how to add a passive distortion control knob

when I restored my SG I wired it to have a distortion controller instead of 2 tone knobs
• restoring a SG epiphon...

[@MCDbits]

Best passive distortion I've heard, nice.

[@zurowetz]

Its the only passive distortion I've ever heard 😆 but thank you glad you like it 👍

[@AMIROCK7]

بهترین اموزش🙏

[@martysradioshow5979]

Wow thank you sir I love your discovered this

[@deniszbuhran]

informative as always!

[@zurowetz]

Well thank you I try my best 😁

[@juanvaldez5422]

I think this would work good on a bass . I have an epi thunderbird that it would suit

[@user-bu4mz5bw8k]

This is mind blowing. I just spent weeks trying to install the board from a fuzz pedal into my guitar. I’ll try this instead. But I always thought that this circuit would drastically cut volume too??????

[@zurowetz]

Well the volume cut is noticeable but it's not enough for this not to be cool 😀👍

[@user-bu4mz5bw8k]

@@zurowetz it’s definitely cool! Thanks again for making this video and for the reply. It’s much appreciated mate. I installed an LED into my guitar body to show when the fuzz circuit was engaged. I’ll see if I can get the circuit to work with one BAT41 diode and the green led that for better or worse is now part of my guitar! I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the speedy reply, it’s much appreciated.

[@zurowetz]

@@user-bu4mz5bw8k no problem 👍 I'm just glad someone got something out of it 😃

[@spyrosasnais3045]

Awesome dude, will definitely be doing that tonmy sg. Any idea if LEDs will work?

[@zurowetz]

I haven't tried I think it might be too low but try it you might like it 👍

[@MarkVanVasey]

brilliant.

[@zurowetz]

Thanks you 🙂

[@brylidan]

sounds good

[@zurowetz]

👍🤗

[@dendriloquist]

that sounds fantastic! what pickups did you say you have in that guitar?

[@zurowetz]

Thanks just the cheapest mini humbuckers I could find on ebay 👍😎

[@TheFreedomofLiving]

Can you post a diagram and schematic for this design as well as a list of needed parts?

[@corybettison8361]

So what you are trying to achieve is a passive clipping of the signal. I've never heard of passive clipping before. You could even do the same thing in a box on the floor. So why do we need powered pedals ?

[@zurowetz]

I have a video where I put it in a box but the clipping will lower the volume so you need a powered boost pedal and that's basically what a distortion pedal is, a clipping circuit and a boost circuit 😊

[@alecwithac69]

Say if I have a 3 string cigar box guitar with just a piezo pickup, could I get distortion by adding a nob and diodes? Or even full-on distortion without a nob?

[@zurowetz]

This is something I have never tried so you'll have to try it and tell me 🙂

[@axeade234]

Great video. How would i achieve this using regular strat style single coils?

[@zurowetz]

Thank you its the hotness of the pickups that matters not the kind of pickups I only used to rail once because they where in the guitar already 👍😃👍

[@axeade234]

@@zurowetz ok, so if I was using a less hot pickup what diode would I use? A lower or higher value?

[@zurowetz]

@@axeade234 well it really depends what you want a higher well give you more but volume will go down more and a lower will give you less but you will keep more volume so if you have some diodes laying around try them and see what you think and change if you need to 🙂

[@axeade234]

@@zurowetz I don't have any laying around I just bought the ones that you used but they don't seem to do anything, they just seem to work like a really weak tone control. Any ideas?

[@zurowetz]

@@axeade234 well first I would try strumming harder the loudness of your signal is key so maybe you play softly? Then ifthats not the case go over the wiring again and also check that all the wiring is correct not just the diode and if that doesn't fix it maybe your pickups are to low for this and try other diodes like maybe 2 red leds or maybe two 1N914 or something like that let me know how it goes you can also find me on Instagram if you want me to take a look 🙂

[@JLeppert]

A way to film would be getting an LED lit magnifying lamp and putting the camera over it.

[@zurowetz]

I changed things around in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHWkpI2dYr1_gposi=iHPzS9ltvacRULZt but it's a good idea and it would be cool to have for the future sso thank you I'll look for one😀

[@joseg.9026]

I'm looking for this mod. Have you tried to add Treble bleed with the circuit in series?

[@zurowetz]

I have not I have done treble bleed (I didn'tlike) before but not series neither of the mods are hard to do 🙂 so you can do it I believe in you 😁👍 but what effect are you hoping to achieve?

