SYOD Research Review Repository

[ptbarnum]

Ok, I'm having a really hard time picking a favorite..I stacked both into my model h (which is voiced pretty dark), and v2 produces such a lovely wealth of overtones! Much more complex than when I tried this with the v1..which also sounded great, but didn't produce the same afterbloom of feedback as v2.
Anyone else find this to be the case?

[SteveA]

Yep. The v2 is an incredible stacker. It'll stack to almost anything. Used it with all versions of the MH and it works pretty well to smooth out the MH and produce a more balanced Distortion.

[ptbarnum]

More research notes?
Now that some time has passed, has your preference changed?
How are you using the pedals (settings)?


I wound up picking the v2. It's extremely hard to say why, but as I told Bsic, it just felt better to play. When listening, V1 always intrigued my ears more..that zingy zip!
But, when I was just letting loose having fun, I found my playing responded better to v2. Go figure..such a tough call!

Now that I've decided, v2 sits after a Menatone JAC compressor, second on my board..as I like pushing other drives with the SYOD.

Look for a demo soon in the clips section!

Donner, a friend saw them on my board, and said they looked like what she imagined to be inside the mysterious suitcase in "Pulp Fiction," I thought that was great and accurate

[Donner]

HAHAHAH ! Pulp Distortion

[hawaii121]

They both are great pedals, but I have ended up sticking with the V1 which does VERY well running into the SBEQ (again, thanks Cliff). The SBEQ seems to help tame the V1. I agree that both stack incredibly well with others. I really like both into the DRD.

In the end, I felt I was getting the "feedback bloom" out of both pedals, but stuck with the V1 because it voiced in way that really makes it add something different to my set up. V2 is killer, but the warm bluesy od is a little too close to some of my other favorites. If I had not kept the LGW, I would probably not let either pedal go!

[cajone5]

You are very welcome

As for some more developed impressions... I still stand strong that the SYODv1 sounds awesome with gain maxed as a distortion. It stacks really well and really cuts and has a crisp sizzling sound to it...

But the v2 is a pedal that I'm beginning to get a better understanding of. I haven't been able to give up on it just yet. I played today with the SYODv2, Lovepedal Eternity Burst, and MP SHOD together to try to check out how it handled some other differnt sounding low gainers and this thing just kills it in the mellow blues drive category. Neither of the other two drives could hold a candle to the SYODv2 for the smooth, mellow blues tones. I actually think it sounds fantastic best the drive up around 2-3 oclock, treble at 2 oclock and volume to taste and the guitar volume rolled back a bit for that clean with a little grind kind of tone. Very nice. I think my initial not so thrilling review of it was because I placed it next to the v1 and tried to use it more as a distortion than an OD, trying to match the v1 in its best application. When trying to do that the v2 sounds a bit muffled due to the EQ of the two pedals and I think that's what made me shy away from it. However, just playing it by itself next to other low gain drives has made me realize this thing truly does rock - just in a different way. So I'll be hanging on to both for a while.

Any other new revelations from the other experimenters out there?

[melodichaotic]

Hey Cliff--I was going to post a very similar scenario regarding your quote here:

"I think my initial not so thrilling review of it was because I placed it next to the v1 and tried to use it more as a distortion than an OD, trying to match the v1 in its best application. When trying to do that the v1 sounds a bit muffled due to the EQ of the two pedals..."

When you have the two side by side, and because they share the same name, there's the underlying potential "automated" psychological application of strictly trying to compare the two, since they are very similar, but very different at the same time.
Also, giving your brain and ears the upper frequency lift from a pedal like V1 will make most any other overdrive sound duller, unless you try to match it's upper mid/treble blast, and by that point, you've already fatigued your ears, and your perception is skewed.

After going back and forth together and separately on the two, I still really dig V1 because of the extra gain and attitude that cranks in the distortion vein, but it still is too bright sounding, and thus limits the potential range on the treble pot.

V2 I've had for over a year(and I haven't sold it), so that should say something--it's smoother and more overall user friendly on it's own--kind of like an "American sounding Keef pedal" that makes you want to bump and grind chunky rhythms that can extend into lucid and slinky single note lines, whereas V1 gets you hopping and cooking for more aggressive and quicker lines, and faster/harder right-hand(or left-hand for "strings" and "bsic" ) wrangling.

