Overdrive Preamp
Big Box DOD 250 V1 recreation with dual clipping modes, based on the 75th unit ever manufactured.
JHS discovered an exceptionally rare DOD 250 in 2019—unit number 75, built before the iconic gray box era with hand-etched circuits and components salvaged from vintage radios dating to 1972. Josh Scott reverse-engineered this Big Box V1 to create the Overdrive Preamp, capturing a sound that predates the production 250.
The circuit delivers grittier overdrive with enhanced gain and pronounced low-mid frequencies compared to later variants. Level controls overall output, with JHS correcting vintage wiring issues to provide significantly more volume than the original #75 unit. Gain pushes the op-amp into clipping for increasing saturation. A slider switch toggles between two distinct clipping arrangements discovered across early DOD units. At $179, it gives DOD historians and vintage overdrive seekers access to 1970s electronics character.
Reverb
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