[@joseg.9026]

@@zurowetz add brightness with the tone. kinda muddy for me but this is awesome. thanks

[@zurowetz]

@@joseg.9026 thank you 🙂 I think you want a treble boost not a treble bleed?

[@paulnoecker1202]

I've done electric banjo circuit. It's a capacitor in series with super low capacitance. Lower value makes the tone more tinny. Instead of 47 or 25s it's like .02.... Normal tone bleeds to ground, bass cut has to be in line; hot guitar side, cap, hot amp side.

[@Wolfamancer97]

What germanium diodes should i use ?

[@zurowetz]

I'm using BAT41 you could start there and see if you like it 🙂

[@Wolfamancer97]

​@@zurowetz ok thanks

[@jasonbanks8700]

I ordered some BAT41 but they sent 1N4007 instead. Would these work the same?

[@zurowetz]

Im not sure I have never tried but I don't think the diodes matters all that much so try and see let me know how it goes 😃

[@lukamerlet4902]

@@zurowetz Hi, the diodes matter a LOT, in a passive clipping like this, you need diodes that have a very low forward voltage (called Vf in the datasheets) the idea is that the pickups produce a very small voltage, and if you have diodes with very low Vf (around 200-250mv) you can have a nice clipping. If you put diodes that have a Vf higher than the peak voltage of your pickups, nothing will happen. that is why usually the diode hard clipping circuits are placed after amplification stages. for exemple : Leds have a Vf between 1.7 and 3.5 (from red to blue) Unless you have a pickup that have peaks that go OVER this value, it is not going to distort. Same for Silicon diodes, they clip at around 600-700mv Germanium diodes around 400/300 Schottky diodes around 300-200 so the idea is : pick the lowest Vf diodes and find a sweet spot where your signal is not too compressed and crushed and where you can actually hear a breakup when you use a single light string. another thing : you can use different diodes to create asymetrical clipping (for exemple a Bat41 on one side and a Oa5 on the other side, or one BAT41 on one side, and two BAT41 on the other) different textures, different sounds

[@nightraid3345]

Does this turn one of the tone knobs into a master tone and the other into the distortion?

[@zurowetz]

Yeah 😎👍

[@Wolfamancer97]

Is it possible to wire this to a push pull pot so i can turn the distortion off (in normal position) and turn the distortion on (in pulled up position)?

[@zurowetz]

Yeah it can be done but I don't see the point you turn it off by moving the pot just like a tone pot or is it that you wanna keep it a tone pot and switch it over to a dis pot?

[@Wolfamancer97]

​​@@zurowetzI meant to say when the push pull pot is pushed down to bypass the push pull pot completely (no distortion), but when the push pull pot is pulled up to turn on the distortion. Basically like a on/off switch for the distortion.

[@zurowetz]

@@Wolfamancer97 yeah so the two first legs wound have a cap from the tone and the thirds would have the diode clipping then the middle legs wound be from the third leg and to the back of the pot😃

[@Wolfamancer97]

@@zurowetz ok thanks 🙂

[@tron7_]

​@@zurowetz if i were to wire this to a push/pull volume pot instead, how much of a difference would it make when compared to using one of the tone pots?

[@rallysport26]

What value dioxides did you use for this sound?

[@zurowetz]

If you mean the diodes they are 100V o,1A named BAT41😀👍

[@emiledc6064]

where can i find those things u put on your pots

[@zurowetz]

Do you mean diodes?

[@tigmil8116]

How did I miss this?

[@zurowetz]

I donno

[@yosbersensei]

hola. puedes darme la lista de materiales por favor

[@zurowetz]

@@yosbersensei 2x diodes

[@yosbersensei]

@@zurowetz vi otro componente de color plata

[@slunkm.4890]

Could you put it on a switch instead of a pot?

[@zurowetz]

Yeah super easy barely an inconvenience just use a SPDT switch an connect ghe middle leg to the out of the volume pot and to the jack and then one of the other legs to the two diodes and then the diodes to ground 😀👍

[@GrandFunkGuy]

250k pots for Humbuckers?

[@zurowetz]

Yeah 👍

[@bradleyclosson5042]

Shouldn't those tone pots be audio tapered?

[@zurowetz]

They can be

[@bradleyclosson5042]

@@zurowetz true that

[@bradleyclosson5042]

@@zurowetz I prefer linear for vol and audio for tone

[@joelsstuff8318]

I like it. I think, if you want more detail, it needs to be animated. Or drawn. I don’t think the video is going to do it.

