VDL L'Overdrive

Post by **jimpajohn** » 28 Nov 2011, 23:04

Has anyone ever reversed any VDL pedals? Specifically the L'Overdrive?

I have never heard an Overdrive this smooth or a drive quite like it. My friend just bought one the other day... it came with black goop

Post by **jimpajohn** » 20 Apr 2012, 16:36

I traced the L'Overdrive the other day. http://www.vdlanalogics.com/l'overdrive/l'overdrive.htm
DRUMROLL - It's a Marshall Bluesbreaker clone. (original one) He up'd the tie-down resistor and changed a cap or two. The bass boost switch adds a capacitor to the feedback loop of the first stage opamp. I believe that he altered some diodes to a germanium type. (They're goop'd.)

Overall I would say it's a great build. The PCB is hand made and soldered with silver solder. If anyone is interested I'll post my notes and some gut shots.

Here's a video -

mictester · Post by **mictester** » 20 Apr 2012, 19:19

jimpajohn wrote:. If anyone is interested I'll post my notes and some gut shots.

Always!

alexradium · Post by **alexradium** » 20 Apr 2012, 19:24

yes sure,thank you!

Post by **jimpajohn** » 20 Apr 2012, 21:01

These are my horrible notes. The dots in the center are representative of the dual OP-Amp. I wrote down what values I could find that weren't covered in goop, and made educated guess on what were resistors and capacitors. If anyone can gather additional insight from the photos, be my guest.

Post by **jimpajohn** » 01 May 2012, 03:18

... also looks like he "utilized" RG's layout

Frabbio · Post by **Frabbio** » 03 May 2012, 14:33

Really interesting! Looks like the goop it's peelable, is it possible to read some of the values?
Have you discovered the differences between this and a bluesbreaker?
Thank you for your effort!

Post by **jimpajohn** » 03 May 2012, 15:37

Frabbio wrote:Really interesting! Looks like the goop it's peelable, is it possible to read some of the values?
Have you discovered the differences between this and a bluesbreaker?
Thank you for your effort!

I haven't attempted to peel the goop. I compared the VDL to a stock bluesbreaker though. It doesn't sound like he changed much tonality wise. The VDL def has a warmer sound. I'm thinking that he swapped the stock op-amp.

Post by **jimpajohn** » 25 May 2012, 16:17

More updates: The diodes are stock 1N914. (not germanium as previously thought)
The extra capacitor for the "bass boost" is a 10nF box cap added in the feedback loop of the first stage of the op amp.

I recently bread boarded a bluesbreaker and A/B'd it with the VDL. At the time they didn't sound the same. I realized that I had the gain pot wired up incorrectly. After I corrected it; I discovered something... no shock

They sound EXACTLY the same. No difference what so ever.

Verdict - CLONE

Seiche · Post by **Seiche** » 26 May 2012, 22:48

layouts don't look the same.

Post by **jimpajohn** » 27 May 2012, 02:46

They're aren't the same. Rather, obviously modified to remove the support for the original switching and add support for the bass boost.

Post by **modman** » 16 Jun 2016, 19:10

Great thread, somebody got promoted to degoop doctor

Wiseblood · Post by **Wiseblood** » 17 Jun 2016, 09:24

Funny that in the video he says this pedal is the result of a 100% original project. Guess he meant original to Marshall

VDL L'Overdrive [traced]