I Love "The Crank" + question

[Bernardduur]

OK; I must say that "The Crank" justified all my needs on OD......... it is just so big, full and OD sounding........ Thanks Mark!



I only have one small issue with this build; as I use my Elite guitar (Filtertron pickups, low gain) I have THE BEST OD sound I ever heard. But the Elite guitar is quite fragile so I also use a Les Paul on stage and with my Les Paul the unit starts at a higher gain-level. Is there a way to lower the gain thus I get the same sound with my Paul as with my Elite?

[MartyMart]

You could use a 1M pot as a variable resistor to ground, at the front of the circuit.
That means another pot though !
OR, use an SPST switch, to put a resistor there ( 330k ?? guess ) to switch in ONLY
when using your HB pup gtr .... then it's just a small additional switch
Try out a few resistor, using a socket, to set it "just right" for your axe ...

MM.

[Doug_H]

OT, but how do you like those filtertron pickups? I'm going to get a pair of the rectotrons (cheap filtertrons) for an old guitar I'm redoing. It is a hollow body that is woofy in the bass with PAFs so I was thinking filteron-type pups would be a good idea for adding some more treble presence and still maintaining the humbucking qualities.

Thanks.

[Bernardduur]

Well, right now I find the stock "Filtertrons" pickups on them (I dunno how else to call em) quite plastic sounding; warm with that little bit of treble and presence through it..... a great sound.

The pickups were stock, as is the whole guitar, so I have a bit of a doubt to change em into newer versions.......

Output is quite low but it reacts very well with my amp and with my FX giving the best sounds I have. Great when put on a (semi) hollow guitar

This is the guitar BTW; found it in the trash

[Doug_H]

That's a nice looking guitar. It looks very similar to the epiphone I am redoing that I want to use the rectotrons on, except mine is red. Mine has the trapeze and "semi-hollow" look, although it is actually completely hollow (no center block). Glad to hear the good report of this style pup with this style guitar.

FWIW I think weak(er) pups can be a good idea for distortion pedals. Many of the vintage fuzzes were designed for weaker pups and sound best that way.

[Bernardduur]

True; most of my pedals sound absolute killer with my Elite, a bit less with my Paul

I also have such a guitar btw (like the Epiphone; it is an Eko and it is also red ) and I can highly recommend or filtertron like pickups or single coils; it came (also from the trash) with two great humbuckers but sounded so dull and muddy on it; I replaced the two humbuckers with two single coils in humbucker cover (I found them also )

That is really a killer sound!

[Dragonfly]

OT, but how do you like those filtertron pickups? I'm going to get a pair of the rectotrons (cheap filtertrons) for an old guitar I'm redoing. It is a hollow body that is woofy in the bass with PAFs so I was thinking filteron-type pups would be a good idea for adding some more treble presence and still maintaining the humbucking qualities.

Thanks.

Doug...i have one of those GFS retrotrons for the bridge position (humbucker size).  Its not currently in a guitar right now (i replaced it with an original PAF)...you are "more than welcome" to it if you'd like...its a really cool sounding pickup.

just PM your address if you'd like it.

AC

[MartyMart]

Did I answer the original question ??

MM.

[Bernardduur]

Yep you did The resistor in the signal path cured all my needs

I am so happy right now

[Doug_H]

Yeah, sorry for the thread hijack...

[MartyMart]

No worries doug, I like the look of those guitars

[Bernardduur]

Small update;

I tried to add the SWT control to the unit and all I got was a crackling pot and a HUGE volume loss; I used these values

[Mark Hammer]

Unfortunately, because of the cumulative effect of the two stages, simple solutions involving one stage or the other can screw up the bandwidth or clipping points.  One possible solution is to simply replace the 1M input resistor with a 1M pot to divide down the guitar input signal.  Nothing is chanegd in the circuit itself, or in the gain structure or bandwidth.  All that is changed is a rescaling of the input signal to make the LP push the circuit exactly as hard (or soft) as the Elite does.  Chances are pretty darn good that you will not use the full range of said pot, so I would suggest either using a 500k/250k pot and additional fixed resistors to make it a "trim" control rather than a full-to-nil volume control.  Alternatively, maybe you just want to use a toggle to switch between the stock 1M terminating resistor, and some resistive divider.  Hell, for that matter, you may be able to get away with sticking a 150k-220k fixed resistor in series with the input (so that it forms a resistive divider) and use a SPST to shunt the added resistor (reverting to stock) for weaker input signals.

Another route is to build on a unity-gain buffer, and stick a padding pot after it.

Finally, it is not clear to me whether what you are trying to maintain with the two different guitars is equivalent output or equivalent coloration (the unit is essentially "clean" up to about 2:00 on the Gain/Drive setting, and starts to get lightly dirty afterwards).  If it is equivalent coloration, then changes are needed at the input (as described above).  If it is merely a case of equivalent output level, then all you'd need to do would be to scale back the output by sticking a fixed resistor in series with the input to the 10k Volume pot.  I imagine that something between 2k2 and 4k7 ought to do it.

[Bernardduur]

Thanks man!

But I guess I need to choose my questions more carefull; the unit works as it suppose to: great tone, great sensitivty and such. The 1M pot, I added a pot to choose how much the unit will be affected by my guitar signal, is working just absolutely fab.

My "new" complaint is the SWTC I tried to add; when I add one in the style of the above named vero (I don't use vero, but it was the first tone control I saw associated with the crank) the tone knob crackles like a madman when it is turned, the output is HUGELY decreased and I hear no difference in tone

As I said, I will choose my questions more wisely!

[Mark Hammer]

Thanks man!

But I guess I need to choose my questions more carefull; the unit works as it suppose to: great tone, great sensitivty and such. The 1M pot, I added a pot to choose how much the unit will be affected by my guitar signal, is working just absolutely fab.

My "new" complaint is the SWTC I tried to add; when I add one in the style of the above named vero (I don't use vero, but it was the first tone control I saw associated with the crank) the tone knob crackles like a madman when it is turned, the output is HUGELY decreased and I hear no difference in tone

You're most welcome.  What you describe doesn't sound right at all.  There should be NO crackling and NO change in output level.  Indeed, for me the chief virtue of the SWTC is that level remains constant across tone settings without the need for any sort of buffering.  Of course, since the tone pot presents an added resistance in series with the volume pot, this WILL decrease output.  Especially if the tone pot is much bigger in value than the volume (e.g., 50k tone, and 10k volume).  Remember, a 50k resistance in series with the input of a 10k pot will function like a 60k pot that an never be turned up any higher than 1/6 of the way!

To preserve the output level of the circuit so that you can still push an amp with a clean signal, you might want to try using 10k for tone and 25k or 50k for volume.  With a change in the tone pot value, clearly that will mean increasing the value of the cap to ground so as to provide the same range of rolloff frequencies.  Generally speaking, if the pot resistance is dropped by a factor of 5, then the cap value should be increased by a factor of 5.

Are you sure that (tone) pot is good and that you have it wired up right?  Perhaps you need to gently pinch the rivets holding the solder lugs (with needle nose pliers) to make sure the connection to the resistive strip is solid.

[Bernardduur]

Ah, thanks man!

I tried it and it now works; I guess the pot was broken..............

I don't think I leave this mod on; the tone knob is useless as I keep it on 100%