Boss DS-1 diy works wrong

[Elijah-Baley]

Hello,
I'm building a Boss DS-1 replica with a lot of mods and fetures, just for fun. I built it on veroboard layout from here:

Boss DS-1 Distortion

Collection of vero (stripboard) & tagboard layouts for 100s of popular guitar effects, with over 1000 verified designs. DIY your own boutique effects!

tagboardeffects.blogspot.com

Schematic:

I started from the stock project, with just a mod: I moved the jumper between pin 1 and 2 of the op-amp and a some part to get more space.
A lot of parts are on socket pin.
I never had the original pedal, so I have some doubts about the sound I got. It sounds killer with the gain at max, but looking at some demo I noticed that I have a lot of volume even at 10 o'clock, the gain setting decrease too soon e too much, I guess. And I hear the op-amp unpleasant clipping, that I can't hear at higher gain setting.

The layout include the R40 1k resistors (not in that schematic), from output of the op-amp to 9v, but I tried without it, now it is soldered.
Transistors are 2N3904 for buffers and 2N5088 for the boost, but I tried to inverter them.
The IC is a TL072, I tried a JRC4558 with more bad clipping op-amp effect.
The diodes are 1N4150, and if I take them off I hear more volume and less distortion. I tried even the 1N4148, no changing.
Everything seems at the right place, every resistors is right (even the gain pot), none cut tracks or links are missing and those are ok.
Voltages looks ok.

I really stuck on it, and I'm so sorry.

Some suggestion?

 

[micmac]

I think you're running into this issue.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

I'm reading that page, thanks.
My issue could be something about it. So I guess the problem maybe is something about the IC, even if I can't understand how other guys built it with satisfaction.
I'll try to solve it.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

I solved the issue moving the positive side of the diodes before the first op-amp stage from the feedback loop of that op-amp. (THe solution was in that link, indeed.)
I still have a lot of volume, that is not a bad thing.
The taper of the Distortion pot is not pretty identical to the original Boss, but maybe is because the tape of the Boss's pot? I know sometime they are weird. The range is ok, anyway.
Now I can get fun by this circuit!

 

[DGWVI]

Just ran into this issue as well, using the TL072. Swapping that out for an NJM2904 solved it.

The 072 was kinda cool in that it's texture was closer to the Superfuzz, though

 

[Elijah-Baley]

Thanks for the suggestion.
I just inserted an NJM2904 in my Tayda's cart!

 

[CheapSuitG]

What mods are you doing?

I have been picking up DS-1's cheap off marketplace and modding them. I like the Seeing eye with the red LED as the clipping. Keeps that 90s sound without the ice pick to the ear.

Also the JHS Synth mod, without the switches, is a great sounding distortion but less of a DS-1 vibe.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

What mods? All!
I really getting fun with that, I'm still trying everything and I will include just the ones I like more, considering the space using a 1590BB enclosure.
The mods I like now are:
- Clipping: stock, LED, and asymmetric two LED and a silicon diode;
- Mid boost: a pot in series of a reduced R16 resistor, in the tone section;
- Increase C3 for fat tone, increase a lot for doomy effect;
- Pot in series to R9 (22R) to reduce the gain, (but at lower setting I lose a lot of high);
- Increase C10 for less treble, or increase C7 for lese treble just at higher gain setting;
- JHS Synth mod with a rotary switch;
- Gated effect;
I'm thinking about to do something with R13, and maybe not with C8.
And a pair of mods, tasty, but more invasive and not easy to do on a ready PCB.

Schematic reference: https://www.electrosmash.com/images/tech/ds1/boss-ds1-distortion-schematic-parts.jpg

All this mods through with pots and switches that allow to get back the original schematic/sound.

 

[Elijah-Baley]

About mods... I really can't find the "trem mod". It appears in the Devi Ever forum, and I guess it connects two points in the circuit to get a sort o pulsing/tremolo effect, but I can't find the original image nor any description about it.
Probably I will not include it in my building (never say never), but I want to know how do it.