Looking for suggestions for new build

[oldrocker]

I'd have to say my skills at building projects is intermediate at best.  I've building all kinds of distortion and fuzz effects since I started.  Now I'm thinking of doing a different effect.  I'm not sure what to build this time.  I was hoping to get some input on some DIY's that are favorites of some of you more experienced builders.  Keep in mind I'm intermediate at best but I'm willing to take on somthing harder if I can get all the parts to do it.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Some of the stomps I've built are Big Muff, TS-808, DOD 250, Muff Fuzz, Mockman, Fuzz Face.  As you can see I picked the more simple builds.  I'm still modifying and tweeking them but now I would like to try something completely different.  Any suggestions?

[Quackzed]

joe davisons shocktave is really fun to play through... i'm a big fan of "bang for your buck" type builds and for a reasonably simple circuit the shocktave blew me away... it's a down octave/mild fuzz that you can blend for just down octave, just fuzz or anywhere in between... it's got a real heavy synthy down octave sound that tracks well and a nice compressed fuzz with good sustain on both... it's kinda weird to play guitar and hear this heavy synthy tone coming out of your amp. definately a big wow factor circuit and it uses 2n5088's(5) which are pretty easy to find... very cool... makes me want to build more "odd" type pedals rather than another fuzz face or screamer clone... i also want to try out the ssws super simple square wave shaper... at tim escobedo's site(google 'circuit snippets') The circuit snippets site has lots of cool circuits with an emphasis on simple builds that do alot with a minimum of components... you should check it out as well;) listen to some sound samples and see if something strikes your fancy!

[oldrocker]

Thanks Quackzed,  That sounds great.  I never heard or this effect before or the sites you mentioned.  I will check this out.  Sounds really cool to try.  I'll let you know which one I choose and how the build goes.
Thanks again

[brett]

Hi.
What sort of amp do you have?
If it's a clean Fenderish type then you might want a clean boost (stratoblaster is good), dark distortion or a phase type effect (the Phase 45 is an intermediate build and a good effect).
If it's dirty (old Marshalls) then bright distortions, treble boosters (esp the rangemaster) would suit.
I built a Marshall 18W a while ago, and I LOVE my rangemaster.  I recently bought a Marshall JTM60 and now I LOVE my rangemaster even more.  Both these amps are dark and low-gain.
Another possibility, especially if your amp is solid state, is a dyna compressor.  It's a bit hard to get the 3080. 
The Aussie compressor is an alternative: simpler, but maybe still needs some experimenters to modify/improve it.
have fun

[MartyMart]

http://www.geocities.com/tpe123/folkurban/fuzz/snippets.html#psychtar

Here's some great circuits from Tim, Psychtar is a wonderful Sitar/ringmod/fuzzy octave thing
which makes you play very interesting stuff as soon as you plug in  !!
Sound samples :

http://aronnelson.com/userfiles/Psychtar%20Fuzz%2302.mp3
http://aronnelson.com/userfiles/Psychtar%20oct%2302.mp3
http://aronnelson.com/userfiles/Psychtar%20drone%2302.mp3
http://aronnelson.com/userfiles/Psychtar%20clock%2301.mp3

These are just a few of the sounds available  !!

Also the "Phozer" from www.runoffgroove.com is very nice subtle Phase/Vibe
MM.

[shadowmaster]

The following are some of my effects that I've built during my transition between doing simple builds to advanced ones.
1)Nurse Quacky
2)Rebote Delay 2
3)Phase45

[Ge_Whiz]

Tim E.'s Phuncgnosis.

[markm]

The following are some of my effects that I've built during my transition between doing simple builds to advanced ones.
1)Nurse Quacky
2)Rebote Delay 2
3)Phase45

I have to vote for the phase 45.
This is by far a very underrated build and seems to be overshadowed by the phase 90.
I think it's one of the best sounding phasers out there.
    MarkM

[shadowmaster]

Oh Yeah!!! The only catch with building the Phase45 is that you have to use a pair of matched  JFETs. Luckily, among around 10-15 2N5458 JFETs that I had at that time, I found a matched pair. CLASSIC PHASE SOUND AT ITS BEST!!!

