Build Your Own Clone 250+

One knob for volume and another for gain, so not hard to operate. My first BYOC build and found it fairly easy to build, this is their easiest to build apparently.

I build this to Distortion+ specs and I can get some really nice tones out of it. Sounds vary from great crunch to some fuzzy tones. It's also true-bypass which is always a plus. All in all I'm happy with the sounds of the pedal.

As you build it yourself you only really have yourself to blame if it breaks. The PCB and components are all high quality.

I've browsed the BYOC forums and they have great help there if you get stuck, although I didn't need the help!

This was my first BYOC pedal and I am very impressed by it. Its great for giving a crunchy distortion to my music. It were to be stolen I'd probably build another one. It's also much cheaper than the MXR Dist+ which makes it great vaule for money. I am impressed by this so that I've ordered another BYOC pedal!

one volume knob; one gain knob; super easy to use and get a great sound...

looking for a more "gainy" boost pedal i started using my mxr script logo distortion+ which sounded pretty good. i switched to the 'build your own clone' 250+ and was blown away. all the good things from the original but the byoc is warmer & fatter...

this pedal looks to be very well built... (i didn't build it!)

keith is a great guy and very helpful...

b.y.o.c. makes great pedals, i highly recommend them...

This was my first pedal build....it was quite simple to do with the provided instructions. I build to the DOD od-250 specs, except i used 5mm led for the clipping section. 2 knobs....volume and gain....

I am using a homemade strat copy into on old(1965-ish) no name tube amp into a mesaboogie 1x12 widebody cab. This pedal does sound very good. I set the amp so it crunches just a bit, and i use the pedal to push it over the edge. With the led it really sounds fat, and has a LOT of volume on tap. It is a low gain pedal, so dont expect to shred a lot with it. I used to have a dod od-250 and i think this sounds a bit better.

it depends on how well you build it, right??? i would gig with no backup.

great message board....never had to use it, though.

This is a great pedal for clean boost, mild fat drive, leads....all sorts of things. its not my main pedal, but it is a go to pedal for lots of situations.

This section speaks to the ease of assembly.

BYOC makes building pedals simple. The directions are step-by-step. The PCB has layout markings for each component. The wiring diagram is the exact layout of the pedal's interior. Would have been a bit easier to complete if there was an LED holder included and if the included wire wasn't all one color, but these guys deserve a 10 for how painless they make this project!

The quality is what you make it. They offer suggestions to modify it and include parts to do so. I built mine according to the Distortion+ specs. (Personally I'm not a fan of DOD sounds) This thing is a killer pedal. Great tones. The bypass is excellent. Just take your time, and you'll have an awesome addition to your effects collection.

Be patient and meticulous and you won't have anything to worry about. The components are all top-notch. Everything from the pots to the switch to the PCB (ESPECIALLY the PCB!) This kit is put together well and will make you fall in love with assembling your own effects.

I didn't have to use it! The whole project was that simple. I did end up looking on the forum about what type of power supply I should use, but other than that I didn't bother. I have a hunch from other reviews and the speediness of the sales process that these guys are on top of their game and will be more than willing to help you out if you get stuck.

The setup is this box in between an RG470 and a Marshall MG100DFX combo. I bought the solid-state Marshall for the clean, since the built in OD stinks. This pedal makes it so I don't have to worry anymore. Due to the ease of assembly I've now purchased two other pedal kits. (This was my first build)

Just remember: (1) Take your time (2) Make sure you have all the parts before you begin (3) Enjoy!

2 knobs. one is volume one is gain/distortion.
i called my pedal the "overdose" pedal
and labelled the volume "dosage" and gain "purity"

i built the kit to the distortion+ MXR specs and founded that it sounded good however the sound level (even with volume and gain maxed) was not as loud as compared to bypassed.

after reading the byoc forums i found a lot of people also experienced this and was told to experiment with other diodes.
i swappped the 2 clear germanium diodes out for 5mm red LEDS and wow...the result was much more volume...way more than i had expected.

recently i swapped out the LEDs for 1n4001 diodes and found that it is perfect. i can achieve louder gain than when bypassed(not as much as the LEDS but its more than enough) and it sounds great however i keep the volume above 3oclock and the gain below 11oclock. its starts got get fizzy/hairy for chords if its above 12oclock but it sounds good for lead playing. i havent got any experience with the real deal mxr pedal but im pretty sure this is a characteristic of it.

im using this with my epiphone valve jr head through a laney 2x10 cab with invader speakers and sometimes through the clean channel of my framus cobra with framus 2x12 cab.

it works ok as a clean boost too but ill be picking up a screamer808 clone real soon.

so far so good. i built it so fingers crossed.
casing is strong and knobs,jackts etc are very sturdy and just feel of high quality.

very excellent forum and helpful posts

i dont normally use od/tubescreamer type pedals but since gettign this BYOC and my epi VJ im addicted. i have the framus cobra for my high gain sounds so this is mainly used for rock/blues

its really more of an overdrive pedal than a distortion and sounds great. a bit diffrent than a tubescreamer but theres a easy mod to do to change the clipping section to the same as tubescreamer.
very easy to build as long as you can solder and its real fun especially the painting and customising.

it was my first build and i have just purchased the delay and ill defnitelly be getting some more BYOC pedals.

Very easy, only two knobs and they actually change the sound as you turn them. The Level and the gain work with each other to give you super-creamy overdrive to a nice crunchy distortion.

This is based on an older Script version MXR Distortion + or an older DOD 250 Overdrive.
I made the Distortion + specs and am very happy with it, very close to the old MXR but has less fizzy-fuzz when fully cranked and more of a nice, smooth crunch.
On lower setting I get an amazing, slightly dirty, overdrive that sounds killer with picked out chords. On higher gain settings this thing is fat, thick, smooth and creamy.
The pedal is true bypass so it is super quiet, so quiet that I need to look to see if the LED is on.
I only wish the pedal had a little more output when the level is past 3 o'clock.

I made it so if anything goes wrong I have only myself to blame and I can fix it.

Keith is great and the people on the forum are extremely helpful.
All of my questions were answered within 30 mins.

I have been a professional musician performing and recording music for over 23 years.
I play everything from blues to rock to metal.
I am using a customized 79 Fender Telecaster with a Strat neck, Seymour Duncan Hotrails in the bridge and a Duncan Hotstack in the neck and a mid-80s Charvel with three Dimarzio Single coils, Fender Blues Junior 1X12 tube amp for home recording.
The pedal sounds great with both guitars but it really shines when used with the Strat style Charvel. I recently put in a Dimarzio Pro Stack rail pickup in the bridge and that pickup and this pedal were made for each other.