[@zurowetz]

Im glad you like it 🙂 but I'm not sure what you mean with animted🙏

[@joelsstuff8318]

@@zurowetz oh. You were asking about tips for filming it better. I was saying I’m not sure video will really do it. I meant animated*. Somehow. With drawings or diagrams. Maybe in series. Highlighting parts. Or. I noticed you use a whiteboard some. Maybe that would work.

[@joelsstuff8318]

@@zurowetz maybe I can help with that animation.

[@zurowetz]

@@joelsstuff8318 I'll keep that in mind thank you 🙂

[@truffeltroll6668]

Could this be made with a switch instead?

[@zurowetz]

Yes I already have a video it will work a little different but check it out and see if it s what you want 🙂

[@truffeltroll6668]

@@zurowetz aaah, found it, thanks!

[@peteytwofinger]

too many ads -single coil pickups - you are using hotrail . what do your hotrails ohm out too i wonder ? bat 41 is a silicon shotky diode is it ? 1N6263 lo v drop , 1n34a is a lower v drop germanium diode . i would guess that in order to get the most amount of noticeable distortion effect from using a passive diode array one would wish to employ the highest output pick up. i am am not sure weather or not the pot matters ...like 500k vs 250k . these would be things i would wish to experiment with as well as what small value capacitor in parallel with the diode to tame the fizz. ideally i would wire the pick up directly to the output jack and then do experiments on the bench - with the pot and diode in a test rig externally . trying things out . but of course this is just the way i thought to try it .if you have a strat with a hotrail or humbucker and 250k pot you certainly can just install the diodes which isnt a very big challenge .very cool project . love the yellow strat too - thats classy !

[@zurowetz]

Thank you for the comment I also did this to an epiphone and I think it worked better on it you have to match the kipping with the hotness of the pickups other than that I'm not sure anything else matters I think you should do experiment and have fun that's why I made videos 😊👍

[@mindfield9832]

Your iron isn’t hot enough. Get a Weller. Cheap and works well.

[@joelsstuff8318]

Is that a Swedish accent I hear?

[@zurowetz]

Yes sorry I try my best to speak clearly so it will be understandable

[@joelsstuff8318]

Nej. Jag förstår din engelska jätte bra! Det är en liten, liten antydan till en accent.

[@zurowetz]

@@joelsstuff8318 ah sorry jag har bara börjat bli van vid att få klagomål 😅 men tack 🙂

[@bradleyclosson5042]

That's not a guitar it's completely backwards and upside-down! Lol Nice vids, loving your mad scientist approach. I do weird and awesome things to guitars too. Nice channel!

[@zurowetz]

Haha yeah I hade to stand on my head to film it so it would sound right 😉 thank you im definitely mad at least 😆

[@earlycuyler2295]

Meh.... The less knobs the better.

[@zurowetz]

Then your not gonna like my next build it will have 612 knops😉

[@juanvaldez5422]

I know it can be confusing and all fancy but 2V and 2T , Early

[@earlycuyler2295]

@@juanvaldez5422 not confusing. Just pointless. That's AT LEAST 3 knobs too many. Tone is little more than a "make my guitar sound worse" knob that everyone remedies by boosting treble at the next available eq stack. You'd be better off getting rid of the one on most guitars, let alone add a second. 2 volume knobs is just pretentious. The concept that you are " blending" the sound of your pickups to achieve some magical sound is just self validation of an overinflated ego and a brooding superiority complex. There is no esoteric value to what amounts to fidget toys on a guitar. But, adding them and saying " these make you sound better" let's companies play the emperor's new clothes game with their customers, and charge hundreds more for cents worth of components.

[@josephdoiron3246]

Oh God.... What sounds good and what sounds bad is subjective. Stop being an ass

[@josephdoiron3246]

​​@@earlycuyler2295I personally do not dime out my tone knob or volume knob. I set them both on 6, set my amp like I want it and if I ever need a boost in volume or Bass or treble. I have it easily accessible at my hands. But that's just me

[@ten4goodbud2313]

Wiring is a mess clean it up.

[@Thomas-zf6sl]

Probably dont even know how to do this yourself, leave the Guy alone

[@ten4goodbud2313]

Been wiring and making electronic projects for 30 yrs refinishing guitars in the 70s worked for schector guitars in Los Angeles I know a little bit about instrument building and repair.

[@SuperShecky]

@@ten4goodbud2313 All that experience, yet so little to contribute. Make a video showing us how it's done, already.