clipping diodes

Clipping diodes are diodes in an overdrive or distortion circuit that flatten the guitar signal once it exceeds the diode's threshold voltage, most often 0.7V, ranging from 0.6V to 2V depending on diode type¹. The choice of diodes (LEDs, germanium, silicon), the parity (symmetric or asymmetric), and the quantity (up to 3) all affect the signal¹. In the Boss DS-1, hard-clipping diodes placed after the amplifier stage make a warm distortion tone gritty, producing square-wave clipping at higher settings²³. Germanium clipping diodes can yield a thicker, more compressed overdrive⁴, while some designs omit them entirely, becoming more touch-sensitive as a result⁵.