Another DIY pedal on the way

[SweetDan]

"Champ" in a box - https://effectslayouts.blogspot.com/201 ... champ.html

Pics & tones forthcoming.

[WhiskeyJack]

Very Cool SD. Great website too. IS that where you have gotten all your other builds from ?

[SweetDan]

No, I just found that site recently. I've browsed over at http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ for months now, but those are all laid out for strip board (sometimes called vero board), not perf board, and doesn't appeal to me, partly because I'd eventually like to figure out my own layouts, and laying out for strip board seems like a dark art.

The two pedals I built earlier this year were actually based on circuits I found over at http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php , where the site operator also sells printed circuit boards, but the ones I wanted weren't in stock at the time, so I just hacked together my own layout from the provided schematics. There's also a lot of original, great stuff at http://www.runoffgroove.com/ , and I built http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html several years ago. (That's actually a mini-amplifier, not a pedal. I built and installed it in an old, junk bookshelf speaker.)

[WhiskeyJack]

No, I just found that site recently. I've browsed over at http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ for months now, but those are all laid out for strip board (sometimes called vero board), not perf board, and doesn't appeal to me, partly because I'd eventually like to figure out my own layouts, and laying out for strip board seems like a dark art.

The two pedals I built earlier this year were actually based on circuits I found over at http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php , where the site operator also sells printed circuit boards, but the ones I wanted weren't in stock at the time, so I just hacked together my own layout from the provided schematics. There's also a lot of original, great stuff at http://www.runoffgroove.com/ , and I built http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html several years ago. (That's actually a mini-amplifier, not a pedal. I built and installed it in an old, junk bookshelf speaker.)

recall a couple pedals but i don't recall that little Ruby thing? man you gotta share that stuff !!! Let's see that little amp !!!

[WhiskeyJack]

No, I just found that site recently. I've browsed over at http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ for months now, but those are all laid out for strip board (sometimes called vero board), not perf board, and doesn't appeal to me, partly because I'd eventually like to figure out my own layouts, and laying out for strip board seems like a dark art.

The two pedals I built earlier this year were actually based on circuits I found over at http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php , where the site operator also sells printed circuit boards, but the ones I wanted weren't in stock at the time, so I just hacked together my own layout from the provided schematics. There's also a lot of original, great stuff at http://www.runoffgroove.com/ , and I built http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html several years ago. (That's actually a mini-amplifier, not a pedal. I built and installed it in an old, junk bookshelf speaker.)

recall a couple pedals but i don't recall that little Ruby thing? man you gotta share that stuff !!! Let's see that little amp !!!

[Lt. Bob]

No, I just found that site recently. I've browsed over at http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/ for months now, but those are all laid out for strip board (sometimes called vero board), not perf board, and doesn't appeal to me, partly because I'd eventually like to figure out my own layouts, and laying out for strip board seems like a dark art.

The two pedals I built earlier this year were actually based on circuits I found over at http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php , where the site operator also sells printed circuit boards, but the ones I wanted weren't in stock at the time, so I just hacked together my own layout from the provided schematics. There's also a lot of original, great stuff at http://www.runoffgroove.com/ , and I built http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html several years ago. (That's actually a mini-amplifier, not a pedal. I built and installed it in an old, junk bookshelf speaker.)

recall a couple pedals but i don't recall that little Ruby thing? man you gotta share that stuff !!! Let's see that little amp !!!

ditto!

[SweetDan]

I've got tones before I've got pics. (Well, pics to share; I have taken a few photos, but I'm waiting to post any of them until I've got the graphics completed.)

First up: telecaster, bridge p/u, tone 100%. Clean, with the new pedal, and into a boost then the new pedal. The new pedal has only a volume control, so you "clean up" its distortion by rolling off the volume at the guitar (or any stage before the "champ"); I noted the volume setting in each file name.

tele_clean.mp3

tele_volRolledOff_pedal.mp3

tele_volFullUp_pedal.mp3

tele_volRolledOff_boost_pedal.mp3

tele_volFullUp_boost_pedal.mp3

[SweetDan]

Next up, same ordering of experiments but with a cheap Dean with a humbucker bridge p/u. I forgot to mention the recording setup: guitar+pedal combos -> amp -> SM57, on-axis, ~2" from grille, at the dustcap/cone seam.

hbuck_clean.mp3

hbuck_volRolledOff_pedal.mp3

hbuck_volFullUp_pedal.mp3

hbuck_volRolledOff_boost_pedal.mp3

hbuck_volFullUp_boost_pedal.mp3

[SweetDan]

Finally, some solo-ish samples.

I also didn't mention there was almost no processing in the daw, but I did add a really high-cut on the master buss, maybe around 16k, because there's some hiss. Other than that, it was just rough level matching between clips; no eq/comp. (I recorded he last of these solo snippets with delay; just messing around.)

tele_solos_noBoost.mp3

tele_solos_boost_thenPedal.mp3

hbuck_solos_noBoost.mp3

hbuck_solos_boost_thenPedal.mp3

2gtrsSolo_volRolledOff_boost_pedal_delay.mp3

[SweetDan]

This is getting out of hand...

becauseWhyTheHellNot.mp3

[Tadpui]

Nice work, Dan!

It has a bit of that "strained output transformer" sound to it. As I've been using my Deluxe Reverb exclusively through a load box for the last couple of years, I've heard that same strained/overtaxed sound coming from it that I never noticed when recording it through a speaker + mic but now I do when I listen back to tracks that I recorded that way. I'm starting to realize that whatever I've been hearing and interpreting as a "struggling transformer" is just part of the Fender amp sound. I'm not sure how to put it into words, there's just some part of the distortion that comes from that output section, and I'm still undecided on whether I like it or not. That pedal seems to capture that element, which is actually pretty badass.

