Tweed mod

ocation Cane to
C22 .5uF
C00 .uF
D N3+A GENAN!UN
D3 N3+A GENAN!UN
D7 N3+A GENAN!UN !N SE!ES W!TH N+00
D8 N3+A GENAN!UN
D0 N3+A GENAN!UN
C0 .uF
C35 .0+7uF
C3+ .uF
C27 .0022uF
C0 uF
C7 uF
The midrange problem some folks hear can probably be best changed by sapping out different
values for C9 and C6. These set the resonant frequency for the simulated inductor and C9.
!f you need more gain Try changing 30 and 36 to a k. ou can also loer the values
of 3+ and 3. Also connect a 0-+7uf cap in parallel ith r30 and another at r36. This
should give you a ton of distortion possibly too much so do one change at a time. NOTE:
Nake sure that the electrolytic caps have their negative side going to ground there one
side of each of those resistors goes to ground. Find ground ith your multimeter.
About the circuit
The Boss blues driver is one of those pedals that everybody has oned or at least played through
once. !d venture to say its nearly as popular as the beloved tubescreamer.
While many players like the sound of the stock pedal ust fine many other guitarists like the
basic tone but ust ant it better more organic responsive and dynamic. Some feel that there
are ust ay too many high frequencies in the pedal making it sound brittle especially ith a
single coil guitar into a clean fenderish type of amp.
Lets discuss some modifications e can do to this pedal to make it much better.

S6
First though lets break don the circuit a bit and see hat is going on. Looking at the schematic
e see that it is essentially to cascaded discrete op-amps hich is then folloed by a standard
op-amp for gain recovery bass boosting and buffering of the signal. This is after it goes through
a discrete buffer of course.

!n laymens terms a discrete opamp is similar to the !C chip version except that it does the same
thing in a simpler fashion and in a ay that some feel is more responsive and less sterile feeling
and sounding. !t uses to FETs facing each other folloed by a bipolar transistor. There are to
of these type of gain stages in the bd-2 controlled by a dual gang 250k pot ired as a variable
resistor. ust like the !C opamp circuits there is a resistorfcapacitor pair going to ground that ill
also help set a frequency to clip. This pair ill also help set the gain though they are fixed values
in the bd-2. 3 and C22 are the pair for the first stage hile 5 and C9 are the pair for the
second stage.

We kno that eq before clipping determines the clipping feel tonality and response
distortionfoverdrive quite dramatically. For example if e ant a fuzzier type of distortion e
ant to increase the bass before it is clipped. Then e clip the signal as much as possible
ithout creating a lot of noise or oscillations.

3 and C22 in this first gain stage set a frequency of ust a hair over 700hz. This is a normal
frequency for most overdrives and distortion. !f you ant more fuzziness increase this cap to .
22uf microfarad or larger. !f you ant a tighter crunchier type of tone make the cap smaller. !f
you plug in these values to my calculator at httpff.indyguitarist.comffilter.htm you ill see
the frequencies you can affect.

After this first gain stage e go through hat first looks like an odd tone filtering stage. Upon
closer look it is actually a fender type of 3 band tonestack ith fixed valuesith the treble on 0
and the bass and mid on 0 This is a really cool thing to mess ith because if you ant to go
hog ild you can add trim pots in place of 37 use a 250k trim pot for treble 50 use a N
trim pot for bass and 5 use a 25k trim pot for mids. !n addition you can change the slope
resistor 36 to a 33k C3+ and C35 to a .022uf and change C26 to a +70pf in order to get more
of a Narshall type of tonality before the signal is clipped. When you are replacing these resistors
ith trim pots ust connect one hole to pin on the trim pot and the remaining resistor hole to
pin 2 on the trim pot. Leave the 3
rd
lug untouched.
S7
traditional fender tonestack bd-2 tonestack
The Bd-2 eq before clipping looks like this due to this filter

Notice ho there is a TON of bass present That is before the maority of the clipping is
happening so its no onder that the pedal sounds fuzzy hen the gain is turned up
SS

A good mod at this location is to make 50 a 00 ohm and change 36 to a +7k. That ill give
you a much flatter eq response.

After that the signal is clipped by diodes connecting to ground D7 D8 D9 D0 ith to diodes
on each side and fed into another discrete opamp. This opamp is nearly identical except the
frequency response is a little different. There is more gain in the bass set by 3+ and C2+
frequency is about 72hz but it orks the exact same. Notice that since the bass is boosted yet
again here its really no surprise that the bd-2 ould be so fuzzy ith the gain turned up.

C7 25 and C9 from both a high pass and lo pass filter hich ill get rid of some high
harmonics about 5k or so as ell as try to get rid of some of the bass content that as created
by boosting the los so much previously.

From here the signal goes through a fairly standard tone control very similar to that of an old
Fender teed Princeton. !t acts as a hi pass filter ith the tone knob turned up and a lo pass
filter ith the tone knob turned don. So as you turn up the tone you increase the highs and
lose some bottom end once you are past about halfay or so. Changing C00 ill change hat
frequencies of highs you have ith the tone control up and changing C0 ill change hat
frequencies are filtered ith the tone control turned don. The volume control is next before
going into the next stage the eq stage.

The next stage is a simulated inductor hich is boosting the bass content at about 20hz or so
by 6db. Even though there are diodes in this stage D and D3 they arent really clipping much
at all like diodes usually are in an overdrive or distorton circuit it is actually more to protect this
opamp from being slammed ith a loud and hard signal. !t also does a little bit of filtering as ell
as help to output a lo impedance signal. Changing these diodes to a different type W!LL give a
little bit different feel hoever it becomes a little less compressed if you use LEDs and
becomes a bit more compressed and filters out a little bit of highs if you use germanium type
diodes. Ny inclination is that this is probably due to varying degrees of harmonics being ust ever
so slightly clipped.

!f you ant to mess ith the eq there are several ays to do it. ou can mess ith changing the
cap sizes of C9 and C6 or changing 2. Changing the caps can get you much more frequency
options ust by subbing in various values. !ncreasing the resistance loers the frequency and
decreasing it raises the frequency to a point as ell. ou might even try subbing a 5k trim pot
here ust for fun

From here it goes into the sitching circuit and then to an output buffer. Even hen in bypass
the pedal is going through three discrete buffers.
Note
To make the pedal tailored toards lo to mid gain applications change r29 and r27 to +.7k
resistors.
S9
bd-2 Fuzz Nod
location Stock value mod value What it does
Q0 8 29
ADD UF CAP AS
SHOWN
Adds a hint of octave
extreme fluttering fuzz
Tone control cap
C00 directly
under tone pot
.0+7
ill add bass and better
tone control
9
Teed Nod
location mod value What it does
C22 .5 uf metal film cap
Cleaner bottom end for
more bass make this cap
a .22uf
Tone control cap
C00 directly
under tone pot
. uf
ill add bass and better
tone control
D n270 germanium diode
D3 n270 germanium and
n+00 in series germanium
first
D7 n270 germanium and
n+00 in series germanium
first
D8 n270 germanium
D9 n++8
D0 n270 germanium
These changes ill make a
big difference in the
response dynamics and
flavor of overdrivefdistortion
n3+a diodes can be used instead of n270
germanium diodes
9

9
93

D9 Led 8 .00 to
.00+7 cap in parallel- this is hat it
ill look like before you solder it
together
After you solder them together cut
the excess legs off of the capacitor
94
95
96
97
BD-2 Schematic ithout sitching
9S
Boss B- flaner mod
Location Nod value What it effects
A - cap .0 uf cap Helps get rid of boxy sound
B cap uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
C cap .0 uf cap Helps get rid of boxy sound
D - trim
pot
optional
Experiment ith position Will change the sound of flanger
drastically.
E - cap uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
F trim
pot
optional
Experiment ith position Will change the sound of flanger
drastically.
H -cap uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
! cap .22 uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
cap .22 uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
cap uf metal film cap Helps quiet background hiss
L cap 00pf Adds more depth to flanger
99

For Noise fans

Spaceship Nod crazy sounds

Connect a .01uf capacitor between the ceramic and electrolytic cap pictured.

