Home made effects

Paladin2019 · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:28 am Post subject: Home made effects

Just a quick pimping for www.buildyourownclone.com formerly big tone music brewery.

They're building up a healthy catalogue of fx kits and they're well worth looking into if you can tell which end to hold a soldering iron. NOS components, colour coding, pre-drilled encosures, not too pricey, excellent support and service.

I've just finished building the 'Ranger' treble boost kit (as an advanced beginner it was barely a weekend's work) and I'm very impressed with the kit, the (online only) instructions, Keith's helpfulness and the effect itself. I'll post pics and maybe even clips eventually.

Anyone else attempted their own build?

ned · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:59 am Post subject:

Was thinking of building that exact same kit. Definately post some pics.

Ned
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Paladin2019 · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:04 am Post subject:

I'll get some up tonight hopefully. My only complaint is that the enclosure was a little cramped so you should definately plan ahead in terms of assembly, but everything does fit if you do it right.

Paladin2019 · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:33 am Post subject:

Right.

I'm sorry about the image quality, I seem to have the only digital camera with auto-anti-focus.

The innards. I stripped some thin wire and used the stripped insulation on the legs of the transistor - very handy.

The box - finished with Hammerite Hammered Dark Blue spraypaint. I'm not sure it's supposed to look like this, it's rather 'grittier' than Hammered effect paint from a can, but nontheless looks very cool. This is the best representation of the colour.

Finally, a size comparison alongside a Boss.

Another quick tip, the power input socket is shaped so that you have to have it in place before you solder it, otherwise you can't fit it through the hole. I learned that the hard way. You can use masking tape to protect it while painting.

ned · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject:

Nice. Did you pick the color?

I think these are the same as the Crispy Creme's which are suppose to sound killer with a Boogie.

Now I'm going to have to order one.

Ned
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Paladin2019 · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 1:51 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I picked the colour. Boss Bluesdriver Blue.

There's quite a few good colours in the hammer range and the plain 'brushed aluminium' look is pretty good too - see the finishing instructions on the site. I should have taken a pic or two before I sprayed it over.

I was going to add some text to mine but it would have been too much extra work and I know what the knob does anyway.

I've never played or even seen another treble booster, so I can't compare them. But I say go for it. It's just so satisfying to simply plug it in and hear it working!

Jim Jones · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 11:46 am Post subject:

Hey guys,

I really enjoy building my own musical equipment. There's the beginnings of a pedal page on my site at http://members.shaw.ca/house-of-jim I started with pedals and got into building amps around 1998. Pedals are a good place to start though - you're not going to electrocute yourself with a 9-volt battery.

Those kits in the link look good, however if you don't mind sourcing your own parts they can be built cheaper. http://www.diystompboxes.com is a fantastic resource!

Jim

Paladin2019 · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:01 pm Post subject:

Jim Jones · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:04 pm Post subject:

Hey Paladin,

I've heard about the 9-volt battery/electrocution thing but I find it pretty hard to believe. Besides, if someone actually dies from testing a 9-volt with their tongue I'd think it was God's way of "thinning out the herd" so to speak.

Jim

Paladin2019 · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:09 pm Post subject:

Yup, you could well be right.

I've been browsing your pedal page and notice you made a special mention of the OC44 transistor in your treble booster - just thought I'd point out that the kit I bought has one of those as standard. Neat!

Jim Jones · Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:30 pm Post subject:

Hey Paladin,

Yep the OC44 is great. Any germanium transistor biased properly will work but the OC44 is especially nice. That transistor was standard in the original Rangemaster but people have original units with OC71's and 76's, too. I have an old Mullard transistor manual that states that OC44's were optimized for high frequency work so it would make sense they'd wind up in treble boosters.

Out of curiosity how noisy is yours?

Jim

luis · Guitar God Joined: 15 Sep 2001 Posts: 2305 Location: Spain

For all of you DIY stompboxes lovers check www.pisotones.com

Paladin2019 · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 4:20 pm Post subject:

It's a bit noisy at the highest settings, but otherwise no worse than your average overdrive I'd say.

Jim Jones · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 5:02 pm Post subject:

Hey Paladin,

That's good to hear! Some of those old germanium transistors are hissy as all hell so it sounds like you got a good one. Playing a humbucker-equiped guitar into a treble booster into an old non-master Marshall or Vox is a beautiful thing!

Jim

Paladin2019 · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 7:31 pm Post subject:

I do know a bloke in the Midlands with a 68 marshall halfstack... But for now I'm more than happy plugging the boosted love rock into my cornford hurricane