pinkjimiphoton Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 this is a re-working of the "jimmy page" tonebender pedal i built over the last few days...i call it a "toneblaster", it's a hybrid GE (germanium) and SI (silicon) circuit, so ya get the tone from the germanium, and the balls of the silicone. it's a very nice sounding box, not as early zep as some folks seem to say it is, but a nice fuzzy distortion with good sustain and a hellaciously versatile tone. i went crazy messing with this for days, there's a lot of conflicting versions and schems and layouts for this pedal, and most are wrong...which led to a lot of frustration as 4 builds didn't pan out on the breadboard. but this one did. me and my bro dennis sat around swapping transistors until we both agreed we had the best sounding configuration....and i transferred the breadboarded project to veroboard, and built it. fired it up, and it worked like a charm. i REALLY dig this pedal, it's gonna probably be one of my most used ones live, the germanium really helps that classic tone come shining thru, and the silicon makes for an easier build that's alot more stable than a straight GE circuit...germanium is WICKED temperature instable...sometimes if my fuzzface is too cold, i have to literally hit the pedal with a lighter.. the silicon helps. anyways, this is a negative ground npn pedal using stuff you can get fairly easily...if ya build it, i think you'll really dig it. here's the vero layout...read the notes, as there are a couple mistakes in the layout cuzza the mistakes on the original schematic: http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/pinkjimiphoton/TONEBLASTERGE_SIHYBRIDTONEBENDERREV1.gif if anyone wants a video demo of it in action, let me know. peace. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 How cool is that? Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 it is wicked cool, kev!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if gas prices weren't $4.20 a gallon here in the constipation state, it's cool enough where i'd take the pilgrimage to watkins glenn ny so the amazing and unique caevan o'shite could check it out!! http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Hahhahhaahh! Hey, toss up a clip or vid sometime, demoing a few different control-settings and such... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 if the old lady goes out like she's supposed to...heh heh.. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Wanna hear it fer shur! Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 bear with me...lol. here's something to hold you over: [video:youtube] http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 if gas prices weren't $4.20 a gallon here in the constipation state, it's cool enough where i'd take the pilgrimage to watkins glenn ny so the amazing and unique caevan o'shite could check it out!! if gas prices weren't $4.20 a gallon here in the constipation state, it's cool enough where i'd take the pilgrimage to watkins glenn ny so the amazing and unique caevan o'shite could check it out!! replica patek philippe 5971p ??! "Replica watches"?! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02R96 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Is there a link to a schematic? Corrected I hope? Maybe? Please? Dan "I hate what I've become, trying to escape who I am..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 if gas prices weren't $4.20 a gallon here in the constipation state, it's cool enough where i'd take the pilgrimage to watkins glenn ny so the amazing and unique caevan o'shite could check it out!! if gas prices weren't $4.20 a gallon here in the constipation state, it's cool enough where i'd take the pilgrimage to watkins glenn ny so the amazing and unique caevan o'shite could check it out!! replica patek philippe 5971p ??! "Replica watches"?! who the f%%%% is alice? weird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 sorry, no link to a corrected schematic...i haven't had time to make one. here's something that's close tho: http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=17297&g2_serialNumber=2 on this, the diode is backwards, and it uses different trannys than i used...but this was the final basic template i used to make mine. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 o2r96, here ya go...i modified the schem above, this should work for ya fine: http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/pinkjimiphoton/TONEBENDER_NPN_SILICON_DRAGONFLY_VE_corrected.gif make sure the first transistor is germanium, i used an nte103a germanium. tried several different trannys, just make sure they're npn, you should be good. i'd socket the transistors so you can play with it, and reccomend breadboarding first..but the vero layout i posted is verified. good luck, have fun. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 here's a corrected,VERIFIED layout of my build on veroboard if anyone's interested... http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/pinkjimiphoton/TONEBLASTERGESIHYBRIDVERIFIEDTONEBENDERREV2.gif http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02R96 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Thanks Jimi. One last question: did you change any of the resistor values with respect to the transistors you chose? Dan "I hate what I've become, trying to escape who I am..