31
Build Reports / Re: Degenerator - MBP
« on: February 28, 2023, 09:31:01 PM »
Great job, another slick build. You've really stepped it up and shows you've put it the work and effort.
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32
Global Annoucements / Re: Feb. Releases + new Giveaway board out
« on: February 24, 2023, 12:36:20 PM »
I got my mistress order in, this one is a special build as a gift. Great job Brian, happy building everyone.
33
Build Reports / Re: The Grodiest Odor | [ODR-1-like b/w Boost]
« on: February 23, 2023, 09:40:59 PM »
Nice one, the enclosure design is the best, even if the circuit isn't my favorite. You killed it either way.
34
Build Reports / Re: Archibald
« on: February 23, 2023, 09:39:40 PM »
Good job and congrats on the level up
35
Build Reports / Fireaxe - boss fa-1 preamp
« on: February 21, 2023, 10:46:33 AM »
Greetings and salutations, this week I'm revisiting my second build of the fireaxe, a fantastic take on the boss fa-1 preamp. The first one I built some time in 2021 and I had someone reach out to me after posting it on IG and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Luckily this was a giveaway board and I had a second one and I had to build this up again.
The fa-1 was originally a preamp made with a belt clip and was made to stay on all the time. The edge is probably the main reason this became a wanted circuit. Regardless of the edge's use of the effect, it's fantastic and it's lack of conventional housing and switching is probably why it didn't catch on the first go round. The bass and treble EQ section is pretty powerful and can give some nice tone sculpting. The added subs switch is great for use on bass, the clipping switch and addition of the master volume knob allow you to use it as a low gain drive as well, which has a more open breakup less like a traditional soft clipping opamp overdrive. I really like to use this to give my blackface amp more of a box type chime.
A simple straightforward build. Matte black tayda enclosure with UV print. Beta Rey Bill with storm breaker in a monochromatic black and white color scheme. If you are looking for something a little different then this is something I would definitely check out as it can be used for multiple applications, sounds good on bass too, and low parts count.
The fa-1 was originally a preamp made with a belt clip and was made to stay on all the time. The edge is probably the main reason this became a wanted circuit. Regardless of the edge's use of the effect, it's fantastic and it's lack of conventional housing and switching is probably why it didn't catch on the first go round. The bass and treble EQ section is pretty powerful and can give some nice tone sculpting. The added subs switch is great for use on bass, the clipping switch and addition of the master volume knob allow you to use it as a low gain drive as well, which has a more open breakup less like a traditional soft clipping opamp overdrive. I really like to use this to give my blackface amp more of a box type chime.
A simple straightforward build. Matte black tayda enclosure with UV print. Beta Rey Bill with storm breaker in a monochromatic black and white color scheme. If you are looking for something a little different then this is something I would definitely check out as it can be used for multiple applications, sounds good on bass too, and low parts count.
36
Build Reports / Re: Procrastinator - Boss SG-1 Slow Gear
« on: February 15, 2023, 07:54:26 AM »Motherf*cker, this is a great build. The none-more-blue photo of the board just screams what you do best. This kills on so many levels.Such high praise from one of my biggest influences here, I can hang it up now. It wasn't until recently I feel like I really figured out what I was doing and how to do that consistently, and I wouldn't have been able to do that without the support and inspiration of the fantastic people around here. As for the build itself, it's been really fun messing with it and cool to see a renewed interest like many of the boss pedals I've done that people forgot about or dismissed or never knew of.
I'm old enough that these pedals were new when I still had hair. I recall playing the OG and thought it was kinda cool but never in my wheelhouse. Now that I'm involved with praise band stuff and have to create weird clouds of reverb and echo, I usually do so with the volume knob on my guitar. Again, it would be more normal to be using a volume pedal but nobody has ever accused me of being normal. I really need to revisit the potential of this beast and maybe go the extra set of boxing it up.
37
Build Reports / Re: Particle Accelerator
« on: February 15, 2023, 07:48:51 AM »
I don't remember what this pedal does exactly so I gotta look it up. Are you going to do a waterslide or engraving on the enclosure? looking forward to seeing the finished product.
38
Build Reports / Re: Procrastinator - Boss SG-1 Slow Gear
« on: February 14, 2023, 03:52:13 PM »The minimalist look makes it tight has hell. And that wiring… chefs kiss! Dope shit alert!Thanks dude🤘
Love the black & white! Have to say, I haven't much experience with this circuit, but this makes me want one on my boardIt really is a one trick pony but it's fun finding creative ways to use it.
I really like thatZ be never had a boss slowgear, I wonder how they compare.From my understanding Peter loved the slow gear and modded his build with the compressor and that's how the bumblebee came about. I've always wanted to build one but have yet too. Maybe one day I will.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That came out great, I'm diggin itThanks Will!
