What's the story with "Happy Snake" effects?

[brad]

http://www.happysnakemusic.com/

He thanks Aron, Mark Hammer, RG, Jack Orman, Paul Perry, Bernardduur, and credits this site...but I'll be darned if I can remember any discussions about the types of circuits he's using.  It's not often you see effects that are completely unique and about to recieve patents!

[Unbeliever]

All three circuits are 'patent pending' He/she must be expecting to sell a bunch of those pedals to pay the patent fees.

I would be very impressed in this day and age if someone came up with three all-new, not based on anything else, original stompbox circuits.

[brad]

After a search, I found he posts under the name "H S" and is quite learned in electronics!  This thread isn't meant to be a dig at him or anything mind you.  I'm surprised just to see an effect site patenting designs.

[nelson]

I wish him the best of luck.

That lucifer fuzz sounds great.

Might pick one up myself.

Does he do a DIYer discount

[gez]

Nice to see some original designs.  Whoever you are, best of luck!

[Gus]

the pictured horn circuit waveforms looks like one from an old solid state organ harmonic circuit I saw in an older wireless world issue.

I built the wireless world circuit fragment and modded it a little and got waveforms that kind of looked like that on a scope.   I will look for my build.  I want to check the sound again.  I am not going to post the WW circuit.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Yeah, more than one way to get the horns... although around here we call it "the batman effect" as in, the caped crusader's ears..
Best of luck to anyone makign pedals! Hope he's read www.tinaja.com/patnt01.html

[Unbeliever]

I am not going to post the WW circuit.

Err - why not? I want to build the devil circuit. 

[H S]

Man, it's good to come back here after hanging out at the Harmony Central User Forums.   

All three circuits are 'patent pending' He/she must be expecting to sell a bunch of those pedals to pay the patent fees.

If you know someone who can show you how to write a patent application, the filing fee is only $500.  You can pack several circuits into one application filing and then split them up later.  It's gotta be something that you really believe is new, though, or you're not supposed to sign the papers!  I searched all over and didn't find these circuits anywhere.  (I'd like to see that WW circuit, too.)
 

Best of luck to anyone makign pedals! Hope he's read www.tinaja.com/patnt01.html

There are other advantages to having a patent beside being able to bring an expensive lawsuit , like just having the patent office say that your circuit really is new.  "New circuits" is what I want Happy Snake to be about--being an invention boutique, instead of a custom boutique.  (I found out later that there are also tax benefits to paying yourself "royalties" instead of "salary".)

That lucifer fuzz sounds great.

Thanks!  It ain't no tubescreamer!   

Does he do a DIYer discount

Okay, DIY discount: If anyone on this board orders a Happy Snake pedal in May and e-mails me a one-page critique of the pedal, I'll send you a 20% rebate check.  This is a great place to get invaluable feedback.

Thanks for all the good wishes!

[Unbeliever]

There are other advantages to having a patent beside being able to bring an expensive lawsuit , like just having the patent office say that your circuit really is new.

I think you would know this way better than the patent office - they seem to have a very bad reputation for granting all sorts of ludicrous patents. Not saying your patents fall into this area, of course, but as a measure of 'newness' the patent office is a joke. Lets face it - they wouldn't have the resources or technical knowhow to understand everything that passes over their desk.

Good luck. 

[H S]

I think you would know this way better than the patent office - they seem to have a very bad reputation for granting all sorts of ludicrous patents. Not saying your patents fall into this area, of course, but as a measure of 'newness' the patent office is a joke. Lets face it - they wouldn't have the resources or technical knowhow to understand everything that passes over their desk.

I've heard that they're inconsistent, and then the big screw-ups get the headlines.  I wonder who's gonna look at mine?  probably someone used to applications about lab equipment, or band instruments, or DVD players . . . .

Good luck. 

Thanks.

[rockgardenlove]

I'm not really diggin the Lucifuzz, but the High Mountain Air sounds VERY nice.  Nice job!

[brad]

Won't patenting them mean than everyone will be able to see them online?  Do patents cover derivatives too?  You wouldn't want some joker modifying a couple of parts and selling it as something else.

[H S]

I'm not really diggin the Lucifuzz, but the High Mountain Air sounds VERY nice.  Nice job!

Thanks!  For 2 knobs, there's a lot of variety in there.

Won't patenting them mean than everyone will be able to see them online?  Do patents cover derivatives too?  You wouldn't want some joker modifying a couple of parts and selling it as something else.

Yes, in a few years.  Yes, derivatives too.  No, I wouldn't.

[Ed G.]

TIME magazine did an article a couple weeks ago about ridiculous patents (not inferring anything here) but it's an interesting read. Kind of centered around how someone is suing ebay over the "buy it now" function, which they claim a patent was issued for.

Back to the effects, The clips sound great, especially the wacked ones. Best of luck!

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

All a patent is, is a ticket entitling you to fight someone in court.
I spent 45 minutes talking to a lawyer last week.. that cost $600. (not patent matters, thank God!)
My advice, is to move as fast as you can, getting the product out there, and try to stay one move ahead of copiers. Works for Zach...

[johngreene]

My advice, is to move as fast as you can, getting the product out there, and try to stay one move ahead of copiers. Works for Zach...

Sound advice.

--john

[johngreene]

the pictured horn circuit waveforms looks like one from an old solid state organ harmonic circuit I saw in an older wireless world issue.

I built the wireless world circuit fragment and modded it a little and got waveforms that kind of looked like that on a scope.   I will look for my build.  I want to check the sound again.  I am not going to post the WW circuit.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a dual path setup with a limiter in one path with a variable threshold and an expander with a window threshold. Actually it probably doesn't even need to be an expander but just a window thresholded gate of the input signal. But it's just a guess...

--john

[SolderBoy]

I also want to wish you the best of luck with your pedals.

My 2 cents:

Virgin Blue is an airline!   

Does a patent for an analogue circuit cover DSP emulations too?

The concept (and the sound) of the virgin blue reminds me of a circuit that I messed around with a few years back - a fuzz with a VCA.  I also couldn't find a commercial equivelant.  I wanted a bass fuzz that I could put before an envelope filter for squelchy synth sounds.  (Have you tried this with your pedal - could be another way of selling it.)  Turns out there are a few boutique pedals that do this (Chunk's "Brown Dog" comes to mind), but I also found a published circuit in one of those Babani books along these lines too.

IMO your marketing blurb needs a little tweaking.  I tried for years to explain what an on board buffer does to various muso friends.  One evening between soundcheck and gig, after spending about an hour talking about impedance, roll-off, capacitance etc, my guitarist mate said, "so that thing sorta... puts back... what the lead takes away...?"  You need to separate your "shaking a sheet of metal" and "scooped mids" from your "switch craft jacks" and your wave diagrams.  Most guitarists have no concept of how their instrument works - especially the electronics.  Most would not know much about waves.  Perhaps put all your technical stuff on a separate link.

SB

PS:  Oh, and many of your images won't load.

[SolderBoy]

PPS:  great sounding pedals, BTW!