simple 2 knob hi gain distortion..collaboration?

[deadastronaut]

i have a couple of 100k dual pots i pulled from an old amp...!!!

revision: on the schematic above/page 8 i stuck a 1M on the output into the 100k pot..to tame the level....no wonder it hissed like f***...

[deadastronaut]

@ armando!

so you built the big bastard (big daddies bastard sister ha ha) then? hows it sound to you?...is there any fizz..there shouldnt be, as all is fine with mine!..soundclip please!..
havent boxed mine  yet..but will for sure!...

[Quackzed]

You should consider doing a 'final revision'/build report thread.
mention some of the problems and how you arrived at the final schematic, 386 notes etc...
just to sort of 'edit' this thread and have a concise build report with soundclips.

[Labaris]

You should consider doing a 'final revision'/build report thread.
mention some of the problems and how you arrived at the final schematic, 386 notes etc...
just to sort of 'edit' this thread and have a concise build report with soundclips.

+1!

I'll be waiting for it

[deadastronaut]

You should consider doing a 'final revision'/build report thread.
mention some of the problems and how you arrived at the final schematic, 386 notes etc...
just to sort of 'edit' this thread and have a concise build report with soundclips.

yeah good idea!..a condensed version.....will do soon!.

am boxing the big bastard this weekend for a friend who loves it!..... ..

[Magnus]

Hello together,
I have read this thread today and I am really surprised
about this simple circuit sounding really awesome (I listened to the clips)!!!

I'm a friend of "roaring heavy distortion with cutting-edges"  

I can read and write english but as I am german I surely didn't understand everything,
but I think I could understand 95%, so I finaly have two questions:
Is the latest shown schematic in this thread the advanced (and best sounding) version?

I have to do a perfboard version of this for sure  


Greetings and regards from Germany
Magnus

[deadastronaut]

Hello together,
I have read this thread today and I am really surprised
about this simple circuit sounding really awesome (I listened to the clips)!!!

I'm a friend of "roaring heavy distortion with cutting-edges"  

I can read and write english but as I am german I surely didn't understand everything,
but I think I could understand 95%, so I finaly have two questions:
Is the latest shown schematic in this thread the advanced (and best sounding) version?

I have to do a perfboard version of this for sure  


Greetings and regards from Germany
Magnus

hi magnus. the schematic and vero on page 3 of this thread are verified.!..(big daddies b****d sister)

the most recent schematic is working fine, but needs a few adjustments ok....will be updated soon.

and yes im a fan of bite in my distortion, rather than overdrives too...

[Magnus]

Hello,
I thought that the Big Daddy ***** was an other project
differently from your own built version - correct me if I am wrong...

Or is your circuit a mix of the Smash-Drive/Big Daddy and so got a new name (bastardized one)?

btw:
If the project will be finished in future I can make a nice perfboard-layout
and a separate etching-template for it so that everyone with some skills can build it,
I have experience making layouts and pcb's so I will do it gladly for you!


Greetings
Magnus

[deadastronaut]

Hello,
I thought that the Big Daddy ***** was an other project
differently from your own built version - correct me if I am wrong...

Or is your circuit a mix of the Smash-Drive/Big Daddy and so got a mixed name?

btw:
If the project will be finished in future I can make a nice perfboard-layout
and a separate etching-template for it so that everyone with some skills can build it,
I have experience making layouts and pcb's so I will do it gladly for you!


Greetings
Magnus

hi. yep that is a higher gain hybrid of both the smash/and big daddy in my opinion...and works fine too...checkout  the youtube video demo!.

http://www.youtube.com/user/100roberthenry#p/u/6/W_5SZVyUP-Y

i havent ever done perf looks a bit too fiddly for me...but i do a fair bit of vero...andt i do etch pcb's...that would be great if you could do a nice pcb layout too...cool.
when the most recent project is finalised of course!...thanks.

as always i suggest breadboarding it and seeing if you like the sound first!..rob.

[Slade]

 

[deadastronaut]

[phector2004]

Probably gonna try this out and play around with it this week now that I've got some 386's (N1s, (unfortunately?))

But I'm short on a lot of parts, cause I love to buy things before making sure I didn't forget anything...

Don't have any free pots right now, and I've borrowed jacks from another build to breadboard with. I see a 1k on the 386, wired as a variable resistor, but I don't even have a 1k trimmer.  Which would give me full gain in its place, 0R or a 1k?

[deadastronaut]

Probably gonna try this out and play around with it this week now that I've got some 386's (N1s, (unfortunately?))

But I'm short on a lot of parts, cause I love to buy things before making sure I didn't forget anything...

Don't have any free pots right now, and I've borrowed jacks from another build to breadboard with. I see a 1k on the 386, wired as a variable resistor, but I don't even have a 1k trimmer.  Which would give me full gain in its place, 0R or a 1k?

hi phil. you'll get away with a 5k..it just wont have the sweep, but i think most values will give you the full gain, it will just be on of off

without the full range sweep ok..but will work ok...to hear it..

the 386n1 will be ok, ive used that in my one...(tried the n3, no real difference)...

are you doing the big bastard?....i re-breadboarded the big bastard last night out of curiosity...heres a few changes i tried and are fine.

swap the 4.7M for a 1M,/
25trim can be a 50k/ more tweakable....
leave off the 10r and 47uf off the 1k pot (the 1k pot is fine on its own)
add a 1M after the 100nf on the output..this lowers the overall output and gives better control over the volume...
and use input 2 on the 386....

rob.

