Tube Booster (more pics)

More pics of the Tube Booster. (now sold).

Varitone pedal

Custom order for Steve, a 'varitone' pedal.  The control is a 6 position rotary switch, each position introduces a capacitor into the circuit (and an inductor) which shapes the tone.  These are usually built into electric guitars, this is a good solution if you don't want to mess up your treasured guitar or just want to use the varitone with different guitars.  The pedal is passive but a battery is used to power the red l.e.d.

Tube Booster

Another Tube pedal based on the Valvecaster, this time using a Brimar 12au7 Tube.  This is just the modded circuit on its own with Volume and Drive controls.  Runs at 12v and has a built in voltage regulator so it can be used with any old unregulated 12v power adaptor.  Also features a red l.e.d. 'on' indicator, and Mullard tropical fish input capacitor for added mojo ; )    Has a warm sound which can be driven into mild distortion. Listen here.

Kay Tremolo clone

A Kay tremolo clone with lpb booster circuit added.  Custom job for Phil. Listen here.

Tube Overdrive

Tube overdrive based on the Valvecaster circuit, using a Mullard ECC82 Tube.  I tweaked the original circuit a bit (slightly different component values, no tone control), and added a silicon booster circuit before the Tube Booster.  You have control over the volume of the Si booster, then control over the drive and volume of the Tube booster.  Turn the Si booster right up with the Tube booster low and the pedal starts to get very fuzzy indeed!  Back off the Si booster and turn up the Tube booster for more of the warm Tube sound and less distortion. Runs off a regulated 9v power supply only.  Soundclip soon ; )

Home of Metal

Great new project from Capsule.  "Home of Metal is a brand new project aimed at creating the first digital archive of metal music, memorabilia and fans stories, to tell the story of this unique moment of Midlands’ musical heritage. Launching at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Saturday 25 October, 10am - 4.30pm, the project coincides with the 40th anniversary of when the term ‘heavy metal’ was coined by music journalist Lester Bangs when describing Black Sabbath."

Fender Bender

A 'weird sound generator' built into a Fender guitar by danwagoner! more pics here.

Booger Red

Matt from Booger Red recently bought a Fuzz Face with Mayer/Hendrix mods, input bias mod, and ac-128 transistors.  Check out their music if you like 60s Psychedelia influenced music. Matt also played guitar recently with Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki from Can!  I think Matt is the chap on the right of the picture.

circuits

I haven't done a lot of circuit bending the last 2 weeks, been doing pedal orders and circuits ready for wiring up.  Pictured from left to right - 2 Buzzarounds, 2 'mojo' Fuzz Faces, 1 'normal' Fuzz no Wah, and 1 'mojo' Fuzz no Wah.  The mojo circuits have Mullard tropical fish capacitors!

Omnia Opera, Betty and the Id, Windscale gig

Midlands-based plasma rock band Omnia Opera will be performing their first gig in Birmingham in over 15 years on Saturday 18th October 2008.

Following succesful performances at Hawkfest 2007 & 2008 (and with an upcoming support slot for Hawkwind in Wolverhampton on December 10th), Eastern Haze & Sonicworld festivals, as well as other select gigs in the UK, this is a rare chance to see a legendary energetic and out-there performance from one of the countries longest established and most enigmatic psychedelic rock bands.

Taking place in the suberb Green Street Warehouse venue, the night’s entertainment will consist of three live bands, Omnia Opera, Betty & the Id and Windscale, and promises to be “a demented mashup of plasma rock, psychedelia, post rock, prog, electronica and acid”.

Plus Dj’s - Sir Real, Papa Zit, Jajouka, DJ Ronco K-Tel

Visual stimulation and lighting installations will be courtesy of the mighty Catweasel.

Sat 18th October 2008 / 8:00 pm til very late / £7 (£5 confessions)
Green Street Warehouse, 22, Green Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B12 0NE

Windscale - Timeslip video

Video for Timeslip by Pascal Labrouillère.  Filmed on a Fisher Price pixelvision camera!

Fuzz Face innards with bias pots and mullard capacitor

Latest classic Fuzz Face board with socketed ac-128 transistors, preset pots instead of the 33k and 8k2 resistors for biasing the transistors, 1k resistor instead of the usual 330r-470r, and mullard 0.01uf output capacitor.

Interesting Ebay 8

A 1969 original Silicon Fuzz Face, some great shots of the innards here.  Over a grand? hmmm ; )

Fuzz no Wah vero layout

The layout for the Fuzz no Wah, make your own if you want ; )

Fuzz no Wah!

I found a schematic for just the Fuzz section of a Colorsound Fuzz/Wah pedal, created a vero layout, and breadboarded it.  The finished pedal sounds ace on its own and with Wah Wah.  Here are some sound samples (mic recording with Colorsound Wah-Wah)  -

Just the Fuzz

Wah at start of chain, Fuzz last

Fuzz at start of chain, Wah last

Sam Ash Fuzz

Here is the finished pedal!  Sounds great on rhythm guitar and playing chords, responsive on solos but not loads of sustain, I would class the sound as distortion rather than Fuzz.  Used it tonight for a Windscale rehearsal for rhythm overdrive, very responsive to playing dynamics, I am definitely keeping a Sam Ash in my setup.  Had my huge Burns Buzzaround (photos soon!) plugged in after it for solo work.  Soundclip soon.

100th post! - Sam Ash Fuzz vero layout

Here is the vero layout I made for the Sam Ash Fuzz (also known as the Astrotone).  I have omitted the Tone control and the last resistor is 1k2 instead of 1k8 as that's all I had to hand!  Good sounding Silicon distortion with a diode clipping stage.  I tried a few different Silicon Transistors on the breadboard, with bc109c sounding the best to my ears.  Will post a pic and soundclip of the finished pedal soon.