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Original effects with schematics, layouts and instructions, freely contributed by members or found in publications. Cannot be used for commercial purposes without the consent of the owners of the copyright.

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Stompboxes circuits published in magazines, books or on DIY electronics websites.
Topics: 810

810 Topics

8498 Posts

Last post Re: How to wire GGG fuzz face…
WoundUp
07 jan 2025, 02:11
Original Tracer Layouts
A collection of original layouts for vintage guitar effects. If you want to build real replica's of vintage pedals, this is the forum you want to look at.
Topics: 20

20 Topics

111 Posts

Last post Re: MXR Dyna Comp - original …
mozz
09 nov 2023, 19:55

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Projects Index by type of effect

Last post by modman « 21 Jan 2008, 05:37

by modman » 21 Jan 2008, 05:37

Rating: 0.2%

About the projects index

This page tries to keep the available projects indexed.
If you want to share files to build a effect that's not yet (widely) available, it would be a pleasure for us to host it here.
The projects should be verified , though, and at least contain a schematic , some layout file (transfer, vero, perf) and a component layout file .
Incomplete or unverified projects will be moved to the Projects in Progress folder: if you fall upon such a project, please report the...

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View the latest post Projects Index by type of ef …
Last post modman
21 Jan 2008, 05:37

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THE ENGINEER'S THUMB... At last, a better compressor! [documentation]

Last post by jhergonz « 20 May 2018, 18:09
Replies: 101
by merlinb » 21 Apr 2012, 14:23
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For a long time I've felt guilty that my pedal board didn't include a compressor. Finally, after about a year of breadboarding, I have produced a circuit that can take on a Dynacomp and win , boasting:

Up to five times more headroom than a Dynacomp
Less noise than a Dynacomp
Same available sustain as a Dynacomp
Fewer parts than a Dynacomp
Cheaper than a Dynacomp
Feedforward side chain
Possibility for all five controls
Fits in 1590B
Millennium bypass

Despite its final simplicity, I went though...
101 Replies

228583 Views

View the latest post Re: THE ENGINEER'S THUMB... …
Last post jhergonz
20 May 2018, 18:09
Voltage Trebler Current Draw

Last post by plush « 13 Jan 2025, 14:54
Replies: 7
by Lithium_Grim » 12 Jan 2025, 14:28

Rating: 0.4%

Ok so this is a known good design to get round 24 to 25V. However how much current will it be able to draw? Will it be enough to feed a Qtron+? Or will i need to place an extra separate LT1054 in parallel (as image below)?

7 Replies

343 Views

View the latest post Re: Voltage Trebler Current …
Last post plush
13 Jan 2025, 14:54
Need help wiring PNP fuzz input jack

Last post by WoundUp « 12 Jan 2025, 18:29
Replies: 18
by WoundUp » 22 Dec 2024, 07:07

Rating: 0.9%

I bought a germanium PNP fuzz pcb from ebay and built it out. All that's left is the input jack.

It wants a 3 wire jack while all I have is 2 wire jacks. So how do I get this to work? With no power, I have audio output at a low volume and it's pretty Fuzz already. Volume works. Fuzz does nothing currently.

So how do I wire this up? I tried wiring up a 2 wire jack, then jumpering 9v to the empty socket and that didn't work. So I tried jumpering ground to the open socket and that didn't work...

18 Replies

1033 Views

View the latest post Re: Need help wiring PNP fuz …
Last post WoundUp
12 Jan 2025, 18:29
Yet Another Rat (Rat with mods and blend knob)

Last post by TWSpedals « 12 Jan 2025, 16:34
Replies: 7
by CanisMajor » 08 Dec 2024, 21:42

Rating: 0.9%

I’m not a huge fan of the RAT, but I really like the circuit design and have built a few clones for people over time. I decided, however, that I’d build one for myself, incorporating all the basic modifications I know and adding a Blend knob as well. The result turned out quite nicely, and since I’ve been mainly playing bass lately, the Dry Blend seems to work great.

It’s still not my tone, tho :lol:
Here's the schematic with some comments (it might not be 100% accurate because I did a lot of...

7 Replies

1426 Views

View the latest post Re: Yet Another Rat (Rat wit …
Last post TWSpedals
12 Jan 2025, 16:34
Advice on DIY car boot find

Last post by TWSpedals « 12 Jan 2025, 16:29
Replies: 3
by JBonzo » 23 Dec 2024, 22:19

Rating: 0.2%

I bought this box off a car boot for a couple of quid not knowing what it was. The seller didn't know either. It looks like someones DIY effort from the 70s or 80s. The first thing I did was draw out the circuit then I plugged a guitar into it. I don't like the sound much but I think it was almost certainly built as a guitar effect. There's no way that it could be used as an amplifier because it distorts too easily. Does anyone recognise the circuit or is it unique?

