Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
I’d never heard of these until this morning – and I could not believe the second-hand prices of the original… especially considering the new price of a hand-made pedal from the builder. It’s kind of a Timmy x boutique Tubescreamer type thing – can find the schematic here. Dual tin can opamp is required – … Read more
One of my projects – just a MKII layout built to suit a particular enclosure and layout style that I’ve been working with lately. The board is just the right size for this enclosure. Most of the assembly is done on a wiring jig first, before transferring it into the enclosure – would be a … Read more
I’m surprised I had not covered this one before, but I suppose it is a MKI, so it should feel fairly familiar. There seem to have been a few different iterations — essentially just different flavours of the MKI, so keep that in mind when choosing transistors and biasing the circuit. Some versions also used … Read more
So this looks like one of the D*A*M one-offs from back in the day – a MKI style fuzz, using a variation on a Zonk layout. There are some departures from stock values, some of which are not entirely clear. Here’s the thread from an old FSB post. Here’s the thread on the D*A*M forum. … Read more
Quick Zonk Machine layout to suit an enclosure that I just picked up from MW Pedal Parts – pretty much one row difference in terms of where the mounting holes are drilled compared to old layout that I have been using, and I decided to move a couple of components around while I was at … Read more
So by this stage, I think we can all assume that I’ll be the only one making this. I have a bunch of tin can LM741 opamps that I forgot about, so I thought why not… DOD 250 / DISTORTION + LAYOUT
This is probably where it all started in terms of opamp-driven distortion – in one side of 741 opamp, out the other with some hard clippers. DOD 250 / MXR DISTORTION + SCHEMATIC Direct link to Google Doc 741 SPECS Numbers vary slightly by manufacturer and grade, but these headline specs are what give the … Read more
From the General Electric semiconductor handbook, 1971
Not that anyone is likely to, but please don’t rush out to build this – it’s a concept that should work, but I have not tested it yet. Might need some fine-tuning. It’s a combination of the AMZ pickup simulator and a Pete Cornish buffer – so basically a fuzz buffer to drop in front … Read more
I’m jotting down some notes for myself, because I don’t expect anyone else to use this layout. It’s a little impractical in parts, but I had some spare board this size, and a pair of transistors that I liked on the breadboard that needed a home. It’s a progression on this somewhat more practical layout. … Read more