Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
I typically buy tag board strips with 18 lugs, usually leaving 6 left over after a few of my recent builds. So, what to do with a small board? Fuzz Face… has to be one of the all-time classics of guitar effects. ARBITER FUZZ FACE – TAG BOARD LAYOUT – PNP GERMANIUM ARBITER FUZZ … Read more
HAMMOND ENCLOSURES – MAXIMUM VERO & TAG BOARD WIDTHS Hammond 1590B Standard vero board Portrait: 21, possibly 22, with a bit of help from a file Hammond 1590N1 (125B) Standard vero board Portrait: 23 Hammond 1590BB Standard vero board Portrait: 33 Landscape: 43 0.15 inch … Read more
I’m sure there are more than a few layouts out there for the Tone Bender MKI on tag board – I’m sure a couple more will not hurt. These are based on the Zonk Machine tag board layout, and I’m planning on adding an extra tag or two to adapt it to a D*A*M FZ-673 and … Read more
This is the Shin-Ei Companion Fuzz’s lesser-known, but earlier incarnation – which is confusingly also called a FY-2. It’s closer to a fuzz face than a fuzzrite, and there’s no notch filter on the output.More info on DIY Stomboxes via this thread. It is said to be quite a monster fuzz… SHIN-EI FY-2 GERMANIUM FUZZ – … Read more
Given I listed the RG Keen method, I thought I should add the Small Bear method as well. It’s a simpler test that some people prefer, and it’s generally considered not as accurate as the RG Keen method but close enough for most purposes. NOTE: Be prepared to see the voltage fluctuate a lot while the transistor stabilises. … Read more
I discovered this nifty little hack today, maybe you already know about it, but it’s new to me. After improving my germanium transistor test kit yesterday, I thought I should also upgrade some dodgy leads I’ve been using with my breadboard. I sometimes start building on vero, then solder wires on temporarily to test … Read more
If you haven’t heard of this before (which seems unlikely), here’s the original RG Keen article, which explains how it works. I use a spreadsheet set up with the calculations ready to go for testing; there’s also an online calculator here. NOTE: Be prepared to see the voltage fluctuate a lot while the transistor stabilises. Don’t wait too long though, … Read more
Thought I might share a tool that I’ve found very useful, which is not well known – Visual Analyser is a free PC-based oscilloscope / spectrum analyser / signal generator. http://www.sillanumsoft.org/prod01.htm It’s great for fault-finding the signal path or testing transistors for your effects. example: If two transistors both look identical on the scope and spectrum analyser, … Read more
I picked up one of these little testers off eBay for AUD$25 recently, and it arrived yesterday – my first impression is that it’s pretty good for the price. Previously I have been using the RG Keen method for testing germanium transistors, using a little test circuit from Guitar FX Layouts and a multimeter. There’s … Read more
A very close relative of the Conrad Buzz Box, the UMI Buzz Tone. Same same but with a contour control on the output. UMI BUZZ TONE – VERO LAYOUT