Being Mojo free. Is it a good thing???

[Electron Tornado]

Most mojo you hear is someone's claims about something that they are making for marketing purposes. There are other uses here that are more tongue in cheek - using old components, point-to-point wiring, a reliced, or older style finish, etc. Parts or build techniques that are almost anachronistic are often considered to have some "mojo".

I wouldn't choose for or against using certain parts based on their perceived mojo, or perceived lack thereof, unless I wanted it for marketing. Use a component based on: the desire to use it, you happen to have it on hand, or (most important) it gets you where you want to go.

If you're really desparate for some mojo, there are places where you can mail order yourself your very own mojo hand. Just get your self one and then rub every component you use on it (before soldering), including every wire, then touch every solder joint, rub it on the PC board, and rub it all long the outside. make sure you touch the LED both when it's lit and unlit (it'll get you a little bit of mojo even in bypass). When testing the new pedal, your guitar and amp will know the mojo is there, but keep the mojo hand close, just in case you missed a spot.  

[DougH]

4558 vs tl072 and ge vs si diodes is not mojo. They sound different and there are good reasons why. Tl072 has fet input stage. Si vs ge diodes have different fwd voltages and v-i curves, for example.

[Earthscum]

Most mojo you hear is someone's claims about something that they are making for marketing purposes. There are other uses here that are more tongue in cheek - using old components, point-to-point wiring, a reliced, or older style finish, etc. Parts or build techniques that are almost anachronistic are often considered to have some "mojo".

I've been thinking about this today. I love seeing the P2P wirings and stuff in the Pictures! thread, but it bugged me to see it in a production pedal. I think it comes down to the "mojo" involved. A lot of the P2P's done by DIY'ers are done so because of a variety of reasons, the last and least significant is selling point. It's amazing to me, though, how the instinct works. The TS P2P pedal made me facepalm before facepalm became the new "WTF?!?" (like, a couple months ago, or something like that...). I don't quite get why, other than it has Ibanez on it, it's green, it's a TS... oh yeah. P2P with a DIP made me like all "WTF?!?" I dug the True Bypass, though... that buffered crap hasn't been working out too well for them all these years. 

@Doug, I've found there are huge differences in sound between many chips, in my short experience. Most notable to me are ones that have clarity, such as NE5532, and the BA728N used for some time by Boss, ones that are "softer" and seem to have desirable individual like 4558 and LM308, and the TL Jfet input amps. It makes sense to me that they will vary somewhat, circuit to circuit, on how they sound, given how different the internal structures are. Like you noted, Jfet inputs vs. BJT inputs, being the most notable example.

The clarity thing came about when I was playing around with DS-1 circuits. I couldn't find anything at RS (it was early on, lol) that sounded as "clear" as my DS-1, and the 4558's I had pulled sounded like mud to me. Later I got NE5532's in my stash, and I love them for the apparent "clarity". I find in most circuits that LM358's sound much the same, with some distortion at higher boosts (crossover distortion?)... I just keep them on hand because outputs go to ground 

[darron]

did you ever stop to wonder about true bypass (mojo or not)? for a DIY/boutique builders it's ALWAYS the easiest way to hook up a bypass, and will naturally be the first path to travel regardless. there's the arguments for and against buffered bypass but it's certainly more work! (:

[Bill Mountain]

did you ever stop to wonder about true bypass (mojo or not)? for a DIY/boutique builders it's ALWAYS the easiest way to hook up a bypass, and will naturally be the first path to travel regardless. there's the arguments for and against buffered bypass but it's certainly more work! (:

I've stopped fighting the good fight about buffered bypass.  True bypass is easier and I don't have to explain my use of a buffer to anyone even though my favorite bypass is a simple buffered bypass from my Roger Mayer pedal.

By the way, after some serious listening I went with the 072 and the 4148's.  I wanted slightly more headroom so I used Si diodes and I couldn't tell the difference between the 4558 and the 072 in this circuit so I went with what I had more of on hand.  I may add one Ge diode (don't know what they are but they have a green stripe and the parts store said they were popular for radios) for some slight asymmetrical clipping.

[markeebee]

P2P with a DIP made me like all "WTF?!?"

