Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
The Colorsound Fuzz Box has to be one of my favourite fuzz circuits, due to its simplicity and reliable results. It’s very much a one trick pony, but if you just want a nice thick fuzz, this will to that trick quite well. The original silicon circuit is said to be a Dick Denny design, … Read more
I’d created a layout for the Pete Cornish P-1 about four years ago, based on best guesses as to what this said to be – a Rams Head Big Muff. I was kind of close, but here’s a layout from a very reliable Aion FX trace. If you want to see where it sits in … Read more
Thought I was overdue for a regular vero layout, as it has been a while – schematic available at PedalPCB. It has the usual DBA weirdness – upside down low-gain silicon transistors etc (reverse beta). DEATH BY AUDIO – EVIL FUZZ VERO LAYOUT
Cause everyone needs a 100w valve powered PA head right? Mainly for historical interest & I wanted to note the way the meter is set-up for later.
This humble little transformer is a favourite valve amp OT among some DIY folks in Australia, as it’s cheap at only $27 and readily available from Altronics. It’s sold as a 20w 100v line transformer, but it also works really well as a 8k P-P output transformer. Based on real world testing, it’s thought to … Read more
PLAYMASTER MODEL 103 GUITAR AMPLIFIER From Radio, Television and Hobbies (Australia), 1963. They published their designs for a number of amplifiers in their magazine under the Playmaster name. This was a pretty interesting DIY amplifier for back in the day – speaker driven reverb, trem and ultra-linear output transformer.
When I started this project, I knew some people prefer to keep these amps stock. However, running something with electrolytic capacitors from 1948 seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. If one failed, it would be a nightmare to fix. In fact, if anything failed, the cramped design would make repairs extremely difficult. On top … Read more
Just to offset the amplifier posts for the pedal folks – here’s a set of three Tone Benders that I just finished. By a set I mean a MKI, MKII and a MKIII – and no I did not include a MK1.5. The layouts and info on how to build these can all be … Read more
I know, I know—this is starting to drift even further from pedal circuits with each post, but stick with me for a moment. These old Bell and Howell projector amps have quite the following, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for one for a while. The catch is, they don’t pop up on the … Read more
From the Hammond 1750 output transformer series, this is listed as a drop-in replacement for a Fender Vibrolux Tweed, 5F11 – they’re supposed to look similar to the original Fender transformer where possible. That being said – this sticks out like dog’s balls when mounted on a crusty old amp. Materials etc are also supposed … Read more