[petemoore]

  Sit back, catch some reads, perhaps build a Jfet Matching Fixture and Match some Jfets...build up some skills in areas you haven't explored much.
  Jfet Phasers...and the LDR/LED and Chip LFO types also...very nice .
  Something I haven't done: 're-group' and focus on PCB making.
  Once I had acquired many Dirtboxes, I began Phase and other type builds using 30-40+ components on the board. One 'hidden fact' of phaser building is the 'hidden 10k'...either the one on the third gain stage [lets see that'd be the one on opamp 3B's inverting pin with a 10k that goes to another 10k]...it is easy to lose your place...and HARD to find the place you lost it !!
  A PCB to make populating the board correctly much easier, is a good recommendation for Phaser building, ordering a PCB is an option.
   Octave Up Sick Box, Simple Octave Up, Bobtavia, and Neoctavia are still fairly simple.  I could never decide on which one of those knobbed Octave or Ringmods to use, so I use a Green Ringer W/Null mods now, and can leave the Fuzz Box on for the duration.. in songs I use Octav-Ring effect on, I opted for the one trick pony, because of the limited riding time I get to have..on 'that type of horse' .
 

[oldrocker]

On the phaze 45, are JFET's sold as matched pairs anywhere or is it hit and miss until you find a matched pair?  And where can I find a schem for it?  Thanks

[oldrocker]

PeteMoore I think I ran accross you on another subject on the Green Ringer.  I did build one and believe or not I still don't have that one working.  I audio probed it and found some issues and now I do have sound coming from it finally.  Right now it sounds like a really lame fuzz effect.  I know that's not how it's supposed to sound.  How such simple circuit could have me stumped just blows me away.  Anyway that's another subject.

I have been toying with the idea of making a PCB for a project especially a fairly complicated schem.  I use PCB123 to lay out my components and design the actual PCB.  PCB123 is a great way to design schems for experiments.  I can order a PCB from them or just take the layout I create and etch my own.  I'm thinking the later since PCB123 can be expensive if you only order one.
GE I'm looking into that Tim E. effect also thanks.

[TheBishop]

My green ringer too sounds like a lame fuzz... and when i listen to the sound samples, that's what it sounds like. I don't know what to think.

[jonathan perez]

VANISHING POINT!

[Pushtone]

It sure would be cool to see someone complete JD's Parallelyzer

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=122

It would work great with the effect mentioned above from Tim E and the Vanishing point.

[oldrocker]

Hey Quackzed,  I built the Shocktave on my breadboard to test it out and I'm going to have to build this effect for sure.  It didn't work right away and I audio probed and figured out I had the pots turned down, Duh.? At this one setting it sounds like my rack DOD G7 on the (Bass and Guitar) program.  This is a geat sounding distortion effect also.  No doubt that this will be my next DIY box.  I already had all of the parts too so that made me try it.  I used a 5k pot instead of the 2k and I think I'll just leave it that way.  It seems to work pretty good so why muck it up.  Anyway thanks for the suggestion this will be a fun effect to mess around with.  Now if I can get it to work when I perf board it I'll be all set.
Thanks again.

[Quackzed]

try jumpering q4's base and collector , connect them together and you get a synthy same octave tone...
with just the octave side, no regular signal mixed in... sounds kinda clavy... i put a switch on mine to connect/disconnect it.

[oldrocker]

Even though it worked in the breadboard I tried building this Shocktave and I'm having all kinds of problems.  After probing around and found some bad solder joints I noticed the 9volt battery started heating up.  Then I tried testing more and found I fried 3 transistors.  That never happened to me before.  I think I'm going to have regroup and rebuild it from scratch.  I'm using the same components I had in the breadboard so I really screwed up somewhere  putting it together.  Like I said I'm not as good as I'd like to be when it comes to perf boarding projects.  I've been over and over this circuit trying to find where I went wrong but I'm getting nowhere.  I let you know when I solve this.

[Quackzed]

people have recomended usin a highlighter abd goin through the shematic one componenet at a time ,highlighting everything that you check as you go...    it's always frustrating when it doesn't work on the first try, but with some patience, you can usually track down the problem..  hope this helps.

[oldrocker]

Ok I tried highlighting up to every check point with the probe.  And your right I finally figured it out.  Thanks for the insight.  I kept losing track of where I was and then I'd have more than one problem in two different areas of the circuit effecting that test point and it would confuse me.  So I kept testing around where the highlight stops and I found another cold solderjoint.  It's working now so I just have to box it up now.  I added that switch for that clav sound you mentioned which is pretty cool.  Thanks again for helping me out and giving me a better way to debug.