Excellent work.

[DougH]

did you ever stop to wonder about true bypass (mojo or not)? for a DIY/boutique builders it's ALWAYS the easiest way to hook up a bypass, and will naturally be the first path to travel regardless. there's the arguments for and against buffered bypass but it's certainly more work! (:

I've stopped fighting the good fight about buffered bypass.  True bypass is easier and I don't have to explain my use of a buffer to anyone even though my favorite bypass is a simple buffered bypass from my Roger Mayer pedal.

I build stuff true-bypass because it is easier. I have a lot of buffered bypass pedals and a mixture of both whenever I set up a pedalboard. I personally could not give a sh*t either way. Okay, I won't stick my boss pedal in front of my rangemaster or fuzz face, duh... Beyond that, the differences are so trivial it's not even worth discussing. Yes, the next time I play Wembley stadium I'll make sure I have at least one buffer to drive the cable distance. Until then, aside from the aforementioned caveats, it's a complete non-issue for me.

My basic procedure for setting up a rig is:

1) Plug stuff in.
2) Turn the knobs until it sounds good.

[artifus]

1) Plug stuff in.
2) Turn the knobs until it sounds good.

*edit*

3) if not then rearrange boxes. if yes then go to 5).
4) go to 1).
5) profit.

[Bill Mountain]

My basic procedure for setting up a rig is:

1) Plug stuff in.
2) Turn the knobs until it sounds good.

Same here!  That's why I love these amps http://www.satelliteamps.com/News/News.html

[slacker]

If the pedal already has a buffer on the front end, like most modulation and delay type things, then buffered bypass is no harder than true bypass.  It then comes down to whether you like the buffered sound or not.

[Bill Mountain]

If the pedal already has a buffer on the front end, like most modulation and delay type things, then buffered bypass is no harder than true bypass.  It then comes down to whether you like the buffered sound or not.

Or if you already have a buffered output.  That makes it really easy.

[DavenPaget]

I like my sounds raw and my parts , normal . ( As in buffered )
Not totally odd like massive paper and oil caps / massive film caps .
I mean , WHAT'S THE @#$%ING POINT ?

[artifus]

sonic exploration, open mindedness, fun, etc...

[Colonel Angus]

makes for more erotic gut shots?

[DavenPaget]

You would be labelled weird if you got a fizzing sensation due to "erotic gut shots"
What i think are erotic gut shots are properly done PCB designs , Neat wire routing , properly made PCB's .
And a whole lot of consideration on the way to mount the PCB .
And noise shielding + blast shielding . Sometimes aluminium ain't enough 

[Ice-9]

Theres no such thing as Mojo, there are just components that are new, old, somewhere in between. Si diodes and transistors were made because production process and  technology moved on, it became cheaper and more consistent with silicon than Germanium. LSI and SMD is making through hole components a thing of the past and again thats all about making things cheaper and fitting more on a piece of silicon.

Theres nothing wrong with using all technologies available, the ones that actually work in any given circuit.

The people that advertise mojo in there equipment makes there product so much better than anything else in my opinion is what I dislike.

Thee is a lot in the fact that an old technology valve amp can sound much better than a modern SS type, but would you go out and buy a 12" black and white TV under the old tech is better banner. Everything has its place and if it improves what your designing then use it , if it doesn't then don't.

[petemoore]

  Instant mojo is bad for ya.

[Colonel Angus]

LOL @ DavenPaget. So are Pete Cornish pedals XXX rated?

[Paul Marossy]

The "mojo" is in the fingers, not some magic transistor or opamp. 

[timd]

Mojo is defininely an overused word and is basically a marketing slogan or used for bragging rights. After all, how many people are really going to see the inside of a pedal you built? I have taken old TV's and the like from the side of the road and recycled the usuable stuff in some of my pedals. Can I call these sometimes odd pieces mojo? How about the huge paper in oil .0056 mfd cap I just used in a fuzz? Is that mojo?
I think these parts look cool and can sometimes affect tone in a noticeable way. We humans have a strange way of tricking our brain into thinking two parts with the same value but radically different shapes/colors/etc really do sound different. My opinion - the economy is bad - get the cheaper part if it sounds close...