Is it me or does the second...

3 Replies

769 Views

View the latest post Re: Advice on DIY car boot f …
Last post TWSpedals
12 Jan 2025, 16:29
Baja B K Butler Tube Driver [documentation]

Last post by shredder « 12 Jan 2025, 13:29
Replies: 328
by bajaman » 12 Dec 2007, 07:22
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Rating: 10.4%

This is NOT a beginner's project.
This was traced from a recent B K Butler pedal and has the bias pot modification which alters the voltage on the cathodes of the 12AX7 tube.
You will need a suitable 12vAC power pack for this pedal - the original has a small toroidal mains transformer fitted internally near the front of the case.
The input and output sockets are isolated from the chassis by plastic insulating spacers. The earth pin on the input socket is connected by a parallel connected 100...
328 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Baja B K Butler Tube Dri …
Last post shredder
12 Jan 2025, 13:29
BAJA Ampeg SVT bass amplifier pedal 9v 010418 [documentation]

Last post by asbestosaurus « 09 Jan 2025, 08:04
Replies: 85
by bajaman » 01 Apr 2018, 08:40
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Rating: 16.2%

Here is the second installment of my bass amplifier series - the Ampeg SVT in 9v pedal friendly format.
Plug this pedal into any high wattage power amplifier and experience the Super Valve Technology sound without tubes :wink:
This design is based on the original Ampeg SVT but with the 5 frequency bands mid boost / cut rotary switch used in the later SLM MkII model.
I left the bass cut option in the ultra bass switch control out as well just as they did in the MkII :wink: However I modeled the...
85 Replies

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View the latest post Re: BAJA Ampeg SVT bass ampl …
Last post asbestosaurus
09 Jan 2025, 08:04
Baja Music Man guitar and bass onboard preamps [documentation]

Last post by howmuch « 06 Jan 2025, 12:56
Replies: 516
by bajaman » 22 Aug 2007, 10:05
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Rating: 38%

Build the original (not Ernie Ball) MusicMan preamps for Bass and Guitar.
These preamps used the programmable current LM4250 IC and consumed a very low 44uA current. I remember a Stingray owner complaining that his bass guitar was distorting - he did not even know it had a battery in it - he had been using it for at least 3 years :!: :lol:
First up the schematics - board layout and PCB design to follow soon :wink:
The hardest part to obtain will be the 1M reverse log pot ( you could always...
516 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Baja Music Man guitar an …
Last post howmuch
06 Jan 2025, 12:56
Auto-Biasing Fuzz Face

Last post by FiveseveN « 05 Jan 2025, 16:35
Replies: 10
by waelk » 04 Jan 2025, 17:45

Rating: 0.4%

Fuzz Face pedals aren't anything new, and dealing with bias issues on Ge transistors is a well-known issue to all.
I've had a course in MCUs and IoT devices, and seeing that I have a few ATTiny85s lying around I was thinking of attempting a Ge Fuzz Face with bias compensation.
First of all, yes, I know that solutions such as the rockface exist, this isn't what I'm aiming to recreate here.

The idea is to use digitally variable resistors to control the supply voltage.
The tricky (and as of yet,...

10 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Auto-Biasing Fuzz Face
Last post FiveseveN
05 Jan 2025, 16:35
BAJA REACTOR 010119 [documentation]

Last post by DrNomis « 04 Jan 2025, 15:37
Replies: 80
by bajaman » 01 Jan 2019, 06:47
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Rating: 22.5%

Happy New Year to all the good folks here at freestompboxes.org.
Here is a new design that I have been working on over the last few years - a pedal designed to mimic the performance of a typical negative feedback tube amp power stage driving a Celestion quad box or similar.

The pedal has the negative feedback presence and depth (resonance) controls typical of Soldano, Marshall, Fender, Peavey etc.

Tube power amplifiers have a high output impedance compared to solid state class AB and digital...
80 Replies

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View the latest post Re: BAJA REACTOR 010119
Last post DrNomis
04 Jan 2025, 15:37
The Nurse Quacktitioner: Nurse Quacky advances her career

Last post by lykwydchykyn « 03 Jan 2025, 19:45
Replies: 7
by lykwydchykyn » 27 Jul 2024, 02:17

Rating: 1.7%

The Nurse Quacky is a classic, fun-to-build envelope filter that requires no special parts and sounds great. There are a few mods out there like release time switching and whatnot, but I had a few additions I wanted to figure out:

- Filter Drive: Wanted to see if dirtying up this filter was an option.
- Q control: Nurse quacky gets a bit too sharp when used with fuzzed or waveshaped sounds, so I wanted a control to tame that.
- Inverted envelope: This was a stretch goal, but I'd used the NQ...

