Pictures!

[kurtlives]

Thanks guys

Not a pedal but hey it's DIY. Lastest amp build...

funny, i have been really into Dumble clones lately...

what layout did you use? this one?
http://ceriatone.com/images/layoutPic/OvertoneLayout/Overtone-Special-V2.jpg

how does it sound?

No I didn't use that layout. That layout isn't a real Dumble ODS, there are lots of "wrong" untrue Dumble things in that layout. I used a #124 layout. It was a very sweet ODS that was made for a strat. It was reverse engineered and well documented.

I had to modify the layout slightly for a different PSU eyelet board.


There is a full thread on the build on Amp Garage. This was my last entry...

Originally the sound wasn't anything to write home about. The clean was ok and the OD was bad. The OD was crunchy and had too much highs, not smooth. I figured I was in for a long haul of tweaking, Dumble's are notorious for taking a long time to tweak....I played around with the OD input trimmer and found my sweet spot. OD was a little better. Still overall the amp lacked though.

The voltages are critical in these amps. V1 must be 190V, V2 200V and V3 280V/290V for this particular build. It took a long time of tube swapping and resistor string changes to get the voltages spot on. Different brands of 12AX7s draw different amounts of current so the plate voltages change. In the end I found three perfect tubes that got me the voltages I need and had a really great tone.

V1 - I used a really old 12AX7 I pulled from a radio. It is definitely vintage, no noise issues though. It is clear and articulate, good punch.
V2 - Mullard Reissue. This tube really smoothed out the OD channel. It is a dark smooth tube so it did the perfect thing to the OD. The OD is very smooth now.
V3 - A lot of "D" owners and builders like the Sovtek LPS here. It seems to do the job well. I balanced the plate voltages using the PI trimmer. The harmonics are great, lots of second order.

I also have added a push pull pot for paralleling a capacitor to make the mid cap 60nF (stock 10nF). This really smooths out the OD and makes the amp fatter and jazzier.

The amp is so amazing! My favorite to date for sure. The sound is great, it is very much a blues/jazz/rock amp. Yet it is very versatile and can get a range of sounds for these genres. Very sensitive, controls and switches are very effective.

[DUY1337GUITAR]

I've built these two SHO boosts for me and my friend.  The enclosures are just radioshack plastic enclosures.  I used Dragonfly's tutorial for my paintjob (awesome tutorial man, you rock)

[lofie]

That is impressive. Layout, paint job and all.

[deaconque]

I've built these two SHO boosts for me and my friend.  The enclosures are just radioshack plastic enclosures.  I used Dragonfly's tutorial for my paintjob (awesome tutorial man, you rock)

nice looking swirls 

[John Lyons]

My "Gnarly Fuzz"
(keepin' it simple)

[Heemis]

My "Gnarly Fuzz"
(keepin' it simple)

Gorgeous... I love brown hammertone.  I actually built an almost identical pedal recently except with the cream version of those knobs. 

What's the little yellow resistor-looking thing?  Is this pedal your own design?  Last question I swear, but two parts... are those the 1+ uf multilayer ceramics I see, if so, how do you like them?  Sorry for the interrogation!

[rousejeremy]

RM Octavia

[John Lyons]

What's the little yellow resistor-looking thing? 
It's a ceramic bead cap. .1 in fact.


Is this pedal your own design?
Yes, sort of. I designed it by mashing a couple pedal schematics together. Sort of a cross between a Maestro FZ-1 and an Orpheum fuzz.

Last question I swear, but two parts... are those the 1+ uf multilayer ceramics I see, if so, how do you like them? 
They are .22uf panasonic caps. I have been meaning to order some of those 1uf multilayer ones though...

John

[jacobyjd]

I love working with the multilayer ceramics I picked up from Futurlec. They're cheap, small, and they function without problems so far

[JKowalski]

[/center]

Just curious, how do you mount your boards? Is it just something simple, like double sided tape?

Your pedals are wonderfully neat. I keep telling myself that I need to take the time to do that, but I always:

A. Have debugging to do, and the act of it screws things up exponentially
B. Put too much stuff inside a pedal so that it's practically impossible to organize easily
C. Just want to get something done so fast that I can't bother with neatness!

*sigh*

[John Lyons]

Thanks for the compliment!
I use this gray outdoor gummy tape.
It's SUPER sticky and holds the board
very secure. It will come off if you want it
to though which is nice.

I build the whole circuit, pots and all on a sheet
of plexiglass with all the holes done on the same
template I use to drill the box. Everything is exactly
like it will be in the box. If there are any problems
then I can address them before I get it all in the box.

I made a bypass/in/out box with alligator clips
that I connect to the off board wires to test the board.
Just plug in the guitar to the box and then connect (4)_
clips to the off  board wires (+9v, ground, in and out).
Invaluable!!

I actually layed out the board with Q3 backwards
which is why it's jammed up against that cap...

John

[musiclikscreams]

John Lyons, ur pedals r so neat it makes me sick! i wish i had the time/patients/dexterity to do that. props

[azrael]

Where do you buy your blue PCBs from again, John? I tried looking on eBay the other day, but with no luck.

[John Lyons]

The Guy who I bought them from doesn't have any more

musiclikscreams
I have some patience but not much.
I just can't do the wiring any other way.
I like to make it look as clean and straight as possible.

The more you do it the better you get.
(Not that mine is that great.)

[DUY1337GUITAR]

I've built these two SHO boosts for me and my friend.  The enclosures are just radioshack plastic enclosures.  I used Dragonfly's tutorial for my paintjob (awesome tutorial man, you rock)

nice looking swirls 

Thanks!  I'm hoping to working on more pedals, this time with a stompswitch.  Been checking out the BSIAB2 lately.  I'm probably gonna collect my photos on how I made these SHO's into a video and post it on my YouTube channel.  Haven't posted a vid in months, got over 400 subscribers and more everyday and it seems like I'm abandoning my acount

[markeebee]

I actually layed out the board with Q3 backwards
which is why it's jammed up against that cap...

The fact that this board is now only 99.999% perfect fills me with some kind of perverse pleasure!

John, your layouts are so beautiful.  At the risk of sounding pompous, somehow they remind me of a Mondrian painting.  Or something.

[~arph]

John, your layouts are so beautiful.  At the risk of sounding pompous, somehow they remind me of a Mondrian painting.  Or something.

 

[frequencycentral]

Magnus Modulus Lite. I've had the board since last Christmas. I just couldn't decide what to do with it, I didn't want a huge enclosure with a bunch of controls I wouldn't use, so I ended doing this 'Lite' version, just trimming down the functions to what I found worked for me, so out went tails, tremolo, boost and space.

[oxygel]

[John Lyons]

Nice one rick! I still have not finished mine from even longer ago...
I get caught up in making boards and doing stuff for everyone else...

John