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  1. M

    Mercurial Boost (Catalinbread Vario Boost)

    Edit: ignore my comments below. I think I imagined a difference that wasn’t there. There is some distortion, but after playing with this some more, I actually think it’s my amp’s input being overdriven. As @Chuck D. Bones says, the OPA, 5532, and TL072 should all work the same in this...
  2. M

    This Week on the Breadboard: Animals Diamond Peak Overdrive (with some mods, of course)

    @Chuck D. Bones - what are your thoughts on BJT vs JFET for Q1? I see the Animals/Skreddy circuit, and your initial design, used BJT, but then you switched to JFET.
  3. M

    Paragon (Analog.Man King of Tone)

    I'm fortunate to live on a street with several people who play instruments and like to play in bands. So every year, a few other guys and me get together as a band to play our annual neighborhood block party. I made this Paragon as a gift for my friend/neighbor (who's a great player!). He...
  4. M

    Mercurial Boost (Catalinbread Vario Boost)

    Yup, that is indeed a black momentary SPST from Antique Electronic Supply (aka Tubes and More aka @Amplified Parts). Kinda pricey, but I knew I was going to like this pedal, so I used premium parts: black SPST, footswitch dress washer, aluminum 1510 knobs, black LED bezel, premium enclosure.
  5. M

    Mercurial Boost (Catalinbread Vario Boost)

    There's no shortage of positive feedback around here for the Mercurial Boost - add me to the list of endorsers! I built this with the intent of generally using it as a lead boost. I've been using my Prismatic EQ for that role (and it works great for that). But I thought the Mercurial/Vario...
  6. M

    The Mechanic Fuzz (from Chuck's Boneyard)

    Wow, that is so clean! Fantastic work all around!
  7. M

    Chop Shop: "Scrub Jay Overdrive"

    Just a regular old aim-n-flame that I also use for lighting my grill. :) I believe you're not supposed to put a direct flame on heat shrink tube, but I get the flame going and make quick "brush strokes" with it across the tubing. The latest grill lighter my wife bought is even nicer, it's one...
  8. M

    Majestic/Cal 45 2-in-1

    Apologies for the off-topic detour... Agreed! But personally, I find his How the West Was Won (HTWWW) guitar tone particularly compelling. I only learned of the existence of HTWWW in 2020 or 2021. One of the tracks from that album came on the radio, and I quite literally sat up in my seat...
  9. M

    Chop Shop: "Scrub Jay Overdrive"

    I'd call that original. Your "style" is instantly recognizable and I think looks really good on pedal enclosures! As for stripping shielded wire, I have those same strippers (and yes, fully agree, 100% worth the cost, although they don't seem to work on teflon-coated wire). This is the part...
  10. M

    Chop Shop: "Scrub Jay Overdrive"

    Looks great, as always! The bird artwork on all your pedals - is that all original artwork that you do yourself? Blue Jays are pretty common around me. They are pretty, but also kind of jerks. I remember when I was a boy, we had these big rubber bowls outside for feeding the dogs (they were...
  11. M

    Hard Rock Pinnacle Purebred Drive (Animals Diamond Peak CDB mod), new PCB revision

    As of now (Dec 31, 2024), I still have a few of these boards available, free to anyone who wants one. When they run out, or if you prefer to have them fabbed yourself, below are the Gerber files I used with JLCPCB. Note the forum doesn't let you post .zip files, so I added a .txt extension...
  12. M

    Sweet Honey: "Honeycreeper Overdrive" (w/Gerber)

    That artwork is absolutely stunning! Great work on the PCB too!
  13. M

    AionFX Hexeract (EHX Hot Tubes) #2

    This is my second Aion Hexeract, I built my first about 2.5 years ago. It feels like it was much farther in the past that I built that! And looking at my Reverb sales, I let it go early this year - that also feels much longer past! This is of course a clone of the EHX "Hot Tubes". What's...
  14. M

    Finished my JTM45 and Brown Deluxe at last!

    Is that “western style” tolex on the first amp? I’m starting to think about an amp build myself, and want to use that tolex! I basically want to copy the look of Homestead amps. Either way, both look fantastic!
  15. M

    What's on the workbench?

    I thought this forum was safe for work until @Robert started posting dick pics!
  16. M

    What's on the workbench?

    Is it just the camera angle, or do you really have a guitar randomly sandwiched between the wall and your parts shelves?
  17. M

    Calibration Boss DM-2 Clone (Aion FX Amethyst)

    There is a non-zero chance the repeat pot is bad. I don't think bad pots are too common, but it does happen. I can conceive of a bad pot causing the behavior you describe. Replacing a pot isn't terribly hard or invasive, so it might be worth a try if you're out of easier/simpler things to try.
  18. M

    Effects Layouts Distortion Supreme (Boss MD-2)

    I showed this to a good friend of mine, who is also a guitar player. Though he's not a pedal junkie, he and I grew up when Mega Man was new. And I'll assert that the legacy of that game has proved it's not just childhood nostalgia that makes it awesome. So my buddy appreciated the pedal art...
  19. M

    Calibration Boss DM-2 Clone (Aion FX Amethyst)

    Pins 1 and 16 of IC2 (NE571) connect to C9 and C25, respectively. Those caps in turn connect to ground. They are both 220n. From your pics, it looks like you're doing the kit build, so I'm assuming all the parts came directly from Aion? If so, then I don't think you have to worry about any...
  20. M

    Calibration Boss DM-2 Clone (Aion FX Amethyst)

    I did, but I no longer have my notes. I know most voltages were pretty close to the documented values, but there were a few that I thought were "suspicious" - different enough from reference values to suggest the possibility of a soldering or component value mistake. But in hindsight I'm...
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