This one caught me off guard. @dan.schumaker had mentioned to me before he was working on a DS-2 but it wasn't quite right. Then he emailed me and said I had one headed my way to test. I was ecstatic to say the least! It came in the mail and that day I built it up and tested it. I've been waiting for this day for a LONG time 😂
If you've seen or built one of Dan's boards you know he's a mad scientist. He can make any size circuit fit into any enclosure. This is a Big circuit with some pretty complex switching involving lots of fets for the two modes. Dan used CMOS switching via a SPDT and the results are flawless. The fact that he got all this into a 125b with onboard relay bypass is pretty remarkable. I'm used to 1/8watt resistors so the build itself was a breeze.
So how does it sound? I put it side by side to my production DS-2 and it sounds the same. Only difference is, I used a logarithmic pot for distortion instead of the D taper the stock uses. Close enough for rock n roll. Other than that I used all common parts and smd j201s for the jfets.
For the enclosure I used a matte orange tayda box and UV print. This pedal will always be synonymous with Kurt Cobain and my love of In Utero. As a tribute to the man who imo is one of the greatest stage destroyers I went with Hobie Brown aka spider punk who embodies the sound and spirit of this build. What a fantastic build and sound it makes. The video clip is from my testing rig before I boxed it, as I just got back from vacation and the day before I left my hot water heater died and leaked, so my music room is filled with stuff from the storage side still and no filming right now.
(https://i.imgur.com/zmKJzpU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x5PJhDj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OufOuhP.jpeg)
Quote from: Bio77 on August 11, 2023, 03:48:36 PM
This is one is my fave of your DS-1 flavored series. Killer 8)
Did you ever build a Silver-Screw?
I actually have the board for an aion with the original inline preamp opamp. Ironically, it sounds like any other DS-1. Maybe one day I'll rehouse it.
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on August 11, 2023, 04:21:18 PM
Quote from: Bio77 on August 11, 2023, 03:48:36 PM
This is one is my fave of your DS-1 flavored series. Killer 8)
Did you ever build a Silver-Screw?
I actually have the board for an aion with the original inline preamp opamp. Ironically, it sounds like any other DS-1. Maybe one day I'll rehouse it.
Yeah, that's the one with the TA7136AP. I like it best, seems more open to my ears. But I'd admit, I could be listening with my eyes ;D
Quote from: Bio77 on August 11, 2023, 04:38:20 PM
Quote from: Thewintersoldier on August 11, 2023, 04:21:18 PM
Quote from: Bio77 on August 11, 2023, 03:48:36 PM
This is one is my fave of your DS-1 flavored series. Killer 8)
Did you ever build a Silver-Screw?
I actually have the board for an aion with the original inline preamp opamp. Ironically, it sounds like any other DS-1. Maybe one day I'll rehouse it.
Yeah, that's the one with the TA7136AP. I like it best, seems more open to my ears. But I'd admit, I could be listening with my eyes ;D
The noise floor is a little higher with the chip and yeah, I can get a slightly different vibe from that pedal if I listen with my eyes and wallet lol. But, once you layer guitars or add other instruments all that is lost, atleast imo