7 Replies

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View the latest post Re: The Nurse Quacktitioner: …
Last post lykwydchykyn
03 Jan 2025, 19:45
Chyowngg Fuzz -- A distinctive double-octave fuzz [documentation]

Last post by lykwydchykyn « 03 Jan 2025, 15:43
Replies: 11
by lykwydchykyn » 20 Dec 2022, 14:58

Rating: 3.2%

Recently I posted my take on bazz-fussifying the Escobedo Push-Me-Pull-You . I've been so pleased with this little octave fuzz I thought it was worth playing with even more.

The PMPY is divided into two sections: A simple gain stage, followed by the push-pull circuit that cancels out the fundamental to give the octave. So, I got thinking, what happens if we add a second stage of fundamental cancellation? Well, it sounds pretty interesting, that's what.

So, building on my last circuit, I added...

11 Replies

2392 Views

View the latest post Re: Chyowngg Fuzz -- A disti …
Last post lykwydchykyn
03 Jan 2025, 15:43
soft clipping OD with Ge diodes

Last post by earthtonesaudio « 02 Jan 2025, 02:13

by earthtonesaudio » 02 Jan 2025, 02:13

Trying to use up all my 10k pots.

I just realized the schematic is vague about power/bias. The 1M bias is actually going to Vref (1/2 of the positive supply). I'm using a +12v wall wart but it should work fine with +9v.

gesoft-2024-12-31.png

Boxed up with a clean/treble boost in front:

gesoft-2025-01-01-front.jpg

0 Replies

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View the latest post soft clipping OD with Ge dio …
Last post earthtonesaudio
02 Jan 2025, 02:13
Blue Pilot, an integrated Blues Driver

Last post by mauman « 01 Jan 2025, 20:12
Replies: 22
by dylan159 » 14 Oct 2021, 11:19
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INTRO
Hello everyone. The Blues Driver always pops up among the most popular overdrive pedals, no doubt because many people like how it sounds, but also because it's easy to find and relatively affordable, being from one the biggest pedal company in the world. It's not as popular in the DIY world, aside from mods, probably because it's not the smallest circuit and uses many transistors in a discrete op-amp configuration. Also since you can get it anywhere for cheap, I guess most people just...
22 Replies

9439 Views

View the latest post Re: Blue Pilot, an integrate …
Last post mauman
01 Jan 2025, 20:12
BUZZAROUND-ALIKE

Last post by Foxbat « 28 Dec 2024, 18:46
Replies: 153
by mictester » 03 May 2010, 21:29
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The legendary Burns Buzzaround was a slightly unusual germanium fuzz that achieved its (undeserved) reputation for two reasons - some great guitarists used them, and they are virtually unobtainable. The original consisted of two stages - a two-transistor amplifier and a distortion stage that could have both the amount of signal sent to it and the bias point adjusted by external controls. The third control was a crude tone control which fed the output. Originally, the output was unbuffered, and...
153 Replies

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View the latest post Re: BUZZAROUND-ALIKE
Last post Foxbat
28 Dec 2024, 18:46
Baja Triode Emulator Boost Plus [documentation]

Last post by jmpj45 « 16 Dec 2024, 18:38
Replies: 48
by bajaman » 06 Nov 2007, 08:54
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Rating: 4.8%

Hi friends
This design is an attempt to simulate the harmonic distortion characteristics of a triode valve (vacuum tube) using an n channel jfet in an unusual configuration. The design is based on an idea by Dimitri Danyuk, who presented it at an Audio Engineering society meeting in Berlin 2004. His emulator ran off a bipolar 15 volt supply and included a blend control to allow folks present to hear the difference between the emulator and a bypassed musical signal. he also included a peak...
48 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Baja Triode Emulator Boo …
Last post jmpj45
16 Dec 2024, 18:38
BAJA Orange AD200B MkII bass amplifier in a 9v pedal 270318 [documentation]

Last post by ZoltánVona « 16 Dec 2024, 11:02
Replies: 27
by bajaman » 28 Mar 2018, 00:56
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Hi folks
here is something a little different - a bass amplifier 9v effects pedal :shock:
not built yet, but will post pictures when it is :wink:
cheers
bajaman
Baja Orange AD200B MkII bass head 9v pedal 270318.GIF vero layout.png vero cuts.png Baja Orange AD200B MkII bass head 9v pedal parts not on vero 270318.GIF
27 Replies

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View the latest post Re: BAJA Orange AD200B MkII …
Last post ZoltánVona
16 Dec 2024, 11:02
Mystery Pedal (Overdrive?)

Last post by EddieTavares « 16 Dec 2024, 01:40
Replies: 4
by Sfincs120 » 14 Dec 2024, 19:33

Hello guys! 😄
I found this pedal sitting around in my drawer, something I got a while back from a friend who told me it was some kind of overdrive.

