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Hi, I'd like to implement a volume trim mod on a Pork Barrel similar to what "Morgan" describes here: http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=25833. The BYOC's R21 is referenced; comparing the schematics, it looks like the corresponding Pork Barrel resistor is R10. Am I right? I do see a difference between pins 6 & 7 of the 4558 in the value of one cap: it's 220p on the BYOC and 100p on the Pork Barrel. Any cause for concern there in doing this mod? Thanks.

That works. Thank you. 

Thanks Midway! VERY helpful. Unfortunately, the schem isn't showing up in either Chrome or IE for me... 

Yeah, you're right Jacob... I was hoping to get a better idea of what the Sparkplug was shooting for before building one, but that may be the only way. So much for being lazy.

Even so, hope springs eternal, so if anyone has built one and has a thought or two, here's your chance. If you do get a chance to do a demo GC, thanks in advance.

I'm surprised no one has responded to this... I can guarantee it's an important question for anyone who has had experience with Barber overdrives like me. I can't find any demos either.  The build doc mentions the Direct Drive & LTD, and Brian's initial post says, "It's probably closest to the Small Fry, although the clipping is totally different." Well, those three pedals are radically different from each other in both type of overdrive and EQ, and the SR version of the LTD (which has the most unique EQ footprint) is the one I personally like best... In addition, the most unique feature of the Small Fry is its Dynamics knob which totally changes the character of that OD, and there's non such adjustment on the Sparkplug.

So what tones are intended here? Anyone?

After thinking about this a bit, I thought I'd flog poor old Bessie with one more question. In an attempt to capture stray DC, especially when power travels over the PCB en route to its destination, is there any downside to wiring ground this way:

1) From DC jack to Road Rage ground point next to +9V input,

2) From Road Rage ground point next to 15V/18V/-9V power outs to effect PCB ground point next to PCB power in, and

3) From a 2nd PCB ground point to the 3PDT switch, eventually connecting to input jack ground.

This seems to be more in the spirit of the Road Rage wiring diagram, and this way I could twist power and ground wires together when they travel in the same direction. I think I'm slowly but surely getting this, but I want to be sure I'm on the right track. Any chance of ground loops or other trouble here?

This one's probably for Brian, although anyone who has tried this build is welcome to chime in. I'm a longtime Barber aficionado. I still have and regularly use the LTD SR w/Mod Board, Small Fry, and Super Sport; I still have but find less use for the Dirty Bomb (though it's a lot of fun); and I've spent time with the original LTD, Custom Cool, and Direct Drive w/Mod Board. In the studio (including just this past week), the Small Fry & LTD SR are most useful for me: the Small Fry for its singing lead tones and the SR for its flat-mids EQ and incredibly sweet overdrive.

So I'm intrigued by the Sparkplug and am wondering, can it do the flat mids of the SR or will mids always be a bit boosted even with the Mids knob fully counterclockwise? And is there any mod that could be done to create the "Dynamics" control of the Small Fry? If not, about where in that Dynamics knob range is the Sparkplug voiced?

Thanks!

Guess I'm always concerned about inadvertently creating a ground loop. I'm thinking the best practice would be to have each component (DC jack, Road Rage, effect PCB) have only one ground connection and then star-ground to the input jack sleeve (or through the 3PDT to the input jack sleeve). Which is why the Road Rage wiring diagram confused me as it shows ground going "through" the Road Rage rather than just out of it, if that makes sense.

Thought I'd report back in case anyone stumbles on this thread. Running my Current Lover at both 9 and 15V, I auditioned the 0.039uF listed in the project as well as 0.082uF and 0.1uF. Strangely (or maybe not so strangely for those more in the know about this circuit), the 0.039uF was the clear winner to my ears. The effect sounded warmer and fuller with more bass but no audible degradation of treble compared to either of the other two. It's the way I had hoped the Current Lover would sound, even when stacked up against my go-to Hartman (which is still a work of art, I must say).

Anyway, it was worth the experiment to satisfy my curiosity, but the 0.039uF stays. Score another one for The Mad One. (And I'm firmly on the "15V is better in this circuit" bandwagon for anyone curious about that.)

I'm experiencing some denseness regarding ground wiring when using a Road Rage for 15V operation. The standard wiring diagram shows ground from the DC jack going straight to the input jack sleeve with one ground connection from the effect PCB to the 3PDT switch (which ultimately winds up at the input jack sleeve as well). I'm good so far. But then the Road Rage diagram comes along and shows DC jack ground going to the Road Rage PCB, and then there's an additional ground connection next to the 15V output that says "ground for all applications." (Plus another ground point for PCB or additional DC jack, but I get that I don't need to use that.)

So here's where I'm confused. Do I connect the ground next to the 15V output to the input jack sleeve, treating the Road Rage and the DC jack as one unit? Do I instead connect that ground to one of the effect PCB ground points? Do I have to connect ground from the DC jack to the Road Rage to begin with as long as all grounds end up at the same place? Or are these methods all interchangeable and it really doesn't matter? 

Pardon my aforementioned denseness, and thank you in advance, oh wise project wizards. 

Yeah, I could be way off, but it's interesting the cap was changed for the first 9V EM version. Before that EMs were regulated down to 12V internally from an 18V supply, so I'm thinking it was done more to address headroom lost when going from 12V down to 9 than anything else... with the downside of thinner, less-bottom-end tone.

And this is one time when less bottom end is not necessarily good.

Nothing, huh? Guess I'm on my own... 

FWIW, going to 0.082uF from 0.1uF in my buddy's circuit was a clearly audible difference to both of us... more true to the bypass signal... but any smaller and there was noticeable bass loss. Maybe part of why the Current Lover demo sounds brighter than I would expect?

If I'm way off on this, please someone correct me so that everyone who builds a Current Lover from here on out doesn't do unnecessary cap-swapping... not everyone is as ridiculously picky or experimental as I am. 

I'm starting a Current Lover build and am wondering, has anyone experimented with alternate Current Lover input caps? The schematic shows 0.039u (39n), which is what both the 1981 9V Mistress and the Tonepad version used, but the pre-1981 Mistresses all used 0.1u which would allow more bass through. I was a guinea pig a couple of years ago for an amazing pedal designer who was working out the kinks in his take on a 9V Mistress; while he was using 0.1u at the time, I felt it sounded too "tubby" compared to the bypass signal, so he swapped it for a 0.082u which is what I believe he's still using (and that's the flanger that's been on my board ever since).

I'm thinking of socketing that spot to experiment on my own, but if someone's already done it, hey, chime in!