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As Chuck alluded to this started when I ran my Shreddo (modded Shred Master) into the Beast (one of my fave ODs) and noticed how chunky the low end could be. I have always wanted an OD for my Strat which beefed up the low end in a way that kept the definition and Stratty twang. Not looking for...

In my experience the best way to build a Tonebender or any Ge transistor pedal is to get some sockets and just try a bunch of transistors. It can be tedious but it works. Getting a transistor tester can help weed out transistors with too high leakage but some leakage is usually necessary to get...

Not sure if it's clear, but there should be two rows of three knobs. So that lonely pot sticking out the top should have one each side of it. The rotary switch should have the lower two pots either side of it. That's what we mean when we ask about four of the pots being upside down.

Well I have built it with a 2N3903, a 2N2222A and two BC182Ls. I did the twisty leg thing (to the transistors, not me) - should have probably used 2N3904s! But it works. Slightly underwhelmed with the sound of it solo so far but man it sounds amazing as a boost. I'll go listen to some demos...

I'm building a Sandblaster Fuzz with one of Robert's lovely PCBs. I'm wondering about the transistors - I have some BC182Ls which I believe from my research are pretty much BC182Bs with a different pinout. So I'm wondering whether I should do the twisty leg thing with those or just use 2N3904s...

OK I'll go and see the principal.

Is there ever anything to be gained (excuse the pun) by running two halves of a dual opamp in parallel?

I just built one with the marvellous Mr Szukalski's PCB. It sounds much as I remember my old Diablo sounding, which is a good thing. Took me a while to dial it in. I seem to like Dynamics on full - the compression with it any lower is not my thing at all. So if I build it again I will probably...

"The bypass switch is above the sliders to keep it out of the way of on-the-fly adjusting." Not because the footswitch wouldn't fit at the bottom of that enclosure? Doesn't look terribly ergonomic to me!

Whoops - my bad! I wired it backwards originally in my build - sorry! As soon as I flipped the filter it works properly - I don't know why I got confused! Other than the usual reasons... Q2-E: 4.73V, Q3-E: 4.95V. It sounds good, but I only really like the first quarter of the filter's...

Are you sure about the wiring of the Filter pot in your schematic? I had to swap pins 1 & 2 to get the pedal to behave like the clips and then the audio taper makes more sense. I used a pair of MP38s and the first two I used were best. Funny how things work out. I think putting the volume knob...

I would just check continuity between all points where things can move. For example check that you are getting continuity at each end of the ribbon cable. It might look solid but not be passing current. All the stuff on the board is way beyond what I could fix! It's often the simple things which...

This tells me that I'm doing the right thing by testing every single resistor before installing it. It doesn't take long and it's partly to make sure I have the right value, ie I'm using a 10K rather than a 1K, but also to make sure the resistor is correct. And I have never found a metal film...

I suspect that your iron isn't quite hot enough. You should only need a second at most to make your solder connections, then they don't look so lumpy. Also the solder spreads better. You can see how the 3K3 resistor above the IC doesn't have the hole filled with solder. It should if your iron is...

You could probably fit that into a 1590A.

This barely fledged little fella has been visiting our back yard the past few days. He's a laughing kookaburra, not a blue winged kookaburra even though he does have blue on his wings. We hear his family most days - I love the sound of the kookaburras getting together. Not quite as mellifluous...

One thing I really admire about Chuck is how generous he is with his time. He is extremely patient with me who knows nothing about electronics! But I love coming up with my own tweaks and Chuck has been incredibly helpful and some of what he has taught me has stuck, even if only a little. I...

And that's how Matchless and Badcat do their logo plates. Dave that looks fantastic!

Pretty sure I mention McSorley's. Liked the ambience, got confused by having to always order two beers instead of one (why not just use a bigger glass??) but the food was absolutely terrible. Seemed to be a theme - here in Australia you couldn't find a pub with such terrible food. They would go...

We last went to Manhattan in July 2019. We arrived during a heatwave, and while it gets probably hotter here in Perth it doesn't get as humid. The humidity was crushing. Instant sweat as soon as we left the hotel. My wife is a writer and we were there primarily so that she could go to a...