Pedalboards for guitar

[Dean Aka Nekro]

--- L1: Pegasus (Klon Centaur), lead boost into crunchy rhythm patches

Want! How get?

http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=247
under Klon Siberia
http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.com/2008 ... ntaur.html
That's what mine is based on.
Don't cut corners, precisely matched high quality components do make a difference.
eBay is insanely expensive

The Klon's king at boosting a Marshall, seriously ...
Compared it to OCD, the new BB Pre with mid control, RTO, and a few others lately - none could rival its magic and added balls (talking Haynes, Grissom, Gibbons - not metal).
The others also are great ODs, just not perfect for that tone.
A Fulldrive II or BJF Honey Bee would be (slightly different) alternatives - unfortunately my Peavey Classic 50 won't let them go.

Europe sucks with that stuff ...

Ymmv,
susiwong

I have a klon clone and i must say that is really unlike any other dirtbox i am aware of, I am pretty sure you would really enjoy one Eric as you pair share a similar taste in most respects. susiwong is right though - Do not even entertain an ebay sweep as they are not worth what they go for and as mentioned already stick to quality components and the DIY job will be every bit as superb as the real thing (only played through a real one once and at the time i did not think much of it as i was much younger and wanted a Boss HM1 ). The klon does not tighten things up and nor i find does it compress like say a TS-808 at all which is probably why i find it so odd (in a good way) and it is not like my Fulldrive II at all either...I can not really explain the damned thing or compare it to anything and and no it definately does not do metal-type things to an already driven amp, again this is good and the reason i like it FWIW

and yeah europe does suck with that stuff, We get bent over a barrel

All the best to all as always

Dean

[susiwong]

and yeah europe does suck with that stuff, We get bent over a barrel

I would like to be around a bit more than i am able to currently, I am not in a position to do so at the moment

Sure hope your current position doesn't involve barrels !
Except maybe the Oktoberfest variety ...
Lol,
susiwong

[susiwong]

The klon does not tighten things up and nor i find does it compress like say a TS-808 at all which is probably why i find it so odd (in a good way) and it is not like my Fulldrive II at all either...I can not really explain the damned thing or compare it to anything and

Part of this is probably the internal "charge pump" of the Klon, generating 18V operating voltage.
Ever tried the Fulldrive @ 18V ?
It's within the spec and gets it much closer to the Klon, imho.
That said, I personally stick with 9V for the FD, but trying it doesn't hurt, it tightens up the bass which might be good for fast chording.
Ymmv,
susiwong

[Dean Aka Nekro]

No i have not tried running the Fulldrive @ 18V mate but i shall be doing. Cheers for that one, Never crossed my dope smoked tiny mind to try that and you know i should know better! Regarding the charge pump i remember Paul saying 'oh, thats interesting' when i pointed him to prices on the original/real deals on ebay which prompted the klon clone schematic searches. Speaking of the devil, He just got a reworking station for soldering/repair and think he is pretty pleased with it. Should make the more intricate stuff much easier from what i gather. You know what those electronics obcessed are like though and it gets lost upon me to be honest. They have forums like this just about all that stuff

[Dean Aka Nekro]

and yeah europe does suck with that stuff, We get bent over a barrel

I would like to be around a bit more than i am able to currently, I am not in a position to do so at the moment

Sure hope your current position doesn't involve barrels !
Except maybe the Oktoberfest variety ...
Lol,
susiwong

No, No barrels and i do not drink (alcohol), So not even from a barrel either. Maybe a barrel of laughs for the Nekro children when i do something silly. Always the butt of their jokes haha

[khanyz]

This is a couple of promo shots for my cable guy. I like to keep my setups simple.

[susiwong]

This is a couple of promo shots for my cable guy. I like to keep my setups simple.

Why not, if the true bypass situation works for you and simultaneous switching is not required ...
How do you power them ?
This is where the mess typically starts for me ...
Haven't found reliable DIY plugs for pedal power cables yet, and the pre-made ones always are either too long or too short.

Btw, the cheap Thomann PSU I mentioned before (p.1, halfway down, reply to xtp) powers the pictured board perfectly now.
Two stupid little mistakes they made , mod cost ca 1.3 ct ...

ymmv,
susiwong

[khanyz]

Why not, if the true bypass situation works for you and simultaneous switching is not required ...
How do you power them ?
This is where the mess typically starts for me ...
Haven't found reliable DIY plugs for pedal power cables yet, and the pre-made ones always are either too long or too short.

Btw, the cheap Thomann PSU I mentioned before powers the pictured board perfectly now.
Two stupid little mistakes they made, mod cost ca 1.3 ct ...

ymmv,
susiwong

I've never had a real problem with the true bypass/buffered stuff. The only thing I worry about is the pedal my guitar plugs in. For this, the Orchid stuff has really impressed me, and John there is great with my many (many) annoying questions and mod requests.

As for power, the DIs use phantom and the Blackstar has its own. The other stuff I either daisy chain (Visual Sound One Spot) or stick to batteries. Since my sound is dirty it doesn't make that much difference and I can even use rechargables (with a lower voltage) and it still sounds good. I have tried some 18V pedals and they impress me but it's not worth the overhaul it would take to include them. I already have too many distortion/overdrive/ fuzz pedals.

I removed the power leads as the shots were to show the pretty cables I use. Which, just in case anyone is interested, are (all by designacable.com and with Black/Gold Neutrik):

Guitar - Sommer SC-CLASSIQUE
Bass - Sommer SC-GRINDYCOP BEAST
Mic/DI - Sommer SC-CARBOKAB 225

(Hopefully that will knock a few quid off my next order)

Cheers,
Nigel

[susiwong]

Why not, if the true bypass situation works for you and simultaneous switching is not required ...
How do you power them ?
This is where the mess typically starts for me ...
Haven't found reliable DIY plugs for pedal power cables yet, and the pre-made ones always are either too long or too short.

