Messages

Welcoming to the ever-expanding number of pedals in my arsenal: the Distortion 3 (squared - cause there's 2). Thank you [mention]Bret608 [/mention] for the suggestion.

I really dig this pedal and the possibilities within it - pretty sure this is my first 6 knob circuit in a 1590B, so that was certainly an adventure, but it's all board mounted and not hard at all. I had a lot of the parts on-hand, and had to order only a few - I had to parallel some caps, too, but it's works. You can't see the pots, which I fake-board mounted using lug pots with twisted leads to get everything in line and otherwise used standard 9mm pots cause I had em. I also socketed the 1n34a diodes so I could play a bit - one of these will keep it stock, the other gets D9Vs. It all worked out!

The VFE board was interesting - the pads were slightly smaller than I'm used to and sort of sunken a bit, so I was always paranoid I didn't get great solder contact. While I was originally thinking I'd just go the route of a 3pdt, I decided to go all-in with the switching board, which is certainly cool and definitely silent in the signal, but it was more effort than a standard 3pdt for me. Wiring it to the main board was pretty easy, though, and I like the trimpot for the LED to dial that in perfect. (I think the LED is too close to the knob if you use a bezel, so for future ones I might move that down a little at the expense of not being right above the pads on the board).

With any pedal I've ever made I try to make them look like toys, so I like a colorful, simple enclosure and Davies knobs - I can always figure out what knobs do what later. I miss Mammoth if for no other reason than they had the best powder-coated enclosure colors just ready to go. For one of these, I sprayed a bare enclosure the seafoam green color as best I could (and with really good paint, but we'll see how long it lasts, hehe), and the other is plain white from stomp box parts. The 1510 knobs I had on-hand, and the white ones are modified Davies 1900s I resized, modded the sides to swoop downward and then 3D printed.

Overall, I'm stoked to add it in. It's a cool pedal!

Hey folks - going back a decade or so here and found myself with a self-etched egghead that used the old drill template with the battery (you can see it on the left side in the yellow enclosure - I forgot to take a before pic of the seafoam green one I augmented).

Decided since I don't use batteries and having the switch further from the pedals is better than closer to them, I would modify.

I've done this before where I put a jewel lens where the switch went and moved the switch down - the jewel lens has a weird size nut (9/16-24, and half of the ones I got don't even fit that), but this time I had a 3D printer, so I was able to make the proper nut for this thing finally. I also added a holder for the LED in the bolt. Used a yellow, which you can't see well in any picture, but it does look kinda cool...

You can't see the tiny daughter board with the resistors for the LEDs cause I heat shrunk it up and hid it under the power, but it made it so much easier to work 2 LEDs. It's a little messy still, but I did what I could to keep from fussing things up too much in there - it IS an antique at this point, after all, hehe.

The egghead was my first foray into etching boards myself, which... was a lot. lol. The wired pots, the LED that needs a direct connection (plus resistor) to the 9v, the STEREO jack connected to a battery terminal... brought back memories of excitement at trying something new - and succeeding! BUT... I never loved this pedal til now - it might be cause I swapped to humbuckers in my guitars and it finally plays nice with everything. Either way; I'm glad to have it up and working again - even if it is a little messy inside still.

Alright here's the alignment "fork" part.

Tried to make it as condensed as possible for really narrow control spacing.

You cannot view this attachment.
You cannot view this attachment.

It should also be large enough to accommodate 22mm knobs

Still thinking about the block portion whether to have a screw anchor or whatever.

Ooooh, looks great! Yea, a bolt and block would be good. One side angled slightly for enclosures with an angle (I think they're usually the same angle?), and one side straight otherwise. I just made a 9/16-24 nut for a rehouse project I'll post about in the builds thread, but I looked up how to use Blender and this bolts plugin they have - it was pretty easy to follow and make something once I knew the conversions (of course, my 'bolt', which was an amp LED jewel housing, was ever so slightly TOO big, but I was able to get it after a few tries). Even modded it to hold the LED in place. Yea!

Could be easy enough to make a block that way maybe?

I guess my question, as someone that barely knows how clipping diodes work, is: will I ruin a part around these diodes if I tinker, or is there a range of forward voltages that I should be staying within to ensure the 914s remain intact and I don't blow out the ic ?

Tinker away, you can't hurt an IC by swapping out passive parts.

FYI, LEDs have a very high forward voltage (~1 to 3 V) compared to silicon (~0.6 V) and Ge (~0.3 V).  In a feedback loop, LEDs give you more gain; in clipping to ground, LEDs will give you less clipping and more output volume. 

