Messages

Yeah, Brian, I am 100 percent with you about the "something not quite right" thing with the TBX.  It just doesn't work out the same for whatever reason.

But I don't want to sound like I'm bagging on it, because it definitely had its advantages.  I completely agree that it works best with a higher output pickup.  I didn't use a humbucker, but I was using Lace Sensors (my strat is a 90s deluxe strat plus) which is pretty close to using humbuckers (particularly the red and the blue).  I absolutely loved the TBX with the red sensor in the bridge position.  The treble boost worked really, really well with that pickup.  It had great bite, enough low end to satisfy me, and played oh so nicely with distortion pedals. 

I miss that sound now that it's gone.  Funny thing is that the "not quite right" thing works in both directions.  I put the red sensor back in my strat with stock wiring and, lo and behold, it doesn't sound as good without the TBX.  Guess you can't have your cake and eat it etc etc.

What I'm saying is: if you're into dirt and like a bright-ish, cutting tone, TBX + higher output pickup = happy player.

Thanks for the pics!  That was super helpful.

I gotta say, it looks pretty sweet as a mod platform.  Lots of room for a turret board in there, and even for an extra pot if you move the lamp.  Even the iron looks better than I would have expected.  I'm very tempted to get one and turn it into a BF/SF champ-style.

[Picture emoji with a big thumbs up in your mind--there it is!]

Did you open it up and snoop around?  I'm wondering about it as a mod platform.  Does it run at proper high voltages?  Does it have room in the chassis?  That kind of thing.

Rob's site is the best.

Has anyone built any of his micro amps?  He has cool low power layouts of classic circuits (5E3, 5F6a, 5F1 are all there if memory serves) built around low power transformers (Hammond 270BX-ish power and fender reverb transformers used as a low power push-pull output) and tubes (12AU7 or 12BH7 dual triodes used in a single tube push-pull configuration).  I've always wanted to build one, but would like to hear some feedback beyond what's on the site.

Yeah, I was talking about the TBX.  What you say is technically true, the TBX at the middle detent of the pot sweep is supposed to be equivalent to a regular strat tone pot at 10.  So the TBX from 0 to 5 = a regular strat pot from 0 to 10.  The problem is this: a pot sweep from 0 to 5 has nothing like the feel and the ability to dial in subtle amounts of cut that a full pot sweep gives you.  If you think you are going to be able to nail those classic tone pot sounds, well, I say good luck to you.  I was never able to make it work well for me. 

There's one other thing, although I'm a bit tentative to say it because I can't think of a solid technical reason why it ought to be true.  But the TBX never seemed to work to for me with a treble bleed in the same way as a regular tone pot.  This meant that I couldn't use the volume pot in the same way as a regular strat with a treble bleed mod.  Rolling back the volume on my TBX guitar just never seemed to sound "right".  When I swapped to a regular set up, that problem went away.  That said, I also changed my neck and middle pickups, so it's possible that is what made the big difference.

FWIW, I had a TBX in my strat for a long time and it's great for overdrive and especially distorted sounds.  You can
basically get a treble booster-ish sound right from the guitar.  With distortions it really gives you the kind of nice dirty sounds you generally don't associate with strats.  So if you're into dirt and don't have an obsessive love or need for the "classic" strat single coil tones, you'll probably love it.

I'm totally a late comer to this, but that technique is the cat's backside!  Love it!

Has anyone tried out any other items in the meantime that they think turned out well?

I think Paul at http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au has 3101s for sale at a very low price.  Or at least he did a couple weeks ago when I last checked his site.  Worth a look.

It's bassy.  And it's got more sizzle/saturation than a transistor BMP.  So long as you can deal with the low end it's awesome.  One of my favorite pedals.

With regard to cost, I guess it depends on how you're looking at things.

If you're just doing one FF and have no future plans to make other fuzzes, then I'd say bite the bullet and just pay Small Bear or another reputable seller for a set you like the look of.  Sure, they're expensive, but you know you're getting the good stuff and you don't have to expend all kinds of time and effort sorting things yourself.

If you're going to do multiple builds, then it can make sense to source and sort your own supply.  This is more involved than you might like or immediately recognize.  It means you have to:

1) Source your transistors
2) Build a test circuit
3) Use the test circuit to sort your raw stock so you can use it intelligently

This is kind of involved.  It's not difficult, but it is time consuming.  So if you're not in it for the love, it's almost certaintly not worth it.

If you're going to do it for the love, then some comments regarding those three considerations:

1) Sourcing: If you look on eBay, for instance, there are sellers who sell raw stock.  The thing you have to accept is that you are, in fact, buying raw stock!  This means you're paying for 10 or 20 or 50 transistors at a time, and at the end of the day only 20-30% are going to be useable.  The level of variability is high.  You might get entire lots that are basically junk.  You might luck out and get a lot that are mostly keepers.  But the burn rate is high.  Understanding this in advance is important.

2) R.G. Keen has a simple circuit for testing Ge transistors.  It's on GEOFEX and is worth looking at in any case.  Lots of great info on Ge devices (thank you Mr. Keen).  But if you're going to build it you have to buy a specialized resistor (I think it's 2.49K 1% but don't hold me to that) to make the math work out.  This is easy to get from Mouser, but it takes time to get.  Another headache buying a set avoids.

3)  Then you have to actually measure all the devices.  This is also tedious.  Another headache.  It also gives you a good sense of just how temperature dependant germaniums are.  You'll have the device in the sockets and just the lightest touch will send the readings all over creation.  What I'm saying is, the testing is itself tempermental and seems to drive some people crazy.  Are you one of those people?  If so: buy a set!

All that said, I don't regret sourcing and testing my own supply.  I like cork sniffing, it turns out, even in a situation like this where the result is that I find out I don't think it ends up making a difference.  And now I have a healthy supply of tested devices for future builds.  If that appeals to you, then do it!

tl;dr version: it's a pain, so buy a set if you're not prepared to invest more time and money than you think you'll need to invest.

As far as devices go, I've had good luck with 2N404s and AC170s.  The 2N404s I sourced were especially consistent.  But YMMV.  It will vary.  Almost certaintly!

I recently finished my Total Recall build and it turned out great.  Now I'm wondering about mods.  The most obvious mod I have in mind is adding a rate control to the mod section of the circuit.  Looking through schematics from other mod pedals and delays with modulation makes this look pretty straightforward: replace R51 with a 1Meg pot and a resistor to set a floor - this is what the Dirtbaby does. 

My problem is that this is so straightforward that I'm wondering if I'm missing something.  Why else wouldn't this be included as an option in the TR project?  Being true to the original?  I don't want to start mangling my build just because I'm failing to see the obvious.  Please advise!

When I built my FF last year I went a bit crazy with germaniums.  I bought 7 or 8 different types, then built R.G. Keen's test circuit and tested them all.  After a long A/B process, I'm (oddly) disappointed to say that I think the type of germ matters hardly at all.  Two pairs with similar gain and leakage will give you the same sound and response.

So my advice is don't bother focusing on type.  Focus on gain and leakage.  That's what matters.

Good luck!