Timmy Overdrive and Ross Compressor (modified like a keeley)

Here's the famous paul cochrane timmy overdrive and a clone of the ross compressor, modified for more treble response, lower noise, etc etc.  more like a keeley than a ross.  i think these two sound great together!  you decide and let me know

apparently I cannot imbed vimeo on blogger, so here is a link to the vimeo video for these two pedals being demo'd by me and my half assed guitar skillz

https://vimeo.com/42898627

Ampeg Amp in a Box Pedal- and double silicon fuzz- with video demos

I have been loving these "amp in a box" circuits.  They are built using the same schematics as whatever tube amp they're modeled after, but they just use smaller parts, dont need transformers, and substitute jfets for the tubes.  They do a VERY good job of emulating the amp they're made after, and all you need is a clean (tube preferred) amp for them to run into.  I've been very happy with the marshall plexi, hiwatt, and vox versions I've built- but I am loving this ampeg circuit.  It sounds like a standard ampeg- I think on guitar it sounds like a v4 or vt22 and it even sounds killer with bass, doing a very convinving SVT, even with my little solid state practice amp.  These pedals are also AMAZING for getting cranked tones at low volumes- MUCH better than a master volume circuit or even a power soak or speaker attentuator.  I run these pedals after all of my dirt, boost and fuzz boxes, and before my delay and reverb pedals.  The amp in box pedals react spectacularly to guitar volume changes and overdrive and boost pedals- they even make fuzz pedals sound better.  Because you can get that on the edge of clean and overdrive sound at ANY volume and kick in the boost and you're in slammed ampeg heaven!  each pedal makes all my other pedals sound different!  now that's FUN!  if you already have a collection of overdrive and boost pedals that you're happy with, getting some of these amp in box pedals will really expand your tonal pallette, much more than buying another boutique overdrive would.  This is like adding amps to your board.  I cannot decide which ones I want to take off my board- they are all so unique and make my amp sound completely different.  they also all respond to different guitars like the actual amps would.  I cant believe I have just found out about these circuits.  Check it out for yourself...

I recorded this video with my fender pro reverb set on volume "3"... which is quite low considering the circuit mods I've done to increase the gain and lower headroom with this amp.  3 is a lot lower volume than other blackface fender combos.  I usually run it on 6 to get the edge of breakup level.  I recorded it with a $90 Zoom Q3 portable video/audio recording, a great product, but nothing fancy at all.  I used a ross compressor clone first then into a zen drive clone then into the ampeg to show how it reacts with overdrives.  It even does the super squishy compression thing that ampeg's do when they get boosted really hard.  a very unique sound that's impossible to get with anything else.  These are bedroom volume levels... and listen to that sustain.  Unfortunately I gotta do some work on my guitar as the bridge pickup shorted out, so this is just with the neck and middle pickups of my strat!


This next video is a demo of a more customized pedal I built recently.  There are actually two completely independent fuzz circuits in one box here, they can be actuated completely seperately, or they can be run in series the right side circuit into the left.  The right side is an all out balls to the wall fuzz, the left side is pretty nasty itself, but has a nice vintage tone bendery tone and when you roll back the volume can do some nice silicon fuzz face tones... i'm really digging these silicon fuzz circuits much more than the germaniums i've built- the tonebender mk i and mk ii will always be the kings of fuzz in my book, but man these silicon fuzzes get some cool sounds and are so much more versatile.

If you'd like to check out more video demo's of some of my other pedals.  Check out my youtube account- goldenmonkeycolor

I've got some old stuff, and I'll be putting a lot of new stuff up there soon.  You need to listen to these demos with a sound system or something you can crank up the volume with- as I've been too lazy to edit these videos as my computer needs upgrading.  I actually wasnt aware until recently because my computer is hooked up to a sweet sound system that I can just crank up when needed.  You should try this method- it makes looking at guitar gear far more pleasurable

Pedal Porn!!! aka electronic gut shots

I've got a TON of new pedals in the making... circuits tested but not yet boxed into enclosures and ready to stomp... I've got 10 new pedals in the making... In the meantime I thought i'd post some updates.  A few months back I built a modified clone of the ross compressor with a circuit board purchased from guitarpcb.com.  while building I found some "gut shots" of keeleys compressor pedal (the circuit which this board is based on) and found that he used tanatulum capacitors for every large value cap >1uf except one 1 micro farad film cap.  The owner of the site told me that the tantulum caps wouldnt make a difference in tone and were just used for size... For some odd reason (i've normally been a huge fan of component quality and the sound of different metrial composition of electronic components- but these were not in series with the signal path- just a bunch of power filtering caps going to ground) Anyways, last night... after months of being unhappy with the tone of the supposed "keeley compressor" pedal I cloned.  I decided to do some work and remove all the aluminum electrolytics and replace them with the little yellow tanatulum capacitors.  When I plugged the pedal in... after months sitting on the sidelines because it didnt have "it" the "it" that the keeley compressor pedals have... i was blown away!!!  It finally had the sparkley top end response along with the thick syrupy squish that the ross comp is known for!!!! Sorry electrical engineers... your test equipment is antiquated and you dont play guitar.   We are the true knowledge base for tone!  The little things matter.  in other news...my buddy actually told me a tech recently told him that there was no difference between alnico and ceramic speakers- now that's a laugh!!!  Sorry to hate!  But yall misguided me for so long I started teaching myself audio electronics!

In other news, I recently completed a bad ass Germanium transistor, 5 knob, 2 switch, fuzz face clone.  I used all vintage style electronic components for extra mojo goodness!  because that shit matters!  and you'll agree when you hear this baby.  It has controls for pre gain volume, post gain volume, bass boost, mid range cut and boost control, and battery dying voltage sag simulation!  You can get every sound out of this thing and use it with every guitar you own... low output strats to raging EMG's!

check out the style!

Hope all is well for the people of Louisville after a Derby and Cinco de Mayo rolled into one day!!  Recovery day was interesting... so little work done... so much to do in 5 hours.  Good night!

5 knob fuzz face with russian nos germanium transistors

5 knob guts- big old school mojo'riffic components- orange drops, mallory 150, bc 'lytics, vishay 2.2uf film cap, carbon films, all dat funky old stuff... from back when they just made 'em better.

keeley comp guts,  those tanatulum caps are where its at.  on the way-a NOS rca metal can ca3080 opamp