signal splitting, ABY box questions

[Branimir]

In some time, I'm going to use two amps at the same time and I'm thinking about building an A/B/Y box.

My common sense tells me it's just a combination of switches, no electronics (I'm not counting ground loop problems here, I know there should be transformer coupled aby box for that kind of problems...).

Is this the right way, I mean, If I use my guitar - big muff then an aby box into two amps, seems to me that the muff will draw more current this way, unlike with a single amp, am I right? Kirchoff's laws? What about guitar into aby box into two amps, I suspect that the signal wan't be as hot as with one amp used.

Clear me please on that matter, what am I getting wrong here? Should I build a ABY box with a sort of a buffer, to compensate the signal for splitting into two amps?

Thanks!

[Seljer]

Isn't the last transistor in the Big Muff allready working as a buffer or some sort? (though then again, if you ever turn of the big muff then you loose that)
edit: whoop, I just remembered the difference between a common-emmitter and common-collector

[zpyder]

You should take a look at the splitter blend:
http://www.runoffgroove.com/splitter-blend.html

I intend on buying a second amp within the next couple months and building a couple of these for various uses.  One use will be to use only the split half of the circuit and send the signal to two different amps.  I would modify it to add some footswitches and LED's to switch between signal paths

zpyder

[Pushtone]

Clear me please on that matter, what am I getting wrong here? Should I build a ABY box with a sort of a buffer, to compensate the signal for splitting into two amps?

I use the Radial BigShot ABY. It's passive and has a transformer to boot.
There's a thread on it in the lounge.

It is toatly passive and it will load down the pickup with both amps on. I can compensate
with the amp controls but it makes it wierd when going back to one amp.
Putting a booster before the ABY solved all loading problems.

So if you have a Fetzer, Mini-Booster, or MosFet boost
you can put it in front of a passive ABY and sleep well at night.

If not, build an active ABY with built in power booster, effects loop, transformer isolation and buffered tuner out.
Or you could buy a Radial Switchbone which has all those things.
I couldn't afford one so I got the BigShot and teamed it up with a booster.

[Branimir]

Okay, I get the picture, but.... heh...

I built my bigmuff with BC549c transistors and it gets really really loud when volume maxed, actually my amp isn't mastervolume, so I usually tweak the loudness of the clean to some fair amount and use the bigmuff with volume all the way to get that louder distorted tone, and then the gain pot on the amp does nothing since the amp is pushed all the way already!

If I make a gain stage before the ABY box to compensate the splitting, there could be a potential danger of my bigmuff driving that gain stage into distortion, and I don't think I would want that...

The problem is getting more complex every moment hehe...

[Satch12879]

Clear me please on that matter, what am I getting wrong here? Should I build a ABY box with a sort of a buffer, to compensate the signal for splitting into two amps?

I use the Radial BigShot ABY. It's passive and has a transformer to boot.
There's a thread on it in the lounge.

It is toatly passive and it will load down the pickup with both amps on. I can compensate
with the amp controls but it makes it wierd when going back to one amp.
Putting a booster before the ABY solved all loading problems.

So if you have a Fetzer, Mini-Booster, or MosFet boost
you can put it in front of a passive ABY and sleep well at night.

If not, build an active ABY with built in power booster, effects loop, transformer isolation and buffered tuner out.
Or you could buy a Radial Switchbone which has all those things.
I couldn't afford one so I got the BigShot and teamed it up with a booster.

That's why you shouldn't use a passive ABY; you have to compensate for loading effects by increasing the gain and possibly treble at your amp, thus introducing noise.

A booster won't neccessarily fix the problem; while you're adding level, again you're still also adding noise.