Accounting for the fact that many folks find the TS-5 darker I think tolerances isn't necessarily the cause, unless every one of some component in the factory was off by a certain amount. So I'm looking for some different part unique to the TS-5 that could be doing it. Makes sense, or dumb?

They may very well have sourced components for the soundtanks that consistently were off-values. For instance, from specific budget capacitor manufacturers that might have been different than they used in the proper TSs. If you really wanted to know, you would have to pull the caps and have a DMM that could measure them.

Another thing to experiment would be to see if the TA75558P opamp is available still, and if so, maybe buy a couple and see what they do to the other TS you have.

Have you gone through the whole TS5 and made sure that all of the caps and resistors are in fact what the schematic says, markings-wise?

Also, what type are the diodes in the TS5?

For instance, going back to the photos, it looks like the TS5 has the cheapest available metal film capacitors. You usually see that stuff in the cheapest mass produced junk from the 80s-90s.

In contrast, the Maxon looks like it might even have panasonic metal films, which are close to the opposite end of the spectrum of decent component choice.

It could very well be that the cheapos don't measure what they are marked at all.

Both pedals have 1n4148 diode rings. They look like they are from different manufacturers though.

If I am super serious I really should get my hands on a device to measure these caps, and see if they are indeed way off...

This is a great thread. Figured I'd throw that out there.

I'm glad you think so... I feel like SpiritCrusher here, only half understanding yet desperate to tweak...


Chris I think I'll take you up on the offer of rehousing it. I can pay you for the parts and labour of course...

I understand less than you do, but I love finding out what makes this stuff tick. And also why the cheaper piece is the superior one, and what really makes the Tubescreamer the Tubescreamer- like how the opamp really isn't a big deal, etc. And I like "TGP style tone bullshit voodoo talk". (And Chris's theory as to where these things are really coming from- something you could measure for with test equipment that is neither a wizard hat or a bank statement.)

NO PEDAL SHALL BE LEFT UNMOLESTED

I'm going to mod my OD9 today also. Going to lower the hi pass cutoff by swapping a cap, that should fatten it up. Also going to get the 808 style resistors on the output buffer, because sort of maybe it does something worthwhile, even though common sense dictates that they changed the resistors for a reason.

Y'know, like, if you wanna...

I didna see this. Yarr i will do it for ye. Imma PM you an address.

Mailed it...

So I kind of modded both my SD1 and my OD9, and now my OD9 has more lows (changed a cap in the hi pass filter in the feedback loop) and my SD1 has more highs (gone is the C6 cap). So like now they are more dissimilar, they tonally went in opposite directions. I think this is good. Sound so perfect into my Laney. The OD9 gives like a dark uber distortion, a bit modern-ish. And the SD-1 is some eighties toan. But fuck, the SD1 gets noisy. Of course I have the Laney's preamp cranked.

If only I had... one overdrive to rule them all... some mystical box of juicy toans that will take me back years to my ideal overdrive...

Also its funny how words effect how people hear. The C6 removal kills a lo pass filter, ie you get more highs. But intuitively 'lo pass' sounds like something that will decrease lows. So if you go on forums guys will do this mod and be like "wow it's so much fuller!"

I might be as stupid as them anyway.

Another swell thing to do, is to put a pot in there for the filter in the feedback loop. Something a little more involved like the "bass" control on the Timmy, or actually, for a more standard TS type circuit, something like the "voice" control in the Zendrive.

It is a nice cheap/easy way to get a little more flexibility out of this type of OD.

The other thing that i like a lot, is a LED/Silicon/Germanium clipping diode switch. Pretty easy to do, and can change the flavor of the distortion quality nicely between harder, stock, and smoother.