BF-2 SCHENAT!C
3
Boss CE- corus
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
A . UF
.068 UF or for
modulation filter
sounds try a .
022uf or a .
0+7uf
Nake a loer value if you ant faster speed
B
UF ELEC
CAP
UF F!LN CAP Closer tolerance part for better tone
C
UF ELEC
CAP
UF F!LN CAP Closer tolerance part for better tone
D ENOvE ONE END OF ES!STO
W!LL TUN PEDAL !NTO v!BATO !NSTEAD
OF CHOUS
NOTE This must be connected to a spdt or
spst sitch as removing one end of this ill
not allo you to bypass the pedal properly.
see pic belo
E +7 pf 00 pf
Nakes depth more fuller deeper chorus
effect
F
UF ELEC
CAP
UF F!LN CAP Closer tolerance part for better tone
4
5
CE-2 SCHENAT!C
6
Boss CE-3 Corus
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
A - CAPAC!TO +7 PF 00 PF ALLOWS NOE CHOUS DEPTH
B - ES!STO N
000000
ohms
+70k or
220k ohms
The loer the ohms the faster the rate.
Extras
eplace all .+7 uF
and uF
electrolytic caps
ith their film
capacitor
equivalents.
Changing from electrolytic to film
capacitors ill help quiet a noisey pedal
as ell as make the pedal sound better.
7
Boss CH- Corus
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
C0 cap +7 pf 00 pf or 200
pf
!ncreases depth of chorus the larger the
value the more depth
+3 resistor +7k 00k !ncreases available speed
C25 cap .0 uf .0 cap Change to metal film to help cut don on noise
and sound bigger and fuller
C8 cap uf uf Change to metal film cap to help cut don on
noise and sound bigger and fuller
C36 cap uf uf Change to metal film cap to help cut don on
noise and sound bigger and fuller
C33 cap uf uf Change to metal film cap to help cut don on
noise and sound bigger and fuller
C32 cap .+7uf .+7uf Change to metal film cap to help cut don on
noise and sound bigger and fuller
note this modification applies to the older style of ch- pedals. !m not aare of any ay to tell
if it ill ork on your version ithout opening up the pedal. The neest versions use surface
mount components and looks differently than the pictures shon.
S
9
NOTE !F OU C!CU!T
BOAD LOOS L!E TH!S
THE NOD W!LL NOT WO
A few notes about tis mod
The CH- can be modded in ust about all the "normal" ays that a CE-2 can be modded.
For example you can change the delay range by changing the +7pf capacitor beside the NN30
chip. Smaller values e.g. 33pf ill shift the delay range closer toards flanging and larger
values e.g. 68pf ill move the range toards spacier thicker sounds. ust be aare that longer
delays ill make the pitch "obble" stronger so youfhe ill need to turn the Depth control
don.
To achieve ring-modulator type sounds the to back-to-back 0uf capacitors Labeled C36fC37
! think in the lo-frequencyfmodulation oscillator can be replaced ith a uf nonpolarized cap.
This ill shift the speed range over by a factor of about x5 such that the fastest speed ill give
an elastic-like "boing" and the sloest speed ill be closer to the hat used to be the "bubbly"
speed.
!f you break the kink beteen 53 +7k and Q you ill cancel the clean signal at output ack
A giving a vibrato-only effect. Please note that this unfortunately produces NO OUTPUT hen
you bypass the effect. The more problem-free ay to accomplish the same effect is to stick a
mono plug into ack B ithout any ires attached to it. Doing this ill feed a delay only signal to
ack A in effect mode and clean signal in bypass mode.

CH- SCHENAT!C

Boss CS- Compressor Modification

Location Change to What does it do
volume
pot
Connect a .00uf cap to lugs 3 and 2 This forms a high pass filter more
highs ill get through. Loer cap value
if it is too bright or raise cap value for
more clarity.
3 00 ohm Nore clarity a bit more fullness as ell
C20 C3 uf Nakes the pedal fuller and quieter by
changing a coupling cap ith a larger
higher quality one
C+ C22 uf Nakes the pedal fuller and quieter by
changing a coupling cap ith a larger
higher quality one
3
4
Boss CS-3 compressor mods
Fat Body mod ill sound much fuller armer and not so splatty
Location Nod value What it effects
36 00 ohm Adds richness and depth
C2 . uf Allos more bass to come through
C under
attack
pot
. uf Adds a lot of fullness to the sound it changes
the tone control in a ay that ill add mids as
ell as highs into the signal.
C3 2.2uf electrolytic cap use
bipolar cap
!ncreases bass
5 +70 ohm Adds more body to tone
32 emove and umper Loer value to make the led brighter ill add
clean headroom
D0
right
above
32
emove and umper ill add clean headroom
note on some versions r32 and d0 are already umpered.
5
Nodification for Bass Guitar use
ocation Mod value
C2 uf
C+ 0uf non-polarized
C6 0uf nonpolarized
5 k
36 00 ohm
C3 0uf nonpolarized
C uf
C5 500pf silver mica capacitor
C5 .uf
Ho to control the background noise
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
C+ uf elec uf film
C+ uf elec uf film
C7 uf elec uf film
C6 uf elec uf film
Quiets some of the noise hiss
For the ultimate quietness change c+ c+ c7 and c6 uf electrolytic caps in the pedal to uf
metal film or ust regular uf film caps. This should help a bit though the real problem is the
fact that compressors by nature tend to be a bit noisy. The last stage actually boosts the
higher frequencies hich means that the noise gets boosted as ell. ou can connect a small
cap in parallel ith the 0k resistor at + start ith 00pf and go larger as needed. Too
large though and you ill start to lose highs.
ou might try to place the compressor before your dirt pedals and after your dirt pedals and
see hich ay orks best for your needs. Notice oull need to find uf caps that are
physically small !ve found the smallest ones at digikey.com the parts numbers are located
elsehere in this book.
6
7
S
9
Delay pedal modifications
cap connected to
outside lugs of
potentiometer
Analog emulation High Cut modification for most delay pedals
Simply connect as shon belo to the feedback pot or the volume
potfeffect level pot.
This modification ill ork on most delay pedals but ill not ork
on reverb pedals or the Boss DD-6.
Capacitor can be anyhere from .022uf to .+7uf. The higher the
value the more highs are taken out.
Boss DD-3
Note that the capacitor
should be smaller than
uf value for best tone
even though this image
says uf

