EisengesisFX
Member
- Build Rating
THE PEDAL
As with so many PCBs out there, sometimes you just wanna build it out of curiosity--and not least with something as bizzarely niche as this circuit. Best case scenario, I thought, this could be a board addition. Worst case, it could be a tool to have on hand for experimental or bandmate's use.
THE BUILD
Thanks to the pre-soldered FV-1 option, the process was straightforward. The hiccups arrived via user error:
1) I should've paid more attention to film cap size when ordering certain values from Small Bear
2) Attempting not only one, but TWO Intelligent Bypass Relay switches my first time wanting them in a build was too tall an order, skill-wise and spacially, and
3) Because I started off my pedal building last summer with Fuzzdog kits, I was using the Fuzzdog Simple Tester incorrectly with my finished PPCB builds-- they weren't getting any power. Before my cousin, a longtime musician, recording and electrical engineer, determined this, I was really puzzled as to why no degree of meticulous craft when assembling PPCB stuff didn't work whatsoever.
THE THEME
I have as much fun picking out the visuals for builds as I do any other part of the process. To date, the sound of the circuit has little to do with the theme itself.
In thinking of something rainbow-related, I recalled that Norwegian avant weirdos Ved Buens Ende's band name literally means "the end of the bow"--specifically, the Norse rainbow bridge Bifrost. OK, I can still have ample color on the graphic AND incorporate the main alien being from the cover of their sole LP, Written In Waters. Dope.
All things considered, the colors turned out OK. I've been using transparency paper, a laser printer and spray clearcoat from day one, but recently had great success underpainting the paper to add clean(ish) color hues. Given I freehanded the rainbow stripes here, it doesn't look all that shabby. I specifically chose and placed knob and LED colors to accentuate the rainbow, too, and I dig the result. Unfortunately, because of the sheer amount of paint underneath the paper, there was some lift on the lower edge of the decal that I had to carefully trim away before clearcoating.
The pedal title font is exactly the one used on the album cover, but somehow just didn't print especially legibly. Oh well. The font I used otherwise felt close enough to my uneducated eye as that of the Soulseller Records reissue. And by fantastic serendipity, one of the songs is titled "It's Magic"--unquestionably a perfect fit for the Magic switch!
THE SOUND
I don't have an EQD original, so I can't compare, but I think my sole criticism is I wish there was a little more output on tap. That said, I have yet to play this through my full amp setup at volume in my practice space, all my practice/writing/testing these days is done at home through an Iridium, Adam T5Vs and a Scarlett 4i4. Otherwise, this circuit is great fun and its own distinct flavor of weird.