39
Build Reports / Procrastinator - Boss SG-1 Slow Gear
« on: February 14, 2023, 08:10:38 AM »
On my boss pedal journey I've already explored some classic pedals that are played and revered by many and this week I'm sharing one that's really rare and most people who have played one have only played a clone, the SG-1 slow gear. A very polarizing effect that most people either like or hate and not much in-between.
So what is the slow gear? It's a envelope effect that was meant to simulate volume swells. While it can do that, it can also give a pseudo violin sound, I weird tremolo volume modulation effect, and kind of backwards sound like the vintage EHX attack decay. Add some modulation and delay after and you get get some cool ambient swells. What can't it do? Those really slow controlled long drawn out swells with the long throw like on a volume pedal. This is also a few components different and the same circuit as the boss nf-1 noise gate that makes the envelope work in the opposite direction.
With just two controls it's easy to use. Sens adjusts the sensitivity of the envelope trigger for pick attack and pickup output. Attack controls the onset and release of the envelope. The controls only have so much range so much like an envelope filter you have to play to the effect. Your dynamics, pickup selection and knob settings will determine your results. Some tips: I like the bridge pickup, focus on staccato single notes, if attempting chords use light finger picking (flesh of thumb is great for this) and if you want to get more sustain on the release add a compressor behind it for a more pronounced dramatic effect (especially with delay/mod), which is basically what the vfe bumblebee is doing.
No mods, used a 2sk30a I had laying around from smallbear some years back. Calibration according the the service manual is more convoluted so I simply auditioned various guitars while playing and made small adjustments to the trimmer to get the best response from the envelope across various settings to maximize the range of the effect. I went with a more minimalist approach. Gray powder coat, UV print and for the design I went with Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones. The hard, alcoholic PI known as Power Woman. A clean simple build with a non complicated setup and lower parts count of cheap easy to obtain parts, I think you can't go wrong with the procrastinator if you are looking for something a little different to experiment with.
So what is the slow gear? It's a envelope effect that was meant to simulate volume swells. While it can do that, it can also give a pseudo violin sound, I weird tremolo volume modulation effect, and kind of backwards sound like the vintage EHX attack decay. Add some modulation and delay after and you get get some cool ambient swells. What can't it do? Those really slow controlled long drawn out swells with the long throw like on a volume pedal. This is also a few components different and the same circuit as the boss nf-1 noise gate that makes the envelope work in the opposite direction.
With just two controls it's easy to use. Sens adjusts the sensitivity of the envelope trigger for pick attack and pickup output. Attack controls the onset and release of the envelope. The controls only have so much range so much like an envelope filter you have to play to the effect. Your dynamics, pickup selection and knob settings will determine your results. Some tips: I like the bridge pickup, focus on staccato single notes, if attempting chords use light finger picking (flesh of thumb is great for this) and if you want to get more sustain on the release add a compressor behind it for a more pronounced dramatic effect (especially with delay/mod), which is basically what the vfe bumblebee is doing.
No mods, used a 2sk30a I had laying around from smallbear some years back. Calibration according the the service manual is more convoluted so I simply auditioned various guitars while playing and made small adjustments to the trimmer to get the best response from the envelope across various settings to maximize the range of the effect. I went with a more minimalist approach. Gray powder coat, UV print and for the design I went with Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones. The hard, alcoholic PI known as Power Woman. A clean simple build with a non complicated setup and lower parts count of cheap easy to obtain parts, I think you can't go wrong with the procrastinator if you are looking for something a little different to experiment with.
40
Build Reports / Re: The Sardine Tin (#1)
« on: February 14, 2023, 08:08:28 AM »
I love the superfuzz and this is a cool looking pedal. Great job on the end results after all that development.
41
Build Reports / Re: MadBean Touch Stone
« on: February 12, 2023, 07:29:48 PM »
We all know I love me some EHX and the small clone is the shit, and this build is no exception, it fucks😤🥵🤘
42
Open Discussion / Re: Anyone else have this happen with Tayda enclosure purchases?
« on: February 09, 2023, 07:21:57 PM »
I agree that the entire tayda experience leaves much to be desired and could use a major overhaul. I think I'm so used to navigating and using the site in spite of all of it's shortcomings.
43
Open Discussion / Re: Anyone else have this happen with Tayda enclosure purchases?
« on: February 09, 2023, 06:34:39 PM »
The process believe it or not is a lot better than when it first started. The original page was terrible for submitting UV prints. I will say this though, any issue I have had with UV prints prior to my last order was solely my fault. On a couple occasions I had selected the wrong file on the wrong color enclosures or needed to fix or change something something in a file and I emailed Hugo directly and he took care of it. I've ordered 101 UV prints now in the past 18 months and I had the first screw up on their part. 4 enclosures and they printed all of them on the wrong enclosures. I emailed him and sent a picture and he apologized and immediately issued a credit to reorder with the fastest shipping. If you can catch the issue before the printing starts they will work with you but I would try contacting Hugo directly first.
