Build Report: May Queen

[RDV]

I hadn't built anything in at least a month & was beginning to think I might never again. But lo and behold the feeling came upon me yet again!

I read about Ge Whiz digging his May Queen, had a look at the schem and it looked very interesting with the J201 & all. The sound clips also sounded really good, like something I would enjoy playing through.

I put it together on perf in less than an hour, using about 80% used parts, & it fired right up! It's kinda like a treble boosted fuzzface, maybe with a little more of a distortion feel(rather than fuzz). The Brian May licks will spring forth, that's for sure. It's a very tight, focused sound. My only substitution was to use a 2N4401 rather than the prescribed 2N3904(didn't have one). Brian says any low-gain NPN will work @ Q2.

Anyone who'd like to build something a little different, I'd definitely recommend this thing as it rocks and doesn't sound like anything else I've got. In fact there isn't anything in the Runoff Groove site that shouldn't be built as all the projects are very good.

Next comes the boxing in a nice little 1590B as I built it on one of the small RS boards. I'm out of my rut!

Thanks again Brian & Gary!!!

RickyDonVance

[Ge_Whiz]

Fun, ain't it? One of the reasons I built it was because my little 'Squeaky' amp was relatively insensitive (it uses a TBA820M), and it was easy to pull a signal from between Q1 and Q2 as a clean boost when bypassing the distortion. I have labelled the distort / clean switch as "May" and "May not"   . Like May's 'Deacy', it's fun on its own but mikes up and records really well.

[B Tremblay]

Super!  Thanks for sharing for report.  Having experienced the same sort of lull in building, it's always great to have a successful circuit build welcome you back.

[Gary]

Have you noticed the ease of getting controlled feedback yet?  It's a cool trick for playing "Rock God."  Lest I cheese off the B. May fans out there, this circuit was not intended to give you an exact copy of THE sound.  It's intended to give you a taste.  There, that's my disclaimer.

Now, rock on and enjoy the sounds!

[RDV]

The feedback can get downright wild!
Something I forgot to mention in the build report was how much output this thing's got. WOW! It was driving the crap out of my old Supro! My wife was ready to kill me!

Regards

RDV

[Ge_Whiz]

Disclaimer accepted, Gary. However, inevitably, Brian May's 'that sound' has changed over 20+ years, both in terms of how he has obtained 'that sound', and exactly what 'that sound' sounds like. Compare Queen's studio and live recordings, for instance.

However, your circuit scores because if you switch it on and play an appropriate riff, eleven-year-old kids and older, grown-up kids will shout, "Hey! You're playing...[insert favourite Queen song here]. That's the test!

[B Tremblay]

However, your circuit scores because if you switch it on and play an appropriate riff, eleven-year-old kids and older, grown-up kids will shout, "Hey! You're playing...[insert favourite Queen song here]. That's the test!

Agreed.  That's the best we could hope for!

[Gary]

I'm glad you put it that way.  The May sound has changed quite a bit over time, hasn't it?  What was the record from the late '80s?  It sounded very much like he was using a Rockman unit instead of the fabled Deacy or Vox.  It wasn't an unpleasant sound, just markedly different from older Queen material.

At the end of the day, what matters is are we each happy with the sound we get from the circuit.  If it makes us think of the Queen sound, we at RunoffGroove can say "mission accomplished."

Thanks again for your support of the 'Groove.

[RDV]

I'd really like to know how it works. What does the J201 do in the circuit?

Regards

RDV

[MarkB]

Anyone done a layout of this?  perf or pcb?

I SUCK at doing layouts... I admit it.
"-)

[Impaler]

I just put one together. I sent it to the guys at runoffgrove. If they wanna post it on their site, i don care. If ya'll want it, pm me with email, and i'll ship it to ya. Note, I haven't tested it yet, my friend with the laser printer is outta toner lol

[B Tremblay]

Will's layout is now available on the May Queen page.  Thanks, Will!

[Impaler]

NP =) I did however make a boo boo with a trace too close to the emitter on Q2, so I sent in the fix. Mark B, you might want to grab the fixed version before you go and make a pnp for a board. Otherwise you'll have to trim the pad for the emitter on Q2 back a bit to make some room... Sorry bout that!  :oops:

[Lonehdrider]

I'll have to try the May booster sometime, I do know the patron's at the club last week didn't appreciate my ahem, somewhat 'controlled feedback' from the rangemaster clone I built, ok so the gain was up a bit more than I expected when the tube amp came online after being on standby.. Music critics... sheesh... Anyone else find that you have to keep your volume down in clubs (or hear the owner squawk) until the night wears on and people get a bit more lubricated? By the end of the night we were doing 'Hey Joe' including some nice feedback.. Go figure...

Regards,

Lone

[Impaler]

Heh, reminds me of the night we did Kryptonite before the patrons had enuff booze in them to tolerate the bass players singing  :roll: