Tychobrahe Octavia mods ?????

[MetalGod]

I've built one of these babies after having the transformer for something like two years (heh).  It's certainly wild but has anyone toyed with the fuzz much to get it sounding better? (it's a bit farty).

I ended up using a (PNP) BC560B for the first x'ister and a pair of BC109s for the 2nd/3rd x'ister.  I'm gonna socket the x'isters and play about with various types first, but has anyone got any decent mods for this thing?

Thanks in advance.

[Seljer]

Theres a mod listed on GeneralGuitarGadgets to try and make the thing "a bit" less crazy

[tcobretti]

A classic mod is to mount an spst on one of the output wires from the transformer.  This allows you to have just the fuzz with no octave.

[MetalGod]

sorry, I should have mentioned that I've already done both of those mods.

I've socketed the transistors and there really ain't much difference.  Tried various PNP Si and Ge in Q1 and a selection of BC107/8/9s in Q2 and Q3.

Looks like I'm gonna have to start swapping out caps to keep the low-E bass in check and try to get some useable fuzztones out of this thing (it's a bit rancid 'as is').

[tcobretti]

You might try some low gain trannies to clean the sound up a little.  I have had great results with PN2369A, and of course there's always the far more common and slightly higher   Hfe 2N3904 and 2N4401.  Off the top of my head I believe the 2n5088/5087s are about 700 hfe, while the bc108s are 600ish.  The PN2369A is closer to 100 and the 3904/4401 are 300-400.  My thought is that less gain may clear up some of the fartiness, while retaining the character of the circuit.

[MetalGod]

thanks for the suggestions tcobretti but I've already tried swapping transistors.  (for my tastes) I think that a 2N3906 and a pair of 2N3904s sounded best, although there wasn't that much difference with any of the transistors. 

I've played around with the cap sizes and that was just what I was after to clear up the farty low-E (should've trusted my gut instinct to do that in the first place).

Lastly, does anyone else's Octavia have a fairly subtle Octave effect? Mine blooms into an octave much like harmonic feedback rather than the typical octave effect I'm used to on my Foxx Tone Machine clone.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

[sfr]

Lastly, does anyone else's Octavia have a fairly subtle Octave effect? Mine blooms into an octave much like harmonic feedback rather than the typical octave effect I'm used to on my Foxx Tone Machine clone.

Yeah, does exactly what you just described - "bloom into an octave much like harmonic feedback".  I've never known how to describe it, thanks! 

I actually *like* that effect a lot.  Playing long, legato phrases into it, particularly hitting it with a hot signal out of my LPB/Dist+ box, lets you get a real "singy" quality, almost synthy, but fairly organic.  Enough gain in the chain and it means I don't have to pick at all.   It's one of those pedals that I can't tell you what it's actually doing to the sound when it's on; but when I turn it off, the tonal properties of that sound dissappear.  It's just my "sweetener" for certain licks.

I've only been able to get the real octavey sound out of it with a Strat neck pickup, tone rolled down.  Unfortunetly, I don't *own* a strat.  (The guitars I play also don't have neck p'ups nearly as far foward as traditional neck p'up should be - that's what I get for building my own.)

[MetalGod]

sfr,

I agree with you that it IS a useful tone, I'm warming to it since I've spent some time tuning-in the fuzztone section.

[Snuffy]

It's one of those pedals that I can't tell you what it's actually doing to the sound when it's on; but when I turn it off, the tonal properties of that sound dissappear.  It's just my "sweetener" for certain licks.

Awesome