Boss D- super feedbacker distortion

NOTE This is a teakers dream !m simply outlining some key areas that ould ork ell
being modified. ! dont have pictures of the circuit board for this but the more experienced
D!ers ill have a ton of fun experimenting ith this.
Location Stock value Nod value What it affects
C3 .0+7UF .068uf .uf .
5uf .22uf .
+7uf uf
aise value for more of the guitar signal getting going
through clipping resulting in a fuller or fuzzier sound
depending on ho big you make it.
C7 .UF .5uf .22uf .
33uf .+7uf .
68uf uf
aise value for more of the guitar signal getting going
through clipping resulting in a fuller or fuzzier sound
depending on ho big you make it.
C7 .UF
Changing this capacitor ill affect the eq of the pedal
slightly
C0 .+7UF
aise the value to give the pedal more bass or reduce
the value to make it smoother and rounder.
C3f2 .022UFf6.8
This combination is a filter experiment ith different
values to see hat you like.
C2 .UF
aise the value to give the tone knob more of an effect
and it ill also sound like more los are added.
C6f7 UFf+.7
Experiment ith the values here of this filter. Nake the
resistor smaller for more bass for more distortion
raise the capacitor to 2uf and change the resistor to
2.2k. For more bass and distortion keep the 2.2k
resistor and make the capacitor larger than 2uf
possibly 2.5uf or 3.3 uf
D2 D3 n++8
Clipping diodes experiment Leds sound great here
instead of the silicon diodes

Note
The Distortion circuit on the Df-2 is nearly identical to the Ds- circuitry.
The same mods apply as the DS- simply sap the pcb locations in the ds- mods to the df-2
pcb locations.
Listed belo is a table that shos hat the identical part in the df-2 is compared to the ds-
DF-2 DS-
C3 C3
7 7
C5 C5
C6 C8
7 3
C0 C9
22 +
D2D3 D+D5
C C0
2 6
C3 C
23 5
C2 C2
2+ 7

