Help me finish a pedalboard

[MBFX]

My latest project has been an aesthetic homemade classic rock board using 1590B enclosures with top jacks, bare aluminum enclosures, and identical knobs. Currently, the lineup is:

1. Fuzz Face (PNP Ge)
2. Green Ringer (set up to be dark and very loud - BC108C and 2N5087 transistor complement, 1N60 diodes)
3. Boost or Compressor
4. Digital Delay (Seabed)
5. ???

And here are my dilemmas:

1. I have one more isolated output on my Pedal Power ISO 5, and it can be either 18V or 9V depending on how we go about this. I don't know what to put here. Could be anything that goes anywhere in the chain, as long as I can cram it into a 1590B with top jacks. The Seabed board is about the largest thing I can do that with, for reference. I probably don't need any other drive or fuzz here. I am looking for versatility and classic single coil sounds. I'm thinking some kind of modulation could be cool, but that's a tough ask given my enclosure requirement.

2. I haven't decided on a boost/compressor. I'm thinking that's probably the best candidate for 18V power, since there tend to be more 18V options for these circuits. I am looking for clean headroom, compactness of PCB (or vero layout), and a nice tonal character. I didn't really like a Rangemaster here because it made the fuzz too fizzy and made the GR sound like carousel music.

 

[kristopher]

Phaser after delay is how I like to modulate. I love the Circulator. But a moonshot tremolo could also work for some crazy waves.
As for 2: Boost. I like the Amentum. Because it’s clean.
Also… the green ringer is petite. Consider stuffing it into a 1590b with the fuzz face. They are both small. And it will free up the power supply.
Good luck on your quest. I love the look of bare enclosures. I sand them first. Just to give them the shine.

 

[MBFX]

I decided against sanding, since I got a batch with a really cool "grain" that goes the same way on all of them. I like the GR separate, so I'm not accidentally stomping it with the fuzz. I just built a PNP Germanium version of an EQD Arrows and it KILLS after the Fuzz Face.

I have a Circulator and love it, but I think it would be impossible to cram into a 1590B with top jacks... It barely fits in a 125B! Maybe I'll find a nice compact vero version of a Phase 45 or something.

 

[Feral Feline]

Compressor-wise:
Bear Hug MBP
Hollis Flatline MBP
Orange Squeezer
Demeter Compulater PPCB
Mimosa Jr BYOC


Modulation-wise:
L'il Orange Phaser BYOC
Tremololito BYOC
MXR Phase45 MBP (but why get this when you can build the Phase 99 on the BYOC board? Then you'd have the 90 and a pseudo 45)
Jordan Tremolo MOONN
Magnavibe MOONN
Park Auto Wah MOONN

Check out 1590A builds as they'll of course easily fit in a 1590B (in most cases), leaving room for top-jacks.
I know there's gotta be lots more out there, but that's all I'm suggesting for the #5 spot.

 

[MBFX]

Thank you @Feral Feline for the suggestions! I forgot about the Orange Squeezer... I love those, and I think I have the parts available.

I've made a lot of progress today, but I am having a weird problem. I built my PNP Fuzz Face on vero, and it works on my test board, but when I stuck it in the enclosure nothing happened. I liberated it from the enclosure and offboard wiring, hooked it back up to the breadboard, and it works! Obviously, I am doing the offboard wiring wrong. I'm having trouble figuring out exactly WHAT I am doing wrong, though

EDIT: I was thinking of things in terms of + and -, instead of power and ground. I had the LED and its resistor on the ground leg, as if that was power., and I had the in and out jacks grounded to power. Whoops! Everything works now. It's interesting how counterintuitive such a simple binary system can be when you're trying to think of -9V power, component polarity, and component placement.

 

[Feral Feline]

I just read your whatchamaccallit — "Pssst hey, kid. Want a Fuzz Face?"


Love it, live it.

 

[chris.knudson]

If you're building this for classic rock, I think you definitely need some sort of modulation like a tremolo or even a chorus. As far as the compressor vs. boost question, while I'm a huge fan of compressors (as a bass player), I think you'd get more mileage out of a boost pedal in terms of versatility.

 

[Locrian99]

If a seabed would fit I think the abyss would. Solid vibe pedal.

 

[MBFX]

If you're building this for classic rock, I think you definitely need some sort of modulation like a tremolo or even a chorus. As far as the compressor vs. boost question, while I'm a huge fan of compressors (as a bass player), I think you'd get more mileage out of a boost pedal in terms of versatility.

I ended up making a PNP version of the EQD Arrows, and it kills. Highly recommend it. I like phase more than chorus, and I was considering a Phase 45 or something. Tremolo is another fantastic idea, since my amp doesn't have it onboard.

If a seabed would fit I think the abyss would. Solid vibe pedal.

I love that idea... Looking into it now!!!

 

[chris.knudson]

I ended up making a PNP version of the EQD Arrows, and it kills. Highly recommend it. I like phase more than chorus, and I was considering a Phase 45 or something. Tremolo is another fantastic idea, since my amp doesn't have it onboard.



I love that idea... Looking into it now!!!

The Arrows is an excellent choice.