BOSS Od-3 Overdrive Pedal

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Compared with the symmetrical clipping of the Tubescreamer, the Boss SD-1 Overdrive has greater volume and a more dominant presence. I've tried dozens of other pedals while the OD-3 was just floating out there. I assumed there was nothing special about it, and figured it was just an SD-1 with a new model number and darker color yellow. In the original circuit, two 220K resistors (R36 & R49) bias Q2's gate at 1/2 Vcc. But the circuit has Vref, a clean source of 1/2 Vcc, so I used that instead. Saved one resistor.

Therefore, you will notice that most overdrives produce a ‘pushed’ sound that is well in tune, clean, and capable of being stretched to the crunch. After 40 years of live playing and studio experience, in the final analysis, my pedalboards OD/DIST fx requirements have boiled down to the AnalogMan King of Tone followed by two OD-3's, one set to Drive=0 for boost and the other Drive set between 10 and 3 depending upon the venue and amp system I'm using. I will occasionally add to that for special OD/DIST fx, but KOT/OD-3 is a constant in my rig.There seem to be several ’Twin Drive Mods’ editions of these across OD-3, SD-1, DS-1 and MT-2 varieties - I know Soul Power Instruments make similar mods - while I’m not sure who modded my pedal. I bought it second hand from an American - who acquired it via Japanese marketplace jp.mercari.com - where most of those modded Boss pedals seem to have come from some sort of Yahoo Auction. So my own OD-3 Twin Drive Mods pedal started its journey in Taiwan where it was originally made, it was bought, and then bought again and modded in Japan, sold most likely to another Japanese buyer first on Yahoo Auctions, then sold on via jp.mercari.com - where I then acquired it on Reverb.com from its American owner! So my particular pedal has been on something of a world tour already! Another term that you may come across is fuzz, a special type of distortion consisting of harmonic tones that dominate the overall sound.

Carbon-zinc battery (9 V, 6F22) Options (sold separately) AC adaptor: PSA series Size and Weight Width 73 mm The saturation may drop as you move up the hearing frequencies but will then stay uniform in most cases.

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The color and nuance do not disrupt the sound but add a subtle touch of elegance and rich harmonics. J112 has a high Vp, so I can bias it from ground in stead of Vref. I used that for the input buffer (Q1). As described by Analogman, the pedal wizard, the asymmetrical clipping gives out a pure, richer sound.

Its tough and rugged metal chassis can be relied on so you can be confident when taking this pedal on the road with you. Other than subbing a different JFET for Q5, I left the 3rd stage alone. I used 47nF for C5 because it's close enough to 56nF and it's not part of a filter. The Boss SD-1 Overdrive is an overdrive pedal, not a distortion pedal. Some experts say it is an excellent overdrive but pretty underrated, unlike the Ibanez’s Tubescreamer series. I've been messing with the Tone control circuit on my breadboard, and at some point I'll have to decide if my mods made it better, worse or just different.I’ve always said you get a very Marshally type tone and crunch out of the Blues Driver if you drive it - and the same is kind of true of the OD-3 - it has its own degree of richness and texture - while generally I’m calling it a refinement of the BD-2 soundstage overall. The difference there is more distinct than say the difference between the BD-2 Phat Mod and Keeley Super AT Mod - which I also see as something of a refinement.