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Has anyone experimented with different opamps in the Elements? Next Time I rewire my board I was going to open it up and pop in some TLC2262 which are my favorite for anything that clips.

Ryan, could you tell us which opamp(s) make up the gain/clipping stages?

You should experiment for sure, all the op amps are socketed for experimenters but I don't think anybody has ever swapped any. I like the 4558, TL0 series, 833, but I use the 5532. All would be fine though. Never tried a 2262.. I think I have some too...

You see the row of 3 op amps side by side... the middle op amp is both gain stages. Swap away buddy and let me know what you discover!

Present Trey is posting so once future Trey gets himself an Elements he will remember to check back in this thread.

I put the TLC2262 into the gain stage as well as the Treble socket, which I assume is the last stage before output. This sounds great to me, its a little warmer, and the sizzle is a bit subdued, which is more to my liking because I'm not really into the brootz.

The TLC2262 is an opamp made from mosfet technology and is what is called a Rail to Rail. This means the output can get a little closer to the actual power supply and ground than say a TL072 or JRC4558. The trade of is the slew rate, the TLC2262 doesn't reproduce higher frequencies well, and while the cutoff is way above audio, I personally think this chip tends to make gain pedals sound a little 'brown'. I really like the sound of the TLC2262 distorting on its own, as well as acting like a gentle filter by coming last in line.

One last thing to note abut the 2262, is that you can only power it up to 14 or 16V, so you'll lose the ability to do 18v in the Elements.


BTW, I am loving my Elements. I also just picked up the Moog EP-2 and this really does the trick. You did a nice job with the blend, going from unity gain to fully distorted. I like this a lot better than some other dirt pedals that have a blend before the output volume.