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 nope. what's on the layout is what i used. i used this thing last nite for the first time out, tho, and was kinda let down... germanium woes. the dang things are so sensitive to temperature, i'm really considering yanking them out of whatever circuits i've built with them and going with silicon. this design sounded great when i built it. killer. not fuzzy, more like a really phat distortion with a fuzzy edge to it. playing outdoors last nite it sounded like a very warm really clean, boost. well...not clean...but NOTHING like it sounded here at the house. think warm big muff...without the pfuzzz... have the same prob with every ge pedal i've built or owned.. fuzzfaces in particular. some days they sound killer. somedays they sound farty. some days, they plain don't work at all. but when they do....HOT DAMN! but they're so dam fussy, it's annoying as hell. i'm thinking about trying to install something to keep them more stable. when they're cold, they suck. when they get too hot, they don't work, which is the ULTIMATE suck. i've been reading about a thing called a peletier junction...apply current, one side gets cold, one gets hot... but it needs way more current than a 9v can supply. i dunno, dude... peeps look at me funny when i'm holding a lighter to a fuzzpedal, ya know? (hey, it works) anyways, the resistor values are the same as posted. you may wanna play with them a little to get q3 as close to 4.5v on the collector as possible...that's what the 100k trimmer is for. let me know how ya make out! http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 a couple mods... first, there's just enough room to the left of q1 to add a component... you want to put a 1n34a germanium diode between the emitter and the base of the transistor, with the band facing the emitter. that would be holes g6 and h6. that will help cure the temperature stability somewhat. also, you don't need the 4.7k resistor across the attack pot. seems to work a little bit better without it. anyways...onwards and upwards... http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 germanium woes. the dang things are so sensitive to temperature, i'm really considering yanking them out of whatever circuits i've built with them and going with silicon. this design sounded great when i built it. killer. not fuzzy, more like a really phat distortion with a fuzzy edge to it. playing outdoors last nite it sounded like a very warm really clean, boost. well...not clean...but NOTHING like it sounded here at the house. think warm big muff...without the pfuzzz... have the same prob with every ge pedal i've built or owned.. fuzzfaces in particular. some days they sound killer. somedays they sound farty. some days, they plain don't work at all. but when they do....HOT DAMN! but they're so dam fussy, it's annoying as hell. i'm thinking about trying to install something to keep them more stable. when they're cold, they suck. when they get too hot, they don't work, which is the ULTIMATE suck. Hmmmnn; I have two EXCELLENT pedals that I love that use Ge diodes, a Foxrox Octron and a J. Everman Octave-X; both have proved to be quite surprisingly reliable and consistent, indoors and outside, day into night. The Octave-X has been a real champ here, and the Octron has only acted up twice- and then only briefly. You might want to tap Dave Fox and J. Everman about their Ge diode sourcing, selection/testing, matching, circuits pairing Ge along with Si diodes, whatever it is that they're doing that produces such agreeable, stable teams of Ge diodes in their circuits... Foxrox Electronics (Look up 'Foxrox Dave' on Fb, as well) J. Everman Custom Analog Effects Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 the prob isn't the diodes, bro...it's the transistors themselves. the diodes are the cure for the thermal issues, and MUST be germanium in order to work in this circuit, and their only use is to prevent thermal runaway, which ge transistors are prone to. it's kinda like the tranny's are an engine, and the diodes are used to feedback some of the engine's output to make it run better. really crappy explanation....sorry. ge transistors are very leaky, and get worse with extremes of temperature. what this mod does is take the leakage and feed it back into the transistor, so that the gain stays consistant...even that's not a great way to explain it, but is the general idea. if your pedals use ge TRANSISTORS, the odds are you're lucky, or they've been built with the same diode trick i'm using. i could be wrong,.... wouldn't be the first time!!!! thanks for the linkage, too, i'll try and check 'em out when i get home tonite..gotta leave for an afternoon gig in a little while, and wanna check the bias on my fuzzface first..peace! http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 This 'page might be a good place to start for a lot of people interested in fuzz-related Ge and Si transistor comparisons and references... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 a couple mods...change the 100k pot to 50k, or just strap a 47k resistor across pins 1 & 6 of the volume. you lose some volume, but it get's a lot ruder. add a 10k trim pot as a variable reistor to the collector of q1 instead of the resistor...easier to dial in a better tone. add a diode clipper (in914's are fine) from the emitter of q2 to ground...gives a nice gain boost, and a fairly sweet distortion. i was right initially...the attack pot is INDEED wired backwards as shown and on the schematic. just reverse the 2 outside wires and the cap's polarity... and you'll have a nice fuzz that's real dynamic and sensitive to guitar knob twiddling. updated layout to come as soon as i get a chance to revise it. thanks for watching, now back to your regularly scheduled programming. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I really wanna hear it now in its newly revised refined crude rudeness! Gimmee a few long, sustained slow bend-release notes (especially with a little feedback) high on the upper-frets a la Jimmy Page/LedZep I and II if ya don't mind... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 well, kev, i did a demo...lol... here ya go: [video:youtube] http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Is it just me, or does everyone think single coil pickups work better with overdrives and fuzz boxes than 'buckers do? Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Thanks, pjp- I will load that and listen and post back onnitt! Is it just me, or does everyone think single coil pickups work better with overdrives and fuzz boxes than 'buckers do? That's sometimes- maybe closer to often- kinda sorta the case; though I use my Les Paul's stock hot, ceramic-magnet humbuckers with my octave-fuzzes. With either humbuckers or single-coils, fuzzes often work exceptionally better when feeding an overdriven or distorted amp or another overdrive/distortion pedal- I've found this to be especially true with my LP's 'buckers, getting much smoother ("in a good way", hahhahh! ), fatter and warmer fuzz tones than I would with the fuzz going into a straight-up clean, clear setting... Some fuzz builders make fuzzes that are specifically tailored to work well with humbuckers- Bjorn Jhul/BJFE and Analog Man come to mind. Analog Mike had this to say relative to the matter, concerning many vintage fuzzes and their Sun Face and Astro Tone fuzzes: Many people have problems using a Fuzz Face type pedal, like our Sunface, live with a band. I had the same problem which is one reason we are making these pedals, its something I need to get the sounds I want. I play Fender amps with a Les Paul, which is not too favorable to fuzz face pedals. But this pedal works great with that setup. The sound is not as compressed as a Fuzz Face, not SUPER thick and saturated, something between a fuzz and distortion. Its fuzzier into a smaller amp (Fender Deluxe), and more of a BOOSTER into a large distorted amp (Marshall 1970s Super Lead). It can also be stacked with other pedals, for example running a fuzz face into it can get a sound like Spirit in the Sky, which buzzes and cuts out. Or run the Astro Tone into an OD pedal like a TS808 or KoT to make it fatter. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Is it just me, or does everyone think single coil pickups work better with overdrives and fuzz boxes than 'buckers do? i can relate to that. as much as i love buckers i really appreciate the pureness of single coil tone. i agree they get more out of tone shaping. i am even considering rigging up a three single coil loaded pickguard to swap out on occasions during string changes to morph my Charvel into a blues machine now and then. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Is it just me, or does everyone think single coil pickups work better with overdrives and fuzz boxes than 'buckers do? i can relate to that. as much as i love buckers i really appreciate the pureness of single coil tone. i agree they get more out of tone shaping. i am even considering rigging up a three single coil loaded pickguard to swap out on occasions during string changes to morph my Charvel into a blues machine now and then. Go with three soap-bars!! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 8, 2011 Author Share Posted May 8, 2011 firebirds. 'nuff said. lol seriously... i love buckers and singles, they both sound great with fuzz, but are completely different animals. i gotta agree with kev, p90's or mini buckers always sound better to me...louder, and more focused, kinda. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 well, kev, i did a demo...lol... Niiiiiice!! LOVE the way it sounds- makes me want one, or want to build two- one for me, and one for a friend! It almost sounds like a straight/clean signal is subtly blended in, and the harmonic-overtones and near ring-mod effects when playing two or more notes together in licks and chords is sweet! Cleans up beautifully, and better yet, cleans-up part way, just a little for semi-cleanish-with-fuzz-and-fat-warm-distortion around the edges. Love the way it gets that clanging bleating honk on the higher-notes of the chord when ya do the "Whole Lotta Love"-riff! Is it just me, or does everyone think single coil pickups work better with overdrives and fuzz boxes than 'buckers do? So, pjp, in the above YouTubery, which pickup(s) were you using? I see that you've a humbucker on your Strat... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 9, 2011 Author Share Posted May 9, 2011 that was pretty much just a mim fender phat strat on the bridge pickup, into a cyber twin...first, my signature "jimi photon" patch, basically a plexi with a touch of reverb and tape echo, and when i switch to the clean, that's a bone stock twin reverb sound. i don't think i even bothered to change the pickup switch at all.you've gotta check out the ugly face video...i know it's a bitch on dialup, but that's the pedal to really build.this one is fairly easy to build, but can be a little tricky to get the trannys balanced well. use trim pots, and look for around 4.5-5 volts on the collectors of q2&3 roughly and you should be good. if ya neeed help or advice, let me know, bro.. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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