3
Boss DS- Distortion
Location Change to Location Change to
Evil Nodification Classic ock Nodification
D+ LED D+ LED
D5 LED + 0
C3 .068uF C2 .0+7uF
C0 .0+7uF C0 .uF
C2 .0+7uF
Acid Blues Nodification Tube Emulator Nodification
C2 .0+7uF C2 uf
C0 .uF C3 . uf
+ 6.8 C2 .0+7 uf
D+ LED D+ LED
D5 N+00 D5 n+00
+ 0k
vintage Nodification
D5 Led
C3 .033uf
6 k resistor
C .0uf
C C5 .uf
4
Classic CM-type Marsall Tones:
LOCAT!ON CHANGE TO
C3 .033
7 5k
C2 F
D+ N++8 Connected in Series to another N++8
D5 N+00 Connected in Series to another N+00
C5 C9 UF
3 OPT!ONAL - Change to k for tons of gain if you do this
also change c8 to F
Modern distortion tones
LOCAT!ON CHANGE TO
6 k
+ 0k
C0 .00F
6 3.3k
D+ LED
ess srill is
LOCAT!ON CHANGE TO FEQUENC OLLOFF
C0 .05F +8kHz
C0 .022F 3.2kHz
C0 .027F 2.6kHz
C0 .033F 2.kHz
C0 .0+7F .5kHz
5
The circuit is a buffered bypass circuit ith electronic sitching as are all Boss pedals. The
circuit comes in through a resistor and then travels through C a .0+7 microfarad or
F capacitor into the first buffer. This buffer goes out through C2 and then into a FET
unction gate field-effect transistor hich is part of the sitching. !f the pedal is off the
signal goes out to the sitching circuit and through the output through Q7 hich is the other
FET. These FETs act as a sitch alloing the signal to either go through the distortion
circuit or out through the buffers producing a clean signal.
When the pedal is on signal travels to Q6 through C3 and into a transistor gain stage. 7
controls the gain of this circuit by changing the voltage bias consisting of a +70k resistor
hich you can increase or decrease in value to adust gain before the next stage. !ncreasing
the value increases gain hile decreasing it ill give you a little less gain overall but ill
tighten up the DS-s lo-end response ridding it of the flubbiness many people dislike. We
can also decrease C3 to get this same effect by not alloing as much bass to come through. !
like to change its value to either .022F or .033F if !m looking for a less flubby tone. To clarify
to me flubby means a deeply compressed tonality. C+ hich has a value of 250 picofarads
pF also filters out some highs. Changing this ont do too much although you may be able
to coax a little more brightness by changing it to a 00 pF capacitor.
The signal then goes out through C5 into the opamp. This opamp is used in a unique ay to
clip the signal. controls the gain in combination ith the distortion knob 3 and C8. The
gain control is set up this ay to enable the clipping of higher frequencies as you turn the
distortion up. When its turned don it allos loer frequencies in giving it a muddy sound
since the signal is clipped beforehand through the transistor gain circuits then clipped again
hen the distortion control is turned don. The first stage clipping is still occurring and as a
result the pedal doesnt sound as clear and articulate as many ould like. 3 and C8 are part
of this non-inverting opamp circuit hich provides negative feedback to ground. This is
important for several reasons. The resistor value of 3 and the capacitor value of C8 basically
provide a frequency range here the signal is made to clip. !n this case all frequencies above
33hz is being clipped. To contrast a Tubescreamer only lets frequencies above 728hz clip. This
means that none of the loer bass frequencies are being boosted andfor clipped in the
Tubescreamer.
The signal goes out through + hich is a 2.2k resistor through C9 hich is a .+7F
capacitor running across to diodes D+ and D5 and then to ground. All the usual diode
tricks can be done here to allo more asymmetric clipping or different clipping flavors. Here
C0 is also in parallel ith D+ and D5 and is used to filter out highs in conunction ith +.
+ and C0 form a lo pass filter cutting out high frequencies.
Go to indyguitarist.comffilter.htm and scroll to the bottom. Plug these values into the
corresponding fields to determine hich frequencies are being filtered. With the current values
you ill find its filtering everything above 7k hich helps to smooth things out a little bit. !f
its too bright replace + ith a resistor valued at 3.3k alloing more highs to be filtered
out or try a +.7k resistor to filter out everything above 3.3kHz.
6
After traveling through the diodes and the capacitor the signal goes through a Big Nuff Pi
inspired tone control. There are many things e can do to manipulate the tone here and a
great resource is the Duncan Tone Stack calculator available at .duncanamps.comftscf.
Experiment ith different values to find the tone youre looking for. !n the stock version of the
pedal the tone is a bit scooped meaning that there is little mid frequencies alloed through
