BSIAB II owners

[Ed G.]

Sorry about the 'sucky' filters 
Yes, you can lower the value of the capacitors, it will affect only the 'higher' highs.
But you can also reduce the value of the resistors, it will be like turning down the pot on a variable filter, it affects the same frequencies, only less so.

[Xavier]

Thanks Ed, definitely, filters don't suck. It's only a matter of adapting them to your setup.

Today I'll implement the very nice and simple Aaron nelson 3 band tone control, this one



The question is, where do I insert this in the circuit? My guess is right after C9, right?

The other question is, can I leave the volume pot with the same value, or do I have to remove it and output of the circuit will me treble lug 2?

Thanks for your help

[SolderBoy]

Today I'll implement the very nice and simple Aaron nelson 3 band tone control, this one

(Umm...  with all due respect to our host...  That's not really Aron's circuit.  Actually I'm not sure how it would wind up with his copyright attached to it at all...)


But it will fairly radically change the tonal response of the pedal. Even with the three controls at 12 o'clock, it'll pull a lot of mids out...

If you are chasing a mid cut sound, you could also try changing the parts in the original tone circuit back to the big muff specs and take it from there...

It'll probably really scream when the tone is cranked too, this way...

[Xavier]

Thanks, I've just checked the different options with the Duncan calculator and you seem to be right. Even the Marshall stack sucks too much volume.

I'll try the BMP tone control

EDIT: Tried the BMP control already. Back to the previous state .

I really think by now the only way to get some more bass will be by using an external active eq circuit.

[Bucksears]

I hate to say it, but you should build a Dr. Boogey if you want more bass. The BSIAB II is a hot-rodded Marshall sound, ala the 1970's EVH 'Brown Sound'. It's more versatile than just that, but that's the area it stays in.

The Dr. Boogey CHUGS. If you want the palm-muted, nu-metal tone, that'll getcha there.

- Buck

[Xavier]

I hate to say it, but you should build a Dr. Boogey if you want more bass. The BSIAB II is a hot-rodded Marshall sound, ala the 1970's EVH 'Brown Sound'. It's more versatile than just that, but that's the area it stays in.

The Dr. Boogey CHUGS. If you want the palm-muted, nu-metal tone, that'll getcha there.

- Buck

No, Ed

The BSIAB is awesome, it's just that I'd like to have some more control over the eq. Other than that it's perfect !!!

[SolderBoy]

For more bass you could try messing with the feedback caps in the mu amps. 

And try a baxendall tone control - in a way its actually more versatile than a fender BMT type, because you can get a mid boost by turning both controls down then cranking the vol to compensate.

[Alex C]

Thanks guys, this is great. 
I had the same feeling that the dark mids were overpowering, even with the tone pot cranked.  I needed more treble and clarity, and I got it.
I tried clipping one end of each of the 0.0022 caps, C13 and C14, one at a time.  C14 was first, and helped a lot.  It sounded livelier and fuller.  Then I clipped the end of C13, and it was fantastic.

More open, with many more sounds available, this has been converted to the best build of all time for me.  Thanks for the tips so I didn't have to poke around and tweak myself.  I'll look into subbing values for these and other caps, but I'm definitely satisfied so far.

Thanks guys, and thanks Ed for a fantastic circuit!

-Alex

[Bucksears]

I swear, this is probably the best distortion pedal I have at the moment, definitely the most versatile. It can do a really good low-gain Marshall sound, but IMHO where it excels at (after removing the two caps I originally mentioned, which you just did too) is getting a great Van Halen 1 sound. After this mod, it really opens it up and give the tone control the ability to add treble to the 'top' of the sound without sounding thin. I've thought of adding a DPDT switch to toggle between two different gain settings.

- Buck

[jonathansuhr]

Xavier,
I agree. Stock, it adds highs, plus a few mids in a nasty way, but cuts bass. Granted, it's a very thick, tight sound if you back off the tone, but there's no bite to it when you up the volume.
Yes, first I cut just the last .0022uF cap, then the other .0022uF cap in the low pass filter; the 10k resistors stay intact. (basically you can cut the caps with a wire cutter and not have to touch your soldering iron) I like it MUCH more and it saved that pedal from being an 'alternate' to a keeper.

- Buck

Wait, if you just clip the leads of caps, then the 10k resistors aren't getting to ground, so Tone 2 and Volume 3 are left suspended in air.. sorry if this is a noob question.. Can someone explain what the 10k resistors are doign then, and where tone lug 2 and volume 3 are going?

[snoof]

10k resistors aren't supposed to go to grnd.  just clip or desolder the caps(C13 and 14), nothing more.  there is nothing suspended in mid air.  everything is as it should be.  check the schem and layout at general guitar gadgets.

[jonathansuhr]

I'm using this layout. So the 10k resistors are only affecting tone lug 2 and volume 3 after the cap clip?

[snoof]

you're fine, removing them won't hurt anything, just clip the caps out.  if you're worried about the 2 10k's, try it without them(use jumpers or direct connections) and see how it sounds .  or you could wire up a switch to take the caps  in/out.  all that those caps/res are doing is forming a high cut filter.

[Ed G.]

Something I might implement in a BSIAB3 would be the ability to take out each capacitor with a switch so you could have different tone 'ranges' and that would make the pedal work with a variety of amps. I tuned the circuit using a strat into a fender super reverb, probably one of the best clean sounds you can imagine, I mean it's legendary. But it's hard to find a pedal that works with that rig. So I had to tinker around until I had one!

You guys who are clipping the caps, what kind of guitar/amp combos are you using? I'm just curious. I've heard raves for this pedal through fenders and marshalls, but I think someone with a Matchless said it was less than magical. Of course, if I had a Matchless, I probably wouldn't use a distortion pedal!

As far as bass response, it's a tricky situation when you're fooling with fets. Feed them too much low end, and they fart out. And I'm not a fan of farty sounds 
Upping C8 helps a bit, but it only gives so much. But for my rig, that's enough. Because with an open-back combo, when you crank out too much bass at gig volumes, you're back to farting, but now it's the amp and speakers farting. Even worse. 

Again, thanks to Jack Orman for sharing the cascaded minibooster idea with us. To me, there's no diode clipping circuit out there that gives the same smooth texture as the sound of the fets overdriving.

[george]

(Umm...  with all due respect to our host...  That's not really Aron's circuit.  Actually I'm not sure how it would wind up with his copyright attached to it at all...)

The circuit may not be Aron's .... but the DRAWING is ... that's how copyright works I think you'll find.   I recall that from one of the previous threads on that very topic ...

(sorry for the slight OT)

[snoof]

Ed, I'm using the BSIAB with two different SF fenders.  One a bandmaster piggyback rig, and other a Pro Rev.  FWIW, I only clip one of the caps out.  I also like to tweak the crkt to get just a hair more low end.  And thanks for this great design by the way

[Electric I]

Great info here, much thanks.

I'm starting a bsiab 2 build this week & think I'll add switches for the caps to make the pedal more versatile.