. Ordered some small LEDs as well to play around. 2 LEDs, 4 LEDs, 4 diodes, mixing LEDs and diodes, flipping around the orientations. Decided on 4 LEDs with the orientation as laid out on the PCB. The diodes sounded a bit harsher and less organic than the LEDs and 4 LEDs gave me a thicker sound than 2.
Anyway, as my chances to ever play an original MK1 Guv'nor, I'll give my impressions for the pedal as is and in comparison to pedals I know.
As a standalone distortion into the clean channel it's passable. Not the worst I heard but my DIY BE-OD definitely beats this one for mid-gain sounds. The EQ section is functional but I feel it's not all that powerful. You're able to make small adjustments, but in the end, it sounds as it sounds for the most part.
As a boost it doesn't have the ridiculous output as my Hardwire CM-2 had and I do need to turn the gain up to about 10 o'clock with the volume dimed for a noticable gain boost. But then it works for exactly what I was asking for: a boost/extra gain pedal that gives me a bit more hair and grit and saturation without dramatically altering my tone. It's probably not for the djent folks who want uber-tight bottom end, or the SRV fans or even the guys who are after an amazing standalone dirt pedal. But put it over a crunchy amp and the Guv'nor will get it into modded Marshall territory easily.
... definitely not my last dirt pedal build though.
So I present: the Guvernator. Kit by musikding.de, took a bit long until it arrived due to the company being on vacation in the meantime.
Anyway, it's assembled and ready to rock. Socketed the spots for the clipping diodes as the original came with a pair of LEDs and the kit with four 1N4148 diodes. Ordered some small LEDs as well to play around. 2 LEDs, 4 LEDs, 4 diodes, mixing LEDs and diodes, flipping around the orientations. Decided on 4 LEDs with the orientation as laid out on the PCB. The diodes sounded a bit harsher and less organic than the LEDs and 4 LEDs gave me a thicker sound than 2.
Anyway, as my chances to ever play an original MK1 Guv'nor, I'll give my impressions for the pedal as is and in comparison to pedals I know.
As a standalone distortion into the clean channel it's passable. Not the worst I heard but my DIY BE-OD definitely beats this one for mid-gain sounds. The EQ section is functional but I feel it's not all that powerful. You're able to make small adjustments, but in the end, it sounds as it sounds for the most part.
As a boost it doesn't have the ridiculous output as my Hardwire CM-2 had and I do need to turn the gain up to about 10 o'clock with the volume dimed for a noticable gain boost. But then it works for exactly what I was asking for: a boost/extra gain pedal that gives me a bit more hair and grit and saturation without dramatically altering my tone. It's probably not for the djent folks who want uber-tight bottom end, or the SRV fans or even the guys who are after an amazing standalone dirt pedal. But put it over a crunchy amp and the Guv'nor will get it into modded Marshall territory easily.
... definitely not my last dirt pedal build though.