making the tone a little thin sounding. We can change that quite easily hoever. Check out
the suggested changes in the charts belo to get a armer tone a scooped mid tone or
simply less highs.
After the tone control the signal travels through the level control and then out through 8
hich is a 0k resistor and then on to Q7 hich is the other side of the FET sitching circuit.
!n its on state it goes past Q7 through C3 hich is a .0+7F capacitor through yet
another output buffer and then a resistor a capacitor and finally through the output.
7
S
SNTH NODS
9
GATED SNTH
3
3
DS- Schematic
Older version
3
neer version
33
Boss DS- turbo distortion
Location Stock
value
Nod value What it effects
57 +.7k 3.3k Nore bass adds a bit of
compression
62 k Nore gain
Optional
++
k Will take out highs
Optional
C28
k resistor in
parallel f
stock cap
Scoops mids a bit
Optional
C28
.00+7 .0 uf Nake rythym channel fuller
D8 ++8 n+00
D9 ++8 n+00 x 2
series
D5 ++8 LED
D ++8 LED
Will make clipping distortion much
fuller more assymetric
34
35
BOSS DS-2 SCHENAT!C
36
Boss GE-7 Eualizer UIET J Twin mod
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
C7 .33 uf .+7 uf
C8 .5 uf .22uf
!ncreases available lo mids
C2 uf elec uf film
C22 uf elec uf film
C32 uf elec uf film
Loers background noise
Change ic
chips
!9022 TLO72 or
NE5532
Loers background noise dramatically
9 330 ohm 00 ohm Turns 3.2k and 6.+k sliders into a
Treble Presence control can give a
good fender or vox tone by adusting
these At maximum boost pedal can
have a little bit more noise than
normal as it is increasing the high
potential of the pedal.
C33 +70PF .00UF Helps make background noise quieter
C2 +70PF .00UF Helps make background noise quieter
NOTE Check to see hich version of eq pedal you have if the circuit board looks like the one in
the picture belo use the mod above. !f it looks like the one a fe pages over use that mod.
37
3S
Note When changing op-ampsfic chips same thing ! H!GHL recommend getting a ic chip
adaptorfstand. !t is easy to overheat an ic chip if you hold the solder iron on it too long. !n this
case the pedal ust ont ork.
First notice on each ic chip there is a little marker or bump to signify hich end goes here.
There is generally a corresponding mark on the circuit board. !f not make one This is important.
!f the ic chip is not installed correctly the pedal ont ork.
Solder the stand in first it ill look like
this
39
CAEFULL insert the ic chip in correctly.
Old version of the GE-7
Notes
eplace all uf caps ith a film capacitor of the same value
4
Note The GEB-7 is identical to the ge-7 the difference being the values in the gyrator circuits
hich are controlling the frequency for each band. For example v in the schematic above
shos a frequency of 00hz. On the geb-7 it is 50hz. This is changed by changing the parts C0
and C3. For v2 it ould be C9 and C8 and so on for each frequency and slider.
4
Boss HM- mod
Location Stock value Nod value What it effects
C30 .068uf .022uf Loer value for more bottom end
C6 .0+7uf uf Adds bottom end
D3 n++8 n+00
D5 n++8 led
D8 n++8 Led
D9 n++8 led
D6 Germanium umper
D7 Germanium umper
These changes ill remove as much of the
fuzziness as possible making it as rich and full of
a distortion as the circuit ill allo.
C5 uf elec uf film cap Will quiet some of the background noise.
C2 uf elec .033 uf Will loer the bass before clipping this ill help
eliminate some fuzz as ell.
any sizefshapefcolor led ill ork the same hen used as clipping diodes as they are ith this
pedal.
Big fat full distortion much better tone control less fuzziness
Location Nod value What it effects
6 0 LOWE GA!N AT TANS!STOS
29 220 LOWE GA!N AT TANS!STOS
C+ C0 ENOvE DO NOT EPLACE W!TH ANTH!NG
D6 D7
23
UNPE EPLACE THESE PATS W!TH UNPE W!ES
+2
C3 D3
D+ D5
ENOvE DO NOT EPLACE W!TH ANTH!NG
D8 D9 N3+a O S!N!LA GENAN!UN D!ODE for a od250 type
distortion or for a more aggressive distortion ust change D8 to
2 separate n++8 diodes connected in series and inserted into
D8s holes.
4
Options
Location Nod value What it effects
C27 c26 Loer value for higher frequency of highs. Stock is around 3k.
Nod
c26 .0022uf c27 500pf. That ill give you roughly around 7k
frequency center.
C30 Loer value for higher frequency raise value for loer frequency.
Hoever anything past .68uf or so doesnt do that much. Nod
.022uf250hz or so .056uf00hz or so. ecommendation .
0+7uf
52 aising 52 ill allo you more volume but also more mids.
Stock is 3.3k.
D 2 For psa
poer
adaptation
!f your pedal is set for a Boss ACA adaptor and you ant to use a
PSA type simply umper these to locations.
About the circuit...
Signal comes into a buffer Q then into 2 gain stages both of them non-discrete or
transistor gain stages.!n the first stage gain is controlled at r6 in the second it is controlled by