I think that my only suggestion is to turn it up louder and see what happens when the speaker output gets high enough to turn the corner.

[SweetDan]

Nice work, Dan!

It has a bit of that "strained output transformer" sound to it... [It's] just part of the Fender amp sound. I'm not sure how to put it into words, there's just some part of the distortion that comes from that output section, and I'm still undecided on whether I like it or not. That pedal seems to capture that element, which is actually pretty badass.

I think that my only suggestion is to turn it up louder and see what happens when the speaker output gets high enough to turn the corner.

Thanks. Yeah, there's "something" there, but whether or not that mimics the sound of and actual Fender Champ, and how closely, is beyond me, since I've never played one in real life, much less owned one. Looking at the schematic I assume the perfboard layout was drawn from (here, about halfway down the page), it looks like the distortion comes from one of two places: 1) the transistor, or 2) the clipping diodes right before the volume control. That arrangement of components represents 2 of the 3 most common ways to distort the signal with a transistor-based circuit. Again, how any of that relates to the original tube amp is beyond me, it's certainly not a 1-for-1 mapping of the tube circuit, and I suspect it can never be anything more than an emulation of the original (https://tubeamplifierparts.com/schemati ... ematic.gif). But I'm glad to have it in my palette of tone colors. And of course, I learned a thing or two along the way building it.

Speaking of tone colors, I listened again to the clips and picked my favorites of the bunch. For rhythm, I like the tele/single-coil but with the volume rolled off a bit, into my boost pedal (IIRC, it was a gentle amount of boost, and a slight bass roll-off), then into the "Champ" pedal, and on into a clean amp (tele_volRolledOff_boost_pedal.mp3). My favorite solo tone of the bunch (hbuck_solos_boost_thenPedal.mp3 @ 0:09) was the full-volume humbucker, into the boost, into the "Champ" pedal, then the clean amp.

I may try your suggestion, but I suspect it won't do much that's very nice, primarily because the volume on this new pedal was almost maxed (turned slightly above 3 o'clock; knob goes to 5), and because my amp is an early-gen modeling amp, and probably won't respond to the additional level like a "real" amp; I'll have to try and see, though.

EDIT: timestamps/filenames for my favorite tones

[Greg_L]

I think it's pretty cool that you're building pedals. The tones all sound pretty good, some better than others, but I can see all of that being usable somewhere.

The Fender Champ is like the most basic amp circuit there is and the basis for which almost everything came from. You could build an actual Champ if you want to.

[einstein magoo]

On the "Because why the hell not" clip, are those double stops or double tracked?

I have a cheap Champion 600 and these clips sound pretty much like what I get our of that, only with more proficiency on the licks.

Nice work on the build...you made something that works!

[vomitHatSteve]

Cool. Those are some pretty good tones.

[SweetDan]

On the "Because why the hell not" clip, are those double stops or double tracked?

Multi-tracked. 4 tracks total by the end, in fact.

I have a cheap Champion 600 and these clips sound pretty much like what I get our of that, only with more proficiency on the licks.

Nice work on the build...you made something that works!

Thanks. It's always a relief when the wires are routed correctly and the solders hold. (Which reminds me I still need to post photos, but I want to finish the graphics first.)

Now, Q for you: how's the Hammond coming along? IIRC, you had it working to some level, but still needed to get in and do more?

[SweetDan]

...I want to finish the graphics first...

Impatience wins out.

lovepedalChampClone_top.jpg

lovepedalChampClone_guts.jpg

[einstein magoo]

Neat and clean. Good work.

The Hammond is 100% up to snuff. Sounds great. I just can't seem to find the time to do anything with my music these days. Strum an acoustic in my easy chair about every night but can't seem to get into it like I used to. I was never a keyboard guy though have always tinkered with them. I can do half-assed versions of Child in Time and Whiter Shade of Pale, but I just never sit down and practice or play. I always love cranking it up and fucking with the Leslie speeds and overdriving the Leslie amp to get a really good growling tone, just have to admit that I'm not really an organ player. I was dicking around with the theme from Peter Gunn, and that works out cool on the Hammond. Just need to dedicate myself to some practice time. I have a few songs I've written that I think I could easily work the Hammond into it's just finding the all elusive time to do anything. Thanks for asking, and nice work on the Champ pedal!

[Lt. Bob]

nice sounding and looking pedal man!

I liked the soloish sounds best with the bucker ...... I liked the pedal with either for the dirty-clean sound.

As an aside, I always .... (ALWAYS not just here) find it funny when people talk about a pedal getting clean when you roll off the guitar volume ..... they don't .... they just get less dirty but they're still dirty.

I remember playing on a friends rig and he told me that to get a clean rhythm sound, just back off the git volume.
First words outta my mouth when I stepped off stage were, "In what universe is that clean?"
lol


Anyways ..... that's a nice sounding pedal and i really like that you're building these things

[SweetDan]

Thanks.

Here's the progression so far; it's kind of fun to look back:

1st pedal I DIY'd. Man, what a mess!


2nd - the board is better (at least it's straight-ish!), but it seems like the wiring looks even more like spaghetti than the first one!


3rd & the topic of this thread - is that a hint of organization I see?


They're getting much neater as I go. Go ahead, everybody, try this at home! But here's a tip -- use solid-core wire when wiring the board into the box and to the jacks/switch/DC-power. (I used stranded-core wire for the first two.)