Anyone know what the Lumpy's/Electric Majik Albion is based on?

[iamjackslackof]

I bought one of these a while back and it's by far my favorite Marshall in a box. And if it wasn't good enough, I just today realized it can run at 18V and sounds even better.
I'd be interested in cloning it, but I'm not certain what it's based on. I have the mini one and not the full sized one, but I imagine they are similar. Gut shot of the full size is here. And attached is gut shot of mine. I can see that the JFETs are 2N5457s and there are 3 of them.

One reason I'd like to clone it is to combine it with an EP-3, for a Zeppelin in one box kind of thing, which I just discovered Lumpy has done himself in his 1973 pedal. And to get the full EQ range of the full size one vs. my smaller one.

I'm guessing it's a straightforward JFET thing, but I've not had any luck finding it.

Thanks!

 

[iamjackslackof]

Maybe another way to ask this, is does anyone know any 3 2N5457 JFET OD/Marshall circuits?

 

[Feral Feline]

Looks like it'd be a fairly easy trace...

 

[swyse]

Maybe another way to ask this, is does anyone know any 3 2N5457 JFET OD/Marshall circuits?

wampler plexidrive has 3 j201s, could be a place to look.

 

[music6000]

I bought one of these a while back and it's by far my favorite Marshall in a box. And if it wasn't good enough, I just today realized it can run at 18V and sounds even better.
I'd be interested in cloning it, but I'm not certain what it's based on. I have the mini one and not the full sized one, but I imagine they are similar. Gut shot of the full size is here. And attached is gut shot of mine. I can see that the JFETs are 2N5457s and there are 3 of them.

One reason I'd like to clone it is to combine it with an EP-3, for a Zeppelin in one box kind of thing, which I just discovered Lumpy has done himself in his 1973 pedal. And to get the full EQ range of the full size one vs. my smaller one.

I'm guessing it's a straightforward JFET thing, but I've not had any luck finding it.

Thanks!

The Albion replaced the Liquid Lead, I own this pedal Pictured below, It's a Great Pedal!
The Print is Chrome & a challenge to Photograph as I just took half a dozen now to get this!
It has sparkle through the Black.
Tommy does everything In House, I have his M-24, Tweed & Lemon Drop also!

Heavily influenced by 1972-1975 era live Zeppelin tones, Liquid Lead (that's "Led") is designed to capture the sonic magic of those sounds, among others, in a single but versatile stompbox. The circuit is based on the high treble channel of a late 60's Super Lead. Liquid Lead's design starts off with carefully tailored JFET gain stages based on the preamp to emulate the textures and overdriven characteristics of a late 60's Super Lead. The breakup is gradual going from a lush clean tone to a smooth bluesy overdrive and then on to a classic rock crunch full of character without sounding too compressed and flat or too grainy. The amount of grind and crunch is just right. The proverbial amp like dynamic qualities are all there, including the abilitiy to clean up the dirty tone with your guitar's volume controls. There is a healthy dose of output volume on tap, unity gain is usually achieved at about 10 o' clock depending on where the drive knob is set, so the pedal can provide some boost if needed.

 

[iamjackslackof]

Nice collection you have there @music6000! I wish most of his stuff wasn't out of stock right now or I'd have more than just the Albion. I basically always prefer to build rather than buy, but Lumpy is one vendor I don't mind buying retail for. That description really does nail what the Albion does, and that sort of marketing blurb is almost always exaggeration/wishful thinking. Not this time.

Looks like it'd be a fairly easy trace...

It does look easy, for someone who's done it before, which is not me lol.

wampler plexidrive has 3 j201s, could be a place to look.

I just built one actually, I'll have to A/B them directly, and maybe swap the JFETs in the plexidrive to match. Definitely more gain on tap than the Albion

 

[Feral Feline]

I'm but a novice at it, but this one could be a good place for you you to start.

Best way to learn how to do it is... do it!

 

[iamjackslackof]

I would like to, but I'm worried about messing up the pedal and not being able to replace it lol. I wonder if there are any resources out there on pedal tracing. Maybe @Robert has some advice on how to get started? It's on Vero, so that may make it a little easier than PCB, not sure. I just bought a vintage Barcus-Berry preamp (the type Page used on his acoustic); it's point to point, so I may give that a try first to get my feet wet.

 

[Robert]

I really dislike tracing vero layouts. It's doable but such a pain.

If you can send over clear pics of both sides of the board and all the wiring we can probably figure it out.

 

[iamjackslackof]

I really dislike tracing vero layouts. It's doable but such a pain.

If you can send over clear pics of both sides of the board and all the wiring we can probably figure it out.

Of course it would be harder, just my luck lol. I will look into taking it apart and getting some good pics for you. What would be the best way to get you the pics? Just post them here? And would you be interested in getting a PCB made for it? That would be really cool

 

[Robert]

I suppose it's really no harder, vero can just be a little tricky because there's no uniformity to the lead spacing.

You can either post pics here or send them over a private message, or if they're too large to post you can send them by email.

Yep, I'd be interested in working up a board for it.

 

[iamjackslackof]

Awesome! Sometime this week I'll get it taken apart and pics taken and sent to you. I'm considering getting another Lumpy pedal as well, so maybe we can trace it too.

 

[Robert]

We absolutely can.

 

[psychicfuzz]

Also interested in the Albion. Anyone closer to knowing what it’s based on? Do we know any other 4 jfet MIAB?

 

[iamjackslackof]

Not sure if @Robert has had a chance to look at the pics I sent, but once he's got a schematic it should be simple enough to figure out similar circuits.