r29. The stock gain control uses a form of controlled signal feedback to control gain hence the
muddy sound and lack of good lo gain sounds. This is hy ! recommend disconnection C3
though the gain control may be ired backords. To counter this you can cut the traces on the
little circuitboard that the gain pot is attached to lugs and 3 and ust sitch their places lug
one becomes lug 3 and vice versa.
After this second transistor stage Q7 the signal goes to an opamp clipping stage ith diodes in
the feedback loop d3d+ d5. From there the signal is clipped further by something e dont
usually see in a distortion pedal... a parallel pair of diodes in parallel ith the signal flo AND a
pair of diodes to ground immediately after. This is hy the stock fuzzy tone.
From there the signal goes through a buffer !CA and into a simple lofhigh eq section. From
here the signal goes out through the volume pot.
43
44
45
Boss MD- mods
Nax distortion
Location Nod value Notes
37 !ncreases distortion capability along ith
c9
C9 .+7UF
C7 k
22
30 00 Stock is 22k. The larger the value the
more gain.
23 0
!t should be noted that ith any circuit there ill be a max usable distortion
and anything past that ust adds noise hum and hiss. !f you are experiencing
this simply change the values listed in relation to the schematic.
Overdrive tones
Location Nod value Notes
37 We are changing the first frequencies
clipped here.
7 k
2 +70k
C7 +70pf
30 +7k
75 2 n++8
diodes
Connect in parallel opposite directions.
73 umper
C+0 .008uf olls off some of the fizz
See umper mod next page. !nstall this mod.
Nore mids
Location Nod value Notes
6 !nstall +.7k trim pot Changing the value of r6 ill change
the frequency that the bottom knob
controls.
C9 .00+7
C7 .00+7
2 +7k
46
Circuit Analysis
!gnoring all the sitching the signal enters through c9 into a discrete opamp hich is
everything from Q the uf cap before 2. 37 and c9 are the negative feedback portions
of this clipping circuit.
From there it goes into several standard opamp clipping circuits. The first is a non-inverting and
then directly into an inverting opamp.
From there it goes into a mu-amp type circuit...sort of a transistor equivalent to a poer tube
circuit in an amp. After this it goes into a buffer q23 the signal is divided don via r69 and r75
and r73 and c+0 form a lo pass filter of sorts attempting to remove some of the fizziness.
After this the signal goes through a basic eq circuit an active bass boost and treble cut filter.
47
4S
49
5
5
Boss MT- Metalzone
Nt-2 Dieznerr mod
ocation Mod value Effect
c35 emove
C3+ .0+7uf
C25 remove
emoves nasally mids
C+2 . uf
D3 led
D+ n+00
Nakes distortion fuller more dynamic
C36 . uf Gives the eq a huge range many more tones available
Nt-2 CN-boogie mod
ocation Mod value Effect
c35 emove
C3+ .0+7 uf
C25 remove
C36 uf Gives the eq a huge range many more tones available
D3 led
D+ n+00
Other mods for great tone
ocation Mod value
C029 .033uf film cap
C027 uf film cap
C02 uf film cap
C032 00pf film cap
C0 uf film cap
C00+ uf film cap
Nodern Tones modification
ocation Mod value Effect
33 0k and .0+7uf connected in parallel Better pre-clipping eq
++ 00k Less fuzzy distortion
30 0k Nore clipping after diode clipping
5 +7k Better eq response
5
Options
+6 - !ncreasing ill reduce pre-distortion mids boost
+ - Loering ill increase distortion +70 ohms or so ill sound good
We are not affiliated ith Narshall Diezel Bogner or Nesa Boogie in any ay. Narshall
Diezel Bogner or Nesa Boogie are used here as a point of tonal reference and appear
in conunction ith their trademark.
53
Suggested Settings for the NT-2
These settings ill not sound the same hen you change c36 -- hen you change c36 make
very small incremental teaks. The next fe pictures sho possible settings hen c36 is not
changed.
W!TH C36 CHANGED
54
mt-2 schematic
55
Boss od- mod
Effect Explanations
Nax gain mod Boutique overdrive tones
ocation Mod value ocation Mod value
6 k C2 .uf
C3 .22uf C+ .uf
C5 uf film cap C5 uf
8 +7k 00k D5 n3+a and n++8
in series
C+ !f too bright
increase size of this
cap
D7 n3+a
volume pot For more volume
change to a 00ka
5 0k
Warm rich tonality Boutique overdrive tones
ocation Mod value ocation Mod value
c2 .0+7 uf C2 .uf
C3 . uf for more
bass use .5 uf
C+ .uf
C5 uf film cap C5 uf
D5 LED D5 n3+a and n++8 in series
D7 n+00 D7 n3+a
5 0k 5 0k
56
Circuit explanation:
The circuit enters through r then through c and hits the input buffer. The signal exits through
c2 then enters the first opamp gain stage. The combination of the gain pot c3 and 6 controls
the gain and hat frequencies are boosted and clipped. 5 dictates the minimum gain ith the
gain pot at its minimum.
