Green Light

A Tube Screamer for those who don't like Tube Screamers

 

   

 

The Green Light overdrive rack effect module compares to the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder.  It also compares to Ibanez Tube Screamer variants (see Virago).  Compared to a Tube Screamer, the Green Light has less compression and less mid boost.

 

Description

The Green Light compares to the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder, which itself is a close relative to the Ibanez Tube Screamer.  The controls are simple and familiar to Tube Screamer users.  Probably 99% of all guitar players that use pedals have tried a Tube Screamer at some point.  It is one of the most popular pedals of all time, used by countless artists on countless recordings.  The mid-hump drive it provides is a staple tone that works for many.  But not everyone loves it, and it can be a bit common at times.  There are now other circuits that are definitely similar to, but different from, a Tube Screamer.  The Green Light is one of them.  It captures the spirit of a Tube Screamer, but with a bit different voicing.  So how does it compare?

The Green Light can go from boost to crunchy, full-on Stevie Ray hot, overdriven blues rock.  It is great for blues, country, and classic rock.  It isn't really going to get you into metal or high-gain distortion, though.  Clipping is changed from the normal silicon diodes to green LEDs.  This results in less compression and a slightly lower level of distortion at max.  You can clean up the sound a bit by rolling back the guitar volume.

The Body (Tone) control gives you control over the mids and treble.  You can get a familiar mid hump in the middle, some treble boost at one end, and more low mids at the other.  Also, the thin bass of a Tube Screamer is fattened up.  Overall, with less compression and flatter tone frequency response, the Green Light will sound more transparent and provide less tone coloration.

Because the Green Light provides less coloration, good dynamics, and ranges from cleanish to crunch, it is good for stacking with other effects and amps.

Overall, you can use the Green Light where you would use a Tube Screamer, but without the Tube Screamer compression and mid hump.  But you can also use it as a boost or to stack and smooth out something else, giving it a bit more versatility.  The tone is also different enough to get you out of the common Tube Screamer territory.

 

Configurations

  • Green Light - Compares to the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder and to some extent numerous other Tube Screamer variants

 

Options

  • Custom Op Amp - We'll use a TLC272CP op amp, like the original pedal.  You can choose a different 4558 pin-compatible op amp.
  • Custom Clipping - The green LED clipping diodes are a big part of the sound for this circuit, so we don't recommend changing them if you want this sound.  However, if you're just moving away from stock Tube Screamer clipping, you can definitely change it up. 
  • Extra Clipping Options - As with many of our modules, we can put a couple of clipping options on a switch to give you more variety on tones.  For this module, green LEDs are a good choice, perhaps along with some silicon diodes to get you closer to Tube Screamer drive levels.  Red LEDs are also an interesting option, somewhere between the green LED and silicon diode options.  Or perhaps some FET transistors used as clipping diodes...
  • More Gain - We can change out the Drive pot for a larger one.  This will give you more gain at the max settings.  All the original range is still there, too.
  • Voltage - We normally build this for 9V internal operation.  If you want more headroom and a slightly cleaner sound, you can choose 12V, 15V, or 18V instead.
  • Components - We use metal film resistors and a selection of capacitors that provide good tone and low noise. 

 

Front Panel

  • On/Off indicator LED
  • Volume
  • Drive
  • Body

 

Rear Panel

  • Audio In
  • Audio Out
  • On/Off Footswitch
  • On/Off Override
  • DC Power
  • DC Power LED

 

Module Width

  • 1.5"
  • 2" left wing available
  • 1.5" right wing available

 

Power Consumption (aprox)

9mA

 

Base Configurations

Part # Description List Price
MOD-GLIGHT Green Light module $220

 

Options

Part # Description List Price
MOPT-GLIGHT-OPAMP Custom Op Amp $0 - TBD
MOPT-GLIGHT-CLIP Custom Clipping Diodes $0 - TBD
MOPT-GLIGHT-SWCLIP Switched Clipping Diodes $19 - TBD
MOPT-GLIGHT-MGAIN More Gain Option $0
MOPT-GLIGHT-VOLTS Change from 9V to 12V, 15V, or 18V operation $0
MOPT-GLIGHT-CC Component Changes $0 - TBD