Return of the MX-RAWR! Distortion+ with Options!

A few weeks ago I posted a custom MXR Distortion+ build I worked up for a friend using the tried and true AionFX Aphelion board. Well, the response I got to the design was frankly overwhelming and unprecedented. So I've decided to make up a few more for the shop. If they sell, I'll make more. They're not terribly hard, but I really want to keep using good vintage diodes where possible. So that may limit the pedal's lifespan, but maybe not. We'll see.

As you can see from the gut shot above, I'm using all modern components apart from the germanium diodes, which are vintage. All of the resistors are metal film, and I've included blue "metal film" jumpers in the alternate silicon clipping loop in series with the 1N914 diodes. Overall I think it gives the inside a very clean appearance while retaining the amazing tone of the original

Everything else follows my standard practice for building pedals. I'm using ribbon connectors between the main PCB and the 3PDT daughter PCB. The rest of the connections to the jacks are using aviation grade wiring, and the jack connections are all insulated with heat shrink tubing. As with nearly all AionFX pedals, this one uses a star ground at the input jack.

I really loved the original enclosure, but wanted to make the name a little less obvious - so I went with "Distortion +3" since there are three clipping modes on the pedal. Yeah, it's still probably a little close to the original, but I can always adjust the name on the next batch of enclosures - if there ever is a next batch of enclosures. 

As with the previous build, the pedal sounds absolutely great, and is a worthy addition to the pedal board. The three clipping options really give you a wide array of tones, with the LED mode almost being a boost before it moves into distortion territory. So it remains a real Swiss Army Knife pedal!