The signal exits and goes through 7 and then into the next opamp stage hich is set up as an
inverting opamp stage. 8 sets the gain hile c+ cuts highs. !t actually acts as a lo pass filter
filtering out high frequencies. To increase highs make the cap smaller and to decrease highs
make the cap larger.
After leaving this stage the signal goes through c5 r0 then connects to the volume pot. The
volume pot signal passes through a fet used for sitching only and then through c7 before
hitting the output buffer r+ and finally c8 before exiting to the output.
57
5S
Boss OD- R MOD
ocatio
n
Stock
value
Mod value Wat it effects
C2 .08 uF .22 uF Adds bottom end on turbo channel
C7 .08 uF .22 uF Adds bass normal channel
D+ n++8 Led .00+7 uF
cap in parallel
Will make clipping fuller and much more
dynamic.
on this change the diodes are installed in
series and the capacitor is installed in parallel
ith either of the diodes. This filters out some
crispiness of the distortion
D6 n++8 Led n++8 in
series
Will make clipping fuller and much more
dynamic.
28 0 6.8 !ncreases gain potential on turbo channel
39 0 6.8 !ncreases gain potential on normal channel
C+ .22 uF
tantalu
m cap
uF film capacitor !ncreases lo mids on normal channel
59
6
Boss OD- MOD
Location Nod value What it effects
C35 .+7uf Adds bass
D n++8 - N3+A germanium
connected in series
Nakes overdrive tones fuller armer
more organic
D0 n++8 - N3+A germanium
connected in series
Nakes overdrive tones fuller armer
more organic
D9 LED Nakes overdrive tones fuller armer
more organic
+8 +.7k ohm Allos pedal to clean up better
39 +70 ohm resistor and +.7uf cap in
parallel
Adds more volume distortion to turbo
channel.
To orientate the cap correctly look at
the picture belo. Nake sure the
negative side of the capacitor is put in
the hole closest to the left side of the
circuitboard left side of the circuitboard
hile looking at it as pictured on the
image belo.
35 +70
C22 +70 PF
Tailors the eq to be more marshall
sounding
6
6
63
64
Boss OD-3
Paisley Mod Wan Dan Mod
Location Nod value Location Nod value
C29 .22 uf D7 Germanium n3+a
C7 .0 uf C28 .0+7 uf
D0 Germanium n3+a C22 . uf
D LED C6 . uf
C23 . uf
Bsm mod Mod 3
Location Nod value Location Nod value
D6 Germanium n3+a D6 n+00
D7 n++8 D7 n3+a germanium
C22 .uf C29 .22uf
C .uf C22 .uf
C6 .uf C .uf
C23 .uf C6 .uf
C7 emove completely
C8 .0+7uf
65
Marsall Crunc Bi and full overdrive
Location Nod value Location Nod value
Optional
Connect a 0k trim pot lugs
and 2 to tailor high
frequencies
C8 .5uf
5 22k C22 .uf
C6 .033uf C33 uf
C3 uf C3+ +70pf
C22 .uf C3 uf
C28 .22uf C7 emove
D7 Connect a LED and n++8
series
C8 emove
D n3+a
Santana mod
Location Nod value
C28 .22 uf
C7 .0 uf
D0 - diode Germanium n3+a
D - diode LED
D9 Germanium n3+a
D0 Germanium n3+a
This modification is not affiliated ith Carlos
Santana in any ay its name is derived from
the tones e are trying to emulate.
66
Circuit Explanation
The circuit goes through a fet buffer q8 hether the pedal is on or off. The signal goes through
a cap c2 and then hits part of the sitching circuit a fet that either allos signal to pass
hen its in the on state. The signal then goes through c29 and through another fet buffer
q0. From here the signal goes through c30 and then through a filtering stage hich limits the
mids and highs a bit - basically making a little bit of a bass boost. From there d9 and d2 help to
limit any huge signals hich might make the upcoming descrete opamp sound bad. !t provides a
small amount of clipping depending on ho strong the signal is at that point.
From there a discrete opamp containing to fets and a transistor for a gain stage. Gain is set by
the drive pot in conunction ith r5 and c33 hich form a feedback path to ground similar to a
normal opamp. This frequency is basically boosting and clipping right around 720hz hich is
mostly midrange on guitar. D0 and d do a maority of the clipping here before going into the
next stage a simple fet boosting stage. Gain is set by r55 c35fr5+ hile r+0 keeps the fet
biased. D6 and d7 provide a bit of clipping as ell.
The signal exits through r26 hich forms a lo pass filter along ith c6 limiting the highs
above 2.8khz.
The next stage boosts bass it is a normal non-inverting gain stage. Gain is set by r5 and
r2+fc+ hich provide the path to ground and set the frequency to be a very bass heavy signal.
+ c8 and r3 help to limit highs hile the next stage an inverting gain stage uses this same
type of filter to limit mids and highs hich allos more bass through the circuit.
After leaving this stage the signal goes through a normal lo pass filter type of tone control and
then through the volume pot. After the volume pot is another fet used for sitching and then
another buffer.
67
tone pot cap
6S
69