Lovepedal - Super 6

TragicTravisty · Post by **TragicTravisty** » 13 Aug 2008, 03:00

anyone got the schematic on this? the clipping sounds like a ts, but its clearer, and less nasally. problably a modded ts.

gtrwrks · Post by **gtrwrks** » 13 Aug 2008, 03:44

TragicTravisty wrote:problably a modded ts.

Probably a modded LPB-1...

TragicTravisty · Post by **TragicTravisty** » 13 Aug 2008, 04:07

what makes you say that? just the sound?

mrhenry · Post by **mrhenry** » 13 Aug 2008, 14:05

Sean, Mr Lovepedal himself, suggested that the Death of a Vox pedal that he ran in limited issue was a $300 modded LBP (see COT 50 thread, i think). I would guess that the Super 6 is also a modded LBP, OR just another version of the modded electra distortion... uh, I mean the COT 50.

These circuits are very easy to modify and you can get a wide array of sounds out of them. For instance, see Beavis audio 'Trotsky Drive' and Briggs 'Clock of Tone'-- both modded electra distortions. by listening to the clips, i can imagine you'd be able to get the "60s fender sound "by using very high input impedance and the same type of tone control you get in Briggs clock of tone. I don't know what you'd use for clipping diodes-- bat 46, Red LEDs and germainums are what differentiate the Cot 50, Cot 50 Angus, and Woodrow (respectively). Those all give a tweed or JTM 45 crunch (when used with the electra based circuit). I am sure, however, that if you looked at the Woodrow schematics and the COT 50 and just moved parts around on a breadboard you could come up with the sound.

One other thing I have been playing with is using the SHO circuit with different clipping diodes, so, that's an idea too.

-mrhenry

Greg · Post by **Greg** » 14 Aug 2008, 00:25

mrhenry wrote:Sean, Mr Lovepedal himself, suggested that the Death of a Vox pedal that he ran in limited issue was a $300 modded LBP (see COT 50 thread, i think). I would guess that the Super 6 is also a modded LBP, OR just another version of the modded electra distortion... uh, I mean the COT 50.

These circuits are very easy to modify and you can get a wide array of sounds out of them. For instance, see Beavis audio 'Trotsky Drive' and Briggs 'Clock of Tone'-- both modded electra distortions. by listening to the clips, i can imagine you'd be able to get the "60s fender sound "by using very high input impedance and the same type of tone control you get in Briggs clock of tone. I don't know what you'd use for clipping diodes-- bat 46, Red LEDs and germainums are what differentiate the Cot 50, Cot 50 Angus, and Woodrow (respectively). Those all give a tweed or JTM 45 crunch (when used with the electra based circuit). I am sure, however, that if you looked at the Woodrow schematics and the COT 50 and just moved parts around on a breadboard you could come up with the sound.

One other thing I have been playing with is using the SHO circuit with different clipping diodes, so, that's an idea too.

-mrhenry

Yep, what mchenry said...

The COT circuit has been sold in slightly different versions under about 50 different names.
It's a Marshall in a box, no it's a Fender, no it's a Vox....

briggs · Post by **briggs** » 17 Aug 2008, 09:10

It's a Marshall in a box, no it's a Fender, no it's a Vox....

heheh, it's a transistor a few caps, diodes and resistors. But it can sound pleasing

The wonders of marketing ayy?

mrhenry · Post by **mrhenry** » 11 Feb 2009, 17:56

not be beat a dead horse.... but....

I am convinced that the Super 6 is basically a COT-50 with NO DIODE CLIPPING-- everything is done with the tone control and the bias (intensity). CAUTION: I do not have an actual LOVEPEDAL SUPER 6 GOOPMACHINE in front of me, but based on my "boooo-TEEEK" "GOLDEN EARS" I was able to come up with the following guess.

I had a COT build that I have been messing around with using different clipping sections (led, germanium, bat46, schottky, darlingtons etc). Then, I decided to take out the clipping and just let the transistor (2n5089) clip. AND PRESTO! you can just use the tone control (al' la Briggs "NATURE" control) to get that "shimmering clean break-up" that the Demo videos for the SUPER 6 gets.

I am playing my Stratocaster through my SonicCord Toad (JTM-45/ 50s V-FRONT Super with active mid control) and I can get that sort of trebly shimmer that the 60s Super Reverbs get when you really push them (the whole superreverb on 6 is marketing BS, sounds more like when you rip it up at 9!)

So, basically, you get more bottom end and lots of break up on the bass strings and the high strings... like a super reverb. if you crank it, the mids come through too, but I think thats more an effect of boosting the front pre-amp tube than anything going on in the pedal. For instance, watch the proguitarshop video demo and look how you have to increase the bass when you turn down the "intensity" (bias) (by the way, just like the COT50)

In order to make the circuit more useful for me, I got rid of the tone control (now I just use the bias to regulate the tone) and added a 50k gain pot mod to the circuit that was inspired by Beavis Audio's Trotsky Drive. The pot comes off of the positive rail and connects to the junction of the 2M2 resistor and the Collector of the 2n5089. Other things you can do to tailor the sound to your rig are, of course, adjusting the input capacitor to let more or less high end in.

Is this a sufficient tweek to merit a new name for the pedal? I think Sean (of Lovepedal) would probably come up with another name given these tweeks....

Maybe the "Sick(x)-Fifty"

onward,
MrHenry

reveriesof · Post by **reveriesof** » 06 Jun 2009, 17:24

i degunked my super 6 today, sketched out a rough schem. i'll post it once i get a few details straightened out..

i need to figure out the pinout on the trannie... i assume the top middle lead is the base and the two offset leads on the bottom are the collector/emitter. but i'm thrown off by the placement of the vol knob then, as it comes off the base as far as i can tell.

