MichaelW
Well-known member
I bought this board a while ago but have been hesitant to build it after reading some of the not so flattering threads about it.
I finally decided this week to build it because, frankly, I was missing components for some of the other builds on my list and this was one I pretty much had everything for.
I went back to listened to some of the YouTube video demo's of the pedal, which piqued my original interest and decided to just build it and see if I liked it.
Turns out I actually like it a lot
I made a few substitutions that may or may not account for this. I didn't have any BC548's so I subbed BC550's. I didn't have an 82pf MLCC so I subbed a 100p that measured 92p. I also didn't have a spare OPA2134 as the ones I have are spoken for to go into another build.
It seems like this circuit relies heavily on the op-amp to generate the clipping, I figured I'd try some different ones that I did have.
I did actually try the OPA2134 in it just to see and thought it sounded pretty good. I also tried a 4560D, TL072, LM833 and currently have an LM1458N in there and it sounds the best to me so far. I might just call it good, or I might try a 4558 or 4580 that I have on hand as well.
I have 2 Zen Drives (Mayahana) with slightly different configurations and I've been comparing them side by side with the Dumbloid.
While it does share some similarities, they don't really sound the same to me. The Zen's definitely have the additional clipping from the diodes and that's pretty evident. They sound a bit more saturated.
The also sound like I'm playing through a pedal. Whereas, the Dumbloid has a looser amp-like feel and openness to it. In that sense it sounds a bit more like the Ethos Overdrive Supreme pedal I had for years before selling it.
It sounds the least convincing with the gain dialed super high and I've found the best sounds at lower gain settings.
I've also found that sounds best pushing a slightly driven amp as opposed to into a clean amp.
It plays very well with the Clandestine Boost pushing it a bit, even at unity gain it can tame some of the transients for a tighter sound.
Aesthetically, I am running low on 125B enclosures so I decided to try to capture a bit of the vibe of the original Shin pedal by putting it in a 1590BB and arranging the knobs across the top. I think it looks pretty cool. Made for some interesting wiring but everything worked when I plugged it in (yeehaw!).
I finally decided this week to build it because, frankly, I was missing components for some of the other builds on my list and this was one I pretty much had everything for.
I went back to listened to some of the YouTube video demo's of the pedal, which piqued my original interest and decided to just build it and see if I liked it.
Turns out I actually like it a lot
I made a few substitutions that may or may not account for this. I didn't have any BC548's so I subbed BC550's. I didn't have an 82pf MLCC so I subbed a 100p that measured 92p. I also didn't have a spare OPA2134 as the ones I have are spoken for to go into another build.
It seems like this circuit relies heavily on the op-amp to generate the clipping, I figured I'd try some different ones that I did have.
I did actually try the OPA2134 in it just to see and thought it sounded pretty good. I also tried a 4560D, TL072, LM833 and currently have an LM1458N in there and it sounds the best to me so far. I might just call it good, or I might try a 4558 or 4580 that I have on hand as well.
I have 2 Zen Drives (Mayahana) with slightly different configurations and I've been comparing them side by side with the Dumbloid.
While it does share some similarities, they don't really sound the same to me. The Zen's definitely have the additional clipping from the diodes and that's pretty evident. They sound a bit more saturated.
The also sound like I'm playing through a pedal. Whereas, the Dumbloid has a looser amp-like feel and openness to it. In that sense it sounds a bit more like the Ethos Overdrive Supreme pedal I had for years before selling it.
It sounds the least convincing with the gain dialed super high and I've found the best sounds at lower gain settings.
I've also found that sounds best pushing a slightly driven amp as opposed to into a clean amp.
It plays very well with the Clandestine Boost pushing it a bit, even at unity gain it can tame some of the transients for a tighter sound.
Aesthetically, I am running low on 125B enclosures so I decided to try to capture a bit of the vibe of the original Shin pedal by putting it in a 1590BB and arranging the knobs across the top. I think it looks pretty cool. Made for some interesting wiring but everything worked when I plugged it in (yeehaw!).
