Mostortion circuit "redesigned"

If I were to redesign a mostortion circuit, what kind of changes would I do to it in order to make it unique?
It's a creative but fun way to re-think classic circuits. This could've gone a variety of ways but for this video I wanted to try to keep the sound of the classic circuit mostly, but I wanted it to be a bit "chewy", something with a little more teeth when you dig into it.
What kinds of things would you do if you were redesigning this classic circuit? Comment below!
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[@scottgeyer684]

Would love to see a released Wampler “mostortion” pedal! I would buy that!

[@MrGroovergeorge]

So would I. The Belle is a better than the Nobels ODR-1 so I’d imagine the Wampler version would give the original a run for its money. I love the Belle and have it on my board, I just wish it was in a bigger box as I not really a fan of mini pedals.

[@therewasascene]

Wat. Why, the side mounted jacks?

[@guitardave]

Your dream is about to come true! (It’s already up on Sweetwater…)

[@vincentdenali256]

A lot of the Nashville guys use the Mostortion paired with the ODR-1. I’d love to see your version in a dual pedal design with the Belle. Maybe with a toggle switch that changes which circuit is first in the chain. Also would like a mini version of the single pedal. Rock On!

[@melhakenson8426]

Brian, I’ve always loved the Mostortion pedal but your breadboard version kicked @ss. Definitely loved your spin on it. keep rocking and keep the nerdville stuff comin!

[@strumlord]

I’ve long been waiting for your tribute to this circuit. Please BRING IT!! I have the Roebuck and I love it but can’t wait for your offering. Your pedals are going to end up dominating my board! Already rocking your Belle and your Plexi mini and they’re just killing it!

[@greyklopstock7155]

His mostortion would KILL

[@jeremeydonovan8286]

Happy birthday can’t believe it took 50 years to make this Dream come true lol! You are amazing Brian thanks for all the help chasing tone!

[@Poparad]

I really liked the way the breadboard cleaned up with your volume pot. Full on, the two sounded very similar, but when you dialed back the volume they were pretty different, and the breadboard had a nice quality to it.

[@sroelit]

I love the fact that there are some tones I like more than others-even when the differences are so subtle that they would have absolutely no significance live. For me, I like the breadboard at low gain and the Karma at higher gains.

[@dennisdel]

Would love to see you develop your own version of the classic Mostortion! I thought your breadboard version sounded fantastic! Especially, the way it cleaned up with the guitar’s volume control.

[@underground_fuzz]

I love how the new twist on it has more gain and cleans up nicely!

[@danielguinea2971]

A friend of mine just recently started studying MOSFETs in college and seeing your last videos has helped me to imagine how they work and how can I understand my friend when he talks about them!!

[@billtice5057]

That’s a fantastic circuit. In the same way Origin Effects gives the player the ability to adjust how much of the dry signal is allowed in on the Halcyon. This would be a great feature on this circuit also. Another idea is, The Mostortion with gain pulled down acts as a lovely pre-amp to a TS style pedal in front of it.

[@jakeyoung1231]

Perfect balance of nerdy, educational, and practical! 🤌 great video dude!

[@chuckzc]

Really like the sound of your take on the circuit. Seems to have more clarity and open-ness. I have the Karma and set the eq straight up and the drive around 9 o'clock. Sounds great pushing a Paisley Drive.

[@ER-yq1lc]

Breadboard sounds great, love the way it cleans up. Does the tube like clean to mean thing really well.

[@MarshallGTV]

Sounds great! Loved the belle, it’s now my favorite OD.. next is either a Duke of tone or a Tumnus.. but if you make a mini like this it’ll jump the queue. That is certain!