The pedal came with one knob missing and no labels at all. I tried to figure out what the knobs do and wrote down some labels I applied, but honestly, I’m not sure if I got everything right since I’m kind of a noob with this stuff...

Could someone help me figure out if my guesses are correct? In particular, I’m really curious about what the two...

4 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Mystery Pedal (Overdrive …
Last post EddieTavares
16 Dec 2024, 01:40
Simple BBD Delay/Flanger

Last post by uncleboko « 14 Dec 2024, 10:42
Replies: 1
by Lani » 12 Dec 2024, 17:21

Rating: 0.2%

Thought this may interest some of you.

1 Replies

740 Views

View the latest post Re: Simple BBD Delay/Flanger
Last post uncleboko
14 Dec 2024, 10:42
EMG Active Pickup Circuit?

Last post by EddieTavares « 12 Dec 2024, 16:28
Replies: 216
by soulsonic » 03 Nov 2007, 19:19
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I was wondering, does anyone have a schematic for the basic circuit EMG uses in their active pickups? It looks like it would be a hard trace since it's totally encapsulated in epoxy, but maybe someone has a factory scheme?

I've been looking at their website, and it seems like they give enough basic info to be able to reverse engineer a workalike. I'm gonna start messing with it this weekend. I have this idea for a project I want to do about DIY EMG-ing a passive pickup to work like an EMG. I...
216 Replies

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View the latest post Re: EMG Active Pickup Circui …
Last post EddieTavares
12 Dec 2024, 16:28
Buffer/Splitter with direct output and balanced output

Last post by ppluis0 « 09 Dec 2024, 01:32
Replies: 3
by cocnut » 07 Dec 2024, 02:33

Rating: 0.9%

Hi, I'm working on a project of simple DI Box with splitter/buffer functionalities.
The idea is to have a direct unbuffered output and some buffered outputs and ballanced output to send the signal directly to the mixer/audio interface. I want to plug it in somewhere at the beginning of my pedal chain using an input and a direct output, to affect the tone as little as possible, then use buffered output for some other purposes like recording clean signal on my laptop and an XLR output to send...

3 Replies

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Last post ppluis0
09 Dec 2024, 01:32
Germanium and Silicon diodes comparison [documentation]

Last post by Cub « 03 Dec 2024, 19:00
Replies: 44
by thomasbe861 » 13 Oct 2023, 10:01
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Long story short, I ended up testing and measuring a good part of all odd diodes I have had accumulated over the decades of tinkering.
Some are modern, widely available, some are more rare and not produced anymore, germanium, silicon, including Schottky, silicon carbide, Zener, LEDs, IR, etc.
Here are the graphs, showing the forward voltage drop for a given current (I-V curve) for different types of diodes. Hope this is helpful to anyone. All were measured using a Peak Atlas DCA75 Pro.

The...
44 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Germanium and Silicon di …
Last post Cub
03 Dec 2024, 19:00
Pelota 2: PT2399 delay [documentation]

Last post by chip- « 30 Nov 2024, 17:49
Replies: 12
by dylan159 » 21 Jan 2023, 11:51

Rating: 6.3%

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve made the first Pelota delay: from the very name, it was a circuit inspired by a few popular PT2399 delays, such as the Rebote series, the Deep Blue Delay, and many others that aren’t that different to be worth mentioning.

Even then, with my more limited experience and knowledge, I knew I could try to do better, starting from the awful, noisy, high resistance inverting input stage you find in the vast majority of them that makes you wonder who did it first...

12 Replies

6861 Views

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Last post chip-
30 Nov 2024, 17:49
Fred Briggs - Super OCD

Last post by blackboarcult « 30 Nov 2024, 11:09
Replies: 67
by briggs » 28 Feb 2012, 16:39
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From my blog:

The Fulltone OCD has been an overdrive favourite for many years now. It's got a really nice tone when your amp is set right (I prefer it with Marshalls I must say). Well, I've always thought about modifiying the basic circuit (which itself is based around the old Voodoo Labs Overdrive) to give it a little more variety and use over a wider spectrum of tones.

As you can see the Super OCD has a few extra controls:

- Firstly the Bass control - it's nicked from Paul C's Timmy pedal...
67 Replies

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View the latest post Re: Fred Briggs - Super OCD
Last post blackboarcult
30 Nov 2024, 11:09
I can't find information about this blues driver anywhere

Last post by thomasbe86 « 22 Nov 2024, 13:44
Replies: 8
by Serya » 18 Jan 2024, 08:03

No information at all, please help me.

8 Replies

2554 Views

View the latest post Re: I can't find information …
Last post thomasbe86
22 Nov 2024, 13:44

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