Rift Amplification - EL34  [traced]

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modman
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Post by modman »

From Rift Amplification instagram account....
Screen Shot 2021-11-30 at 11.19.12.png
Screen Shot 2021-11-30 at 11.19.23.png
Screen Shot 2021-11-30 at 11.19.01.png
Screen Shot 2021-11-30 at 11.19.01.png (611.42 KiB) Viewed 40546 times
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Intripped
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Post by Intripped »

I don't know about the reliability, but these (real) point to point pedals are always a pleasure to look at.

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Post by Nocentelli »

(electra - diodes) + big cap emitter boost = el34 ?
modman wrote: Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...

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Post by modman »

Nocentelli wrote: 01 Dec 2021, 22:21 (electra - diodes) + big cap emitter boost = el34 ?
EL34 RIFT tracing.png
I got this far.
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Post by Nocentelli »

EL34.bmp
EL34.bmp (20.9 KiB) Viewed 40453 times
modman wrote: Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...

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Post by Nocentelli »

there's another big red cap (above the transistor in the pictures) not included in the schem - maybe connected permanently from emitter to ground in parallel with the switchable boost cap?
modman wrote: Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...

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Ben N
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Post by Ben N »

Big box for such a little circuit, but I guess you have to have some room for your imaginary tube.

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Post by bmxguitarsbmx »

I hope those caps are rated to withstand the imaginary high voltages from the imaginary el34.

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Post by modman »

Lollygagger FX - Canaglia minus the diodes?
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Post by Yazoo55 »

At that price, £249 in Blighty, it needs to be a work of art, which, I admit, it is.

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Post by modman »

Yazoo55 wrote: 10 Dec 2021, 17:33At that price, £249 in Blighty, it needs to be a work of art, which, I admit, it is.
It was a great move - if you want to make a hit pedal, it needs to have visual impact on instagram and facebook. And although you can share soundclips on those channels, these really don't seem to matter anymore. Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...
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Post by graybench »



Nocentelli pretty much had it, extra caps are just power filtering.

riftel34schem.jpg
Pots were measured in circuit, so not 100% sure, but should be correct.

I have to say, the claims made by Rift here are pretty outlandish. From the included booklet:
" The EL34 EQ and boost pedal accurately recreates the sound, feel, and harmonics of the classic EL34 pentode power valve.
Use with a 6L6, KT66, 6V6, or EL84 powered amp to change the voicing, or plug into an EL34 amp to push those tones even further."

How could you begin to even describe a specific tonal quality of a certain power tube?
The sound of an amp is a cacophony of factors; circuit design and component values obviously, speaker, cabinet design, voltages, the list goes on.
Even if you could reliably pick out a specific "thing" about an EL34, the idea that one pedal could "recreate" that sound in basically any other tube amp, and that you could do it with a simple, single transistor common-emitter amplifier, is dubious, at best.
I think when guitarists talk about the "sound of an EL34", what they mean is the sound of a Marshall, which is at least more reasonable.
IMO I would need to see some serious evidence of these claims before I would believe the sound of this pedal has anything in common with a Marshall, not to mention a specific power tube.
That's my two cents.

EDIT: The claims on the current Rift EL34 product page are noticeably softer, I wonder if they received pushback?:
"This pedal helps emulate the tone and harmonics of an EL34 output stage, without the need to swap valves in your amp. Simply plug and play to hear what your amplifier would sound like if it actually had EL34s."

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Post by FuzzMonkey »

Marketing bull-jive is the term you are looking for here.

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Post by Nocentelli »

EL35 wrote: 06 Feb 2022, 18:25 "Simply plug and play to hear what your amplifier would sound like if it actually had EL34s."
Jimmy-Hill-September-1998.jpg
modman wrote: Let's hope it's not a hit, because soldering up the same pedal everyday, is a sad life. It's that same ole devilish double bind again...

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Post by Joshoe762 »

Hey I know this pedal is getting alot of hate. But I'm still interested in building it. Ive noticed alot of people calling it close to an "Electra" circuit. Is there a pre-existing PCB that's close, and I could use different values or add a mod or two, if necessary?

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Post by FiveseveN »

Yes, there are many Electra (variant) PCBs. It's also an excellent project for you to make your own, since there are only a handful of parts (7 if you want to keep it tight).
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge. (Charles Darwin)

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Post by Dsmnoisemaker »

Man..i swear i would be less disgusted if this pedal was a rehoused chinese pedal.

Blatant mkt lies.. i could not hold my laughter if i see anyone believing this garbage and having it on their pedalboard.

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Post by FuzzMonkey »

Dsmnoisemaker wrote: 01 Jun 2022, 01:39 Man..i swear i would be less disgusted if this pedal was a rehoused chinese pedal.

Blatant mkt lies.. i could not hold my laughter if i see anyone believing this garbage and having it on their pedalboard.
They'll pay enough YouTubers with enough clout to get the pedal over with people. Plus it's built using point-to-point construction; which everyone loves!

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Post by bmxguitarsbmx »

I think its cool. It's cooler than JHS or Wampler copying everything, including DIY projects and products of smaller builders for their entire careers.

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Post by Manfred »

I think it would have been even cooler to build the circuit into an old EL34 tube like a ship in a bottle. :lol:

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