[@daysleeper3910]

My only wish is that this should have been a 30 min vid so we could all nerd out a little more with ya!. ;)

[@j.hammer573]

I owned the Karma Mtn-10 but sold it once I got the Roebuck by Dan Electro. One advantage the Roebuck has is top-loaded input jacks. This is a must for small boards. Second, The Roebuck has three clipping options. The #2 setting is open & less compressed. This sounded best with my rig. The Roebuck #3 clipping option was indistinguishable from the Karma. I did like the Karma but the Roebuck gave a slightly better tone. Lastly, although it’s a different circuit, sonically speaking, the EQD Special Cranker, on the silicon setting sounds very much like the Roebuck how I use it. The only negative on the Special Cranker is no 3-band EQ. But, at $99, it’s an inexpensive back up. If you do come out with a Mostortion type pedal. I will get it. All I ask is make it top loaded. Even your mini’s have a larger footprint than your top loads, with the jacks I use. The Pantheon is narrower than the Belle, with the jacks I’m using.

[@michaelgregory2231]

I have the Karma and love it, but was equally pleased with the tones from the breadboard.

[@playAgainMe]

I like the twist gave it more of the distorted sound. Full sounding.

[@stephanematis]

I always learn something. Thanks Brian

[@jcwm01]

Love your breadboard MOSFET clipping take. Cheers!

[@Scratch_Monsters_Golf]

The Karma will never leave my board. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for the way that I play, it's head and shoulders better than any other Distortion pedal I've ever played.

[@SpencerJMusic]

Love the twist and more gain in general

[@chefmcd7788]

That sounds great. If you bring it to market I'd probably buy one.

[@discostuvw]

Please build it Brian! Sounds great!

[@legoharry100]

Maaaaaaaan that MOSFET sounds great and definitely would buy if you made one

[@TheDankCat127]

The version you made sounds like a harder clipped version of the original. Like an angry mostortion lol. I really dig both sounds.

[@mikehenderlong3945]

Love the video. Go for it!

[@skatertrev7]

This is great, Brian! More like this please (more in depth would be cool too)

[@bradconklin2878]

Good playing, dude.

[@Arby82]

Sounds like a new pedal. I'm in!

[@jimmiller2270]

Really liked the breadboard sound with high gain.

[@Mudd1429]

I'd love to see some sort of "stock" mode, where the original circuit is left intact. A lot of the time these additional features are great for tuning a pedal to your individual rig. However, there's something magical about the OG circuits on these pedals that would be nice to have as well. The OG circuits are legendary for a reason!

[@blossomvalleytubeworks1196]

I like to use pedals cranked and dial back my guitar volume to 5-7. I loved the tone of your board when you turned down the guitar. *would purchase!

[@FloridaManMatty]

Heck yeah! Your take on that circuit sounds SUBLIME! Sounds like it’s really responsive to touch and is letting the tone inherent in the guitar and amp stay glassy, but with just the right amount of stank! I really hope you’re planning to take this somewhere…

[@murfmurphy6212]

I run a Tumnus into a Roebuck right now . Having a dual pedal of this would be awesome - I loved the discrete MOSFET idea, been a big fan of this circuit for years.

[@blackdogrover]

I Love your breadboard circuit, Brian. Sounds fantastic. Please issue it! 🎶🎶🌈🌅🎶🎶🌻

[@karmaguitaramplifiers7967]

Hey Brian - Thanks for posting this; just heard about it from a Karma buyer. I like them both - but of course they are different circuits and I would expect them to sound...different. FWIW, I personally don't like the higher drive settings on the Mostortion circuit - on the Karma or the original. IMHO, that circuit excels at low-mid gain settings. I do see lots of guys cranking it though, so...to each his own. Anyway - much respect for what you do, Brian!

[@TheQShow]

Incredible! To think the most famous mosfet pedal uses them like diodes lol. Can’t wait for this to release ;)

[@LoganFillmore]

Heck yeah Brian! I've been wanting to see what's up with this cool and sought after circuit! I think it sounds great with MOSFET clipping and sounds kinda tube-ish. Could you show us what an amp circuit sounds like using the breadboard and MOSFET instead of tubes?

[@thatguyinaband6341]

the original Karma cleans up way beeter making it more versatile IMO but the distortion on the mosfet diodes had more bite, very cool video!

