jeffwhitfield
Well-known member
Finally got started on this set of builds for some stuff to put on Reverb. This one was stalled a few times. More on that in a sec.
I started off wanting this thing to be as authentic as possible. So I procured a nice baggie of KT3102E transistors and built a test unit. So far, so good...but I wondered whether it would sound any different with the original diodes as well. Ordered a batch of KD521A as well. But, while waiting for the diodes, I misplaced/lost the transistors and had to order more (so pissed!).
Once I did receive everything, I started my first build of the batch and, after testing it, found that my test pedal actually had a bit more gain. That got me wondering whether it should have more gain to begin with. The transistors don't have a particularly high hFE (around 500 for most of them). It's not really a high gain Muff anyways. After tinkering around a bit, I opted to switch out the 390R resistors that run off the first three transistors for 150R's. That upped the gain a bit and does give it a bit more range.
End result is a pedal that can go from just a touch of fuzz to a nice amount of fuzz distortion. Definitely can get some of those Gilmour-like tones for sure. Throw it on a hot amp with the mid-cut on with a bit more treble and you can get it into metal territory. Works even with a blues setup too. Just a really versatile Muff.
Design-wise, I played off the Halo theme from AionFX a bit. Give the whole Russian transistors and diodes that were in the original, figure it was fitting to play that up a bit. Found a cool Russian font and graphic for it and threw it all on an army green enclosure. Print job didn't turn out exactly as I expected...but it still looks good to me.
I started off wanting this thing to be as authentic as possible. So I procured a nice baggie of KT3102E transistors and built a test unit. So far, so good...but I wondered whether it would sound any different with the original diodes as well. Ordered a batch of KD521A as well. But, while waiting for the diodes, I misplaced/lost the transistors and had to order more (so pissed!).
Once I did receive everything, I started my first build of the batch and, after testing it, found that my test pedal actually had a bit more gain. That got me wondering whether it should have more gain to begin with. The transistors don't have a particularly high hFE (around 500 for most of them). It's not really a high gain Muff anyways. After tinkering around a bit, I opted to switch out the 390R resistors that run off the first three transistors for 150R's. That upped the gain a bit and does give it a bit more range.
End result is a pedal that can go from just a touch of fuzz to a nice amount of fuzz distortion. Definitely can get some of those Gilmour-like tones for sure. Throw it on a hot amp with the mid-cut on with a bit more treble and you can get it into metal territory. Works even with a blues setup too. Just a really versatile Muff.
Design-wise, I played off the Halo theme from AionFX a bit. Give the whole Russian transistors and diodes that were in the original, figure it was fitting to play that up a bit. Found a cool Russian font and graphic for it and threw it all on an army green enclosure. Print job didn't turn out exactly as I expected...but it still looks good to me.
