How to make a Red LLama more Bass Guitar friendly?

[walker]

Hi all!   I've searched through the forums and can't find much other then "increase the input cap."    It's on the breadboard now, using this layout from beavis, http://beavisaudio.com/bboard/projects/bbp_RedLlama_Rev_1_2.pdf     

My cap's are currently
C1  100uF  Elect.
C2  1 uF    Elect.
C3  47pF   Ceramic
C4  47nF    Film
C5  100pF  Ceramic
C6  10uF    Tant

Can I use a 1n914 instead of the 1n4001?

Everything else stock to the schem.  The low end is there but could be a little better, and there's plenty enough gain for me.  What it's lacking in my ears is presence.  It sounds a bit dull and has got a little of that 'coming from next door' sound.    I have a Boss ODB-3, and that is the opposite, it's too much presence, even with the treble rolled off, it sounds like constant white noise blended with clean signal, rather then overdriving the actual notes.   I'd like a happy medium!

Btw, I just built a red llama from the GGG kit which sounds awesome on guitar!  But even with the gain knob cranked, it would barely kick in any overdrive on my Bass. 

[walker]

bump.   Any ideas?

[WGTP]

Is your bass working correctly?  It should drive the Llama into distortion unless it is really weak.  I have had presence issues with the 4049 with guitars, but would think it wold be OK with a bass.  I usually reduce the input cap for guitar to get more Presence, and boost the bass at the end, but not sure if that would work with a bass.  The 4049 has a reputation of sounding sort of loose in the bass, so...   

[walker]

My bass plays nice with all my other pedals.  I'm not sure why it didn't like the GGG Red LLama, but the guitarist in my band liked it so I sold it to him.   Now I'm trying to build another one that works better with my bass.  I put it together on the breadboard using the Caps I had laying around, and it was immediately better then the first one.  It's overdriving just fine, just missing that presence.   If I find some time today I'll try some different resistors, there is another current red llama thread with some ideas. 

I usually reduce the input cap for guitar to get more Presence, and boost the bass at the end

What values are you using for this? 

[zencafe]

try decreasing C3 and/or c6. That will raise the cutoff frequency, It may get noisier, but you don´t loose anything with experimenting. In my cmos bass overdrive I use a 500k/47p combo... and it has a lot of presence.

Cheers!

[walker]

hmm, I tried smaller values for C6 but it seemed to cut out bass frequencies.  As for C3, I don't have anything smaller then 47pF in my stash.  I might have to run over to RS. 

[WGTP]

10n = 160Hz with the 100k input resistor.
1n = 1600Hz
I'd try between 10n - 1n but you may loose too much bass   

[walker]

In my cmos bass overdrive I use a 500k/47p combo... and it has a lot of presence.

500k for which resistor?  and 47pF for C3 on the beavis schematic?   

10n = 160Hz with the 100k input resistor.
1n = 1600Hz
I'd try between 10n - 1n but you may loose too much bass

Which capacitor?  You lost me a little. 

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  I'm still a newb, I don't really understand exactly what all the parts do, or how they work with each other, yet.   I can get from schematic to breadboard to pcb or perf, but for things like 'needs more gain' or 'lacking midrange', I have no idea what to change.  I'm reading a lot and having fun with the breadboard though! 

[WGTP]

I think 500k is R5 and 47pf is C5.  This resistor/cap combo C5/R5 in the feedback loop form a lowpass network reducing treble

I'm refering to the cap at the input C2 which controls how much bass gets into it.  Try halving it from 68n and see if you hear anything.  Keep halving it until you hear less bass. 

C2 for bass control and C5 for treble.  Leave C5 out for max treble.

Breadboards are very cool.   

[walker]

I don't have any 500k resistors at the moment, so I left R5 at 1M.  But changing C5 to 47p did the trick!  Actually, I like the low notes with no cap at all, but when I moved up on the neck it was too much.   

As for C2, I went the other way actually.  I wanted as much bass to get through as possible.  That's why I had the 1uf instead of the 68n.  But I just tried 22u, 47, and 68u.  The 22u was the winner. 

Current Cap Set up is now
C1  100uF  Elect.
C2  22 uF    Elect.
C3  47pF   Ceramic
C4  47nF    Film
C5  47pF  Ceramic
C6  10uF    Tant


It's sounds pretty good to my ears now, but I'm going to keep messing around with it for a while before boxing it up.   Is it possible to add this: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=35348.0  somehow?    Also, would still like to know about using a 1n914 instead of the 1n4001?

[WGTP]

I don't know about the diodes.  A BMP tone control works, so I'm not sure why that tone stack won't work as well.  Try it.   

[walker]

hmm, i want to try it.  That means ordering and waiting for pots.  I'm in no hurry though, so why not. 


BMP?   Does that mean Big Muff Pi, as in the one knob tilting eq?