Also don't know what Z stands for on the circuit board, as far as identifying components goes. As in R for resistor, K for voltage regulator, Z for..? Possibly zener?

I really like the diodeless CoT idea, looking forward to breadboarding it after I figure this out. But as far as I can tell if this is a modded LPB or Electra, it's been rather turned on its head! What do I know though?

reveriesof · Post by **reveriesof** » 06 Jun 2009, 20:17

I take back my LPB comment

found a mistaken connection on my first sketch, fixing that made my schem look much more normal.

This is my first schem, and my first time tracing SMD. Therefore, some unknowns exist. Dunno what the tranny is, though I'm pretty sure I got the orientation correct (Base was bottom left, Collector top, Emitter bottom right). Dunno what Z1 is but it looks like other diodes (all labeled D on the PCB). If it is a diode, I *think* I have the orientation correct. Lastly, all part values are as per my meter. I'm doubtful that C2 is 63u, or even 16u (parallel w the 47u electrolytic), so that value will likely need some soulsearching on a breadboard. The others seem pretty reasonable to me, but I'm sure there's room for error!

Edited to remove outdated schematic. - culturejam[/i]

Ghandi · Post by **Ghandi** » 06 Jun 2009, 21:22

thanks for the schematic!

ah alright,
looks a bit like shawn's take on the sho.

the zener clearly points into the mosfet direction.
my guess is bs170...

so the tone control is a variable 10nF cap in series with a 100k pot parallel with a 10nF cap that makes
the output cap variable betwenn 10nF and 5nF, right?

with shawn's words:
"With an onboard vintage tone stack to die for, you now have ULTIMATE control over ANY guitar / amp / effects combination..."

SPeter · Post by **SPeter** » 06 Jun 2009, 21:33

Ghandi wrote:the zener clearly points into the mosfet direction.
my guess is bs170...

+1!

reveriesof · Post by **reveriesof** » 06 Jun 2009, 21:56

nice ghandi, thanks for the input. maybe that would explain my confusion over the pinout!

someone should assemble a PDF of sean's marketing descriptions illustrated with schems, as sort of a circuit analysis parody.

i'll see if i can get it breadboarded and do a comparison w/ my original b4 i update the schem.

culturejam · Post by **culturejam** » 06 Jun 2009, 22:01

Why in the world would you go SMD with something that has about a dozen on-board parts? I guess maybe the builder has them laying around from all the other SMD pedals?

Scruffie · Post by **Scruffie** » 06 Jun 2009, 22:21

I dunno why you'd go SMD either, even a big company like electro harmonix where I understand it's probably cheaper or whatever I still don't understand why the re release of the Screaming Bird Treble Booster is SMD (from a video I saw on youtube)

reveriesof · Post by **reveriesof** » 06 Jun 2009, 23:22

breadboarded it, using a .1u for C2 (copping it from the purple plexi), a 5.1 zener, and BS170. The breadboard sounds better. Granted this isn't my normal playing setup, so it's hard to compare them definitively. Thru my princeton here it sounds cleaner than the original, the tone control deepens the sound without muffling it like the other one seems to, overall more definition in the highs, tighter lows and more of that super spank, punchier. I might try some other diodes and C2 values, don't have any other mosfets lying around. Mine sounds a little different, but like I said it's more of an improvement to my ears, probably a keeper just like this.

reveriesof · Post by **reveriesof** » 06 Jun 2009, 23:34

Updated schem

Greg · Post by **Greg** » 06 Jun 2009, 23:38

culturejam wrote:Why in the world would you go SMD with something that has about a dozen on-board parts? I guess maybe the builder has them laying around from all the other SMD pedals?

Because you're getting them assembled by someone else (Cusack) and that's their assembly method..

culturejam · Post by **culturejam** » 07 Jun 2009, 00:18

Greg_G wrote:
culturejam wrote:Why in the world would you go SMD with something that has about a dozen on-board parts? I guess maybe the builder has them laying around from all the other SMD pedals?
Because you're getting them assembled by someone else (Cusack) and that's their assembly method..

Ah. That makes sense.

Ghandi · Post by **Ghandi** » 07 Jun 2009, 09:24

reveriesof wrote:breadboarded it, using a .1u for C2 (copping it from the purple plexi), a 5.1 zener, and BS170. The breadboard sounds better. Granted this isn't my normal playing setup, so it's hard to compare them definitively. Thru my princeton here it sounds cleaner than the original, the tone control deepens the sound without muffling it like the other one seems to, overall more definition in the highs, tighter lows and more of that super spank, punchier. I might try some other diodes and C2 values, don't have any other mosfets lying around. Mine sounds a little different, but like I said it's more of an improvement to my ears, probably a keeper just like this.

the difference you are hearing is probably due to the hight tolerances of the bs170.

I have around 30 of them lying around and always socket them to find the ones that sound best!

5V1 for the zener is a bit low it's probably a 9V1 zener!
but that's just an safety issue!

Ghandi · Post by **Ghandi** » 07 Jun 2009, 19:47

just build it up...

never thought from lookin' at the schematic that this thing could make such a nice fendery CLEAN sound!?!

intense 3 o'clock
tone o9 o'clock
vol set for unity gain

transfers the clean sound of your amp into a chimey fender one!
but if your amp is overdriven or you put an overdrive after the super 6 it muds out!

the trick is to put the overdrive before the super 6, that makes up for instant sweet home alabama!

Lovepedal - Super 6 [traced]