At this point I think either path would be an interesting and intriguing one, as in a merge of the two, or two separate "fraternal" Sparkling(colors optional) overdrives.

[cajone5]

To clarify my quote above (I edited my own response) the v2 sounds a bit muddy/muffled next to the v1 due to the extreme bite the v1 has.

To add some more. I have to say that depending on my mood each of these pedals really seems to fit what I want. When I want a loud in your face distorted biting lead tone the v1 is there. When I want a smoother bluesier sound, the v2 has it covered. I have to say that these two pedals by far out shine all other BJFe pedals I've tried. I don't know what it is about them but I can't get over how much ground they can cover. As you can see from my recent gear purging, these two have booted almost everything else. Since getting these two sparkling yellow wonders I have sold my CAF, EGDM, SBEQ, DRD, MH and SHOD. They just fit my guitar and amp so well. Maybe it's the single coil thing? Who knows. As far as I've read most of the others were designed with humbuckers and/or P90's in mind. I can't say they were designed for single coils for sure but these two surely work well with them. I have had a lot of interest in these two but can't seem to let myself part with them. It's difficult not to considering their cash value but I have to say that they are truly helping me shape my sound and are seemingly ending most of my drive pedal GAS.

Thank god. And thank you

[mikepick]

As I stated before I tend to use the v2 most of the time this is because I normally play single coils and use moderate gain which the v2 seem to excel at. When I use my guitars with humbuckers or P90's the v1 seems to work much better. I imagine if my amps were voice darker I would probably be playing through the v1 much more.

The only draw back to the v1 is that it is voiced to bright and I have found that it gets a little to bright after the 10 o'clock position although in my opinion it surpasses the v2 at stacking due to its open nature and bright EQ. I still say a v1.5 would be perfect with a EQ right in the middle of these two incredible pedals, but if that never happens I am pretty satisfied have the option of switching back and forth between the two for different playing styles.

The v2 definitely has an sweetness to the overdrive that is so pleasing to my ears and on the other hand the v1 has the sizzling overdrive/distortion that I sometimes desire.

I am glad that I chose to get both pedals as I was only going to get the v2 at first. I would have definitely had remorse had I not picked up both.

The v1 seems to have as much gain on tap as my MP LGW just voice a lot brighter.

My favorite stacking option is still the v1 pushing the MP LGW.

I truly love both of these pedals and they are my favorite BJFE pedals to date.

I thank both Donner and Bjorn for allowing me to be a part of this experiment.

I still lust after a BBOD and BJFE LGW, but the bar has been set pretty high with SYOD twins. My thoughts are that these pedals will definitely make it into the MP line as they are that good.

[melodichaotic]

Hey Mike--I hear you and agree on the two--I did a few audio demos, but I'm not happy about the quality, and I'll re-do them and post next week.

Having won V2 last year and still digging it, it's great to have the new twins to compare, and am VERY glad and pleasantly surprised how much I love the vibe and attitude of V1, even with it's limited tonal range--it's that good where once you dial in the zone it sounds KILLER

The interesting thing I also found, is that my "older" V2, which has the super cool darker yellow "LP Gold-Top look", is voiced kind of like the color--a bit fuller sounding, though with the same EQ profile, and not darker, but a bit mellowed in the high end.

Same gain range as the current V2, but this one I'm "borrowing"(will get this to you right after I re-do the demo "High Noon" ), sounds closer to V1 in that there is more treble content throughout the range of the treble pot, whereas my V2 I think has a wider scope of tonal voicings.

I found at lower gain settings(as you will here in the demo I do), the "matched pair" can sound quite similar at times, but once you get past noon on the gain, V1's fangs start coming out and makes itself known--conversely, my V2 has more of a distinct sound from V1...

THIS is the combo 1.5 voicing I'd like to hear/see--the extended tonal range of the older V2, with a little bit of "lift" in the EQ from V1 and the same gain as V1--THAT would be a nice combo where you could go from true overdrive to distortion, but still with that gritty-ness to the texture.

..course, if there was a two stomp version with a boost to the front end of the circuit and a gain pot for the range on top, you could get both on the fly ...could call it the "Super Sparkling Yellow Overdrive" ...that'd be nice