freestompboxes.org

RnFR wrote:could you get any less monk-like?? I think this fucker needs to spend a few more months in the seminary.

lol.. you misspelled cemetery

or was it supposed to be penitentiary ?

RnFR wrote:bbtw- I think this thing should definitely be degooped in light of recent events.

doesn't have to, just contact this guy via pm

My first post on this question was "no not really" in response to the degooping question. No one wanted to listen. Three pages of nothingness.

Seiche wrote:

MarkF786 wrote:

Burglar wrote:

phibes wrote:I just think it's hilarious reading the sales pitch and descriptions of these things. Like they opened a portal to a secret universe or something.

"Though the basis of my background ranges from Sacred Geometry to Physics, I am a music lover first. With Tone Monk Custom Boutique Electronics, I strive to incorporate this love for music along with symmetrical mathematics and the science of electron paths to bring unique products to the boutique realm".

And from the FAQ: "Do you build Clones or Kits?" - "Contrary to what you may have heard- We will not and do not build "clones" or "kits"."

LMAO.

I'm glad I bought the pedal used on the cheap. It's actually not a bad YATS.

symmetrical mathematics...

"Sacred Geometry"?

Booteek boob seems appropriate for this guy.

aight, had a look at it, it's a GGG very expensive boutique screamer (grandlaff DOD) with a fatswitch, symmetric clipping on the silicon diodes and a 120R for the tone control (R11). IC is a TL072CP.
so the basic mods from here

what, a TL072? i thought he was using a supersecret mojo IC, but apparently 0.10$ ICs have just the right admount of magic to justify a 315$ price tag

Cannibal wrote:what, a TL072? i thought he was using a supersecret mojo IC, but apparently 0.10$ ICs have just the right admount of magic to justify a 315$ price tag

haha yeah, i was like: whaat? no opa?

These sold for $315!?!?!?

phibes wrote:These sold for $315!?!?!?

No kidding. I'm in the wrong business.

WOW

gain is A1M (gain+ mod)
tone is W20K
vol is A100K

I wrote up some newb oriented instructions at TGP on how to modify the "fat" switch on the SOL. Being somewhat of a newb myself, I explained it as best as I could. Sadly, I don't have any software that allows me to easily throw together a basic schematic to demonstrate what I'm describing (though I'm open to suggestions). If you don't mind, can you please read it for technical accuracy?

==========

Since my quest to determine the SOL schematic was based on the soul purpose of fixing the "fat" switch so it wasn't "obese", now that I see the schematic, I see it's an easy fix even if the pedal is gooped.

First, to understand how the fat switch works, please read this article by Jack Orman: http://www.muzique.com/lab/fatt.htm. On the SOL, the SPST is doing the the exact thing as in the second-to-last diagram; in the "fat" mode, the switch bypasses the .047uf capacitor.

Keep in mind that when putting capacitors in parallel, you add their capacitance, so instead of bypassing the capacitor and adding maximum fatness, you can just increase the capacitance by putting another cap in parallel to achieve the degree of fatness you desire.

Instead of using the SPST switch, you can replace it with either an "on-on" SPDT switch with one leg being disconnected and the other leg being connected to a capacitor in parallel (this would allow you to select between the default .047uf or .047uf + whatever capacitor you put in parallel) or you could replace it with an "on-off-on" switch to allow you to select between either the default .047uf or .047uf + two different additional capacitors in parallel. For a good example of this, see the "Mids" switch in the schematic for the BYOC OD2: http://buildyourownclone.com/overdrive2instructions.pdf.

To give some comparative values, the Rockbox Boiling Point switches between two settings: the stock .047uf or .22uf. To achieve similar results, you'd need to use an "on-on" SPDT switch and a .15uf capacitor.

Or on the BYOC OD, they use a "on-off-on" SPDT switch to choose between three different total values - .047uf, .094uf, or .197uf (using an additional .047uf or .15uf capacitor in parallel). I find the .047uf in parallel to have a minimal effect, so I'm planning to go with .15uf and .22uf capacitors.

