Jordan Boss Tone Build

[vanessa]

This is my little bit from the Electric Mud thread:

I just bread boarded a Jordan Boss Tone (CA version) and it totally nailed that tone [Pete Cosey, on Muddy Waters "Electric Mud"] with an PNP in Q2 and running neg ground. The PNP with positive ground did not sound like it. It was way too splatty and you could hardly get a note to sound. I went with the CA Boss Tone due to the timeline. It has a slight hint of octave up effect.

I wanted to point out that the CA schematic that's floating around shows the pedal as a positive ground pedal. I think it should be wired negative ground. It does not work (the way it should) as a positive ground circuit. It's a really cool 'Psychedelic 60's' fuzz pedal.

[vanessa]

Here's a couple of notes I've got I'll share with you all.

It seems the clipper section acts more as a limiter than to add to the flavor of distortion. Without them the output has more volume but the decay is very short and unnatural. By acting as a limiter it gives a sense of sustain, giving you a longer decay time.

I experimented with a bunch of diode combos. 1N4002, 1N914, 1N4148, 1N314's. I liked having the 1N314 in there. It with other combos seems to help smooth out the decay to a more linear fade out (as opposed to splat). The best si's with 1N314 combos (to me) were the 1N4002 and the 1N4148's. The 1N4002 seems to give it a little bigger (a little bassy, and a pinch more mud) sound but you get a little more splat in the decay. The 1N4148 adds a little more treble (not as "big" sounding) but the decay is smoother than the 1N4002. 

Hope that helps all!

Vanessa

[skiraly017]

I used 1N456A's and was very pleased with the results.

[Dan N]

Interesting. The CA version was definately neg ground (from Sir HC's photos). Guess I messed up the battery symbol on the schematic I scratched out. Sorry.

I liked mine best with 2 NPN's (both E's to ground). All ceramic caps and the diodes looked like 1N4001's.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=48469.0

[Paul Marossy]

On mine, I put a switch in to take the diodes out of the circuit for more a booster kind of flavor.

I like that little circuit. 

[vanessa]

Interesting. The CA version was definately neg ground (from Sir HC's photos). Guess I messed up the battery symbol on the schematic I scratched out. Sorry.

I liked mine best with 2 NPN's (both E's to ground). All ceramic caps and the diodes looked like 1N4001's.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=48469.0

I was using your schemo Dan (thank you!). I knew it had to be a typo, it really sounded bunk as pos ground.
I tried a NPN in there too. I found that with the emitter up to that 10k sounded kind of close to the way the PNP did normally in the circuit, but not as good. The PNP sounds full and defined, over the NPN this way. And with the NPN emitter to ground the circuit was more in Fuzz Face territory but a little raunchy (I kind of liked it!). Interesting, the PNP did not behave the same way when flipped around. It died, sort of the way it sounded when flipped normal but with the circuit running pos ground.

[MartyMart]

That would explain my "failed" attept at a CA one several months ago !!
- it was a tiny piece of vero, so was scrapped/reused. ( I didn't spot the ground issue )
I have another, which i think was a Dragonfly version, sounds GREAT !

[vanessa]

The CA version is a really cool build Marty. Breadboard one up (5 minutes and counting  ). I have to build the Nashville one soon. I had to use .022's for those .02's. I don't think it makes much of a difference.

[brett]

Hi
I really liked mine with 3 x 1N4148s in the usual 2 and 1 combination.  It gave a slight "octave and some other harmonics" effect.
cheers

[Der Groovemeister]

Does anybody have a vero layout?

[vanessa]

I've not seen a vero for the CA version (shame...). I think there is a PCB version floating around. You could very easily perf board this up in a very short time. It's well worth it if you like psychedelic fuzz.

[Dan N]

I went ahead and built one from the pcb I posted in the other thread. Someone should definately make a better pcb with more breathing room!

I soldered in a BC549C for Q1 and ended up with a lowish gain NPN for Q2. High gain trannies sucked in Q2. I couldn't get a PNP to rock my world.

What an odd fuzz. The attack has a real Scrambler vibe to it.

[vanessa]

Dan,

I used a 2N2222 in Q1 and a 2N3906 in Q2. Powering the circuit via neg ground with this combo really shined. I did not try other combos as I do not have any other si PNP's. I guess I could have tried others for Q1 but I'm lazy like that (LoL!!!).

Van

[brett]

Hi
for people wanting to swap diffent transistors, I suggest you focus on Q1, because Q2 has a really easy and non-musical role in this circuit.
Old 2N3904s, BC107s etc, and modern 2N2222A and power transistors (e.g. BD139) are some of many contenders for Q1.