44
Build Reports / Re: Heliodor-Boss.OD-3
« on: February 08, 2023, 05:46:09 AM »That looks fantastic. All that yellow is really striking tooThanks Will, sometimes simple and the original aesthetic is the way to go.
Fantastic build man. I built one not too long ago also. Many years ago, I was gigging with Nan ODB-3. Great on bass.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Now I wanna look up the bass version and see what the component changes are.
Great build, pics and report. Thanks for sharing.Thanks for the kind words, it's a great pedal and I think it's a worthy build.
yeeeeeee that yellow all around is super nice. Now I want cheese.This pedal certainly doesn't sound cheesy lol
That look killer, Chris!Honestly John, I was shocked by how much I liked this pedal, plus I got to practice soldering my smd jfets hahaI'm about to look this circuit up, your write up got my wheels spinning.
That yellow nails the Boss color. Great build!!Thanks Gordy, I have one more in this color, so watch for that in the the coming weeks.
45
Build Reports / Heliodor-Boss.OD-3
« on: February 07, 2023, 09:36:32 AM »
In this week's build report I'm taking a look at a pedal I had never played or really considered playing prior to building it...the Boss OD-3. This is a mistake on my part, as this pedal knocked a mainstay off my board and I could have saved a lot of money years ago had I given it a chance.
I'm not generally one that's been too interested in low gain overdrives, as I've always sort of viewed them as a boring but necessary evil, sort of a utility pedal. The two that have lived on my board for the past ten or so years are a TS of some sort and a klone. The klone has been my main OD the past decade as I feel it really suites my fenders single coils into blackface amps setup. So when I decided to build this I was really surprised by how good this pedal was, and not just for a mass produced boss pedal either. I guess you could say that this is more even in the frequency response than most other OD offerings from boss. It's like a really nice marriage of what I like about various pedals in one.
The compression is really nice and more natural than man pedals, and is very dynamic when it comes to digging into the strings. It's not got a nice airy presence but not overly bright like a KOT. The bass is filled out but it's not muddy and holds together well. It's got the classic filled midrange but not honky like a TS or klone, just enough to poke out. Its a low to mid gain drive with a very gradual gain knob that makes dialing in the amount of grit, and with the classic asymmetrical boss clipping it's got that tube breakup feel the more you push it. This thing has a LOT of volume on tap so as a boost this thing can really push a preamp cleanly. The all discrete opamp topology gives the pedal a really smooth transition into clipping that's a little more refined than the traditional soft clipping opamp drive.
I used regular mmbfj201 for the jfets in favor of the current production equivalent of the originals. Other than that it's all standard cheap stuff from tayda and stompboxparts. For the enclosure it's a yellow tayda box with UV print. I had to Google what a heliodor was and it's a yellowish crystal. I didn't want to just put a yellow crystal and say it was the mind stone so instead I used Loki's staff containing the mind stone that he used for mind control in the first avengers movie. A very simplistic and understated look in contrast to the circuit that has so much going on for a three knob low gain overdrive. If you want an alternative to a klone or a more full range drive then this might be a good one to try, it's been in production for 26 years now and I can totally see why.
I'm not generally one that's been too interested in low gain overdrives, as I've always sort of viewed them as a boring but necessary evil, sort of a utility pedal. The two that have lived on my board for the past ten or so years are a TS of some sort and a klone. The klone has been my main OD the past decade as I feel it really suites my fenders single coils into blackface amps setup. So when I decided to build this I was really surprised by how good this pedal was, and not just for a mass produced boss pedal either. I guess you could say that this is more even in the frequency response than most other OD offerings from boss. It's like a really nice marriage of what I like about various pedals in one.
The compression is really nice and more natural than man pedals, and is very dynamic when it comes to digging into the strings. It's not got a nice airy presence but not overly bright like a KOT. The bass is filled out but it's not muddy and holds together well. It's got the classic filled midrange but not honky like a TS or klone, just enough to poke out. Its a low to mid gain drive with a very gradual gain knob that makes dialing in the amount of grit, and with the classic asymmetrical boss clipping it's got that tube breakup feel the more you push it. This thing has a LOT of volume on tap so as a boost this thing can really push a preamp cleanly. The all discrete opamp topology gives the pedal a really smooth transition into clipping that's a little more refined than the traditional soft clipping opamp drive.
I used regular mmbfj201 for the jfets in favor of the current production equivalent of the originals. Other than that it's all standard cheap stuff from tayda and stompboxparts. For the enclosure it's a yellow tayda box with UV print. I had to Google what a heliodor was and it's a yellowish crystal. I didn't want to just put a yellow crystal and say it was the mind stone so instead I used Loki's staff containing the mind stone that he used for mind control in the first avengers movie. A very simplistic and understated look in contrast to the circuit that has so much going on for a three knob low gain overdrive. If you want an alternative to a klone or a more full range drive then this might be a good one to try, it's been in production for 26 years now and I can totally see why.