Danelectro FAB Overdrive
| Power Input | 9V |
| Bypass | Buffer |
| Audio In | 1 |
| Audio Out | 1 |
| Board 1 (Upper) | PCB-MD-2-01R1 |
| B1 Rev. | 1? |
| B1 Date Code | 0502 |
| Board 2 (Lower) | PCB-MD-A-01R1 |
| B2 Rev. | 1? |
| B2 Date Code | 0507 |
| Made In | China |
The metallic silver FAB Overdrive pedal by Danelectro is a budget-friendly but discontinued effect pedal. Its effect has a restricted sound to it when left stock, but a few upgrades can clean up the sound and liven up the pedal.
Main Components on Board
| IC | HEF4053BT AM194 08 UnNO4344 | Phillips |
| IC | TL072C | Texas Instruments? |
Original Capacitors
Most or all original electrolytic capacitors were Chang brand and Jackcon brand. Some values may have changed during board revisions, or even between revisions. Even the ID numbers on the board may have changed. Board 1, with the dials, has capacitor codes that are two digits, while board 2 has three digit capacitor codes that start with 1.
| ID | Farad | Voltage | Cap Type | ⌀/Width | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 0.022μF | 25V | mm | mm | |
| C2 | 0.047μF | V | mm | mm | |
| C3 | 0.047μF | V | mm | mm | |
| C4 | 0.1μF | V | Electrolytic | mm | mm |
| C6 | ?μF | V | Surface Mount | mm | mm |
| C7 | ?μF | V | Surface Mount | mm | mm |
| C9 | 10μF | V | Electrolytic | mm | mm |
| C11 | 220μF | V | Electrolytic | mm | mm |
| C101 | 220μF | 16V | Electrolytic | 6.5mm | 7.9mm |
| C104 | 47μF | 16V | Electrolytic | 5.1mm | 6.1mm |
| C105 | 0.047μF | V | MLCC | mm | mm |
| C108 | 0.47μF | V | Film | 6.4mm/3.7mm | 7.3mm |
Capacitor Changes
These changes may yield unexpected consequences for your board. They may even for my board, and haven't happened yet! Alter your pedal at your own risk.
| Board ID | Farad | Voltage | Cap Type | Brand | ⌀/Width | Height | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C101 | 220μF | 50V | Electrolytic | Chun Shing | 10.1mm | 15.2mm1 | Low ESR |
| C104 | 47μF | 100V | Electrolytic | Nichicon | 10.1mm | 13.1mm | Gold |
| C105 | 0.033μF | 100V | Mylar | Unknown | 6.6mm/3.2mm | 12mm | Green |
C101 is the large capacitor that filters the wall power (which has been converted to 9V DC) coming in so any anomolies don't affect the sound or sound processing. Using an exceptionally high quality capacitor here may be a waste, but a good capacitor is useful in this position. I chose a low-ESR capacitor here, but even that may be overkill here. Really, a better quality power supply would be a better approach to any power supply noise issues. The capacitor was also a significant voltage upgrade, going from 16V to 50V. This significantly increased the size of the capacitor, so it had to be laid on its side to fit in the cramped space.
C105 is a filter capacitor that controls how much of the low end frequencies enter the clipping/distortion stage. The original 0.047μF capacitor is a multi-layer ceramic design. The ceramic material can be microphonic, so swapping it out for a mylar capacitor will eliminate that issue. I switched the L40 473 for a 333K100V, which cuts out some of the bass, leaving the mid range a little clearer. At one point (July 15th, 2026), this was the only modification done to this pedal, and the sound improvement was significant enough that it got me into modifying pedals.
In addition to the audio mods, I replaced the LED with a clear lens green LED. The clear lens looks good with the stock silver shell and I like green. However, later on I plan on adding a resistor, because the green is pretty bright at the moment.
- 1 Capacitor was mounted unconventionally to fit properly or to avoid other components.