This is exactly what I found to be the case! Tried out a few iterations this morning - the DV9 edged out the 1n34a, but I liked the BAT41 and the LED was ... I don't know, crunchier? less controlled? Wasn't great, but in actuality they were all in the same buffet. I was able to get a bit more clarity from the DV9 than the others given my amp, so that's the winner here - but if I ever get my hands on some D9x variations, 1n60p or 1n4678's, I'll definitely tinker further...

Thanks for the help, folks! Now to print all those knobs I need for these pedals...

Looked at the Dist 3 schematic, and if you've got the means I'd breadboard it test out what you'd like.

I've tried red LEDs in a tube screamer (landgraff), OD-1 (YATS' father), and a honey bee, but those are soft clipping scenarios. Scratching my head where I've done it in hard clipping configs. Maybe I tried it in a D+/250? Definitely didn't like them in a klone. Kind of strange that I've never tried them in a Rat!

It's one of the mods on a slow loris - I forget which one, but it allows to toggle select between the stock rat 914s and some LEDs. LEDs are louder and meaner for sure (I almost can't use the rat without them, otherwise I can never match my flat signal).

I just tried the DV9s - I might prefer them! Added a bit more clarity and range when I was playing with the levels and knobs (but I am on a jtm45, so they might just not be as bassy as the 1n34a, which makes them a bit better for my instance). Will try some others for sure.

Already built the pedals, so don't have enough parts left to breadboard em - but I did socket those diodes out so I can swap to my hearts content. Gonna leave one pedal stock for comparison.

I guess my question, as someone that barely knows how clipping diodes work, is: will I ruin a part around these diodes if I tinker, or is there a range of forward voltages that I should be staying within to ensure the 914s remain intact and I don't blow out the ic ?

Thanks [mention]jessenator [/mention] and [mention]mauman [/mention] - that's very helpful!

What about LEDs? I know I like those a lot in the RAT... think they'd play nice?

Hi folks!

Wondering if there's a sub for the 1n34a that I could use in the distortion 3 - not because they're not working, but just ... because! I think it's fun and novel to experiment with different parts in the hope of new sounds (kinda like swapping tubes in an amp for a different sound/feel).

I have a bunch of leftover diodes from a 8-rotary RAT I made a couple years back, so didn't know if one or more would work - what I don't know is whether they will play nice with the 914s, as this circuit tends to mix them (so far as I can tell) with the "soft" pot.

would love some insight; things you've tried, or things you've experience swapping clipping diodes (my in-stock list is below). Thank you in advance, as always!

My varied diodes:

1n5817
BAT41
D9V

I also have some 2n7000, 2n5457, BC108 and BC109 I could always throw in there if I can figure out how to connect 3 leads to 2 sockets. ;-) hehe.

would love to print one of those potentiometer/knob guages to tighten the knobs in their proper place, but can't find any plans for that

I've been thinking about this one, actually. Alpha's datasheet says 300* total rotation area, so it shouldn't be hard to make that work. I'll take a crack at it this week.

if there's a non-Fusion program you're using for modeling, I'd love to hear about it

I have the least engineering-est way I do models. If needed I'll use Illustrator for precise drawings/details, and then I import the EPS into Maya (it's what I learned on 20 years ago).

I've done other non-music parts, in fact I need to print one again: this shower head bracket snapped pretty cleanly, so I was able to caliper measure it accurately.

As far as enclosures, I've done them, but I think they're more valuable as building platforms/templates than final housings. Injection molded ABS is about as sturdy as it gets with plastics. Never had good luck with PLA or PETG enclosures. And RF blocking is a serious issue as well: put a Cornish in one and it just screamed until I lined the inside with alumin(i)um foil.

Ooooh - If you make one of those knob tools (giggity), I'd love the stl file. I was looking into it, but some pots say 270 degrees and others say 300, and then I got distracted and never looked at the data sheets... still tho! Would love it!

Still trying to think about what else this thing could help me make in the music area - cord management, pedalboard accessories... if anyone's seen something or done it, let me know while this printer is still an exciting novelty to me! Hehe...

Very cool! That modified knob looks very nice. What will your final material be?

I've done a few things, must not as successful as your knob 😅 did a decent drill guide, but took a couple tries. Also did some socket tools, but the PLA has softened and the 1/2"/foot switch socket is a bit dented. Not sure PETG will fair better, but haven't really gotten the ol Ender 3 out in a while. Might save the higher temps for winter!

Final material will probably be PLA of some kind that's a little less matte - the PETG I have is pretty matte (of course, I just looked at the PLA cream color I got for these knobs and it's PLA matte LOL - maybe I can clear coat em). For knobs I don't think they'll be as affected by UV or heat, which is what typically causes the warping/discoloration (so I'm told). PETG so far has been okay, but I can tell it's a bit more "touchy" in the printer, even with a filament dryer going. I got it for some HVAC vents in our condo, but did the knob quick with it cause it already loaded in the printer.

