1N456 diode question

[lowell]

Can you replace these with anything? I'm building an Ampeg Scrambler, and we don't have any at the shop. Thanks for the help

[Enzo]

Mouser has them in stock for 6 cents each, and shows the BAV19 as a cross for 5 cents.

Slap a 1N4148 in there and see if it works.

[Mark Hammer]

I made myself a couple of these things and, for reasons that are just too boneheaded to get into, I ended up sticking a Distortion+ clone and a Scrambler in the same package.

I can not recommend this combination high enough. Unbelievable flexibility and range of tones. The Dist+ front end does a couple of things. First, the output level (I use a 100k pot) doubles as both an overall level control and a sensitivity control, neither of which the Scrambler has...and desperately needs. Second, by driving the Scrambler a little harder, you can get some truly sick sounds out of it. By driving it a little lighter, you can get much better control over the degree of octave generation, in addition to achieving some blooming octaves that fade in as you sustain the note with a little finger vibrato. Third, by setting the Dist+ for harder clipping, you present a somewhat compressed signal to the Scrambler which lengthens the period of time the octave hangs around, and also enriches the octave sound by adding more lower-order harmonics to produce octaves of. Finally, if that wasn't enough, when the Blend control on the Scrambler is set for clean-only, you get the plain unadorned tone of the Dist+. So, everything from plain vanilla overdrive to overdrive with "hair" to octave fuzz to sheer mayhem. Like I said, very flexible pedal, and only 4 knobs.

I mod the Dist+ to have more bass, and to roll off more treble for a warmer overdrive tone. I also replace the 500k reverse audio taper drive pot with a simple 50k linear pot, since the interesting tones are all found in the last 50k of pot resistance anyways.

Try it, you'll like it!

[Robert M. Martinelli]

+1 on the dist plus Mark!

It was a great sounding FX back in the 80s and it's still going strong today IMHO.

I have built a clone myself, using metal film resistors and an NE5534AN to keep noise down, and adding the possibility to switch between symmetrical and asymmetrical clipping.

( When I was young I liked the harder clipping of the "symmetrical" setting more, now I'm more into "asymmetrical" which sounds a little sweeter.....maybe I'm getting old ).

All in all, a very good example ( together with the FF, to name another ) of how a simple circuit can make for a great sounding stompbox!

Cheers

Bob