DOD OD-250 Mods by aNaLoG.MaN
Analog Man worked closely with guitarist Michael A. Spitzer on this mod. Michael worked with and managed guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen so he knows a lot about his gear and his tone. Much of the info below was written by Michael in emails to me, I edited them for this information page.
The YJM308 from DOD, like the 250 Reissue is a great Overdrive Pedal, but many people still prefer or wish they could get their hands on an old GRAY DOD 250. Most desire these over the original 2nd version yellows, re-issues and the newest YJM308 Yngwie version. The one on the left has our True bypass mod and LED.
Why is it called the 308 and not 250? Well the number "250" was already attributed to the older pedal... AND.. for awhile DOD was toying with the idea of releasing an authentic REISSUE (like our mod is now) when they saw the prices on EBAY and the obsession over the grey versions, but never did release the "Classic Grey 250 Reissue" as it was to be called. So regarding Yngwie's pedal, he is a FERRARI fan and owns 2-3 of them. His favorite model was the Ferrari 308. His studio in Miami is called "Baroque and Roll Studio 308" So now you can figure how the pedal got it's name.
The yellow OD-250 reissue is also available new cheaply, made in China. They are almost the same as the YJM308, but have more low end like the original. They use the same circuit board as the 308, just a few different component values. The 308 is clearer and brighter than the new Yellow 250. The new yellow one can get a little flabby on the low end. Some of the old yellow OD250s were almost identical to the grey ones. The reissue 250, like the 308, needs some mods to get there.
On EBAY the GRAY pedals go for as much as $300 or more now.
Of course the grey version is the one most often associated with
Yngwie prior to the release of the 308.
Together we had a goal to both make a modern "Clone"
and a "Mojo" exact clone of the GRAY pedal using the
newest YJM308 as the basis.
While the YJM308 was an excellent pedal, it used some modern
opamps components and subsequent EQ tweaking to match the tone of
the older 250 pedals as closely as possible while trying to
reduce noise. While the YJM308 is
excellent, it does not EXACTLY match the tone of the older grey
pedals 100%. The consensus seems to be the 308 has much less low end,
slightly more treble, is a bit thinner and "feels"
different response-wise. Also the GAIN knobs on the new
reissue 250 and 308 have a REVERSE LOG taper, as specified
in the original schematic, while my old
one seems to have a linear taper. So the new ones have to be
turned up to about 3:00 to get the same drive as the old
one at 12:00. The 308 sounds great, but is indeed slightly
different.
With these mods, components are physically removed and
substituted to IDENTICALLY match the original specs of the grey
DOD 250 pedals. No emulating here... the pedal is converted into
a copy of a grey DOD just like we turn a TS9 into a clone of an
old TS808.
We used the original DOD factory schematics from the 1970s and
three (3) grey DOD pedals for reference.
Some of the modifications include:
Changing the stock 0.001uf input cap to 0.01uf improves low end
and exactly matches original gray circuit design. Stock YJM308
has some low end roll off.
A 4558 chip is used on the 308 and reissue 250,
instead of the original 741 chip. The 4558
is a dual op amp, only half of it is used. It's a slightly newer
chip than the 741, which was about the first op amp generally
available, invented in 1968. The RC4558 chip was invented in 1974.
A 1458 chip is basically a dual 741, and has the
same pin connections as the 4558. The 741 uses different pin
connections.
A 25pf capaciter was added to the YJM308 and new yellow 250
circuits as an
apparent "tweak" by DOD engineers to try and smooth the
high end edginess of the 4558 chips to adjust them to sound like
the older 741 circuits. The 4558 being an "improved low
noise dual replacement for the old 741" has more hi-frequency
response to be toned down. This small 25pf cap tweak is not
needed with the change to a 1458 or 741 opamp, nor was it a part
of the original grey circuit.
A true purist will desire to clone the old Gray 250 by putting a
single 741 opamp in this circuit and re-routing the pins in the
existing dual opamp pin layout so it will work. That is our MOJO
mod. In theory, this is not needed if the Dual 1458 Opamp from
Texas Instruments is used since the MC1458 has identical specs as
both the original LM741CN and UA741CP. This is handy for use in
this mod since the Dual 1458 and Dual 4558 share the same common
8 pin layout and make for an easy direct swap.
M.S. compared this "Gray Mod" 308 to two (2) original Gray
250s he has............... absolutely NO DIFFERENCE could be heard.
Analog Mike actually thought the mod possibly sounded a little
better than his original grey pedal. This could be due to the
variations found in those older hand-wired pedals.
Everything is the same... the better "tubey" feel
and tone as compared to the slight transistory tone of the newer
pedals.
The perfect tone match to the much-sought-after "magical"
Gray makes sense. After these mods, you actually have a 99.99%
authentic "new" GRAY DOD 250 with the identical cap and
resistor values used in the old circuit, along with the "Dual
741" (1458) opamp with identical specs to the old 741 used
in the originals. Or go for the "MOJO" mod and be 100%
authentic with the 741 if you desire.
