Bastion (Mojo Hand Rook)

[rhaas]

Build Rating

5.00 star(s)

I'd wanted to build this one for a while! I actually owned and used the original Mojo Hand version in the 2014-2016 timeframe and enjoyed it as a more tweakable TS. Eventually, my tastes drifted toward BluesBreaker-derived circuits, so I sold the Rook. When I saw the Bastion, I figured it would be a good time to revisit!

I built this exactly to the BOM including the ON/ON clipping switch, which differs from the ON/OFF/ON in the original pedal that I owned. Since I never really liked the center "diode lift" mode, I stuck with the ON/ON.

Some people have complained about the lack of output in the original pedal. I suppose that could be an issue if you kept the gain pot in the lower half of its range, but it was never a problem for me.

Overall, it's a fun pedal! The tone stack allows you to tailor it to a lot of different uses (mid-boosted leads, dirty rhythm, etc.). I have other pedals that I think I prefer for each of those needs though.

 

[Barry]

Looks great, I built one last year, it sounds good, but it's not the first overdrive I reach for.

 

[rhaas]

Looks great, I built one last year, it sounds good, but it's not the first overdrive I reach for.

Thanks! Yeah, I keep playing around with it and thinking, "Hey this sounds pretty good — I could use this..." and then switching to another pedal that I like just a bit better.

 

[cdwillis]

Looks great! How are you securing that relay switching board?

I got one of these boards a million years ago and never got around to building it for some reason. I need to put that in my queue.

 

[rhaas]

Looks great! How are you securing that relay switching board?

I got one of these boards a million years ago and never got around to building it for some reason. I need to put that in my queue.

Thanks! For the relay switching board, I've found that the bus wire alone often seems like it's probably sufficient, but it can get a little questionable when the main PCB is smaller (so longer and therefore less stiff pieces of bus wire). Because of that, I drop a small dab of hot glue on the switch itself before I press the relay board down onto it. Haven't had an issue with that approach so far.

 

[MichaelW]

I like mine a lot!
I need to dig it out and play it now!