Is there a way to change what frequenices clip more than others?

[nate433]

Maybe sort of how the Boss OC-3 can only effect lower strings if you want. Can you do something similar with gain? So maybe i want my higher or lower notes to clip and distort a bit, but not the others?

Just spitballing here.

I've haven't built the pedal yet, but is the Dunwich - Volt Thrower achieving that with the 2 trim pots on the op amp?

 

[phi1]

It’s typical to cut bass before clipping to avoid muddines, and cut treble after clipping to avoid harshness. If done just right, your tone with clipping can sound neutral ( like how the Timmy cuts bass and treble in this way. Depending on gain setting, you cut bass and treble to get back to a neutral sound.

Anyway, usually clipping is achieved by boosting, then clipping. Clipping selective frequencies (often mids) means boosting those frequencies more. But, that also means those frequencies have more volume (like TS has a pronounce mid curve). If you want to even out the volume after clipping certain frequencies, you’d want to EQ after the clipping. BB Preamp circuit could do this with a TS type circuit followed by bass and treble control.

One I’ve always thought looked interesting but haven’t tried is the Zorg effects Glorious Basstar. It splits into 3 EQ bands and five gain and volume control over both.

 

[Feral Feline]

In addition to the Basstar phi1 mentioned, there's the VFE Triumvirate and the DOD Boneshaker. PCBs are available for the VFE, but I think you'd need to do your own layout for the DOD.

 

[Fama]

Just to add to the list, there's the Vallhagen Blue Monster which is a similar thing but with just two bands https://moodysounds.com/en/produkt/vallhagen-blue-monster-pcb/

 

[finebyfine]

Just to add to the list, there's the Vallhagen Blue Monster which is a similar thing but with just two bands https://moodysounds.com/en/produkt/vallhagen-blue-monster-pcb/

To further add to the list, there’s also Anderton’s/PAIA’s Quadrafuzz https://paia.com/quadrafz-design/

 

[jwin615]

To add a note, but no circuit...
Clipping adds upper harmonics, hence the need to cut higher frequencies after it. It's not that it generates to much, necessarily, but a cumulative with the original signal can quickly be overwhelming.
Extreme/hard clipping, especially multiple iterations, adds upper harmonics to upper harmonics. Fuzz like $100 solid state amp distortion.

One can also do selective clipping with the above circuits or by splitting into multiple drives and recombining.
Parallel fuzz and distortion can be quite marvelous with proper tone settings.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

To further add to the list, there’s also Anderton’s/PAIA’s Quadrafuzz https://paia.com/quadrafz-design/

I’ve got something in the works planned based around that, but I’ve been avoiding breadboarding it since has something like 60 transistors among other things

 

[iamjackslackof]

I think the VFE klone clips different frequencies differently.