mkstewartesq
Well-known member
So, having nothing else on my plate this lazy day after Christmas, I got up this morning and decided to build my Clandestine Preamp, which is based on the Chase Tone Secret Preamp. I was never really happy with the BBW (BBE Sonic Maximizer) that I have at the end of my chain as a “sweetener“ and realized, after a while, that I never even turned it on anymore. So I wanted to try something new at the end of my chain (just before a buffer).
It’s a pretty straightforward, low-parts-count build with excellent board layout and spacing, so it didn’t take too long. Thanks to the excellent guidance on biasing in this thread, I had the JFET biased quickly end up and running at the very end of my chain.
In short, I LOVE this pedal. So far, every single thing I’ve thrown at it sounds so much better with this preamp at the end – modulation effects are thicker, clean Tele playing a bit more dynamic. I tend to keep it at the “3 to 5 o’clock“ setting on the dial, where it effectively disables the EQ and sounds like a very old Echoplex preamp - that being said, when you turn the dial back to around 1 o’clock, you get both the boost and the full range of the three EQ positions on the toggle. Every single one of these settings sounds just terrific.
The graphic is a film free decal with the design I created, coated in clearcoat and applied to a Stompbox Parts 125B enclosure.
For those who have not yet been converted, I recommend this Clandestine Preamp very highly. Be aware that it’s a bit of a power hog. It sucks up between 150 and 200 mA – I’m using it on a dedicated wall wart right now but I guess it’s time to drag out a second pedal power supply I have in the closet since all of my 500 mA ports are taken up with some daisy chains and the remaining 100 mA ports simply won’t do the job with this pedal.
Thanks, and happy holidays!
Mike
edit to add - yes that film cap that is bent slightly upward in the gut shot is killing me. I guess it happened when I was boxing it up. I’m going to open it up and straighten it back out but I’m not gonna worry about changing the picture in this thread because it’s good to be reminded of our own fallibility sometimes.
It’s a pretty straightforward, low-parts-count build with excellent board layout and spacing, so it didn’t take too long. Thanks to the excellent guidance on biasing in this thread, I had the JFET biased quickly end up and running at the very end of my chain.
In short, I LOVE this pedal. So far, every single thing I’ve thrown at it sounds so much better with this preamp at the end – modulation effects are thicker, clean Tele playing a bit more dynamic. I tend to keep it at the “3 to 5 o’clock“ setting on the dial, where it effectively disables the EQ and sounds like a very old Echoplex preamp - that being said, when you turn the dial back to around 1 o’clock, you get both the boost and the full range of the three EQ positions on the toggle. Every single one of these settings sounds just terrific.
The graphic is a film free decal with the design I created, coated in clearcoat and applied to a Stompbox Parts 125B enclosure.
For those who have not yet been converted, I recommend this Clandestine Preamp very highly. Be aware that it’s a bit of a power hog. It sucks up between 150 and 200 mA – I’m using it on a dedicated wall wart right now but I guess it’s time to drag out a second pedal power supply I have in the closet since all of my 500 mA ports are taken up with some daisy chains and the remaining 100 mA ports simply won’t do the job with this pedal.
Thanks, and happy holidays!
Mike
edit to add - yes that film cap that is bent slightly upward in the gut shot is killing me. I guess it happened when I was boxing it up. I’m going to open it up and straighten it back out but I’m not gonna worry about changing the picture in this thread because it’s good to be reminded of our own fallibility sometimes.
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