Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Almost a year ago I laid out the silicon version of the classic FuzzRite. Lately though, I decided to redo it after some discussion with Gabriel Monteiro over the 22k resistor. To see that discussion check out the first layout page for this circuit. Our discussion (which in all honesty was mostly a bunch of … Read more
Around the same time that the EHX Big Muff was first released in 1969, Mike Matthews also released the Muff Fuzz. It was unrelated to the BMP other than the name, and came in the same small enclosure as the LPB-1 that plugged straight into the guitar. Later it was re-released in a floor pedal … Read more
Here’s the Lovepedal Englishman. It’s claimed to sound like a cranked Vox (either AC15 or AC30 depending on which clipping diodes are selected). Like many of Lovepedal’s offerings, this circuit is built around a single transistor. Unlike many of Lovepedal’s offerings, it’s not based off the Electra Distortion. Instead, it draws from the EHX LPB-1 … Read more
Here’s a unique little circuit from Devi. Plenty of gain on tap to go from just a boost, to an overdrive, to fuzzy the more your turn up the volume control. The Pregain control acts more like a tone control, panning between 2 capacitors. The first transistor stage is kind of like an Electra Distortion, … Read more
Here’s a light-medium gain overdrive designed by RNFR from the Apocalypse Audio blog. Here’s what he had to say about it: I thought I would build something that would turn on the guys that were into the lighter side of things- something different than my usual wall of fuzz tones. With the MLOD, you can … Read more
Here’s a really simple “transparent overdrive” circuit that was a must have a couple years ago. People compared it to the Klon and Timmy drives. Originals use paper in oil caps, which some claim sound better than modern film or ceramic caps. That’s a debate for another time though. I’ve drawn it up so you … Read more
The MagnaVibe is a vibrato effect inspired by the built in effect on old Magnatone amplifiers. From the BigFoot Fx description: The Magnavibe was inspired by the early 1960’s vibrato guitar effect (not the typical tremolo which is just pulse modulation). The Magnatone amp was known for having that amazing wobbly sound. Setting out to … Read more
Here’s an op-amp based boost circuit from Jack Deville (Mr. Black Effects). He was kind enough to share his schematic a couple years ago on FSB. I stumbled upon it and thought it would be a good addition here. It should easily fit in a 1590a, and you can probably board mount the pot too.
Most effects run off 9 volts, but a lot of them can run off 18. The Fulltone OCD, Earthquaker Devices Monarch, and the MI Audio Crunch Box are just a few examples. If you don’t have an 18 volt power supply and want to get some different sounds and more headroom out of an effect, … Read more
The Triple Wreck is a high gain distortion that some say sounds like a 5150 amp. It has a 3-band EQ and a switch to select between “Vintage” and “Modern” tones. There’s also a built in boost section to take things over the top. I’ve laid out the distortion section and the boost section as … Read more