Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
MSP speakers are often found in Australian made amplifiers, such as Goldentone, Moody, Vase etc. It seems at the time, local manufacturers had a choice of either MSP or Rola / Plessey Rola speakers. This is likely because of the high import tariffs and shipping costs at the time. MSP were made in Sydney, Australia … Read more
I was a little surprised when someone requested this, as I assumed that I would have already done it given my love of vintage size vero and Tone Benders. Anyways, here’s the short circuitboard version of the MKII Tone Bender. What’s this short circuitboard business? It’s thought to be the transition from the MK1.5 Tone … Read more
I was poking around in my files and realised that I had started a layout for this a couple of years ago, but had not quite finished it – anyways, here it is. It’s SRS EQ Exciter from the seventies, with the Creepy Fingers mod. If you want to make it stock, replace the Gain … Read more
I picked up a Vox AC4C1with a 12″ speaker recently, as it was selling really cheap second-hand, and it looked like it was straight out of the box. I have a sneaking suspicion that the previous owner hated it – he seemed glad to be rid of it. Note: comments below relate to the stock … Read more
I’m sure we’re all familiar with these enclosures from GapCo, just jotting down some notes for myself, as I found a drawing with dimensions (sorry Reverb seller). GAPCO VINTAGE ENCLOSURE Plain unfinished steel, arrives lightly oiled, may have light rust (will need a very good clean) Holes for pots are 6mm, which suits 16mm … Read more
I have a couple of dual pedals planned, so time to jot down some off-board wiring plans. SWITCHED JACKS First off, I probably should touch on switched jacks – I’ll stick to the Cliff style, as these are the most common type used for guitar pedals. Switched jacks are great, as much as I … Read more
I saw this on the Gray Bench Electronics youtube channel, and given the cost and apparent popularity of Reeves pedals, I thought I’d post a layout. The schematic is also on screen for a lengthy period of time. In depth explanation provided at Gray Bench, but in short, it’s a silicon two-transistor Zonk II with … Read more
I thought a post was required for the silicon Zonk II, as looking at some schematics online, some appeared to be a little different. Being a pedal from the sixties, variations and tweaks were not uncommon. At the moment, this is probably best known as being the inspiration for the Reeves Zo. This is fun … Read more
I probably should start by saying that this is not a full trace, as I do not have one in my possession. However, you can put a lot together based on photos online. Mainly on the D*A*M forum here and via some reverb listing that show some different angles. The first three stages don’t appear strange, … Read more
I saw a post today about leakage and temperature, so I thought I’d do a quick test myself to see how close it came. The test distinctly lacked scientific conditions – for starters I wasn’t even wearing a white coat at the time, but the results seem to match the theory. For germanium transistors, leakage … Read more