Looking for suggestions for new build

[Quackzed]

OLDROCKER!!!! nice! no prob.. i've had a few pedals refuse to go and it can drive you nuts!!
i usually need to step away for a bit to cool off 
but you got it working !! awesome!! i've had alot of fun with this circuit. thanks to joe davisson!!!
im glad you liked it and hope you enjoy it as much as me! 

[oldrocker]

Thanks Quackzed.  I don't know if you used sockets for your transistors but did you try any others like SN3904's.  I tried it and it sounds great.  SN4401 and SN2222's work also but not a lot of difference between those two.  I noticed the actual schematic calling for 5089's I was using 5088's have you tried the 5089's?

[Quackzed]

actually no... i sort of glued the components to a cd cover and connected all the leads to each other.. not very professional  but it worked so i was happy! it looked so evil with crisscrossed resistors and caps that i mounted it on top of the box i was goiing to put it in
one thing i did do was mess around wit the bias resistors of the first 2 transistors.. i think i posted here somewhere about my results... mainly getting a little more gain and gating for xtra synthy vibe
maybee ill get in there and try some different transistors... which of the transistors you tried gave it the harshest/sharpest tone?  and is it brighter with the 3904's?

[oldrocker]

Wow! That's tripped how you put yours together.  I wish I could see how that looks.  I'll have to look around here for the mods you did and the results.  It sounds interesting.  I wouldn't mind getting more gain out mine. 
I'm not sure that it's brighter with the 3904's but the low end notes are more stable when it's set to that full wacky two tone setting.  I left those 3904's in there.  I would say try it but I know how much a problem it can be to start tearing into an already built circuit.  I did that with my DOD 250 distortion and put in the asymetrical diode layout in.  It took me a whole day to get it working right again and I'm still not sure if it sounds any better or not.
Now on to building the Phaze 45.  OMG!

[jmusser]

I'm probably the one you heard mention highlighting the schematic. That is a staple with my builds. I highlight each connection as I do them, so I know that part is done. If for some reason I blow it, then I go back over it with another highlighter, like yellow to orange, and then blue if I can't get it going through the second time. In my experience, it cures probably 95% of all the problems I have. If the schematic is correct to start with, it don't lie, and the circuit will only be as good as it was followed on the schematic.

[Quackzed]

Indeed you are!  and it's a great tip! It had definately reduced the time/frustration factor of debugging for me!  . thanks jmusser!  also I have to say that i like having your build reports to check out when i'm looking for new projects, you always have good descriptions and comparisons to other pedals especially with octave type circuits, i think i'm on the same page as far as digging the more intense effects!!
- about trying 3904's... it'll probably be tough for me to "dig" out the transistors from my 'very compact" circuit, but i'm guessing that it's probably more the gain of the transistors than their respective tone )-especially the tracking, and i spent some time adjusting the bias of the trannies i used and dialed it in to where it tracked best for my guitar and gave me a tone i liked... but i'm glad you found some transistors you like! i ended up using a 56k bias resistor on q2, which made the fuzz side gate out with the octave side, i just raised the value till the notes started to fizzle out, still has good sustain and it gave the "regular octave mod" side a more gatey attack too which sounded more synty to me! 
i'm also getting nice violin sounds with the same octave side, with a volume pedal in front of it!!
this thing is actually very usable in a lot of ways, dispite being an "odd" type circuit!

[oldrocker]

First how U doing Jmusser?  Nice method for troubleshooting schem's.  As time goes on I keep trying to add new methods of debug suggestions into my builds.  So it's getting better and easier to get circuits working.  You should've seen how I was struggling before I built and used the audio probe.  I kept trying to do it without one.  Had the guitar on my lap trying to play or let the strings ring out while testing the stomp and get it working.  Crazy  .
On 3904's don't mess up your build for such a small change.  Your right about the tone.  I don't think you'll see a difference there.  As for Q2 I still might have to tweek that in.  I read something about 4.5 volts and adjusting the resister at the collector (10k right now).  Althought it's pretty cool sounding now.  You talked about a violin sound and I wanted to mention when you set it to it's full octive doubling setting and play at around the 12th fret area it sounds amazing like a sax.

[Quackzed]

cool, i've noticed some weird other instruments  tones hiding in a few circuits... mt silicon tonebender ii has a bias trimmer and with a gatey bias i can get some sitar sounds
my octup blender kinda sounds like a trumpet! thats another tone warper!!! i'm liking these "synthy" circuits! i mean, i can play a guitar, i don't wan't to have to learn to play the keys as well!!  not when i can get some lively synth sounds with effects!! i was inspired and recorded 5 tracks of shocktave!!
one huge harmonized chord progression!!!  1 down octave "bass", 2 same octave "keyboard" lines
ang 2 down octave/fuzz "heavy guitar" lines! with a drum track!(real drums) sounds HUGE!!! 

[oldrocker]

I can't wait to use it in some recordings also.   It's like having 4 or 5 different instruments all by using the Shocktave.  It will make for some far out inspiration. 
I would like to hear your Shocktave in action since U did some recording.  Can u make mp3's clips and post them or email them to me?  Email  sgstudios@hotmail.com

[Quackzed]

i haven't posted any clips yet, but sure!, i'll try to get a few clips up, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... well, i'm not gonna go count all the word's BUT, i figure a soundclip is the effects version of a picture... lol
i did some close ups on my recording software to see what this thing is doing to my guitar signal and it puts out a steady period of wave ,kinda looks like it's just chopping off some of the peaks, but not all of em... weird like 3 peaks then 2 are chopped off then 3 more un chopped then 2 chopped.. weird!
and the same octave switch just puts out this steady wave that looks like a flattened hump with a little divit in it, then a big spike that comes back down through zero then starts again as the flattened hump with a divit.. ! not sure how to interpret the wave shapes, except to say you can see the effect doing SOMETHING!!>??

[oldrocker]

I can tell by your description of the wave form what you're saying.  I don't have a scope or any way to check wave forms yet.  It would be nice to have one to check out what's actually happening visual wise. 
I recently built the Dr. Quack from a suggestion earlier to do a Nurse Quacky but I decided to try the harder one.  It's got a decent wah effect.  I don't know how I'll use this effect yet but i'm sure I'll think of something.  Jeeszz!  I'm have a 1970's flashback.

[oldrocker]

Still gathering parts for the Phaze 45 build.