Colorsound - Tremolo

Discussion regarding early stompbox technology: 1960-1975 Please keep discussion focused and contribute what info you have...
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MoreCowbell
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Post by MoreCowbell »


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Post by soulsonic »

So, Q4 acts as a switch and shunts the signal to ground, and how much gets divided to ground is determined by the setting of the Depth pot? Clever. I wonder how it sounds compared to the LDR type. I expect it wouldn't have the same hysteresis effect that an LDR has because the on/off time constants would be faster. I wonder how it would sound if you used a FET for Q4? :hmmm:
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R.G.
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Post by R.G. »

Q4 is actually used in the variable collector-resistance region of it's characteristic. And inverted. Using transistors inverted (i.e. swapping collector for emitter) often produces better switch and variable resistance results in bipolars; an old trick from back when the only devices available for variable R and switching were bipolars.

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Post by dai h. »

that was one of the better (sounding) DIY'ed pedals I made from the mag(where the schematic is from). I tried to figure out how to get it to go faster but only had limited success (due to my own lack of technical understanding). Oh yeah, trying an R and C in series with the battery helped to make it sound a bit more "dimensional".

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Post by Stephengiles »

http://www.4shared.com/dir/5287188/698a ... sound.html

This is the circuit and parts placement on the Colorsound Tremolo I had - and sold for £100!

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Post by Stephengiles »

This is the circuit and parts placement on the Colorsound Tremolo I had - and sold for £100!

Image


Image

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Post by analogguru »

Pictures linked by more cowbell are not "vintage". They are from a 90´s reissue, which - like in many cases of colorsound "90´s-reissues" - hadn´t anything in common with the original boxes except the case... an example is the colorsound tonebender Reissue - a shame for the name Tonebender:

http://analogguru.an.ohost.de/001/schem ... der_RI.gif

THe graphics shown by stephen Giles represent a "pre-75" unit. The 77 -units had 4 transistors.

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Post by MoreCowbell »

Here you go AG... :)

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Post by analogguru »

That´s the 77 version ... to be exactly the pcb shown was produced on 10/12/77 :wink:

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Post by MoreCowbell »

I should go through my gut shots gallery and see what ones might be useful....

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Post by analogguru »

After retracing i have to say the schematic from stephen contains mistakes:

C and E of the "attenuation transistor" are reversed (as typically for this era). and the series resistor is 1k and not 4k7 - if it is correct in the tracing.

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Post by Stephengiles »

Possibly, but it's exactly as in the unit I had which worked :wink:

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Post by analogguru »

Stephengiles wrote:Possibly, but it's exactly as in the unit I had which worked :wink:
The part placement drawing or the schematic ?
They differ from each other.

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Stephengiles
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Post by Stephengiles »

analogguru wrote:
Stephengiles wrote:Possibly, but it's exactly as in the unit I had which worked :wink:
The part placement drawing or the schematic ?
They differ from each other.

analogguru
Part placement - mmmmmmmm thanks for noticing that!

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Post by bootle »

THe graphics shown by stephen Giles represent a "pre-75" unit. The 77 -units had 4 transistors.
so just to clarify, the vintage pre-'75 unit had 3 trannies and the post '77 had 4?
is this the post '77 one?:
Image

how many were in the 90s re-issue and how did it compare to the earlier versions?

I read there was more of a volume drop on the 90s ones.
I just built a 3 tranny version from a dragonfly vero with a MPSA13 and two 2N5089s and it's sounds pretty good.

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Post by pinio »

bootle wrote:
THe graphics shown by stephen Giles represent a "pre-75" unit. The 77 -units had 4 transistors.
so just to clarify, the vintage pre-'75 unit had 3 trannies and the post '77 had 4?
is this the post '77 one?:
Image

how many were in the 90s re-issue and how did it compare to the earlier versions?

I read there was more of a volume drop on the 90s ones.
I just built a 3 tranny version from a dragonfly vero with a MPSA13 and two 2N5089s and it's sounds pretty good.
Hello
I build simpler version this tremolo, but I'm not satisfied of his sound. Do You have printable PCB for "your" version?

I have few projects using KiCad. I will send on request :)

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Post by lmkv15 »

Hi,
here are my version that i build. (3 trannys)
regards Uwe
Attachments
Colorsound Tremolo bottom.pdf
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Colorsound Tremolo Top.pdf
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Post by ansil »

have you seen the fulltone mods done on this pedal. i had mine traced out cause there was no way i was going to go crazy with this thing.

man way to many jumpers he had an unused board in this thing hadn't been populated. and built it i will have to show you the pics soon as my room mate gets up we can take some on his high res camera.

not a lot of mods on it did sub out a fet though instead one of the transistors

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Post by uncleboko »

ansil wrote:have you seen the fulltone mods done on this pedal. i had mine traced out cause there was no way i was going to go crazy with this thing.

man way to many jumpers he had an unused board in this thing hadn't been populated. and built it i will have to show you the pics soon as my room mate gets up we can take some on his high res camera.

not a lot of mods on it did sub out a fet though instead one of the transistors
What exactly are you saying about jumpers? :roll: :roll: :roll:

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Post by sonicvi »

Pic of the original I used to own, from '77.
Image

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