Forum Vibe

[gordo]

This project goes back about 8-10 years I think.  In the spirit of everyone finishing up old projects I figure since I wrapped this up over the weekend I'd post it.

Brad Burt (aka Redhouse) posted this on diystompboxes a bazillion years ago and it was a Vibe project that was a culmination of input from a handful of people.  It was an etch only project to my knowledge and had a few variations within the project for some subtle variations.

This was back in a time when I was ambitious enough to etch my own boards and I put it together and it sort of worked but was wonky and went into a "someday" pile and has been there ever since.  A few months ago I dragged it out and thought I really should finish it.  I'd even talked to Bio77 about doing an enclosure for it but in the end it was such a weird size and such a seat-of-the-pants project that I decided just to finish it up with alcohol inks and a decal.

The worst decision on my part was to include a mode switch that is likely something I found in a junk pile from the 1940's.  It's a HUGE 4P3T.  I have no idea why I needed to use it but I did.  I made up a tagboard to assemble the voicing caps so it's capable of being a stock Vibe, a RedHouse vibe, and a Phase 90.  Because of the large switch I needed to stuff it in a 1590J enclosure.

It's damn ugly and I still need to make an 18v board for it, but powered by my Dunlop (capable of feeding it 18v) it sounds absolutely wonderful.  The RedHouse is a bit beefier sounding, the Phase 90 is fairly convincing, but the stock Vibe sounds about as close as I'm likely to get (minus the noise of the original).  In hindsight I should have listened to Bio and just put it in a tall 1590BB and left off the voice switch.

Here it is:



The board can accommodate a bunch of variations so there are a bunch of extra pads.  I've also made up some mounting posts that I'll install once the Road Rage board is installed.



I cleaned up the offboard wiring after this shot and added shielded cable on the input and output.  Nothing too crazy and it's dead quiet.



Even with the long cap leads this thing is quiet.  That rotary must be from a WWII tank or something.



I used a bit of saran wrap and ink on the sides to give it kind of a faux marble look.

[harryklippton]

I think it looks great! I gasped when I scrolled down and finally saw the 4P3T. That's gnarly

[redkurn]

Now that's awesome, I wish I could read a schematic well enough to make my own pcb or even make my own pcb in general.
That switch is a glorious monster, I think it's cool in the pedal and a voice switch is definitely a nice touch.

[TGP39]

This is fantastic Gordo!
~Steve

[fig]

great job! love the Robin Trower plug.

[jjjimi84]

Hell yes! Very nice, I love a nice sound vibe.

[jimilee]

That looks fantastic man, lot of wiring going on there.


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[Bio77]

I think that came out awesome!   

I'm guessing that old switch has a satisfying turn to it compared to the plastic minis?  Oh man, I'm glad I got into this hobby after all the designers switched to board mounted pots.  All that off-board wiring is next level. 

[gordo]

The really whacked part of the build was that I got this "Russian military" wiring (I guess that was a thing a decade ago) that was super thin and easy to work with but the conductors would snap if you so much as looked at it funny.  Right about the time I figured I had it working half the wiring would fall apart.  First order of business was to replace all the offboard stuff.

I love this pedal.

Two of my most influential albums are "Bridge of Sighs" by Robin Trower and Focus's "Hamburger Concerto".  Trower introduced me to the Hendrix I missed and the sound of a strat into a vibe into a Marshall.  That smokey wobbling sound has haunted me ever since.  Focus introduced me to guitar (Jan Akkerman) into a Leslie.  I'd been a Focus freak for years before this album hit and there's Leslie all over it.

To make the BoS story even cooler is the legendary bridge itself.  It was built over a river in Venice, Italy in 1600 and was built between a palace and a prison.  The name coming from taking prisoners thru the opulence of a palace, crossing...literally...the bridge of sighs for your last view of Venice and then spending likely the rest of your days in a prison.  So the chorus of "why so unforgiving, and why so cold...been a long time crossing...Bridge of Sighs" never fails to raise goose bumps.

[harryklippton]

Well I'm gonna go listen to both of those albums now. Never heard the focus album, and it's been a couple years since I heard bridge of sighs. I've been taking quite a few listening suggestions lately.

[destro]

Awesome. I love seeing old boards finally get finished. I've got an etched populated neovibe from DIYSB forever ago that needs the same treatment. I also have that same russian shielded wire you speak of!

[Thewintersoldier]

That turned out great gordo, old school diy! And a history lesson to boot.

[gordo]

Dropped in a version .3 Road Rage board (circa 2010 so the overall flavor of the circuit era remains intact) and I'm back to 9vdc with no issues.  In comparison to the Harbinger series, and realizing that most of these builds totally depends on the LDR's, this one is less "effecty" or "lumpy" in it's cycle.  I find at the Trower speeds it needs max volume (as all I've tried do) and max intensity.  The only time most of these need an intensity control is to dial back the faster speeds.

It's REALLY interesting to note that in a pinch the Whetstone (either original, MB, or Aion) can easily cross over into this same territory without apologies by using the 2 stage, asymmetric, all pass, shallow settings with no (or little) feedback, Normal range settings, and about 2/3 depth.  I hadn't expected this and didn't grok it until I set them up side by side.

I'll try to do a demo if I can figure out how not to suck.  I kind of have a whole new respect for the Whetstone to be honest.

[harryklippton]

This is great news about the whetstone sounds!

[culturejam]

Brad Burt (aka Redhouse)

That guy was.......interesting.