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