[@caesarsrevenge8945]

Sounds great Brian. Sounds like a good circuit to try and get the elusive open, unmudded up yet crunchy, sustaining lead tone that also cleans up well with the guitar volume. Dare I say "Transparent" ?

[@Supernautiloid]

When you casually have 5 Blues Drivers on a shelf.

[@wampler_pedals]

To be fair though I think only one or two of those are stock

[@MC-hx6nk]

@@wampler_pedals That Keeley guy gets everywhere 🤣

[@garybanke372]

Loved your spin on the TS10 with the Moxie. I bought it. I tend to gravitate toward OD and distortion pedals that produce silky smooth goodness. Not a fan of harsh and biting tones. This one is looking like a winner.

[@bmckee5430]

Wow - sounds great! "Chewy" would be the adjective. If it went to production and you're looking for a twist, a Blend knob might be interesting to hear. Or a separate treble boost circuit that could be flipped before / after the mosfet circuit.

[@paulwatson8809]

Love it! I would add a bass cut and 'de-compression' feature like on the Belle, which is truly fantastic. So great to be able to tighten the sound...stacks amazingly well. (Rat and DOD 250 w diode lift love to be goosed by the Belle.) You could call your new pedal the Mosturbator! Ok maybe not...

[@bensworld6128]

wow.. amazing.

[@jz0h4d]

Your breadboard sounds great. I have the Ibanez version, and will be glad to trade!

[@allyourbasearebelongtous2191]

Only a couple of minutes in and don't know if you touch on it but the Danelectro Roebuck is in my opinion the best Mostortion redesign. By a long way. The clipping switches they added are so great.

[@GayCrimeDuck]

Mosfet always works so great for muffs/rats/fuzzstortion-type circuits. Even 250/dist+ at higher settings, and as the hard clipper in the nobels ODR1

[@RobertSandifer]

I think it would be really rad if you made a mostortion style pedal. I’d buy it for sure.

[@Bird.Squawk]

You've done it again! One bread board please!

[@user-xh4qn1eq3w]

If you ever do something with this, a bass roll off would be a welcome addition. I do like the dark tone and would drive it with a mid-bump gain stage.

[@russiangoose7053]

I immediately liked your version more 😂 just had a bit more aggression and grit that I liked

[@wombat6]

I can't pick a winner. The differences are subtle and I don't think one is definitely better.

[@ScottyBrockway]

I like them both, I think I would try using mosfets for the clipping instead of diodes too as to me the sound is a little different and would further make the circuit more unique and still sound good. I hope this becomes a product.

[@nickclube295]

Much prefer your version Brian - sounds just brilliant. Would complement my OCD perfectly

[@mastersteve78]

I liked both, but I would buy what was on that breadboard for sure!

[@jimhazel236]

Oh oh Brian Love the bread board More feel more sweetness Tuby love Can’t wait to have it With all my awesome wampler minis I have Tks Brian love to tweaks Keep them coming I will keep buying them 🤘🏻😎🤙🏻

[@Tone-Quest]

I like the sound of the “twist”, I thought it had a little more bite and attack. 👍🏻

[@ramilrodriguez8340]

Very nice. Love your videos. I would say both sound pretty good. My taste, a little less bottom end or more hi end on the monstortion and more low end to low mid on the breadboard.

[@johnnyexponential7229]

I liked both of them, honestly. But I think the breadboard version would probably make the cut on my live board as a gain channel. It sounded like it would stack nicely and give a really good palm-mute 'shunk'. That's what I look for.

[@ekasatriabahari2264]

i have question with this guitar pedal professor i have revv g3 clone pedal using tyrian distortion pcb and it is whistling when input jack unplugged and when agression switch turned on whistling gone when i put buffer before the pedal what should i check or i missed something?

