SOLVED Third VHS (Vol, Chorus, Reverb) build has more low end, less sparkle

[ChrsGuit]

Just finished my third VHS build, and ran into a weird issue...

Both previous builds sounded really good... the second being the slightest bit more "lush" than the first... but not substantial enough to matter... Very close

ANYWAY, a friend wanted me to build him a VHS as well... I just finished it, and this one is notably "darker" and less dynamic/not as "sparkly" as the other two... almost as if the high end content isn't there... It doesn't sound "bad", just definitely not the same as the other two...
I tested most of my components when I put them in. I normally don't bother with resistors, just my caps, especially electrolytics and try to get then as close as I can... I triple checked my solder joints pre-boxing and all seemed to be just fine. Just curious, if I were looking for the culprit that would cause my issue, which would be the best place to start?
I should point out, the issue is not isolated to one particular effect over the other... It exists regardless of which effect is switched on or off, which suggests its at the very beginning/input of the circuit... perhaps the 100n at C1?
I should add, I ordered the preloaded ic/spin chip with all my builds, as that falls outside my skillset... I don't have time tonight to take it apart and fool with it, but tomorrow I can supply photos and whatnot. (5:30am comes early).

Anyway, Thanks guys!

 

[szukalski]

Start with an audio probe. Stop where you lose the sparkle and start investigating around that area.

 

[ChrsGuit]

Start with an audio probe. Stop where you lose the sparkle and start investigating around that area.

I'm going to have to construct one... since that's a piece of equipment ive yet to employ... I'm still relatively new to pedal building. I'm already certain it's in the input section somewhere, as with all three effects disengaged but pedal on, it's muffling the sound slightly and killing all top end... I have two other VHS pedals I can compare side by side with and I don't have this issue... the signal remains intact with the pedal on and each toggle turned off... at which point most of the circuit should be bypassed.

I'll dig into it further this evening

 

[szukalski]

At the very least, posting some pics would let others help you.

 

[ChrsGuit]

At the very least, posting some pics would let others help you.

Can do. Like I said in my initial post, that's my plan, but it was late last night when I finished the build and discovered the problem. I'll post some photos when I get it disassembled and laid out for easier viewing. Just figured I'd start with what was going on in case anyone had any ideas in the meantime

 

[ChrsGuit]

Figured it out... I compared with my other builds and found I had incorrectly placed a 10 k into R2 instead of the required 100k... I must have been in a groove installing the several 10k's and just slipped up... Easy fix...