Colorsound octivider - "boot sale score" !!

[MartyMart]

"Boot sale" "garage sale" - call it what you will, I need to get to some more of these !!
I scored a '70's Octivider for £8 ..... !!!!!
It has a "hand written" serial number and the battery rubber has gone to
"gunk" !! also looking at the board, there's no way this is a re-issue !!
Sounds great, tracks well and seems to give a clean 2 octaves below the input.
With the "sense" knob at about 75% it works well.
Switch for "bass" and switch to turn off the "normal" input ie; no guitar
sound comes through  
I'll take some photo's in the next few days and try to trace it out, its a
big circuit, with around 10 transistors ...... !!


Marty.

[chrishopkins]

Now that is a STEAL!!!!!!!!!

[j.frad]

and seems like an interesting effect too, does it really track well?

I've wanted to get an octaver that would let me get bass lines out of my guitar without having to plug my bass in but the ones I've tried don't track the note well enough... could it be good?

[petemoore]

What a Deal !!!
 Seems like an interesting enough unit.
 "PRimE Pickin's" !!!
 Somethings we'd like to see a Pic of !!

[Bernardduur]

WOW. I love my Colorsound, but such a deal makes it even better!

[MartyMart]

"Patience Boy's"  !!!    photo's/trace out will follow ........
As far as "tracking" goes it works very well, you just have to play very
"clean" and monophonic - of course !!
It's a good way to produce "bass" parts IMO, if you're "sloppy" and I am
a bit - then you'll have "odd" notes triggering off, same with a Boss OC-2

Marty.

[jmusser]

I have been to a lot of different garage sales and flea markets, but I have yet to see any type of pedal at one, let alone a vintage one. Since I haven't been into this pedal thing very long, I didn't know there was even such a pedal made by Colorsound. For a guy like you that's into pedals, it's like making the first dive on the Atocha! Maybe we'll start calling you the Mel Fisher of the pedal world! :lol: It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

[nelson]

I used to go to car boot sales regularly, but all I ever seen were cheap guitars and one rocktek pedal........I shoudl start going regularly again and maybe I will find a bargain like that. Great find!

[Dan N]

Great price!

Might want to check the archives for a Solasound Rob Strand traced from photos posted here. Might save you time tracing yours.

[StephenGiles]

Hey Marty did you ever meet Larry or Joe Macarri who owned the Coloursound company? I bought my Burns Sonic from them at their Burnt Oak shop in 1965 and later a Selmer Selectortone amp. The son of one of them, I can't remember which now runs their shop in Charing Cross Road.
Stephen

[MartyMart]

It wasn't working at first ( of course thats why it was so cheap ! )
Just needed the battery snap  reconnecting .... !!
There's still a lot of "gunk" from the old foam rubber in there - dont know
how to get that out ??

Marty.

[gez]

Might want to check the archives for a Solasound Rob Strand traced from photos posted here. Might save you time tracing yours.

I have a vague memory of seeing this schematic posted/linked to from here...might be mistaken though.

[octafish]

I have a few cameras that had sponge gone to gunk. I used acetone on a cottton bud/q-tip to clean it up because it was a delicate job. If you gut it before cleaning you should be able to swab it out quite easily. But watch that paint! (obviously)
Nice find, can't wait for the trace, my question is:
Does it have a nice decay or is it gatey like a bluebox?

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Funniest experience I had at a fete was finding a bunch of early EH fx (memory man etc), you can imagine how fast I swooped ... but it turned out they were just the cases :shock:  :x  :cry:  :cry:
After I calmed down I saw the guy running the sausage sizzle was an organ & fx repair guy whose kid went to the school running the fate. Well HE thought it was funny. I think at least some had been ruined by pluging into the wrong voltage (230 not 110), those mini power transformers were shit at the best of times.

[Ge_Whiz]

I wish my Coloursound Octivider tracked well - it couldn't track a fat burglar covered in aniseed. Actually, it's reasonable with some of my guitars, rubbish with others. Nice find, whatever. Think I paid £3-£4 for mine in the late 1970s. Maybe I'll dig it out and try again.  

[MartyMart]

http://www.pbase.com/martymart/image/45367670

http://www.pbase.com/martymart/image/45367676

Here's a couple of photo's after a "clean up"
you can see all the "gunk" and a new wrapped battery holder !

I make that 10 transistors ........  :shock:

Getting the bias on some of those puppies will "effect" the tracking I
guess !!!

Marty.

[Dan N]

I hope Rob Strand does not mind. Here's his schematic:

http://users.rio.com/senorris/junk/colorsound_octivider_v11.gif

[MartyMart]

Thanks Dan and big thanks to Rob ... saved me a HUGE trace out !!  :wink:

Marty.

[petemoore]

and the pics come in !!!
 Thanks Mr. Marty Mart !!!

[hank reynolds 3rd]

Nice,
Looks like a fairly easy build...Will have to add this to the list!!

I cloned a Mutron Octaver and it was a lot more parts intensive than this...
Is the Oct?two oct down distorted or clean (ish) ?

Cheers
Sam