Wyllie Moonrock

[digi2t]

Yeah, I've heard those. Quite honestly, it's quite a range of tones.

[Cozybuilder]

Travel day, an overseas work assignment, and I can't wait to finish it & get back home and play with this some more! I thought it was about ready, but I like what Dino's been doing here, and I think its getting close now. I'm sure some other good ideas are going to get posted here.

[digi2t]

Here's a short video. Sound quality isn't great, I think I had the amp too high. To top things off, my breadboard is sucking giant goose balls. Anyway, I hope it conveys the gist.

Thoughts? (I mean on the circuit  ).

[Cozybuilder]

Nice video Dino! Comparing whats on your breadboard to the last one I posted: Mine gives a much stronger octave up- either humbuckers or single coils (Ibanez dual HB, Jr w/ single P90, and strat, neck pup, tone dialed back). For swells, mine is much more fiddly, really a PITA- with the 22K on the  wiper it works well with humbuckers, with a 10K it works well with single coils. In both cases, it works better with a combination neck and bridge pup, neck tone dialed back, bridge tone dimed, the Jr is really finicky. Your circuit has more treble, mine is rather dark. I think your fuzz is better, mine lost some with the 250K dual pot, but then it gained a lot more tonal variety. I think yours sounds more like the Moonrock. This is killing me being away from the breadboard for awhile. I think you're close 

[DougH]

Sounds great, Dino! You're on the trail!

[Eric H]

Those Soundcloud clips are impressive.
Never heard it before -thanks Doug 8*)

[Cozybuilder]

Dino-
I think this is it:
Strong octave at one end, great swells at the other, various combinations as you turn the pot. For the diode pair feeding the base of Q3, if they are parallel with anode to Q3 (like you have) it gives a more trebly response; if back to back like I drew, its a darker sound.


Edit:
Since the above posting I tried some different pot values, the 1M works best. It might be a little better with a reverse audio taper, but I didn't have one in 1M to try. I also tried it without the added diode (purple), and would swear it works better without it- thus IMHO it really doesn't need the second input at the swell position (diode lead from the Collector of Q2 to the pot/inductor junction), this circuit works great without it. Just cross out that portion with the diode in purple in the schematic above. I'm boxing it.

Edit 2:
I tried an audio taper 1M- thats the ticket! This gives a good variety of swell effect, much better than the linear pot, such that there is now a lot of variety with very little turn of the pot- deep swell at one end, linear lessening of the effect, straight fuzz, to various amounts of octave blended in until its a powerful octave at the other end. Also, using an audio pot for volume gives a smoother response. This is a fun circuit to play with!

[soggybag]

Wow, great work, you guys got pretty far with this. I have it the breadboard again at home. Mine wasn't working on the first pass. I'll need to debug it so I can join the party.

[digi2t]

That's great work Russ!! Got a couple of amps on the bench right now, so the breadboard is on the sidelines for the moment.

Just spitballin', only because the original does what it does the way it seems to be designed. Could any of those diodes be zeners or shottky's?

BTW, that 10uF off of Q2E seems to be the wrong way around compared to the original. Is that intentional?

[Cozybuilder]

Dino- Good catch, that electro is labeled backward     - its probably time to draw up another schemo.

Like I wrote earlier, I think the photos show a modified board, and this is my attempt to figure out how it should be. Wish I had a pristine one to look at. I hope someone else tries this out and either improves it or concurs.

[digi2t]

Wish I had a pristine one to look at.

Yeah... you and me both!

I hope someone else tries this out and either improves it or concurs.

Dang... I shouldn't have started on that damn amplifier! No room on my bench right now. Post a sample of yours if you can. I'm super curious.

[Cozybuilder]

With the different changes described it might be confusing. Just to be clear, this is what is on my breadboard now:

[Cozybuilder]

A couple of minor changes from the last schematic- 10uF cap on the Swell-Fuzz-Octave pot, 100uF cap on the Q3C network, 2M2 at input and turned the 10uF the other way. Its boxed, sounds great: strong octave up with any pickup, but best with neck and tone dialed back, great swells at about the same notes as the octave, really likes strat neck and middle with tone dialed back, fuzz is good everywhere on the neck, any pickup combo.

[duck_arse]

looks well 'equipped'. [C4 has lost its polarity.]

D7 and D8 - bizarre.

[Kipper4]

Demo time ?

[Cozybuilder]

DA- Positive side of C4 to the base of Q2  I agree, D7 & D8 are strange, but this gets a better swell with them that way. I tried both ways, and its a fuller sound with a standard back to back configuration, but this seems to make the difference.

Kipper- I'd love to get a demo of this, any volunteers to help me out on this?  (I'm on my way to India again, will return on Sunday.)

[Kipper4]

Hows this for a deal Russ?
I'll go to India for you. I love India.
You stay put and do a demo.
Sounds good to me just mail your air ticket to me ok.

[Cozybuilder]

Heck of a deal! But I like India too, this makes about the 35th trip there, and around the 6th to Hyderabad. Earlier this month it was Jaipur, just before Diwali. Thats the most elephants I've seen in one place!

Now I just need some means of recording a demo- or a volunteer.

[Kipper4]

Well you give my love to India, while I pour over the last posted schematic. Hhhhhmm
Is the 10uf bipolar on the gate of Q2?
What's going on with the two power supply's 2n7000 and BS250? Is that the pnp fet transistor?
And probably a few more novelty questions too.
Can't believe m even thinking of breadboarding this monster......

[Cozybuilder]

Rich-
You could use a 1N5817 Schottky instead of the BS250 MOSFET and just lose a couple of hundred millivolts, and a 3PDT instead of the Millennium Bypass (1 less diode  ). C4 pos is toward base of Q2- how did I miss that? You have many choices for the inductor, this thing even worked well with the secondary side of a 42TL002 (2k side). I'd guess that the primary of a 42TL022 (Tychobrahe inductor) would work fine.

It should be able to fit in a 1590A- maybe Perrow will give it the curly treatment?

I played around with a pot at Q1E, C5K replacing the 8K2 with the 47uF cap on the wiper- same resistor values for B/C and C/V+; it gives some nice octave variability, you can dial it in better than with just your guitar volume. When I get back I want to try some other things.