I've done some preliminary testing tonight just using jumper cables, and it seems to work well. This weekend I'll solder in the new switch and capacitors.

one question. the sound gets fat when you bypass the cap. but now you even go up in value. doesn't that do the exact opposite?

I hear ya; it sounds counter-intuitive, and as I feel asleep I was thinking why it works this way.

If you read Jack Orman's article, he describes it in some detail. Some snippets:

"The most simple way to flatten out the response is to change the value of the C2 capacitor**. Increasing the capacitance will lower the corner frequency of the filter and thereby increase bass response." "**The capacitor is designated C2 because that is the label that is used on the Son of Screamer schematic."

"Changing the capacitor to extend the frequency response is a permanent fix that works with any of the TS models... An alternate fix may be used that allows switching between the normal response and the full range mod..."

"When the switch is open, the circuit operates in the normal mode as when unmodified. If the switch is closed, the capacitor is bypassed and the low end frequency response extends down as far as allowed by the Vr bias network..."

The way I'm thinking of it with my minimal knowledge is that the capacitor is acting as a HPF, and the more you increase the capacitance, the lower the corner frequency. But if you remove the capacitor, you remove the HPF and extend the low frequency response (down to DC?).

the sound gets fat when you bypass the cap.

I think it might help if you think of the short as an infinite-value capacitor. More capacitance = lower HP threshold. Infinite capacitance = threshold goes to 0 Hz (DC).

or you could replace it with an "on-off-on" switch to allow you to select between either the default .047uf or .047uf + two different additional capacitors in parallel.

Right on! I (and many others) use that kind of control all the time: minimal extra cost for significant extra versatility.

cheers guys, that makes sense

Haven't though of it as an infinite value cap, of course removing is different than bypassing with a jumper.

One mistake I made above... the Boiling Point, Seed of Life, and LDO have a .22uF capacitor and 1K resistor in that RC circuit, though the corner frequency still works out about the same (724Hz vs 720Hz). The Boiling Point then switches to a 47uF capacitor, bringing the corner frequency down to 339Hz for more of a bass boost. To achieve similar results, you'd need to put a.22uF in parallel on the SOL for a total capacitance of .44uF. Here are some values of capacitors to try in parallel and the associated corner frequency:

.22uF + .22uF = .44uF (362Hz)
.22uF + .47uF = .69uF (231Hz)
.22uF + .68uF = .9uF (177Hz)
.22uF + 1.0uF = 1.22uF (131Hz)
.22uF + 1.5uF = 1.72uF (93Hz)
.22uF + 2.2uF = 2.42uF (65.8Hz)

For reference, the low E frequency on the guitar is 82.4Hz.

What type of capacitor would you recommend when getting into the higher ranges that wouldn't be too big?

I don't have a clue what I'm doing but I got in there and started just trying various caps I had laying around and all I could get was for the FAT switch to be the same on or off. I shorted across the legs of the cap and the full on FAT effect was back so I thought about adding a resistor across the legs (like a treble bleed for a guitar volume) and tried that. The first resistor didn't do anything, I don't know it's value just some resistor I had in the drawer. Then I picked up the one in the pic and it worked. I'm not sure what I've got here but it works and the FAT switch sounds wonderful now. With some more tweaking there might be even more to be had but I going to use it as is for a while anyway. I now wonder if the resistor is all that was needed? When I get more time I'll try some other things but what's in the picture sounds so much better than the straight wire jumper.

Here's my mod'ed SOL "fat" boost. I ended up going with a .22uF (adding up to .44uF, close to the bass boost on the Boiling Point) and a 1.0uF for a bigger bass boost. So with the three way toggle, the up is a small bass boost, middle is stock, and down is a large bass boost. I had to use what I had on hand, a film cap for the smaller value and a electrolytic for the larger valuer. I wish I had other in-between values to try; I used the highest value film cap and lowest value electrolytic cap I had but it turned out good. I need to increase my parts stash.

The pedal sounds so much better now, IMHO. With the large bass boost (that doesn't fart out like stock "fat" boost), it sounds like a different pedal, allowing you to get that heavy, low-end distortion almost like a muff or rat.