simple 2 knob hi gain distortion..collaboration?

[Maik]

Hey Deadastronaut, I build it and it sounds, hm, incredible!
Not so much compression, more like an amp.
But with EMG pickups it sags down on the "hit" of a tone. More like a fuzz (just the behavior). Is this normal?
By the way - I´m a real nob. What is the pot (VR1) for? Just for the J201? Vol is also a voltage downer, so why the VR1? Just turned it with ears.

Thanks for this distortion. Today I put it inside the box, pic's will follow...

[deadastronaut]

Hey Deadastronaut, I build it and it sounds, hm, incredible!
Not so much compression, more like an amp.
But with EMG pickups it sags down on the "hit" of a tone. More like a fuzz (just the behavior). Is this normal?
By the way - I´m a real nob. What is the pot (VR1) for? Just for the J201? Vol is also a voltage downer, so why the VR1? Just turned it with ears.

Thanks for this distortion. Today I put it inside the box, pic's will follow...

great you built it! did you build the 'big daddies b****d sister then?.....dont know why it would sag though on a hit?..(different pickups maybe?)
maybe you should breadboard it and change a few values to suit your pickups, just a thought ...maybe the 2.2uf..2.2k...
the vr1 is there to 'tune' the j201'...it could be replaced by a resistor,but i just wanted to be able to tweak it....ok.
many other circuits use this method to tweak the j201's too....
soundclips...?.
p.s im still a noob/nob too!...

[Maik]

Yeah, a noob...

Soundclips? OK, this evening...

I play a Line6 Variax, with other pickups everything is just great. The EMG-style has VERY high output, around +10dB I think.
I build the big bastard ( the one and only from page 9). Is it the "sister"?
My box (1509B) shows the big black man from WW2 (a german idea for a "listener", like "Feind hört mit"-enemy is listening).
I think you will like what I´ve done, pics with the soundfiles...
Got the things together for the baxandall you painted on page 10. I want to put it together with the big bastard (and an on/off switch for it). For the switch: can I use a pushbutton style on/off? Have to figure out how to solder this...

Can´t wait to come home and play this little bastard...

[deadastronaut]

beware i havent tried the baxandall vero design yet..so its not verified ok...if you do make it let us all know ...
and give soundclips...or even a youtube video would be great!..

so you want to be able to switch the tonestack on/off then?...good idea!..
i take it your putting the tonestack on the end?..if so it should be relatively easy to do...

put a switch from the output before the tonestack...3 pin toggle switch...
output to the middle pin..
and left pin to tonestack then out
and right to normal out.. i think...

maybe someone else has a better way!!!...?

[phector2004]

UGHHH

Everything I try to add in front becomes unstable

Tried adding an opamp in front, terrible oscillation. Tried adding a J201 in front, strange oscillating/crackling noise whenever you touch the strings. Switched to a 2SK117, same thing to a lesser degree....

Tried raising source resistor value to 10k, but it completely changed the sound of the circuit.

At this point, I'm thinking of throwing in the towel and just perfing up the modified bastard sister I posted earlier...

[deadastronaut]

UGHHH

Everything I try to add in front becomes unstable

Tried adding an opamp in front, terrible oscillation. Tried adding a J201 in front, strange oscillating/crackling noise whenever you touch the strings. Switched to a 2SK117, same thing to a lesser degree....

Tried raising source resistor value to 10k, but it completely changed the sound of the circuit.

At this point, I'm thinking of throwing in the towel and just perfing up the modified bastard sister I posted earlier...

hi phil.dont give in to the beast!!!! .. what was it you were trying to change about the original bastard sister..?...sounds ok to me...
i prefer the gain control on the smaller version though...

[phector2004]

just messing around 

unfortunately, the more stuff you add, the more stuff you need to add to make it sound nice/work as desired... at least now I won't complain about how boss pedals are overly complicated.

Before I empty my breadboard, I'll play around with a tone control. I'm guessing I can replace the output resistor with a tonestack?

