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I did not know this, but it makes sense. I started habitually using sockets a long time ago when my soldering skills sucked, and have just always used them whenever I had the overhead clearance. I don't think I've ever burned a transistor up by overheating it, though, so I'll just start putting...

I debated whether to ask this in General Questions or here, because it's mostly functioning just fine. I built this a while back. I'm not sure how much the guts pic will help, but I have a feeling there would be requests for it if I didn't include it. I expect a little noise from any...

Also better than my first build. Try it stacked after another overdrive. It makes 1+1=3 combinations pretty often.

By itself, I agree with your assessment of the Lightspeed 100 percent. ODs, in general and in my experience, are made or broken in their environments, e.g., the pickups feeding them and the amps they're feeding, and how free you are to crank those amps. That said, the Lightspeed shines for me...

Thanks to you both for the kind words. I've had an '80s DM-2 since the early '90s. I'm going to have to open it now and take a look... or maybe I shouldn't. Hopefully your girlfriend's OCD is as manageable as mine. Mine leans heavily toward the O side, meaning that it's not obvious to those...

Aesthetically, it's hard to beat a 1590B. This one is a Love My Switches CNC Pro. I'm not CNC-equipped, but I dig the rounded edges on their box. It's my current favorite enclosure, and I look for boards that fit. Apologies to Fairfield Circuitry for jocking their style. It's quick to mimic...

Thanks, that soothes my FOMO. I matched the 2N5952's myself, and they're extremely tight. I don't know if that's the main factor or not, but the resulting pedal has the most pronounced phasing of any analog phaser I've heard in person. Of course, I've never done QA for MXR or worked in a music...

I just wrapped one with 2N5952's last week. What am I missing out on?

I use an even smaller version to layout most everything on 125Bs and 1590Bs. A T-ruler and dividers account for most of my layout process, but digital calipers and dykem frequently contribute as well. I'm a fan of those Wen squares/rulers. They out-punch their weight class by a wide margin. I...

I've seen that article, and I'm not sure it addresses my question. Let me ask it this way. If I have a set of four matched 2N5952s with a VGS of 2.10 and another set matched at a VGS of 2.50, is there any reason at all, even theoretical, to favor one set over the other?

I'm going to build another Phase 90 using 2N5952's. All else equal, i.e., matching VGS, does it make even a theoretical difference if I use higher or lower VGS JFETs? I've sorted 100 of them, and I have several matching sets to choose from.

Tagboard Effects has vero layouts for both the Naga Viper and Runoffgroove's Omega circuit. They're both awesome circuits. If the Omega circuit had come from a boutique builder that gooped the board and went out of business in 2009, people would be talking about its magic components and driving...

Thanks for all the help, amigos. I never saw what was causing it, but there was a partial short between pins 2 and 4 of the DIP8 socket. My best guess is maybe some aluminum dust worked it's way into some stubborn flux that I couldn't see because it was under the socket and wouldn't wash off...

I think that was a dog hair, but I definitely noticed it after I posted the picture. At any rate, it was as easy as blowing on the board. Getting that socket off, on the other hand, has left me with post-traumatic stress. Sincere thanks to you and everyone else helping me reason this through.

Update: I blasted several syringes of isopropanol underneath the socket and blew it out with compressed air. The partial short between pins 2 and 4 remained. Rinsed, repeated. Same. I de-soldered the socket from the PCB. I hope never to do that again. I don't do it often, and I suck at it...

Okay, I feel like we might be getting somewhere. There's only 20 Ohms' resistance between pin 2 and pin 4 of the empty IC socket. I'm no Nikola Tesla, but to my pitiful brain it seems like it could be exactly what you're describing. I still can't see anything on the board that would cause that...

Nothing significant here. Standard DMM fluctuations.

Kludgery can definitely enshittify. The scratches were just enough to get through the factory solder mask, though. I was pretty thorough in checking the traces. It probably would have been fine without the added UV-cure mask, but I had some and the process is entertaining. You're correct that...

Thanks for responding. I'm getting a VREF of 4.28V measured at the C101 positive leg. I'm getting 4.28V at R11 too. I've pushed around on the IC looking for changes in the brightness of the LED and saw none, but I'll get the DMM on it and see what some pressure does to it.

Thanks, I'll focus my visual inspection in related areas. It's all solid-core wire, though, and the pots are now bent away from the board. I'll check again for out-of-place solder.