D+M Drive - does anyone know what is in it?

[HamishR]

I recently got a Keeley D+M Drive and I'm pretty impressed with it.  I particularly like the Mick side, which apparently is based on a Klon.  However it sounds better to me than any Klon or Klone I have tried!  It is a little heavier in the mids, has a lot more low-end grunt and it seemingly less compressed.  All improvements for a Strat if you ask me.

I opened mine up and it has a dual 100K pot for the gain, two (at least) chips, and a bunch of SMD stuff I have no hope of tracing.  The caps seem to be unlabelled and much of the circuit is hidden by the pots.  I would guess that it is indeed Klon based and I would be interested in buying a pedal which was just that side.

Has anyone got any more info?

[Strassercaster1]

Ya I like those guys a lot . I assumed that the two circuits were a a tube screamer for Mick and a bluesbreaker  wI th the diodes lifted for Dan .micks go to back then was a tube screamer which doesn’t have a lot of bass but has the mid boost . Dan was Into the king of tone and set both sides for no diodes boost mode . Maybe free stompbox or diy pedals would circuit trace it if you took lots of pics and posted them . If anything someone will be able to look at it and tell what they are based on .

If it only has 2 chips total it’s not a Klon  . A Klon uses two opamps tl072  and a charge pump 7660s . I’ll bet my guess is close . Probably  modded tube screamer for more bass and a king of tone/bluesbreaker no diodes . How do you like it ? Take it apart and post some quality pictures. I might be able
To tell . Rock out Roll on !

[Frank_NH]

Recall that the Keeley Oxblood (for which we have a vero layout) is his take on a Klon-type circuit, so maybe he's using a variation of that in the K+M Drive.  

[HamishR]

You may be right.  I compared it today with my Fuzz Dog Klone I built a while back - I made a couple of mods to it to add some low end and it sounds ok.  Side by side with the D+M the D+M is definitely punchier and maybe has a hair more low end, but my Klone sounds surprisingly close to it.

I think what has thrown me is that I have a new Les Paul and the Klone/D+M LOVES it.  My other guitars don't sound quite so good through the Klone.  My Strat still sounds better through the D+M but the Klone is closer than I realised.

With gain on zero it makes a great clean boost into my Majestic OD.  And it sounds surprisingly good as a stand-alone dirt pedal too.  I'm not generally much of a fan of Keeley but the D+M is wonderful.

Apparently the Dan side is based on a King of Tone - it sounds a lot better to me.

[Strassercaster1]

Keeley seems like a cool guy . One of my first builds was a Java boost . I really like it but the Dam red rooster was my first build that’s on my pedal board right behind my modded Vox Tonebendet that was my second build . Thanks guys I was very Kitiona as to what the D M was . Makes sense  I know Mick likes Klons and they are pretty versatile . I used led for clipping in one of my Klons it’s pretty nice .

[Feral Feline]

According to this gearpage post https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/keeley-d-m-drive.1820897/page-4#post-24126962: 

“Spoke with someone at Keeley and confirmed that the Drive side has its origins in the OCD with several modifications; and the Boost side is rooted in the Klon, again with several modifications.”

Dan is known to like the OCD, in addition to his having a predilection for the KOT.

[HamishR]

Thanks Mr Feral - that's interesting.  The Dan side sounds a lot better than an OCD though!

I've done a little experimenting and found that if I build a Klon (I used a PCB from Bugg) and swap a couple of caps around to get more low end, then use 1N4148s instead of the Ge diodes I get closer to the D+M Mick side - and I actually like it better.  :-)  In fact I have discovered that it's the Ge diodes which create the compression in the Klon that I don't like - so regular silicon diodes make it punchier which is more what I like.

[Teddeeh]

Yeah im not a fan of the germanium diodes in the klon. Its almost (to my ear) like a blend of compressed and clean. Its odd. I much prefer silicon.