another fx laboratory...

Here`s what I`ve been working on lately... The another fx laboratory! A cool little toy for testing out circuits without soldering! Yes! It`s pretty simple, really... A breakout box which connects to the breadboard where you`ll be building your circuit by inserting components and wires into the "sockets". The breakout box has a true bypass toggle(effect on or bypassed/clean signal), i/o for your guitar and amp connections, status led, and a "voltage sag"(lets you tune the voltage being fed to the circuit from 9V and down). A 9volt battery is used as power source. Pretty neat!

I built this on a piece of plexiglass. Everything is secured in place with screws. Some rubber feet and that`s it! I had plans of putting a bright led into the plexiglass for a cool effect, but it did not really work as good as I`d hoped. The bright led would have drained the battery faster as well. A clear "see thru" plastic box for the breakout box would have looked cool, but I went for some shielding over looks with the aluminum box.

It`s gonna be so much fun trying out different circuits, mods, playing with component values, clipping diodes etc.

You want to build one?? No problem! Mine is heavily based on the famous "beavis board". Over at his site there are instructions on how to make your own test rig. One of , if not the best diy pedal site online! Check out beavisaudio.com.

I`m off to the lab! Peace...

Blue Box Octave Fuzz

MXR Blue Box.. Nasty fuzz with added two octaves down! Blend controls the mix between fuzz and octave effect. Play high up on the neck, dial in a nice mix of fuzz and octave effect and you`ve got instant old school Nintendo sounds jumping out of your speaker! Fun!!



The project can be found at tonepad.com.

ProCo RAT Clone

My first build of 2011 is a ProCo RAT clone! Cool square box with a hammered finish and all the mojo parts to get the vintage tones of the original. There`s a LM308N in there like the old ones had, tantalum caps etc. The RAT is my favourite dirt box ever! Now I need to compare this one to my newer RAT2 to hear for myself if there really is a difference between new and "vintage"..if the LM308N is worth the $$$. It sounds GREAT that`s for sure! Etched my own board from the layout over at tonepad. A fun build! I`ll be making more rats soon with some tweaks and mods.



Update... Compared to my RAT2: More output, warmer and more balls!!

Silicon Fuzz Face

Here is my latest and probably my last build of 2010. It`s a silicon fuzz face! Powdercoated enclosure from Banzai. It`s a "blem" so it has some cracks and dents. Didn`t do too much out of the decal on this one but it came out kinda cool. Awesome pcb from BYOC. No mojo parts what so ever but sounds awesome! Q1 is a 2N2222(120hfe) and Q2 is a 2N3904(150hfe). I liked this transistor combo the best. It`s not that "nasty" but more smooth. Love it! A pair of 2N2222s also sounded pretty cool in there. I`ll be making more fuzz pedals for sure! Here she is... Purple Face!

Merry Christmas and a Fuzzy New Year!

I`m thirsty, can I get a Humidifier please?

Listen to your guitar and get a humidifier before winter sets in. The air gets drier during winter months. As we turn up the heat to keep warm this also removes alot of moisture. Humidity is water in the air and is described as a percentage. The ideal humidity level for a guitar is somewhere between 45-55% relative humidity. If the humidity level gets too low it can create problems such as cracks, neck twisting etc. You don`t want it too high either! Hi-end acoustics made out offsolid woods need extra care.

The easiest way to take proper care of your "baby" is to get a "soundhole humidifier". I can highly recommend the Planet Waves Acoustic Humidifier GH. I`ve been using this one for years and it is great! You fill it up with water(distilled) and place it between the strings of the guitars soundhole. To get the most out of a humidifier like this you should keep your guitar in its case when you`re not playin` it. That way you`re creating a little controlled environment for your guitar. A Humidifier needs to be refilled once every week or so. At the moment I`m using the Oasis Humidifier. The cool thing about that one is that it tells you when it needs to be refilled. Cool, huh?

I would also recommend you to get yourself a Hygrometer. With a hygrometer you can keep an eye on the humidity levels in your home, or inside the guitar case.

There`s lots of info on Humidifiers and how to care for your guitar out there. Google is your friend. I wish you a humid winter!

The Crackle Okay

Here`s my latest. It`s a "Crackle Okay" boost. Google it and you`ll figure out what this is... Made it on a pice of vero board. Low on parts but lots of boost! If you crank it you`ll get a nice crunch going. This thing can really push your tube amp into some rockin` tones! It crackles when you turn the knob..but that`s okay!

Orange Squeezer with mods

Squeeeeeeze it! Here`s a Orange Squeezer compressor I finished up yesterday. Etched the pcb from the layout over at tonepad.com. It`s got a toggle that switches between two output capacitors. Stock, and one more suited for bass. The pot is a 100k instead of the original 10k. Used a NE 5532 in this one, but haven`t tried out any other ones yet. Sounds good and not at all noisy. I`m quite pleased with the paintjob. Now I only need to learn some chicken pickin`...