Btw, the cheap Thomann PSU I mentioned before powers the pictured board perfectly now.
Two stupid little mistakes they made, mod cost ca 1.3 ct ...

ymmv,
susiwong

I've never had a real problem with the true bypass/buffered stuff. The only thing I worry about is the pedal my guitar plugs in. For this, the Orchid stuff has really impressed me, and John there is great with my many (many) annoying questions and mod requests.

As for power, the DIs use phantom and the Blackstar has its own. The other stuff I either daisy chain (Visual Sound One Spot) or stick to batteries. Since my sound is dirty it doesn't make that much difference and I can even use rechargables (with a lower voltage) and it still sounds good. I have tried some 18V pedals and they impress me but it's not worth the overhaul it would take to include them. I already have too many distortion/overdrive/ fuzz pedals.

I removed the power leads as the shots were to show the pretty cables I use. Which, just in case anyone is interested, are (all by designacable.com and with Black/Gold Neutrik):

Guitar - Sommer SC-CLASSIQUE
Bass - Sommer SC-GRINDYCOP BEAST
Mic/DI - Sommer SC-CARBOKAB 225

(Hopefully that will knock a few quid off my next order)

Cheers,
Nigel

Alright, that's cheating !
I just don't want to think about how nice my boards would look without power cables ...

Pretty cables, indeed!

18V is by no means better, just different.
Dean and me love the Klon as a pedal, not because it's 18V powered per se.

I might use a battery when I'm taking a single pedal to a rehearsal or session, with multiple pedals and on stage I need to rely on the power.

Cheers,
susiwong

[khanyz]

Alright, that's cheating !
I just don't want to think about how nice my boards would look without power cables ...

Pretty cables, indeed!

18V is by no means better, just different.
Dean and me love the Klon as a pedal, not because it's 18V powered per se.

I might use a battery when I'm taking a single pedal to a rehearsal or session, with multiple pedals and on stage I need to rely on the power.

Cheers,
susiwong

Yes it is cheating a bit, but I don't use enough pedals for it to be too much of a tangle with them. Also with the daisy chain and cable ties it isn't much more that a black line connecting them. Most of the time though I just have the multi-use rechargables which retain their state for a long time. I just recharge them before a session and they last all day.

As for 18V, you are correct. I think they do have an improved clarity but this isn't that important for a lot of guitar sounds. My electronics head (which is fairly knowledgeable) tells me better SNR, usable dymanic range and optimum component voltage but sound wise it doesn't always add up to better.

Cheers,
Nigel

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Obviously the Blackstar HT-Dual uses/requires 18V or it would be another plate starved glow show. The most useful thing i myself have come across doubling up from 9V to 18V is any of my guitars with active buckers surprise, surprise (Especially the EMG85 in my main/most reached for Jackson which required no modding as i only have the sole bridge pickup as it is all i need/want on that guitar). Still i am going to give the Fulldrive II a go at 18V as it gets abit less use since i got the Digitech hardwire-series CM-2 'tube overdrive' which is a TS-808/TS-9 impresonator and instead of the 'classic' and 'modified' modes on the mini-toggle being a simple different few bits on one pcb to switch between, When opened up it revealed that it actually has two seperate pcbs (impressive for the money, sound and build quality). Its great i find and far more flexable than a TS/Maxon 808/9 if you want it to be and much cheaper if you want a TS-alike to nail the front-end of your amp, whilst tightening up and focusing the lows, bumping up the mid/mid-highs and compressing a little but really dislike the prices but as susi always says ymmv

[khanyz]

Obviously the Blackstar HT-Dual uses/requires 18V or it would be another plate starved glow show...

The Blackstar uses 16V AC which it steps up to 300V for the tube. It's a great design and sound which is only let down by quality control.

I can see the appeal of using higher voltage in overdrives and other pedals (such as chorus) where you want a purer tone. I'm like that some times, but most of the time I go for the filth.

I'd be interested in your findings though. As my recording technique improves, so must my sources.

[susiwong]

I can see the appeal of using higher voltage in overdrives and other pedals (such as chorus) where you want a purer tone. I'm like that some times, but most of the time I go for the filth.

I'd be interested in your findings though. As my recording technique improves, so must my sources.

Another reason for higher voltages is line level compatibility, that's why the TC Nova pedals use 12V.
Their new 9V TonePrint pedals don't fare so well in that regard, ime, even though the specs want you to believe otherwise.
Ymmv,
susiwong

[khanyz]

Another reason for higher voltages is line level compatibility, that's why the TC Nova pedals use 12V.
Their new 9V TonePrint pedals don't fare so well in that regard, ime, even though the specs want you to believe otherwise.
Ymmv,
susiwong

That's not an issue for me as I don't normally treat the outputs as line level. I use an unbalanced jack to balanced XLR isolator (on the board next to the Double Muff) to put the output straight into the mic input. If the signal was too hot, I'd use a DI but I've never had to with my mixers. It means I don't have to worry about ground loops/hum etc. The only out I regularly use is the Speaker Emulated out from the Blackstar. It sounds pretty good and damn good with a bit of Muff in the chain. Hence the Double Muff on standby.

Cheers,
Nigel

[susiwong]

Nigel,
I'm talking line level FX loops for delay, reverb etc, as discussed with Cordelia earlier in this thread.
I'll post an example of a setup where exactly that was the main headscratcher .
Give me one or two days, I promise some interesting problems and solutions.
Cheers,
susiwong