Any Omega Boost tweaks?

[GibsonGM]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has tweaked the Omega booster into something more like a treble booster.  I am using it between my line out/in on a Hot Rod Dlxe to boost for solos, and don't like the 'full spectrum' boost I get using it this way.  Other than lowering the input cap, I am at a loss as to how to customize the frequency response of this baby.  Great booster tho.   Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Mike

[bluesdevil]

Input cap is already low (.0033uf?), so maybe try lowering the 4.7uf output cap substantially... your volume may take a dive, though. if that that doesn't sound right, what about lowering that 4.7uf cap going to ground parallel to trimmer?

[John Lyons]

The Omega is a treble booster. Wel...and a full range boost.
Turn it to the left (CCW) and it's a treble boost.
Turn to the right and it's full range.
If you just want the treble side then omit the 500K pot
and solder in a 500K resistor (510K or so).

You could make it even more of a treble boost by lowering the
4u7 parallel to the trimmer but honestly it's about like a rangemaster
now so it's bright/thin enough I think. It was designed to be close to a
rangemaster's tone.


John

[GibsonGM]

Yeah, I hear that. 
I'm using it between preamp and PA, so it's kind of a weird application.  I seem to be boosting too much midrange this way.   If I use it normally, I don't really punch up over the drummer without overdriving my pre too much and getting all fuzzy....
Maybe I have to play with an EQ in there and find out what area I really want to boost, and come up with another circuit?

[John Lyons]

Sounds like your using it in the wrong application.
The rangemaster (and Omega which is a work a like)
is used to drive an amp into distortion.
It's not so much just treble as everything but bass.
So there is where the midrange boost is coming from.

It's made to drive a preamp into distortion and keep
the signal clear since there is no bass to cloud up the
preamps gain.. The omega has a variable freq knob of
course which sets it apart from the rangemaster....

If you are using it after the preamp how is the Omega
overdriving the pre amp?
If you are just looking for a boost as in a level boost to
kick up the volume you need to either use the Omega
in an FX loop (after the preamp but before the power amp)
or figure out where it works best in the chain to keep form
overdriving whatever comes next in the chain.

Explain your chain more specifically and we can
get to the bottom of it.

John

[GibsonGM]

Hi John,

What I meant was that it sounds pretty nice in the signal chain up to a point, but with a loud drummer I can't crank it up enough to get over the top (it saturates my 1st stage input and that = BMP fuzz sounding leads). 

So I have run it w/a stereo cable between preamp out/PA in.  It has TONS of headroom there, but is amplifying EVERYTHING so much that I am getting honk.  Trying to find the freqs that I'd have to get rid of to tune it to my taste, but there isn't much IN the circuit to do so, lol.
 
Just another way to get a big vol. jump for leads - but in this case, the jump is TOO faithful to the original sound.   Maybe a passive vol. control IS the way to go, I dunno...
Thx.   

[m-theory]

Sounds like you're pretty close to maxed out on the amp before you hit the boost.  I've found that any booster in front of an amp with no head room just tends to make the amp more saturated.  Try dropping the front end gain on the amp, or turning the amp down a tad.  If it's a tube amp, you're really not getting much additional useable volume beyond about 1/2 throttle anyway. 

[Auke Haarsma]

why not use an EQ-pedal to boost what you want? Seems much more suited for your needs than a pre-amp booster like the Omega (which I like a lot btw!).

[John Lyons]

Still confused by your setup.
Can you tell us exactly what the signal chain is?

I think it's a matter of your signal chain order not that
the frequencies are not quite right.

[aziltz]

from what I've gathered its Preamp --> Omega --> PA.

If you want to get louder to play with a Drummer, either invest in a guitar amp or a louder PA.  Using the Omega to boost after the preamp will not get you what you are asking.  You could try a clean boost instead of the Omega, but I bet its the PA running out of headroom.

[John Lyons]

You could try a clean boost instead of the Omega, but I bet its the PA running out of headroom.

Sounds about right.
The difference between a PA and a guitar amp is a lot.