What did you make for the Blues and still use today?

[Hendrik1]

What did you make for the Blues and still use today?

[petemoore]

1  Lower wattage guitar speaker[s, examples: Greenback, Blue Jensen, Alnico Blue or whatever you find that compares well.
2 Tube amp [Small-er]
  Here's what I got:
  *2x 5e3 amplifiers. modded, [one has 7.5w-15w adjustment knob.
  *Antique Pine, oversized, ported, 2x12'' speaker enclosure, loaded with a Celestion Alnico Blue, and a Fender Special Design speaker. [Other oversized, ported 2x12'' cab has Greenbacks].
  OS Comp. [Really needs Indi-LED to tell when it's on]
  EZ VIbe  [if you like phased-guitar blues passages]
  ~Rangemaster [Distorts "Some, drives the inputs of Fuzzes nuts !!]
  Dist+ [Distorts/Boosts, has an added LPF/TC]
  Tychobrahe Octavia [Monkey gets 'HV' w/it's current!]
  BMP   [mods]
  Fuzz Face [Whew, this one, [finally] stays screwed down for a time !!]
  Professor Tweed [this one Just Made *Pedalboard history for the first time since I built it..like a year ago..*yesterday, had problems-biases-Jfets, now the target D/S/G voltages are ~bullseyes [lol], also had an 'old 'electrolytic acting up, 'I've sworn them off...really]. This is a great one, [IMCase, Double Tweed= 1 x L.voltage Jfet/one H.voltage tube] and gets mild OD I like...thick/resonant/breaks over into mild to med. clip  Dist where I can use alot of that...real nice 'All Rounder'...
  All the dist'sOh right ok, thanks for that. I take it to bias/build pedals with JFETs I'd need a digital multimeter? Do the pedal kits from OLC come with full instructions?
  Haven't tried the OLC kits, 'Complete' instructions would be rather large, have some looks around at GEO, AMZ, and Links for "FULL" Instructions !!
  ...no DMM is the same as trying to read a schematic when you can't see if/where connections are made and no component values can be made out...to 'read' your board you'll be NEEDING one of these.
 
 

[Hendrik1]

He ho calm down, just asked about:

What did you make for the Blues and still use today?
I was more thinking about a pedal you did make yourselve..

[petemoore]

He ho calm down, just asked about:
  ...don't get too excited about amps 'n speakers unless you want to...
What did you make for the Blues and still use today?
  I don't know what else to tell you..oh..a "FrankenTele", 2HB guitar W/killsw.
  Sorry if Included too much relevant sub-context to be used/not used, at your disposal, simply lift the pedals mentioned you think you could use from the other good info you choose not to use [some readers may find these things useful]...you asked a question I answered, and many people will read this, IMO, choosing amp[s 'n speaker[s is relevant to:
  "What did you make for the Blues and still use today?"..the designated subject.

[petemoore]

  Booster

[Hendrik1]

Thanks Pete, but I hope you understand I can't impossible buy all the stuff and make the mods you bring up.

But I nice schedule for a Blues Booster is always welcome, that is doable.

[Doug_H]

Hwy89

[Bucksears]

I'll say it until I'm blue in the face (no pun intended)........

BSIAB II (stock) with the gain turned down to about 10-20%. It nails that 'Santana' sound when using 'buckers (for me, anyway) and compresses nicely all on its own.

- Buck

[ildar]

I'll say it until I'm blue in the face (no pun intended)........

BSIAB II (stock) with the gain turned down to about 10-20%. It nails that 'Santana' sound when using 'buckers (for me, anyway) and compresses nicely all on its own.

- Buck

Santana is a blues player? 

A lot of blues players seem to love the TS-x/SD-1 family of pedals.

[Ge_Whiz]

ROG Supreaux.

[Gilles C]

Nothing I built is used for Blues...

That's why I'm still searching. The Fat Boostered could be one.

I can get some nice Blues sound with my Boss OD-3, so maybe I should go that way. (cloning the circuit somehow I mean...)

Oh! I just remember I used "A Touch Of Sweetness" from Jay Doyle for a while.

http://www.diystompboxes.com/pedals/schems/Sweetness.pdf

Gilles

[tcobretti]

To me, the sound of electric blues guitar is the sound of a tube amp turned up all the way.  So I'd think about building a ROG Professor Tweed of maybe a ROG Eighteen if you play a Gibson.  These pedals will be useful later because they truly sound amazing. 

[bwanasonic]

I have issues with  the whole concept of treating "the blues" as one homogenous music, but generally speaking, from an electronics/ DIY perspective, I would suggest that you start at the amp. If you have a suitable tube amp for your purposes, and speakers you like, I would explore the range of basic *kick-it-up-a-notch* effects, i.e., simple boosters and compressors (OS). It all depends on what you are going for - smooth and creamy blues/rock, rough and raw Hubert Sumlin tones, *icepick-in-the-forehead* Johnny Guitar Watson tone, etc. Does your amp have tremolo? I made a bottleneck slide that I used for years until it broke, does that count? 

Kerry M

[petemoore]

a ROG Professor Tweed
  I just got this thing going right after a year, the post on Jfet biasing led me to 4k7-ing the pots, this made getting the MPF 102's biased much easier in this case.
  Dials in to a nice tone, it now holds a special place on the PedalBoard.
  There are alot of fine suggestions, from boosty to distortey, they're all 'blues usable' IMO, perhaps a more precise description of:
  The tone you seek, hard clipping or more natural 'amp-like' distortion?
  And what this would be used with...amp/guitar/etc.

[alderbody]

Santana is a blues player? 

haven't you ever listened to Carlos playing the Blues?...

you don't know what you're missing... 

[alderbody]

btw, bluesy pedals i built:

professor tweed
peppermill
eighteen
rangemaster
AMZ booster

[brett]

Hi
For jazzy blues, you might as well play clean (BB King style).  No pedal required.

For dirty, swamp-blues like the Black Keys, the Maestro MFZ-1 is good.
For that old JJ with Big Brother and the holding company sound, there's the Fuzzrite (a really wild pedal) (?? might have used a mis-biased fuzzface, too)
For that early Stones sound, there's the Maestro FZs
The value of a slight mis-bias is easily overlooked.  Check out the Doors and, again, BB&THC.

To me, the blues involves suggestions of tragedy, deceipt and violence.  Pedals like the fuzzrite (and to a lesser extent the fuzzface) sound like they are somehow abusing the amp and speakers.  And if it is mis-biased it sounds like it isn't fully co-operating. 
cheers

[oldrocker]

I don't think this counts as a blues sound.  But did U try a TS-808 into a Professor Tweed?  That's one of my favorite setups.  It just sounds so (tubey.  Is that a word?)

[Gilles C]

Not only it is a word, but it is indeed a sound. A sound that I like...

And I heard some good tubey sounds in Metal, not only in Blues even if I prefer Blues. But I can appreciate a good sound in every kind of music.

Gilles

[Jay Doyle]

SHaka Braddah III

One of the first pedals I built, right after Aron designed it, and still one of the best I have ever heard.

I do still use my sweetness too (thanks for the plug Gilles! :-) ) for mild rounding and boost into a driving amp...

Jay