Keep your YJM308 or new Yellow 250, it's great.... but if you have
also wanted an old grey pedal in your arsenal but found the current
$300+ EBAY prices a bit stiff, this mod now gives you that ability to own
your own clone for less.
TESTING RESULTS
Michael A. Spitzer wrote me:
After extensive sound testing in the studio today with both your mods, here is our verdict...
741-"mojo" MOD
The most accurate at matching original gray (no surprise there).
Tubey and round sounding highs with that low, slightly loose
growling low end. Same noise levels as the original. Best YJM308
mod for authentic duplication of original grey
1458 "Reissue" MOD
Closer to original grey pedals than DOD's own re-issue series,
but there are some noticeable tone differences.... There is a
higher noise level. I test background noise by setting the studio
noise gates to just barely cut sound when guitar volume is rolled
to zero. When the gates are set to just go quiet with the 741
pedals, there is still a rush of HISS that comes out of the
system with the 1458 pedals. I think this extra hiss may be from
slightly higher gain as the pedal sounds a little TIGHTER but
THINNER when set to the same positions as the 741 pedals.
It would seem the 1458 is the closest 741 dual amp equivalent out
there but despite the specs, is NOT 100% identical in an Overdrive
Pedal circuit.
FINAL VERDICT:
The 741 MOJO mod would be perfect for anybody wanting to clone the
original grey pedals EXACTLY at a fraction of the cost of an
original on EBAY. It has that round tubey sweetness and low end
"slightly loose" growl of the originals when maxxed out
into a Marshall non-master volume head.
The 1458 mod would be for the true "shredder" who wants
a slightly higher gain and TIGHTER version of the DOD250 for
super fast scales and palm muted low note sequences. The low end
notes in fast scales are tighter with this pedal and higher notes
have a more "machine-gun"-like seperation. (slightly
higher gain probably being the reason). Some of the sweetness and
tubey feeling are lost as compared to the 741 pedals, but it is a
tighter pedal.
Of course these are nitpicky comparisons, the pedals are VERY
similiar and capture the basic essence of the old 250s....... but
there is some notable differences as indicated.
These pedals are not true bypass, but due to the simple design they really don't suck much tone when OFF. There is no resistance on the input when OFF, and just a tiny bit of capacitance. The capacitance is similar to the capacitance in a quality 15 foot guitar cable- not much. But if you want, we can do a true bypass mod along with the grey DOD250 mods by installing a 3PDT True bypass switch. When we do the true bypass mod, then we can add an LED as an option. We can also change the 1/8" MXR style power jack to a Boss barrel style, (an option on the mod form) and you can order a 9vDC power supply on the mod form too.
Note that the pedal may make one of your pickups squeal or feedback after the mod is done, if you turn both pedals knobs up all the way. However nobody has yet mentioned this to us as you will not need to turn them up that high. Always be careful with loud amps and guitars.
The normal 1458 mod will be $40, while the MOJO mod with the 741 chip will be $50. Add $25 for true bypass. These prices are the same for the 308 or new yellow 250 pedals.
Here is Michael A. Spitzer using the modified pedal
on both rhythm and lead guitars, a three-section sample
from his new CD he is working on. He is playing a Strat
and an early 70s Marshall 50 watt head. The sample
is under 1MB, about a minute long :
OB.mp3
or an older version at
dodmod.mp3
Here is Michael's website for more info.
You can also hear our DOD mod pedal on the album
The end is begun by one of my favorite bands, Three .
Billy Riker used the pedal on much of the album.
Monster Magnet is back in the studio in late 2009 and was looking for some cool pedals to try. We sent them a mojo modified DOD pedal and Phil tried it on bass guitar. They loved it, more than all the other "bass" pedals they had, and used it on a lot of songs.
We can also do a vintage MXR distortion+ mod on these, with germanium diodes, etc like the original script logo MXR distortion+. Mod is $10 more than the Mojo mod. The MXR used germanium diodes. These give less volume, but a warmer, smoother tone.
We can mount a small 3-position toggle switch on the DOD pedals. It will change from silicon (DOD) to germanium (MXR Distortion+), with the middle position NO CLIPPING. The middle position is sort of like an MXR Micro amp, but can still get nice crunchy distortion with the GAIN knob- it is louder and more open sounding. Germanium is smoother and darker but has less volume. No need to get the MXR option with this option, as it gives you the MXR sound. Add Silicon/None/Germanium clipping toggle is $35 along with our standard or mojo DOD mod. Us the "Other charges" area on the mod form for the toggle if sending in your pedal. It's an option when ordering a new pedal.
We have never liked the new DOD knobs, as they are too big
and don't look right. We finally found some original style
knobs and can use these on the mods too, for $5 more.
Just put a note on the mod form if you want these knobs and
add in the $5, or choose the option when buying a new pedal.
At the bottom is the normal new reissue DOD pedal. On the top right is an old 1980 DOD pedal with the original, smaller knobs. At the top left is a new pedal with the small knobs that we added.
Josh Klinghoffer got a modded DOD 250 in 2012 for the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour. It went straight on the board and has stayed there since. He uses it with Level on 10, Gain on 0 for a cool dirty clean boost.
Have fun and
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