I have a small one (Bambu a1 mini) - but I'm hoping to make pickguard forms (I'll have to find creative ways of interlocking several pieces together), some pickup covers (I like what Novak does with his JM pickups, which I'll keep buying from him, but I have some ideas for ones he doesn't make), and little bits and bobs like a clip for a whammy on a mustang bridge or a custom telecaster plate.

would love to print one of those potentiometer/knob guages to tighten the knobs in their proper place, but can't find any plans for that. I've seen plans online for stompboxes, but I fear the foot of heaviness - I'd want a LOT of cross bracing under the hood for that to happen, and even then I'd fear warping or something weird.

If there's a non-Fusion program you're using for modeling, I'd love to hear about it - the internet is full of contradictions for which one to use, hehe...

I just got a distortion 3 board at the suggestion of another board member (thank you [mention]Bret608 [/mention] !) and had a TON of non-knurled 9mm pots.

I also got a 3D printer last weekend, so of course I said "I bet I could modify a Davies 1900 to better fit alongside these 1510s..." and so I did. By my preliminary tests on a blank board not in an enclosure, it looks like they'll work great.

With the side cutouts and the leftover 1900 tapered ridges, they fit well and seemingly will be easy to maneuver alongside the 1510s, which they won't be visually too "off" next to. Anyway, attached is the initial successful print - future ones will be in proper materials...

Gets me wondering: anyone here make cool stuff with their 3D printers?

Another option to consider is to have the input circuit of your JTM45 modded slightly. If Marshall followed the typical schematic, then V1 shares a huge 250uf cathode capacitor. You could get a lot more options out of the amp by having the two halves of V1 use different values. One could be voiced for a "lead" channel with a much smaller cathode cap (around 1uf). This will greatly tighten up the sound on that channel. The other channel can be "standard" with a 22uf cap.
I don't understand the huge cathode caps that are placed on preamp tubes. It's been proven many times with reputable measurements that you really gain nothing by going over 25uf. Some of the most revered tube amp designers typically never went over 10uf on their bypass caps.

Nice!

I'll look up what's in there - the amp was a mojotone kit I built like 12 or 13 years ago and, out of fear of the voltage running through it once turning it on for the first time, I brought to a tech at my local place (who now runs Carstons amps, I think) and he modded some stuff after I built it to spec, including the KT66s or 77s or whatever and a resistor value for sure - but I forget what else and he obviously went onto bigger and better things so I can't really ask him and expect him to recall or have a record of it. It'll need new tubes soon enough, so perhaps a tech could look into it then...

The dim-bulb test, while successful, and subsequent (and super manly) run across the room for fear of explosion after that first switch-on told me that I was not cut out for amp building or repair, hehe... Though the tech did commend the build as very clean and solid compared to most kit amps that he'd seen come through, so I'll take it!

Apologies if this has been answered, as I did some sleuthing around the internet and this board before posting, but looking at the VFE docs for a distortion 3 and wondering...

I can see the trimmer is used for the LED, but outside of that is there a reason one couldn't use a standard 3pdt for some of the VFE builds? Perhaps some power filtering is in there that I'm not considering...

Someone on the forum recommended a distortion 3, which I have on order now - was maybe going to rehouse it into an older enclosure so space is a consideration, but looking at the docs, it's not a split rail requirement or seemingly anything requiring the switching board explicitly, so thought it worth at least asking...

Appreciation in advance! thank you!

Thanks, everyone! I forgot to turn on notifications for this post, so I'm a little late to my own party, but this is great info!

I would suggest two things.  First, start with one guitar straight into one amp, and set the knobs in a way that sounds good to you.

Then add one pedal, and work with the settings on the pedal without changing either your guitar or amp.  If you can find settings that you like, mark them on the pedal or write them down.  If you can't, set the pedal aside and move on.

Put another pedal alone between your guitar and amp.  Same process.  Find the sweet settings, or set it aside.  Continue until you've tried all your pedals, one at a time.

Solid strategy - it's what I've been doing more or less (starting out clean, then adding as I go, mixing/matching/changing order) but maybe a bit less scientific and more chaos. Will streamline the method for sure...

Some fuzz circuits (mostly two and three transistor fuzzes) don't like having anything but first dibs on the guitar, so manage impedance accordingly.

This might be more where my thinking was at when I made this post - Everyone's ear is so different, but it seems like some of these pedals just don't play nicely together at a scientific level. To give a little salt and pepper for where my knowledge was at, I used the green bean as a subtle overdrive into a RAT not knowing that one could just crank the volume all the way and get a pretty respectable distortion from the green bean (e.g., crank the pedal and the tube screamer will make the tubes... scream! Novel concept! Lol). Somehow I always thought this would be detrimental to the amp to crank pedal volume, and maybe it is, but if that's how some of them are supposed to work - I dunno.

