Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
The Earthquaker Devices Speaker Cranker is based on the Electra Distortion. I believe the 1N60 diodes are not germanium, they’re schottky diodes. Germanium will probably reduce the output level significantly. Like most pedals, experimenting with different diodes is worth a try, and I have seen a schematic with a 100nf output capacitor, and a B10K … Read more
This is a bare-bones Roland BeeBaa. I built the full version and found that all I really used was the scooped fuzz sound – so this is just that. Nothing but unadulterated vintage Japanese fuzz…. I think this works best with low-gain transistors. I made a version using weird KT315 Soviet BCE transistors, and it sounds mean. … Read more
This diode compressor is by Jonny Reckless on DIY Stompboxes. An original design of his – it’s a really cool sounding compressor, I like it a lot. You can definitely hear it working, this is not one of those compressors that you aren’t sure if it’s on or not – great for clean sounds on a strat. He … Read more
Apart from sounding cool, the main claim to fame for the WEM Project V is that it was used by Brian Eno. It’s a little known but quite amazing sounding guitar effect from the late sixties / early seventies. WEM PROJECT V DESIGN It’s really quite different to the usual suspects in terms of circuit design … Read more
I think this is my favourite Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. I built this using vintage 2N3565 glob top resistors and opted for some large vintage ceramic capacitors where possible (mainly for looks). Sounds great – the lower gain vintage transistors do change the tone and feel to some degree. Of course it still sounds like a Big … Read more
Pete Cornish’s excellent take on the MXR Distortion + the Pete Cornish SS-3 Soft Sustain. I used a vintage tin can IC in the first gain stage, and while it added a bit of noise, it certainly added some grit and character. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a standard single op-amp – potentially better, depending on … Read more
Check out the tracing log on for the Pete Cornish OC-1 on Aion Electronics – they did an amazing job on this. Given the size of this layout, it’s well worth considering purchasing a board from them. It’s Pete’s own design, not a re-work of another classic. Link to Aion FX tracing log PETE CORNISH … Read more
The Matsumin Valve Caster is a very underrated little circuit, with almost no decent demos online. The only demos I could find either sounded kind of terrible, which is nothing like my build, or they are attempting high gain sounds, which is something this just doesn’t do. The Matsumin Valve Caster works best as a clean boost, … Read more
One of my favourites – the Foxx Tone Machine. I’ve posted a couple of layouts, one stock, the other is the Aion FX Vulcan. The Aion FX mods make the Foxx even better – I prefer it with the mid switch mod. The mid switch mod really gives this circuit a lot more range. … Read more
My all time favourite JFET overdrive, the Fairfield Circuitry Barbershop. The Fairfield Barbershop has a really wide range of useful tones. From clean right through to heavy drive bordering on fuzz. Nice easy build too, as it’s not complicated. I also included a layout for what I imagine is the Barbershop Millenium edition (the one … Read more