[@homeworldmusic]

Clipping diodes are the secret sauce, pedal designers "put that s..t on everything!" to borrow a popular advertising expression. I always enjoy your videos, because of the goats and cats, but also because of the "got nothing to hide, here's how it's done" honesty and knowledge. As to your request for comments, the driven MOSFET sounds totally killer, compared to the diode clipping, and I'm a huge fan of diode clipping.

[@NotBenCoultry]

Both have just enough boxiness to make 'em snarl, I wonder what it'd be like with a Q adjustment on the mids. Love to hear a humbucker through those too.

[@evanmiller2579]

Well I am hoping this is the preview to another awesome Wampler pedal. The Moxie has become a goto on my board. This would be an incredible way to end the year.

[@CorporateBoar38]

BTW you are a great player always love to hear you play would love to hear something studio with your playing !

[@wampler_pedals]

That's very kind of you! I've done a handful of youtube shorts where I'm playing quite a bit but haven't released any full length songs yet

[@jagtone]

OK, sounds good, let's see the schematic, Brian!

[@senacht]

Very interesting reimagining of the Ibanez pedal. I think I like the sound of the original (or Karma) better. It just sounds richer to my ears. But I also really really like the different character of the breadboard circuit. So once again I guess I’d end up buying both if Wampler ever releases this design. (I hate it when that happens..😮😅)

[@vikingnortheast]

mosfets have such a nice warm gain. I have a DOD gunslinger for goosing a tube pre-amp as well as when i switch to the clean channel for a crunchy or less uber gainy tone. nice saturation. Since you asked for suggestions I would like a presence control similar to the American Metal pedal. From what I remember about it it controlled several feedback loops to provide some extra gain at desired frequencies(a bit to much) into the gain stage

[@vikingnortheast]

I looked it up, Mosdistortions are running 400 and up(eep!)

[@andrewsrea]

The Mostortion is a great circuit on its own, but I prefer the tweaked version. A nice balance of crunch and creamy, with a hint of the original guitar signal blended in. Perhaps a mini pedal in the vein of the other great Wampler 'reimagined' series? I'd buy!

[@TheJayTeeGee]

I love these informative and nerdy pedal breakdowns. How do you determine what is just a fun little experiment versus what might become the next pedal you produce?

[@danevertt3210]

Functionality

[@cliftonwright7081]

I VERY rarely buy overdrives but I have a Karma on my fly rig board and the rolled back edge of breakup clean is where the money is for that pedal; it’s plucky, balanced, responsive and musical; the super solid construction was a big sell too. My main issue with most new pedal (re)designs is the idea that more everything is an improvement. Huge sluggish Bass and massive pick attack that’s disproportionate to the sustain that comes after it are super popular ways to get a knee jerk “wow that’s better”. That being said, I like your spin, I’d totally use one on a different board.

[@tkbyd]

When is the release date ?

[@wampler_pedals]

No release, this is just for you, the viewers and for fun

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

@@wampler_pedals ...whens the release date, ...that's 2 orders ...ya better get rockin' 😇 F. Nashville sounds. Their favorite ice cream is vanilla. We want the punchy balzy real FET pedal!

[@b10t3rr0r]

Yes, make Mostortion in the size of like Tumnus and then we are talking!

[@tkbyd]

It was a fun video. Makes one think though

[@BarnacleButtock]

Your version sounds better to my ear, I also own an original MOSstortion that's out of service rn if you want one to study

[@adalbertoschuckjr.1509]

Hum. I love living in Nerdland. Nerds rule the world. So, your distortion sounds excelent to me. Remaind me those Catalinbread's Mosfet distortion as Dirty Little Secret and RAH. I liked the way it responds to your volume control and the tone almost clean and full drive. Just for cost questions, throw your OpAmp away and use other input stage....:) :) :)

[@AutoStart12]

Give the people what we want, Brian! No… we NEED it!

[@Bergle]

Any fuzz, OD, or distortion: exists Brian Wampler: Yeah but what if gainier with more edge w/out losing balance. Which is why we love him. Ratsbane for life.

