EQD special cranker - less gain

[maertz13]

I’m looking to make a tweak so that at minimum “more” it’s even cleaner. The highest range of it isn’t super usable for me, but the lowest setting isn’t quite subtle enough. My first thought was the bias, but the “more” knob IS the bias.

Any idea what I could change to clean it up a little more?

 

[Elijah-Baley]

I think you can increase R4 - 390R to set the minimum gain lower. Maybe you can try with 1k resistor.
The overall gain will decrease, too.
Pay attention, you could lose a bit of volume, I guess. So maybe you have to push a bit the second stage.

 

[jesuscrisp]

You can also try to make R3 smaller (22K or even 10K) or use diodes that have higher forward voltage. Both will make the maximum gain you get less though.

Rather than increasing R4 as suggested, you might also consider a larger value MORE knob, instead, maybe 20/25K. That way you will still get the current maximum gain, but expand the low gain range.

That being said, are you using high output pickups?

 

[maertz13]

You can also try to make R3 smaller (22K or even 10K) or use diodes that have higher forward voltage. Both will make the maximum gain you get less though.

Rather than increasing R4 as suggested, you might also consider a larger value MORE knob, instead, maybe 20/25K. That way you will still get the current maximum gain, but expand the low gain range.

That being said, are you using high output pickups?

I was playing a telecaster. I’d totally understand if it was one of my baritone death machines

Losing the maximum gain isn’t so much of a problem. Anywhere past noon starts to get a little too raggedy.

 

[HamishR]

I wonder if reducing the size of C3 might help? Is the diode switch an on/off/on?

 

[maertz13]

I wonder if reducing the size of C3 might help? Is the diode switch an on/off/on?

Diode switch is on/on. I don’t know much about electrolytic caps and assumed they are power related, so it wouldn’t be my first guess. Don’t wanna blow anything up

 

[HamishR]

As I understand it the big caps on gain pots connected to the emitter of a transistor like that determine the amount of Grrr. So a bigger cap means more gain. Reducing it to say a 10µF will reduce gain but whether it will do that with the gain pot at minimum is the question. It couldn't hurt to try though.

The reason I ask about the diode switch is that if it was on/off/on then you could cut the clipping diodes out in the middle position. No clipping diodes means more volume and less clipping. Could be just what you are after.