Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Here’s a popular JHS pedal that emulates old Supro/Valco amps: the Superbolt. It has a remarkable similarity to the Run Off Groove Supreaux and Supreaux Deux. It seems to be a slightly modded Supreaux, with the high/low switch and 18 volt supply of the Supreaux Deux. A charge pump is also added so the pedal … Read more
The Umble is the result of Brian Tremblay’s (ROG) adaption the the mythical Dumble amplifier into a FET-based distortion box. I’ve drawn the layout for on board right angle PCB pots and added a 1N4001 diode for polarity protection. Should fit nicely in a 1590B. Check out the ROG article for more info.
Here’s another plexi-in-a-box pedal. Fairly simple in comparison to others. I’ve drawn 2 layouts for this one; one stock and one with an adjustable gain mod. The EQ switch is optional, as some who’ve built this circuit say it’s pretty lackluster. The original uses an MC4558CN, but just about any dual op-amp should suffice (try … Read more
Got a request for the S2, but have been unable to track down a schematic for it, so here’s the S1 in the meantime. It’s an emulator/preamp of a Soldano tube amp, and like most amp emulators it uses JFET transistors. The original uses mostly SMD components with the exception of some capacitors, which is … Read more
This was a request by Guilherme. It’s a FET adaption of the SLO 100 preamp originally done by OldMike and modded by Brymus. I’ve changed the resistors going from the power rail to the drains of the various FETs to trimmers. Here’s the schematic I worked from and it has a list of the voltages … Read more
100 layouts! Thanks to everyone who visits the blog and a special thanks to those of you who have built and verified some of these layouts. The Dr. Boogie is a JFET-based amp emulator of the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Solo head, designed by ElectraTabs over on the DIYStompboxes forum. It creates a unique high-gain … Read more
This was a request that came in from Cody from the They Remained Silent blog. It’s an emulator of the Laney Super Group 100 watt head designed by Heuller Pinson (MallerMB). I would assume you should bias the JFETs to ~4.5v then adjust from there. Don’t have a ton of info on this other than … Read more
Often imitated by boutique builders, the ROG Supreaux Deux overdrive is an old Supro 16T in pedal form. The Deux is the 2nd go at this circuit and offers several improvements over the original design. It runs off 18v, so I’ve added an onboard charge pump converting +9v to just under +18v. You can use … Read more
This is a great sounding Orange amp emulator by EQD. The EQ controls allow you to boost those frequencies instead of just rolling them off. Lots of big burly Orange tone in this FET based circuit. I’ve laid it out so you can board-mount all 4 pots from the solder-side of the board using right … Read more
The Blues Breaker was designed to emulate the vintage 2×12 Marshall combo, and was introduced by Marshall in 1991. Great at pushing a clean amp into breakup and sounds great with single coils. There has since been a Bluesbreaker II, which many claim to be inferior to the original. This layout is for the original … Read more