[@christianbriere3572]

i see in the schematics of the MT-10 that it is a Soft clipping with 2 diodes, followed by a 3 bands tone stack. I guess the Op-amp is clipping also at its output. So i guess the guitarists like the way the circuit clips and the way the EQ curve (special circuit of a 3 band EQ) acts in the the tone shaping. Interesting mods would be a different clipping like you suggests and may toggle switch of the MID frequency to give different flavors to adjust to taste. NIce circuit to play around. good luck.

[@huntingpublicnz]

So on a " tube screamer " if you change the value of resistors do you change the sound. Second question is it hard doing a distortion off a tube screamer clone peddle

[@stevemaass3074]

They sounded pretty similar to me. Maybe liked yours a bit better. Really enjoy your videos, Brian.

[@stevevanetten6085]

I had one, long ago ... what I loved was the open - blended tone. It was both aggressive and subdued. Your breadboard version seems to have more detail in the highs, which is cool, but I feel it needs to not loose touch with that warm pad of clipping underneath. That ability to fall back into a more subdued sound with a change in the pick attack. Anyway ... just my 2 cents! (Also ... love the bass cut in my Belle. Wouldn't hurt to throw one in would it?)

[@familyengineering5591]

I love those series of pedals. They had some really weird stuff

[@pauldncn1]

Brian that little twist is awesome! It has a “ flavour” all its own I loved it ! Could we hear the breadboard through the same amp but with an sg or les Paul please? Tell me when it’s out I’ll have one It was dirty but clear with enough fizz to knock her socks off ! Love this kind of video Thank you 👍👍( from the Uk)

[@pauldncn1]

Brian often wondered if a pedal filtered the incoming signal into bands eg low low mid, high mid, high then had an adjustable gain circuit for each band would that give you control over the distortion better so you could increase or decrease the gain in relation to the frequencies or would it be a lot of components for little benefit?

[@telewired]

So did you do a remake/revisioned Mostortion? Would love to hear it.

[@CrazedFandango]

More videos please Brian!

[@PintaoLoko]

Hey Brian, is there a way to control the clipping average voltage through the gate of the MOSFET? Besides being a very small signal it's possible to be controlled? Thanks. Best guitar-engineering chanel ever!

[@DanielPestanaTranslations]

Hell yeah!

[@LP-123]

The breadboard sounds thicker - more lush - and pretty freakin' articulate. As a first pass, I'd pick that circuit, personally.

[@TimSamoff]

I love how the new circuit sounds, although I think Nashville would still prefer the Mostortion - it’s a little cleaner and a little twangier up in the high gain zone.

[@Soulblighter]

I'd buy that breadboard version for sure.

[@mattgilbert7347]

The 10 series was rad! My first pedal was a Fat Cat - 1988, purchased in Brisbane, Australia.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Based on this video I would absolutely be interested in a Wampstortion :)

[@billtice5057]

Your circuit is clearly has a hotter gain, not a bad thing, just a thing…. I to have the Karma and one thing I would like to see tweaked is the circuit done well, with the ability to tame the presence and treble.

[@mamachip]

EQ targeted at the "chewy". Upper mids. That would make it perfect

[@04241982]

Whatever that breadboard design is, release it. I would buy it.

[@poisedforduty]

I have a original MT10, bought it in the 90's, the setting you have it at makes it really compressed and not as dynamic. I like your breadboard pedal a little better, it's more tubey, whereas the Karma is more gritty. When you drive mosfets they tend to fart out, but at the right setting they do become tubey, i think you should develop that breadboard pedal as i think it would be a HIT!

[@Burkhimself]

Was there ever a pedal made with Zener clipping diodes ?

[@wreckoningday]

I love that shirt Brian, where can I get one? I really like this series. It has made me start breadboarding again and remembering how much I love doing it. Thanks!

[@stevewaters3464]

Make it and I’ll buy it!

[@AlanW]

Breadboard sounds very nice. Just put it in a resin block and sell it like that!