[deadastronaut]

yeah take it off..the stack will suck it down too much otherwise...

im making a couple of the original big d,b,s's for friends.(as in the video)..they love it..(without any stack).it will be interesting to see how it performs when its got sheilded cable and box etc.....ive got my marshall in the front room now to test things properly...the neighbours hate me..but f**k em..

btw i just posted a tremolo i knocked up today check it out man..only 6 components...
in the 'tiny tremolo000000000 thread..thats what happens when i mess with leds ha ha...

[Brymus]

Here Rob this is what I did last year with the 386 as a distorter.
Same idea as you more input signal = more grind on the output.
But I used an op amp and added different clipping options and a Marshall tonestack.
I had to link this for another thread so I thought I would share with you too. 
This will do everything from clean and chimy to tube OD to all out hard core metal grind.
The downside is the knob count is high and so is the switch count,but it will dial almost any type of dirt in.
Soundclips in my gallery.

[deadastronaut]

wow..that looks busy......cheers bryan i'll check ya clips out!!!...thanks rob.

[Maik]

Some pics of that little bastard http://profile.imageshack.us/user/Brgl/
Sounds will follow

[deadastronaut]

Some pics of that little bastard http://profile.imageshack.us/user/Brgl/
Sounds will follow

yeah i like that .cool..yet very sinister...stop listening...

look forward to ya clips...

[arma61]

NB: the initial idea was to have a 'simple' distortion without the trimmings of a tonestack, just to get the distortion 'right' first....
but now that is done it would be nice to have more control i agree...'the super b''''''d..(dreadnought).ha ha...

Hi


I've just red this in a DrBoogie related thread

"I built one without the tone stack and at the output to volume pot I used a "ROG" type
filter of 15k in line with 2n2 to ground and another 15k in line with 2n2 to ground.
Sounded a bit more "amp like" to me."
By MartyMart

may be interesting !!

[deadastronaut]

@armando, yeah sounds cool, i have a couple of boogies populated on boards , could try that!...

id like to hear it, i was going to put one in an amp..for when travelling...etc...

[Maik]

Hi, Maik´s here. Jip, I did it this evening. Had to create an acount on dropbox also...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12956424/Big%20Bastard%20Test1.mp3

It´s just drums, bass, a synth, rhythm guitar from "getto metal".
Guitar left is a Les Paul´s treble pickup with gain at 3 o clock.
Guitar right is a Strat treble pickup with gain at 3ó clock and guitar vol a little bit down.
Guitar middle is: from beginning to 2:32 a Jackson, from 2:32 Corel sitar, from 3:21 Les Paul.Everything running thoug the bastard with gain at 3ó clock and vol at 2.

Very rough mix, no eq or anything else. FX comes from a Line6 Pod X3 live. No clean (without the bastard) sound on this mix, have to upload a clean sound also...

The Bastard is a little bit too bright for me, have to build the baxandall, tune the pots and build it inside the bastard box. Or turn the bass up on amp  

Have to stop writing-need to play again.

Found out why this bastard had to sag when hitting the guitar hard-voltage was too high. Now it´s 4,9 when batery is around 8,4 volts. Now it´s fine...

[deadastronaut]

nice one maik, nice to hear a bastard long clip
good to hear you got ya sag problem sorted out!.

and yeah i agree it can be bright, so as for tone controls their is a whole bunch out there to try!...

cool. rob.

anyone else got clips of their bastard build???

[askwho69]

So rob which is the best layout? it blows my head reading1-12 woooh very hot thread

[Maik]

Page 9 is ok. Velo and pcb.

[axemurderforhire]

Any chance you guys can post the voltages from the j201 and the IC,I built the vero version from page 9 and im trying to debug this at the moment 

Knowing my luck it will be something simple i missed

[deadastronaut]

Any chance you guys can post the voltages from the j201 and the IC,I built the vero version from page 9 and im trying to debug this at the moment  

Knowing my luck it will be something simple i missed

hi , glad you built it,

you wont even need the voltages, just turn the trim till it finds the sweet spot, all should be ok,

as for 'it being something simple, it usually is...double check your trace cuts and jumpers if your on vero!...

especially under the ic ok.....the jumpers should be the first to do!!!!....

good luck, rob