"Onboard
Passive Underdrive Distortion Mod"
Traditionally, to distort
an audio signal, a powered device is used to boost, or
"overdrive" the original signal. The GuitarHeads Underdrive does the
opposite. It is a Passive Unit (no external power or batteries needed), that
when in used in place of your standard Capacitor on your Tone Control Pot, the
audio signal is "Clipped" to produce a gritty distorted tone. This is
the method that was used to create some of the first "Fuzz"
distortions, and is still being used today as a popular modification to many
designs (including the Ibanez Tube Screamer).
If you have any
questions, feel free to contact us.
This Mod was designed for
guitars that are equipped with higher output pickups (the more output your
pickups try to squeeze through the unit, the more effect it will have). It will
still work with all different pickups, just not to the same degree. So we
recommend using pickups with at least 10k Ohms of DC Resistance. It is also
recommended that you use this Mod with Audio Tapered Control Pots, as they have
a more gradual roll-off, and will allow you to more finely dial in the desired
amount of effect mixed with your standard signal.
Your Amp Rig will also
factor into the effect range. On an average Amp's Clean Channel, you can dial
back your tone control to give you a Gritty Vintage Blues Drive, however since
the amp is not creating any additional gain on this channel, you may notice a
slight volume difference. On your Amp's Drive Channel, the effect of the Mod has
less effect on your volume levels, but adds a nice layered distortion that will
thicken up your sound, increase clarity & sustain, and add more
"chug" to rhythm playing.
Click below for Video Demo:
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