Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
The SonicVI silicon MKI Tone Bender is firmly based on the original, with a few additions and some minor changes. Being silicon based, the transistors do not self-bias, so additional resistors have been added from V- to the base of Q1 & Q3. The transistors used are early Mullard PNP silicon OC202 which are quite … Read more
A short guide to off-board wiring for positive ground effects. It’s not as complicated as it’s sometimes made out, but I do get that it’s confusing. If you want all the details, head over to the tech section of Amplified Parts – it may hurt your brain by the end, as it’s very detailed. Note #1: … Read more
I’ve had a few questions lately via Instagram about some basics on my vero layouts – while this doesn’t cover everything, I hope it helps clarify a few things for people just starting out. Essentially, my vero layouts are functionally the same as many others, the key differences being the use of colour coding, and … Read more
Since I’ve been on a slight Beatles related run lately, I thought I should tackle the Castledine Electronics Magical Mystery Box. This is Stu Casteldine’s version of the Brilliant channel from a Vox Conqueror guitar amp. Castledine included a gain recovery section at the end and the transistor-based distortion switching has been removed. I ran … Read more
The Equinox is Spaceman’s trimmed-down version of an old-school studio equaliser – it’s definitely inspired by Pultec, but with a few key differences. I’m fine with the differences, as it makes it practical to build. Schematic can be found here on PedalPCB. If you don’t have a power supply that kicks out 18v, Dirtbox … Read more
I’m a bit of a fan of some of the late sixties / early seventies Beatles fuzz sounds, so I was interested to see this pop-up. Like the Creepy Fingers Lonely Hearts Fuzz, it’s based on the fuzz section built into the Vox UL series amps. I’m feeling a bit of déjà vu posting this, … Read more
22AWG and 24AWG are what most pedal builders use, but depending on where you live, these values may not be readily available from your local store. Of course, online is always an option, but shipping a bunch of heavy copper reels can be expensive. 22AWG and 24AWG are not available in the most common electronics … Read more
The Arbiter Treble and Bass Face is the lesser-known cousin of the Fuzz Face from the mid to late sixties and was probably overshadowed by the Colorsound Power Booster, which had more gain on tap, and perhaps a nicer frequency response. Speaking of which, it’s easy enough to mod this to suit your tastes. I … Read more
This is Creepy Fingers’ take on the Os Mutantes Fuzz. It’s fixed a few issues the original had – the original being the DISTORCEDOR “R-VIII” from Brazil. There are already some layouts of this out there (as always), so I thought I’d do something a little different and replace the trimmers with external pots. CREEPY … Read more
Aion FX just dropped a few circuit traces today (about eight in total) and this one from Catalinbread caught my eye. It’s a standard soft-clipping overdrive up front, not unlike a Tube Screamer, followed by a three-stage active equaliser, which is something I happen to like on a pedal. As it happens, the EQ section … Read more