Month: July 2020
WEM: Project V
Apart from sounding cool, the main claim to fame for the WEM Project V is that it was used by Brian Eno. It’s a little known but quite amazing sounding guitar effect from the late sixties / early seventies. WEM PROJECT V DESIGN It’s really quite different to the usual suspects in terms of circuit design … Read more
DOD 210 FET Preamp
Surprised this one hasn’t been done. A nice small and quick build, and should have lots of boost on tap and fatten up your tone nicely. Could be a good platform to mod to taste. Seems to be on the rare side to boot. Only video I could find was a DIY build that has … Read more
ELECTRO-HARMONIX: Version 2, Ram’s Head Big Muff, 1973 #3, Point to Point Layout
I think this is my favourite Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. I built this using vintage 2N3565 glob top resistors and opted for some large vintage ceramic capacitors where possible (mainly for looks). Sounds great – the lower gain vintage transistors do change the tone and feel to some degree. Of course it still sounds like a Big … Read more
PETE CORNISH: SS-3 Soft Sustain
Pete Cornish’s excellent take on the MXR Distortion + the Pete Cornish SS-3 Soft Sustain. I used a vintage tin can IC in the first gain stage, and while it added a bit of noise, it certainly added some grit and character. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a standard single op-amp – potentially better, depending on … Read more
PETE CORNISH: OC-1 Optical Compressor
Check out the tracing log on for the Pete Cornish OC-1 on Aion Electronics – they did an amazing job on this. Given the size of this layout, it’s well worth considering purchasing a board from them. It’s Pete’s own design, not a re-work of another classic. Link to Aion FX tracing log PETE CORNISH … Read more
MATSUMIN: Valve Caster, Point to Point Layout
The Matsumin Valve Caster is a very underrated little circuit, with almost no decent demos online. The only demos I could find either sounded kind of terrible, which is nothing like my build, or they are attempting high gain sounds, which is something this just doesn’t do. The Matsumin Valve Caster works best as a clean boost, … Read more
FOXX: Tone Machine
One of my favourites – the Foxx Tone Machine. I’ve posted a couple of layouts, one stock, the other is the Aion FX Vulcan. The Aion FX mods make the Foxx even better – I prefer it with the mid switch mod. The mid switch mod really gives this circuit a lot more range. … Read more
FAIRFIELD CIRCUITRY: The Barbershop + Barbershop Millenium, Point to Point Layouts
My all time favourite JFET overdrive, the Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop. The Fairfield Barbershop has a really wide range of useful tones. From clean right through to heavy drive bordering on fuzz. Nice easy build too, as it’s not complicated. I also included a layout for what I imagine is the Barbershop Millenium edition (the one … Read more
UNION TUBE & TRANSISTOR: Bumble Buzz
The Bumble Buzz is based on the Kay Fuzztone, which is a simplified Univox Super Fuzz. It’s a collaboration between Union Tube & Transistor and Third Man Records (Jack White). There are no knobs; just stomp and go. Raw octave fuzz…. UNION TUBE AND TRANSISTOR BUMBLE BUZZ – VERO LAYOUT UNION TUBE AND TRANSISTOR BUMBLE BUZZ – … Read more