BSIABII Vs. Marshall BB and/or Guv'nor

[javacody]

Which is the more authentic marshall sound? I'm looking for slightly overdriven blues (Jimi's clean sound) to medium high gain 70's rock. What do you guys recommend?

Also, I already have a tube screamer.

[RDV]

NOTA

The BSIAB2 is my fave high-gain dist, but for low-gain, I'm not so sure. Build it anyway. :wink:  :wink:


Have you tried the ROG Eighteen? That pedal actually attempts to emulate the low-gain Marshall sound. On the same note, the Thundrchief does a similar thing with the gain at 50%(how I use mine).

HTH

RDV

[Mike Burgundy]

A Guv is definitely NOT a TS clone. If it is, so is every other diode-based clipper out there!
It's a LED-to-ground clipper, with a different EQ section after it.
That said, the clipping method is not as important as pre-and post EQ IMO...

[MartyMart]

I you're looking for a medium gain pedal with a  tone thats different from your TS9 then I'd build a "BluesBreaker" IMHO.
I'd say its almost as popular a build and a very nice pedal for blues/rock duties.
I have an original "Black Box" Guvnor as well and that is more "high gain" than the BB, and also a little more "brittle" sounding.
My BSIAB II is great, but is only a "high gain" device, it wont "clean up" enough for blues work IMO.

Marty.

[javacody]

Thanks for the advice guys!

I've been playing around with an Easy Drive and was not happy with the sound at all in its stock form. First to go was was the 0.1 uF output cap, changed that to 0.01uF. That helped, but it was still way to muddy. So I started tweaking the biasing of the transistor. I've ended up with a 0.047uF cap to ground from the emitter and a much larger resistor as well.

Anyway, I agree, tweaking the EQ is very important.

What I'm looking for is great tone at very low volume. I have a great Tubescreamer sound already, but I need that marshall late 60's sound. I'm very concerned about harsh treble, as my little practice amp reproduces it perfectly. I'd also prefer something without the Marshall tonestack (not from a tonal perspective, but from a complexity perspective), I like easier builds.  

[bigjonny]

I have no experience with the others, but I cannot say enough good things about the BSIAB2.  I made one for my pal for his bDay, but had about a month to play with it before the day came to give the gift.  Its one of the more unique-sounding DIY pedals.  Awesome sound.  All he had was a TS-7 before this, and he loves his setup:  Smooth, creamy overdrive with the TS-7; rauncy and racous with the BSIAB2.

Do yourself a favor and build it.  Then you can A/B it with the other pedals in a store, if ya like...

[javacody]

I don't buy pedals anymore, and I trust the opinions of my friends here at the forum and besides, you can't buy most of the pedals I'm interested in anymore.

I will eventually build a BSIABII, but I'm looking for something a little easier for now.

[bigjonny]

My BSIAB II is great, but is only a "high gain" device, it wont "clean up" enough for blues work IMO.

I think this depends on your style.  If you have a Tube Sceamer, you already have a great bluesy pedal.  The BSIAB2 will give you "oomph" when you need it.  You can also bias the BSIAB2 it a bit weaker with the trim pot.  Finally, you could add in a dual gang pot that was a secondary control to increase resistance at R3 and R10, thus lowering the gain at each stage (reffering to the schem)...

If you look at the scheme for the BSIAB2 and the mini booster, you can see its pretty easy to tame the BSIAB2, if you desire (I personally don't think it needs it).

Anyhow, here's a thread that I started that had some good comments about the BSIAB2.

[bigjonny]

I will eventually build a BSIABII, but I'm looking for something a little easier for now.

That's cool, javacody.  Just an FYI: BSIAB2 was my 1st real build.  I did it with JD's PCB that I bought for $14, and everything went off w/o a hitch.  Obviously, you need to feel "ready" to do it yourself, but I'd encourage you to give it a go.

[MartyMart]

I will eventually build a BSIABII, but I'm looking for something a little easier for now.

The BSIAB II was my second ever build and on perf !
After a small bias pot tweak it worked first time, so I think you could handle it.
Have fun anyway,
Marty.

[javacody]

Allright, you guys talked me into it. I'll order a board, because I don't enjoy perfing out anything more complex than a Fuzz Face or Mini booster.

Happy new year, by the way guys!

[Ed G.]

I've stopped fooling around with the etching chemicals and bought all my boards from JD at generalguitargadgets.com. It's worth it.