Fat Pants + Ego Driver = "The Ant"

[Marshall Arts]

Inspired by these two projects:

http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=6199.0
http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=fb36c1a053fb03dec8212740a9820913&topic=5824.0

,I built one for myself. I changed only two things:

- Order switch to be able to select the order of the booster (Fat Pants) and the drive (Ego Driver)
- Be able to run it with a battery

I needed those changes, as I will use it in different settings:

I play with a good Marshall amp (silver jubilee edition), which has a very good drive channel (and a good crunch sound as well). I will need "The Ant" mainly as a booster for solos (and sometimes for a bit more drive); I would use the setup "Ego Driver into Booster" for that szenario.

Sometimes I just play over a small tube amp with one clean channel, "The Ant" will do the rest (crunch sound with just the Ego Driver, Lead Sound with Booster in front of the Ego Driver).

As I am located in Germany, I bought all parts at "Das Musikding". I have a shopping list for that store available, just send me a message, if you want me to share it with you (reduces the time to search through the store).

All I can say is, that this thing sounds fantastic in ANY setting. Dynamic, punchy, biting (if you want it), lush (if you want it), warm,... I did not bother to have the LED-clipping option on the ego driver (I tried it, but didn't think it made that much of a difference). The boards I bought from madbean are top notch.

Here are some impressions from my project:

[hammerheadmusicman]

This looks really cool! Might have to build an EgoPants myself

Also, what are the Bezels? Are the LEDs sitting in the top of them as apposed to pushed through from the back?

[Marshall Arts]

Yes, that is correct. The LEDs are mounted from top, smaller ones will be more even with the surface, but I chose the super-bright red tall ones ;-). Life's to short for small LEDs.

[nzCdog]

Very impressive.  The Ant graphics are great, and the pedal layout reminds me of T-Rex.  Nice work

[mandrewbot3k]

killer build. thinking of doing the same thing.

Couple of questions
how often do you switch to drive into boost? not sure if i wanted to add that or just run the boost in front. or build two separate pedals with an external 18V out on the fat pants and an separate order switcher pedal so that if i dont find a need for it, i can move it somewhere else.

[Marshall Arts]

killer build. thinking of doing the same thing.

Couple of questions
how often do you switch to drive into boost? not sure if i wanted to add that or just run the boost in front. or build two separate pedals with an external 18V out on the fat pants and an separate order switcher pedal so that if i dont find a need for it, i can move it somewhere else.

I use the switch all the time. To be honest, the EGO Driver sounds terriffic on its own, I think that it sounds best in the "LP" setting with gain at like 2 o'clock, volume at 10 o'clock and tone at almost maximum bright setting. You get a nice, crunchy sound with that (using a strat with SC's on a tube Marshall with clean setting). Roll back the volume knob on the guitar just a little - clean, but not muggy.

Boosting the ego with the fp in front obviously is more drive and comes handy if you have something else for your volume (e.g. a pedal). Sounds good as well, but is not the best sound you can get out of the ego (see above) IMHO.

So, I use the boost AFTER the ego quite often as well for the "just a bit louder and more fat" setting.

P.S. Skip the LED-Clipping on the ego, that doesn't make that much of a difference for me...