Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
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 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 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 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
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