Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Just a little reference to Soviet-era transistor pinouts. SOVIET TRANSISTOR PINOUTS note: in addition to potentially different pinouts, some Soviet-era transistors can have the case connected to the base – which is not good if it touches anything else. The dot on the case usually marks the emitter, not the collector as often found on European … Read more
This is the Rene Schmitz version of the MS-20 Filter, which is used in the later models. I didn’t include the CV control inputs, as I have no plans on using CV. KORG MS-20 FILTER – VERO LAYOUT KORG MS-20 FILTER – BUILD REPORT This is a very particular sound, and while it doesn’t have a lot … Read more
I just found an old, nearly finished layout for the Frantone Lo-Tone Classic Fuzz in my files, so I thought now is as good a time as any to finish it. After the D*A*M Sonic Titan, I thought I would see what else has an LM386, and this popped up. Kind of unusual with the incredibly low input impedance … Read more
This is as close as I could get to the original layout for the D*A*M Sonic Titan. It’s pretty much a JFET smashing the LM386 with level, but in the nicest possible way. I’ve read a 10k level pot can brighten things up a little. Apparently, this was on some of the earlier versions. There’s … Read more
Transistor datasheets from Mullard for; Germanium: OC44, OC45, OC70, OC71, OC72, OC74, OC75, OC78, OC81 and OC81D Germanium: AC126, AC127, AC128, AC176, AC187, AC188 Silicon: BC107, BC108, BC109, BC186, BC187 MULLARD DATA BOOK 1965 – 66 MULLARD DATA BOOK 1974 – 75
All the details are listed in the previous post – this is a 0.15″ version of the yellow Colorsound Hybrid Tone Bender. I did the previous layout on standard size vero, and after using 0.15″ vero and tag board on a lot of builds recently, it just seems very tiny now, so I did … Read more
Such a lengthy heading… I’ve been waiting to find out what was going on with this one, and it has recently been traced on the Pedal PCB forum. There’s also a great back story here, with some info on the Zener diode. The schematic can also be found via the Pedal PCB link above. … Read more
Now I didn’t go as far as measuring and matching gain and leakage (as much as possible), but here’s a comparison of a few Q3 transistors for a Tone Bender MKIII – all the same setting, just swapping Q3 on the breadboard. Why? I saw someone on Facebook poking fun at an eBay seller in Thailand over what … Read more
The Buzzaround’s Italian cousin – the Elka Dizzy Tone. Extremely similar, some are seen with a 1M Attack pot. This layout is based on the D*A*M Fuzz Sound MKIII layout. ELKA DIZZY TONE – 0.15″ VERO LAYOUT VIDEO DEMO
After spending a fair bit of time playing with fuzz, I realised I have never tried a Roger Mayer Axis Fuzz. So long overdue. I may have pins 1 & 3 the wrong way around on the fuzz control (reminder for me). ROGER MAYER AXIS FUZZ – VERO LAYOUT