OpenTube

Breadboarding a DIY Tube Overdrive Guitar Pedal and Other Things!

Kris Slyka

11,258 views

In this video I'm showing off some of my PCBs for helping with guitar pedal prototyping and show how you can build a simple tube overdrive on a breadboard!

Also I'm filming with a new camera, so everything is a little weird. Sorry.

The schematic shown in the video has a mistake, you can find the more extensive and corrected version here: https://github.com/NuclearLighthouseS...

All the files for the Baguette tube adapter are here: https://github.com/NuclearLighthouseS...
And the Switchboard files are here: https://github.com/NuclearLighthouseS...

12 Comments

@satanicinduction 2 months ago

My main issue with breadboarding tubes is squealing. The cobweb of wires makes high gain circuits a nightmare. These low voltage circuits work but Everything I've ever put on a breadboard that i would call a "real" amp (voltages and gain figures like a nornal amp would have) has had insurmountable feedback and oscillation problems.

@ncuzdvarga4918 2 years ago

How to add eq. Or tonestack? Thank's

@miguelrichartmellado2834 2 years ago

Me gustaria saber por qué no has incluido los subtitulos.

@NeonFuzz 5 years ago

That sounds ridiculously good! Was it really just the raw recording from guitar->circuit->soundcard? Any processing or amp simulation?

@Bleats_Sinodai 4 years ago

I've been breadboarding with tubes since 2007, including high voltage. Just keep at least a row of clearance between connections on the breadboard and never fiddle with the connections while powered.

@professionalhater2809 3 years ago

Is it possible to use a nixie tube? And make the segments light up?

@danielmcfarlan1035 4 years ago

Can i make something like this with a vacuum tube salvaged from an old radio?

@upside-down6211 5 years ago

Can i use 6j1 valve ?

@janoshtrenhem3573 5 years ago

Hey Kris, awesome stuff !! In your schematic for the pedal there is Power Filtering shown, is the power filtering already included in the switchboard layout?

@radzloko 5 years ago

Its possible to add one copy of that circuit after that circuit so you have mor gain even with only 9v?

@jbolt247 6 years ago

Hey Kris, great video. I found this after searching for a diy 12au7 preamp.

The issues I have with the existing micro class ab amps like the orange micro dark or micro terror is the high mid, unpleasant sizzle, and little to no eq adjustments. I ended up adding an eq and reverb pedal to my micro dark and ran it into a 112 cabinet and was blown away by the sounds I was able to get. Unfortunately the best thing about the micro dark was now gone. The portability and easy setup.

So I ended up disassembling the pedals and amp and built my own box to put all of the separate components in. It works great. Now I would like to try to build one from scratch but I am software developer and my circuit knowledge is very limited. Have you ever considered adding a solid state amp section to this and possibly an eq section or reverb? Also, can you add a link to the tube breadboard adapter and schematics?

Thanks
Jamie