Stegosaurus — Dual Gain Stage

[Aleph Null]

Two simple circuits, each with a single transistor: a SHO on the "Thagomizer" side and an Electra distortion on the "Scutes" side, plus an order switch. Each circuit features a single bias control. These circuits sound surprisingly good given how simple they are.



I used 1N34A clipping diodes in the Electra, so there is a fair amount of boost on tap as well. Maybe not great into a clean amp, but it suites my needs.



Were I to build again, I'd probably make both circuits on one board to clean up the ground and power connections.



I used a waterslide over a bare enclosure to get a silk-screen-esque look.

[Tremster]

Beautiful!
The artwork and the wiring, fantastic!

[jubal81]

Great project. Looks spectacular inside and out.

[Boba7]

WOW  that's stunning, really.

[cajone5]

Cleean inside and out. 

[Rockhorst]

How do you like the switch spacing? Does it work out well?

[m-Kresol]

impressive work. I really like the graphics and how the stegosaurus is exactly as wide as the enclosure, and also the colour scheme and choice

[alanp]

That is really neat Don't change a thing!

[HamSandwich]

To quote Owen Wilson - "wow!"

[rockola]

Great graphic design, neat work inside and out. How about a sound sample?

[blearyeyes]

That turned out really nice. I just noticed, looks like green LEDs to match.

[mjg]

 That waterslide is amazing, I thought it was a professionally printed enclosure.  Nice work all round. 

[mrclean77]

I love the decal idea and think you nailed what you were going for there. Two cool circuits housed together and a clean build, for sure. They do sound great to be so itty-bitty. The Electra kinda made me scratch my head for a long time, having only seen it: "Why has everybody done a version of this puny-looking circuit?". Built one and it didn't take long to get my answer.

[Aleph Null]

How do you like the switch spacing? Does it work out well?

I was nervous the first time I did dual switches in a 125B. In reality the switch spacing is comparable to two 1590As side by side—especially if you use pancake-style connectors on your patch cables—maybe a few millimeters closer than that. That seems like a big deal when drilling, but my foot doesn't seem to notice.  I've had good luck as long as I'm careful what I place it next to on the pedal board.

That waterslide is amazing, I thought it was a professionally printed enclosure.  Nice work all round. 

Thanks! The trick is to use Mod Podge (I like the Hard Coat stuff) with a little bit of water under the decal, then add a few more coats before doing a proper clear coat (I used Krylon acrylic). The Mod Podge increases the placement time and greatly reduces issues with silvering. Plus it builds up more, so you can hide decal edges pretty easily. Even when they fold over... You have to sand and then clear coat to get a gloss finish, but it's so much more forgiving this way!

That turned out really nice. I just noticed, looks like green LEDs to match.

The LEDs are the pre-wired ones from BLMS. They have a nice sturdy bezel and were easy to install. I did end up adding an additional resistor because, without it, they are as bright as a dying star.