I built this circuit a few weeks ago and have been tweaking it to suit my needs
I just settled on a version I really like.
I removed the 47nf cap which acts as a highpass filter (my setup is pretty dark sounding)
I'm using 5 germanium diodes, 3 on one side 2 on the other, I really like the low gain overdrive I get with this diode arrangement.
I also added a volume pot to compensate for the extra output I get from 5 diodes.
It's been fun, I'm a noob and I've gained a lot of confidence and learned a ton through playing around with this circuit
Thanks to Briggs and Torchy and everyone else who contributed to this project
Jim
Clock of Tone 50 - Modified COT50
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: 17 Jun 2010, 02:31
Hi all. I had been interested in building this for a long time and finally built it today on perfboard using armoredfist316's layout, only one problem - it doesn't do what it's supposed to. It passes signal with a slight level loss but no change in tone and no change from the pots. After my troubleshooting I am at a loss. Maybe a fresh look tomorrow will reveal my problem but in the meantime, does anyone have an idea of what the problem might be? Thanks for any help and thanks for a cool looking project, hopefully I'll get to hear it soon.
I built this up several months ago and have been really liking the tone a lot. I opened it up yesterday and hooked up a DPDT switch in place of the diodes to be able to quickly switch back and forth to try out some different combinations of diodes. I had 2 diodes (1N270 and a 1N34A) on one side of the switch and 2 LEDs on the other and was really puzzled when switching back and forth that neither sounded any different. So I removed the diodes & switch from the circuit entirely and it still sounded exactly the same as it always has, so it seems that diodes have no effect in my build. I removed the 47nf cap and it did increase the treble quite a bit, so that much is working, but I'm really puzzled over why the diodes do nothing. I had to sub a 100nf cap for the 120nf output cap, could that be what's affecting things? Overall I really like the sound so I'm not too inclined to mess with it much, just wondered why the diodes don't do anything.
thanks,
Gray
thanks,
Gray
Hey, hoping someone can help with how to do this blend mod, I am working on a breadboard and I am trying to figure out how to use pots to blend between pairs of diodes for hopefully some versatility. I know that i could figure this out by trial and error, however, I spend a lot of time on the computer at work studying theroy (i'm a multitasker) so that when I do have time to play w/ the circuits at home I can maximize my time. So thanks in advance for your help.briggs wrote:What you will find is that the higher the gain - the less you will notice the nature pot. When you set the gain lower (Which is where I think this circuit sounds best) the nature pot has a sweep that takes things from a "woolly" boost (That sounds similar to the original COT50) to a biting treble boost which has a very pronounced treble and upper mids response.chris_d wrote:I built it from Torchy's vero layout. What i found was that the nature control is fairly subtle. It should sort of shift the focus of the drive between a mildish treble boost and a restrained full boost, if my build is anything to go by. It won't go as "honky mids" as a rangemaster, or as flabby as a typical full boost can, but both extremes of the control should be audibly distinct. It is somewhat subtle though, not really like a typical tonestack.armoredfist316 wrote:I built this tonight and it sounds wonderful, but I have one problem. The nature control doesn't do anything.
-chris
I'm working on a third control as I mentioned previously - it's either going to be the diode blend or a treble roll off tone pot. What do you guys think would sit best/be the most advantagous?
P.s I've also been playing with the "Piggybacking" of transistors to tailor the gain of the Q in the circuit, it allows you to get just the right gain into the tranny without over doing it and getting that distinct "Transistory" tone from the clipping. More info soon
I'm 99% sure this is wrong but I drew this up as a first attempt to get the conversation started. In audio terms I am basically looking to have pan controls over 2 diode sets. Cheers!
