Houston, TX, United States
About this listing
Hi,You are checking out a 1982 Maxon D&S II Distortion Sustainer pedal in excellent condition for it's age. It has had some of it's capacitors replaced with audiophile grade caps and a chip socket installed with a JRC4558D chip. The same chips used in the famous 808 Tube screamer. With the socket, the chip can be easily swapped out for experimenting with other op-amps if you wish. The only issues with the pedal are the bottom label is starting to come off and needs to be glued back down and one of the screws for the bottom cover doesn't grab too well. I put CA glue in the hole and now the screw grabs enough to not be loose when tightened. Otherwise, it has been cleaned, tested and is good to go! No scratchy pots. Below is more detailed info and I've included a good youtube video so you can hear what it is supposed to sound like.Originally released in 1974, the D&S II Distortion & Sustainer II is a precursor to the amp-overdrive simulators of later years. With its mild drive, relaxed sustain and high output, the D&S II sits the fence between an overdrive and a distortion. This unique "split personality" makes the D&S II perfect for players that seek a natural-feeling drive sound but with more drive and output than an OD generally provides.The D&S II accomplishes this task with some unique circuit refinements not typically found in distortions. Like a standard distortion, the D&S II features a diode-clipping stage after the amplifier section of the circuit. However, rather than using the silicon diodes commonly found in today's circuits, the D&S II uses germanium diodes in this clipping stage. The threshold voltage for clipping is 0.1 - 0.2V with germanium and 0.7 - 0.8V with silicon, so the germanium can distort even low level tones, thus making a smoother distortion. In addition, the germanium's rectifier characteristic is inferior to silicon (voltage drop with negative current is not as sharp as that of silicon) - this shortcoming ironically works favorably for the D&S II, creating a somewhat rounded waveform of the clipped signal that contributes to the unit's warm, natural distortion. Due to their "inferior" characteristics, germanium diodes are now a very rare component and have generally been replaced with silicon diodes in other manufacturer's circuits. Ironically, it is these shortcomings that give the D&S II its signature sound.Also unique to the D&S II is its tone control. While most other overdrives and distortions feature hi boost/hi cut tone circuits. From subtle crunch to intense saturation, the D&S II provides a wide range of useful tube-like tones. If you love the OD808's bark but could use a little more bite, the D&S II is the pedal for you.
Original Price$375
$64 price drop
New Price$311
+ $40 Shipping