I think the Mauman strategy continues, but would love any information on how something like the above works and affects amps, and if there are other "this type of pedal likes to be first, this one last," sort of info if y'all have it!

They're going into a JTM 45 that is so bass-y,

There is the problem. As is well-known, the JTM 45 is basically a Fender Bassman circuit that was originally designed for bass guitar and at a time when guitar pedals pretty much didn't exist.

If you're worried people will get all weird about you using a cheap Marshall...

This is all true - I'm even running KT66s (or 77s or whichever KTXX fits in there), which have that extra headroom and bottom. Will probably move back to the EL34s at some point when it's time to swap out the set just to see if that might help me out, but I can get GREAT clean sounds from this amp, so I still have some hope here!

Good info about the solid state Marshall, though - I'm definitely not particular about solid state vs. tube - In fact, almost got an Orange solid state combo amp that sounded SO good with any guitar I put through it (I forget the model, of course), but ultimately just stuck with the JTM. I liked enough bands that I saw using one (or a similar clone iteration). I do sometimes wonder if this exercise would have been easier with a JCM800 or the aforementioned Orange combo, but I wanted to try something different, so... Winning? (Or at least learning a lesson, lol.)

honestly back in the day I would just look at pedal setups of bands I liked when I went to their shows, then I'd try it with my gear to see if their approaches worked with my amp, guitar, etc.

The OP mentioned Bob Mould, also a big influence on how I play and sound. I love that sound that straddles the line between OD and fuzz. I would highly recommend building the VFE Distortion 3 available here at MBP. I can get that Distortion + or 250-type sounds, but actually make it work with more different guitars and amps than would otherwise be possible. Bob uses a compressor at the end of his chain to smooth things out, but with the Distortion 3, that is hardly necessary due to the interaction of the fat and filter controls.

Definitely keep trying to find pedal chain setups, and almost always look when I'm at shows. The VFE distortion 3 looks interesting and your description sounds like where I want to land. I think I even have most, if not all, of those parts - even some TQ2-l-5V switches! Having never built a VFE project before, it makes enough sense that it straddles between DIY and mass production - I don't have any enclosures, but could always test out the 3D printed enclosures I keep threatening myself to make, lol. I'll look this up!

Thank you all for your time and thoughts - will definitely keep plugging away and will check out some of the suggestions above. Always appreciate this community's willingness to share their info and experiences! :-)

Hi all!

I am... struggling a touch. Hoping y'all can provide some insight and maybe a direction that works for me.

I have probably 20 madbean builds laying around (some are doubles). I love the way they sound and work, and have even tested them up against their, uhhh... official relatives. ;-) and always find they're the real deal.

Sonically, I always fall in love with fuzz bands - stoner metal, pumpkins, the actual band Fuzz - but I play and write with more open chords and picking than fuzz pedals typically play nice with - bob mould, hey Mercedes, japandroids.

I hear bands like Open Hand or Lo-Pan that are able to find that good sweet spot between sort of a fuzz and distortion that allows for a good powerchord chug AND an open chord with some articulation without sounding too metal or sizzle-y.

I've got a greenbean (tube screamer), several mudbunny iterations (big muffs), slow loris (rat), egghead (Clark gainster), cherry bomb (coloursound overdriver) - as well as a simple clean boost and a 6 band EQ. They're going into a JTM 45 that is so bass-y, I usually just run my bridge pickup into it. (I also have a zombii (fuzz factory) from way back, but I've never been able to figure that thing out fully). Pickups are usually Novak or lollar jazzmaster humbuckers.

The tubescreamer can get me halfway there, but once I crank it up it's not playing nice with the other pedals - the rat is awesome, but extremely sizzle-y and cuts bass. The egghead is great for a low-key overdrive tone when I need it - the big muff is... well, it's a big muff and perhaps too hard to tame.

I don't know - anything anyone's got will help - all part of the process I guess. Perhaps I'm missing something that tames some of the myriad nuances - filters, compression? I dunno... any help is appreciated. :-) Thanks in advance!

I thought for the longest time that I would hate them, but I got a souldier strap for Xmas one year and then just bought one for each of my guitars - it's car seatbelt material that's embellished a bit - really smooth, hasn't frayed on me, and it's nice and long. Could never deal with a pad cause it would bunch up my clothes, leather straps did the same thing, and the traditional cheap and rough nylon of many other brands wasn't cutting it. It's definitely a preference, but the souldier material is great and smooth.