Valvemaster NO SOUND

[awgearhart]

I just finished building the ValveMASTER, but I'm getting no sound. Bypassed is okay, but when I turn on the pedal I hear the volume pot increasing, but no guitar signal is going through.

I followed the wiring diagram from Renegadrian, plus I added two DPDT switches for diode clipping before output and input capacitor variability, respectively. My pin locations (1-8) I wired from the perspective if you're looking at the top of the tube, 1 is the bottom left then go clockwise.

Maybe I wired the pin locations backwards? Any input would be great.

[vigilante397]

You have your tube wired backwards. You need to mirror the pins over.

[awgearhart]

All fixed, thanks!

Also: I get some bleeding radio signal... is there something wrong with the circuit or is that a common issue that just comes with the pedal as is?

[awgearhart]

Also, I have a DPDT switch for the input cap to adjust cap levels. However, it doesn't seem to make a difference at all on the sound.

Any ideas as to why?

[willienillie]

In the pictures, the switch on the right isn't wired to do anything.

[awgearhart]

Yes I wired the capacitors after the picture. Essentially the switch allows them to run in parallel with the input cap C1.

[willienillie]

Okay.  I'm not familiar with the circuit, but if the input cap is already large enough to allow all (guitar) frequencies to pass without noticeable attenuation, then increasing it with parallel caps won't make any audible difference.

[awgearhart]

I just recently built a Brian May Treble Booster, and I added an input cap mod (like what I'm trying to do now) that let it be more fat. I'm essentially trying to do the same thing but the same method doesn't work with this circuit....

Which is strange, because I've seen people do mods that switch input capacitors to get a fat switch. It was for the ValveCaster but I figured it wouldn't be any different with the ValveMaster.

[willienillie]

Yeah a treble booster is trebly because if the small input cap, so increasing it makes a big difference.  I did that with my Rangemaster too.  Again, I'm not familiar with the Valvemaster, but if it's already letting "all" freqs through, not much you can add to that.

[duck_arse]

like that guy ^ sez, if you have 47nF as your stock cap and a 1M grid resistor, your low cut-off will be at 3.3Hz, or something. a 2n2 cap will only start cutting at 68Hz with the 1M, so you could have that value [2n2] as the adding in fat cap, and something much much smaller for your weedy thin stock cap.

[awgearhart]

Thanks for all the input. I ended up just wiring a Treble Booster before the overdrive circuit so that the treble booster is always on (helps add some gain), and incorporated the fat switch like I wanted.

Highly recommend a treble booster in front to get more drive!!