Serpopard Overdrive (#isaklon)

[Timko]

It's been a while since I've submitted any build reports.  I got pretty frustrated with building after my 3rd mess building DiabloChris' Dualin' Herbees filters (more on that white whale in another post some day).  But earlier this fall, I finished a recap and rebuild of an old Gibson G-105 solid state amp for me as well as an old Sunn Beta Lead for a friend.  Around the same time, another musician friend asked me to build him a Klon.  He's only recently gotten into effects, and found that the effect he liked on his Helix was a Klon patch.  I've built a few Klons, but I either didn't build them correctly or didn't understand them enough to figure out what all the fuss was about.  They were never that dynamic to give me a sound that seemed like unicorn tears.

So this time around, I spent quite a bit of time understanding the circuit, how the components fit in, and what tweaking components would do.  I wanted to build a big pedal, so I got some boards from Tonegeek, which mirror the ones that Ceritone sells in their kits.  I also wanted to use 24mm pots, which proved to be an adventure in sourcing the correct dual gang values.  I opted to pick up some Comos Tacos because they came in the values I was looking for, are well constructed, and just look cool! 

As for mods, I have a few that I added to this build that I think enhanced the overall sound and playability for my own style of playing.
* Audio Taper pot for volume.  This one, after comparing it, really isn't that big of a deal to me.
* Shift resistor network for a little more gain.
* A little more cleans on the clean channel and a little more balance between the clean/dirty channels.
* The common capacitor change to keep the pedal from sounding thin on treble settings.

As for diodes, I had some D9Es I threw in.  I tested a bunch, and I found that after doing these tweaks, I liked a diode with a forward voltage of .3 at 1mA the best.  It gave me the most control with my guitar volume pot and fingerstlye attack.

Artwork, as usual, is an etch by me.  A serpopard is a mythical creature.  It has the body of a leopard and the head and neck of a serpent.  I like the way the pedal turned out with the leopard spot background.  The pink one is mine (man is pink hard to paint and etch), the black one went to my friend, and the green one will be auctioned next month to support local food pantries in the Kansas City metro. 

So here's to hoping that this will renew my interest in building again!  I'm already beginning to toy around with applying some of the topology to the v2 of my Kansas City Prairiemaster boost pedal!  And I'm looking for some new challenges in some more complex builds in 2024!

[jimilee]

Oh man, those look excellent! Duelin Herbies is a tough build. Working the damn thing is even tougher. Don't beat yourself up over that one.


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[jessenator]

Trifecta!

I really like the patterns—very fun. And also very cool to auction one off for charity. I'm surprised I like the green + oxblood knobs—oxblood is a hard color to sell me on. Gotta say my favorite is the pink one. Excellent choice for the one to keep for youself

Long before I joined the forum (12 or so years ago), a friend got me into building. I think I jumped in too far, too fast, and burned myself out. Sometimes we all need a break. Glad you came back. Been too quiet around here lately.

[jimilee]

Trifecta!

I really like the patterns—very fun. And also very cool to auction one off for charity. I'm surprised I like the green + oxblood knobs—oxblood is a hard color to sell me on. Gotta say my favorite is the pink one. Excellent choice for the one to keep for youself

Long before I joined the forum (12 or so years ago), a friend got me into building. I think I jumped in too far, too fast, and burned myself out. Sometimes we all need a break. Glad you came back. Been too quiet around here lately.

It happens to the best of us. I went through a time when I did t build for like at least a year.


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[Bio77]

Those look great!  Congrats! 

[Timko]

Thanks all!  I've been spending quite a bit of time delving down the world of 70s and and 80s solid state amp repair.  No one in the KCMO works on them, and everyone here seems to wreck them.  Including me .  But it was really fun to get back into building again, and I'm really excited to auction off a pedal for this charity for the 5th year in a row.

[Timko]

Oh man, those look excellent! Duelin Herbies is a tough build. Working the damn thing is even tougher. Don't beat yourself up over that one.


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And of course the Herbies build I just finished doesn't work either.  Chris sent me his personal build that I've swapped out ICs and LDRs for, and for the life of me I still can't figure out what's not working.

[jimilee]

That's a huge build for sure. Check for solder bridges, reflow, check your voltages,  values and polarities. You may not want to keep trying same day, it will make you want to throw it across the room.


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