apierz
Active member
- Build Rating
SOUND:
This one really surprised me. I feel like the Zendrive is one of the classic drive circuits, and it certainly has some famous fans, but I don’t think I ever really gave it its due. It has a huge range of volume and drive available. Even at lower drive settings I really had to back off on the guitar volume to get light gain clipping, but it can still get saturated at high guitar volumes and sounds good across the range. I know it’s often considered a Dumble-style pedal, but full disclosure, I have not played an actual Dumble amplifier so I can’t comment on how close it gets. I would say this has more low end and higher gain than the guitar tones I think of when I think of famous Dumble users. It does sound similar to the Abider overdrive from PPCB (J. Rockett The Dude), but I find the controls and gain range of the Mahayana to be much more useful (and it’s a much simpler build). The EQ stack is really well done. The Voice control makes it really easy to dial in how much low end you want, and the higher the Voice knob goes the more gain and upper mids get added in. The Tone control is a passive treble cut, and it helps to roll off some of the highs if you have the Voice control at higher settings. Robben Ford apparently liked the Voice knob dimed (I think I agree), and I definitely needed to take some of the high end off at that setting. I don’t know if this will be an addition to my pedalboard, but only because I am spoiled for choice at the moment.
BUILD:
A low part count and nothing too difficult to track down. I made two changes from stock. First, I used a TL072CP for the op-amp instead of an NE5532 or AD712, since I had plenty of TL072s on hand and it seems to be a fairly common swap. For D2, I went with a Ge diode I had in my inventory with a forward voltage of 0.311 V, similar to a 1N34A. It’s the same kind I put in my Kliche build, and it sounds great here. I tried Tayda’s Glossy Clear enclosure for the first time with this one, and I dig it. It has a little more natural look than the Matte Clear and would probably be my preference for a raw enclosure look with some extra protection. The artwork is the first pedal design I ever made and finally had a chance to escape my ever-growing pedal artwork folder and get printed. I’ll put the PDF in the artwork forum if anyone wants it. I also decided to try these soft-touch knobs for the first time on this build. They feel nice, but I can envision them getting beat up fairly easily.
I know this circuit isn’t the hot new thing anymore, but it’s an easy build and a great-sounding overdrive.
This one really surprised me. I feel like the Zendrive is one of the classic drive circuits, and it certainly has some famous fans, but I don’t think I ever really gave it its due. It has a huge range of volume and drive available. Even at lower drive settings I really had to back off on the guitar volume to get light gain clipping, but it can still get saturated at high guitar volumes and sounds good across the range. I know it’s often considered a Dumble-style pedal, but full disclosure, I have not played an actual Dumble amplifier so I can’t comment on how close it gets. I would say this has more low end and higher gain than the guitar tones I think of when I think of famous Dumble users. It does sound similar to the Abider overdrive from PPCB (J. Rockett The Dude), but I find the controls and gain range of the Mahayana to be much more useful (and it’s a much simpler build). The EQ stack is really well done. The Voice control makes it really easy to dial in how much low end you want, and the higher the Voice knob goes the more gain and upper mids get added in. The Tone control is a passive treble cut, and it helps to roll off some of the highs if you have the Voice control at higher settings. Robben Ford apparently liked the Voice knob dimed (I think I agree), and I definitely needed to take some of the high end off at that setting. I don’t know if this will be an addition to my pedalboard, but only because I am spoiled for choice at the moment.
BUILD:
A low part count and nothing too difficult to track down. I made two changes from stock. First, I used a TL072CP for the op-amp instead of an NE5532 or AD712, since I had plenty of TL072s on hand and it seems to be a fairly common swap. For D2, I went with a Ge diode I had in my inventory with a forward voltage of 0.311 V, similar to a 1N34A. It’s the same kind I put in my Kliche build, and it sounds great here. I tried Tayda’s Glossy Clear enclosure for the first time with this one, and I dig it. It has a little more natural look than the Matte Clear and would probably be my preference for a raw enclosure look with some extra protection. The artwork is the first pedal design I ever made and finally had a chance to escape my ever-growing pedal artwork folder and get printed. I’ll put the PDF in the artwork forum if anyone wants it. I also decided to try these soft-touch knobs for the first time on this build. They feel nice, but I can envision them getting beat up fairly easily.
I know this circuit isn’t the hot new thing anymore, but it’s an easy build and a great-sounding overdrive.