[phector2004]

 

Got this thing running, sounds amazing! Tried your suggestions but subbed in an SK117, and it's fizzing and crackling below a certain sound threshold... at higher amp gains, it turns my amp into an insect zapper sizzle simulator  
I'll try it out with a J201 and see if the fizz goes away. I remember your original dual JFET design did the same thing, so I'm guessing its that.

Also, what do you mean with:

and use input 2 on the 386....

I'm an opamp noob, so I'm guessing you mean I should plug the inverting input somewhere other than ground?? Gotta figure this stuff out sometime...

It's REALLY high gain, though... and loud as an obnoxious bastard sister. Love it!

EDIT: Works well as a headphone amp too. Not too loud, but maybe a 2nd IC for the 2nd channel will do

[deadastronaut]

Got this thing running, sounds amazing! Tried your suggestions but subbed in an SK117, and it's fizzing and crackling below a certain sound threshold... at higher amp gains, it turns my amp into an insect zapper sizzle simulator  
I'll try it out with a J201 and see if the fizz goes away. I remember your original dual JFET design did the same thing, so I'm guessing its that.

Also, what do you mean with:

and use input 2 on the 386....

I'm an opamp noob, so I'm guessing you mean I should plug the inverting input somewhere other than ground?? Gotta figure this stuff out sometime...

It's REALLY high gain, though... and loud as an obnoxious bastard sister. Love it!

EDIT: Works well as a headphone amp too. Not too loud, but maybe a 2nd IC for the 2nd channel will do

hi phil. glad you like/tried it..yeah i love it through my marshall clean channel...nice and mean.

as for the 386 , i meant pin 2 or pin 3..but ground which one you are not using...ive tried both..theres not any difference really
that i can hear..may be on an oscilloscope..but i wouldnt know what to do with one ha ha...

anyway today i built a brilliant 'capacitor substitution box'

i tried it on various parts of the big bastard circuit..but i found the input works a treat for bright or fat sounds..
when set to 470nf it gets fat n fuzzy...when set to 1 or 2.2nf it is as is..normal distortion..great little box..
(I just built it to quickly hear the difference in cap values instantly...)..

as for it being an amp..yep!!...very loud if you take the 1M off the output.. i put that there to tame the volume to be
normal..when on the 100k pot..

please post a clip phil....would like to hear your version..!...

rob.

[phector2004]

Been playing around swapping FETs, unfortunately I don't have a mic and my attempt to record direct didn't work... the level was barely audible (even without 1M resistor!). Here's what I noticed, though

There's a noticeable difference switching between J201 and SK117. my FET seems a bit 'tamer' whereas the J201 is 'harsher'. J201 also gives more pronounced harmonics... I wasn't even CLOSE to where the node point was, maybe 3-4 frets away, and the note still rang off, loud and clear. The SK117 still sounds a bit 'beefier', IMO. I can go on and on trying to explain the differences with 'single-quotated' vague, general 'terms', but 'somebody' here is probably gonna 'smack me silly'  

Gotta play around with it tomorrow though as I've been reducing the crackling noise at the expense of JFET gain by meticulously lowering and fine-tuning my 100k drain trimpot. I'll try this again with a J201 to see if I can kill the noise, but the different pinout is a royal pain.
As well as being a total IC noob, I really need to read up some more on jfets (hint: I may say something stupid now), but the FET stops conducting before the volume is low enough for the sudden cut not to be noticeable. I'd like to see if J201s need a smaller signal to stay open. (Would this be due to different V_p values? What other terms are used for this, that I can look for on data sheets?)

If I find time later this week, I'll try tossing in a 2nd JFET too, as you had originally intended

[Brymus]

Great sound Rob +1

[deadastronaut]

@ bryan. cheers man..yeah its a cool sound hi or low..(volume on guitar backed off)nice and bluesy too...

@ phil.

i have no idea of the fet your using!..sounds like your on to a good experimental stage though!...
shame about the clip, would've liked to have heard it!...

yep..try the double fet idea...i have it on oe of my breadboards all the time...to tinker with.
and now i have a spare board again too...waheyyy...
i re-drew the vero for the big bastard with the revised list..much smaller and more concise.
here it is. the finalised bastard vero. sounds cool. and less parts too...
just to let all you guys following (or understandably ignoring )  this thread, i tried the lm386n-1/-3/and even the -4...no difference and all behaved well
with no fizz at all....job done on this side project...
now back to the 2 fet again!.(once ive built 2 of these for friends. they are well happy
with the sound through their amps!..tried and tested.
very very very verified...

[Keeb]

I've had my eyes on this project for a while and waiting for that final version! Finally!

Since I like to do PCBs I made one (just ripped your vero) and I thought I would post it so here goes!

[chromesphere]

I, too, have been watching this thread with interest, and waiting for the PCB layout!

Thanks Keeb and everyone else.  I'll let you know how i go!

Paul