Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Now this is mainly for my own purposes, as I doubt anyone else will want to build a Rat this way & I only plan on making one. Just a standard Rat, built on 0.15″ vero and I’ve prioritised looks of build practicality (or at least what I think looks good anyway). I have built … Read more
Bit of a random post from me, as it’s been awhile – but I thought it might be interesting for some. So back in the day I used to work as a Sound Engineer, and one of the first things I remember learning about was Fletcher-Munson curves (now superseded), also known as equal-loudness curves. … Read more
Ok, so perhaps this wasn’t the sanest idea that I’ve ever had, but I do like Jonny Reckless Compressors and discrete circuits, so I had to give this a try. I do realise that I will probably be the only person foolish enough to undertake this on vero, but I’m perfectly OK with this. … Read more
While I was working on another fuzz face layout (the Sonus Jimi Mod 1968), I thought I might do a quick adaptation for the Vox Tone Bender, as there was room for the additional resistor. Quite fond of the Vox, so I’ll probably build this once I’ve finished my current project. Usually I like to … Read more
A request from Mikko, who had very kindly done all of the tracing work – very nice job by the way, and photos below. It’s a Fuzz Face from Sonus using NKT MT57 germanium transistors, with an external bias pot and a couple of different component values (Jimi mods) – 2k fuzz pot and … Read more
Someone mentioned this in the comments recently (thank you ClassicFuzz), so I thought I’d have a look at the photos on Reverb. The Goldie is a MKI in a MKII enclosure from March 2022, likely to be inspired by this unit found in Germany – which is an absolute train wreck of work. … Read more
So just out, and with all of the suitable hype and controversy expected – the EHX / JHS Lizard Queen. Trace and discussion in progress on FSB – it looks relatively similar to some old DIY designs out there, which is the cause of much of the controversy. Well, not so much what they are based … Read more
I purchased a sheet of phenolic board locally to make some MKI boards, as I didn’t want to pay $25 postage on a $3 board from the USA (postage to Australia is often a killer). I couldn’t find a template anywhere, so I reversed one from a product image online – I did make one … Read more
Just a little one from the Bosstone family. This is said to have been used in MSA Pedal Steel guitars, and it’s basically a slight variation on the Nashville Bosstone circuit. These can be a bit noisy, so really have to watch your wiring and try for quite low gain on Q1. It can … Read more
This is a little unusual – let’s jump straight to the obvious, the giant capacitors. The Union Tube and Transistor Tourbender is their take on a MKII Tonebender using readily available silicon PNP transistors with a negative ground power supply. Basically invert a PNP circuit and then stabilise it with a lot of capacitance. Watch … Read more