Valhalla Distortion

[VanWhy]

Build Rating

5.00 star(s)

I'm kind of at the point where I've mostly built all circuits I set out to build when I initially started. So, now I'm building what I consider "classics".

In my opinion, The Diezel VH4 amp is one of those. I've never played one but I've heard plenty. One of the first pedal mods I've ever tried was the Diezel mod for the Boss Metal Zone. Turned out crappy but I tried.

Any way this thing sounds great. Does it hold up to some of the more modern distortion boxes? Not really. But I still love it. It's a tad dark with humbuckers and a bit noisy but it still crushes.

Like most pedals with a dedicated power amp out, it sounds better going directly into the amp return. That alone is worth the price of admission. I haven't tried it at 18V yet either.

I ripped off the graphics of the original just because I like them a lot. Water slide decal.

I recommend this one if you are looking for that amp-in-a-box, classic-type distortion.

 

[Paradox916]

Great build, You definitely need to give this one full voltage. Yes it does works fine at 9v and 12v but hit it with 18v before you make your final decision.

 

[airbud]

Great build, You definitely need to give this one full voltage. Yes it does works fine at 9v and 12v but hit it with 18v before you make your final decision.

good tip. this one wasn't on my radar but I TOTALLY dig the "build the classics" mentality. at least a third of my builds have been driven by "let's find the magic in this popular circuit." every time I love a pedal or feel meh about it (haven't hated anything so far) I learn about the circuit as much as I can. I'm starting to get to the point where I understand evolutions of classic topologies and what the improvements are. currently toiling away at the CDXXXX chip set...

 

[DathanJohn]

Great build, You definitely need to give this one full voltage. Yes it does works fine at 9v and 12v but hit it with 18v before you make your final decision.

Do I need to change any of the parts listed to run it at 18v? I'm looking at the transistor and it says 12v and I would rather not fry this thing lol. I'm also a new builder so I'm def not well versed on what components can handle what yet.

 

[jesuscrisp]

Actually it works best running 15V into it, but 12V is pretty close, 18V might give you some heat buildup.

The power supply on this thing is kinda stupid. It regulates the input voltage to 12V and then inverts it for ~24V of headroom.
The issue here is that the voltage regulator needs to run higher than 12V, else you get a bit of voltage loss.
Why Diezel went with this solution when they could have used a normal charge pump setup or DC-DC converter is beyond me.

 

[Paradox916]

Do I need to change any of the parts listed to run it at 18v? I'm looking at the transistor and it says 12v and I would rather not fry this thing lol. I'm also a new builder so I'm def not well versed on what components can handle what yet.

As long as all the caps are rated for the appropriate voltage the Voltage regulator can handle 18v just fine like @jesuscrisp said, any thing above 12v for the regulator to work as intended, 14v or 15v would be great but most common pedal power supplies seem to have 9v 12v and 18v taps ( at least the 3 I have do)

 

[DathanJohn]

As long as all the caps are rated for the appropriate voltage the Voltage regulator can handle 18v just fine like @jesuscrisp said, any thing above 12v for the regulator to work as intended, 14v or 15v would be great but most common pedal power supplies seem to have 9v 12v and 18v taps ( at least the 3 I have do)

Awesome, thank yall so much! Ready to get this thing finished now!