DEMO [Vero] Ibanez ST-9 / Maxon ST-01 - super tube screamer

[owlexifry]

for some reason my brain only became aware of the existence of this circuit around the beginning of february this year.

i do recall catching a glimpse of the reissue version a while ago - the maxon ST9pro+ , on a rig rundown video, but i had no idea what i was looking at and kinda forgot all about it.

then i saw a video in february this year with someone showing off the maxon ST-01 (early 80s build), and comparing it to the reissue ST9pro+ (which also looks quite nifty tbh, has a toggle for classic mode / low boost mode+different clippers, and an internally switchable chargepump for 18v mode)
and boy howdy hearing that action with the ‘mid boost’ control had me very intrigued.

it’s supposedly a fixed ~8dB boost stage that sweeps from 200 - 2K Hz.
super cool. i can’t believe i didn’t know about this years ago.
i would describe the mid boost control like this:
- set it around 9o’clock and it kinda sorta sounds like a regular TS9/808 (can’t really take away the effect of that extra boost/gain stage)
- turn it all the way down and that’ll remove the classic mid hump.
- set to 12 o’clock and it starts to get quite bitey ..and yeah i’m sure you can imagine the sort of response you get as you move further up the freq spectrum…
to my ears, anything past 1oclock isn’t nice (….but i guess it’s subjective and depends on what amp / rig it’s setup with)

anyway, i was like holy crap i have to build this asap.
but there was a bit of a hold up, because looking at that super cool 80s styling of the maxon ST-01 ... it had me real inspired to have a go at possibly doing a basic design for a uv print at tayda (like all the incredible and beautiful builds here weren’t already inspiring enough.. )

i read and read through all the threads, all the comments about what it takes to put together a properly formatted pdf for tayda uv printing. CMYK. vector only. white/ color/gloss layers. roland swatches. etc.
i spent ages reading about all of this and getting myself prepared and figuring out how i could do it with my 2012 mac mini running high sierra os (lmao). i really thought i could do this
i decided to go with inkscape and scribus (supposedly folks have done this successfully).
download both the programs. got inkscape running. downloaded the drilling template pdf for 125B etc etc.
spent about an hour or so with inkscape before i nearly lost my mind, took ten deep breaths, shut down my computer and walked away.

i tried guys, i really tried.

so i had a sook for a while, and then just went ahead and ordered a green 125B, some nifty green+black knobs, and a 10mm LED + bezel, because why not have a stupidly large LED.
also had a small lightbulb moment - did a search on redbubble and ordered some ‘black grid’ vinyl stickers that i thought might make a nice backing/'faceplate' for some dymo labels to sit on top of.

meanwhile, i built the circuit, following this layout, and had it running. wonderful. (filmed the build of it too, as seen on this thread)




sounds great. quite a huge/hot output.
had a few issues with it, but i guess that’s how it goes.
pretty happy with the black grid vinyl effect and those green knobs. i wanted 80s and i think i got there.

i’ll do a demo soon.

 

[DAJE]

That looks great, and it does indeed evoke the 80s. I like the postcard-as-insulator too.

 

[owlexifry]

That looks great, and it does indeed evoke the 80s. I like the postcard-as-insulator too.

thanks
ayy it’s a piece of card from a yorkshire tea box, which i guess looks a lot like a british postcard haha

 

[owlexifry]

at last, here's an attempt at a demo.

 

[owlexifry]

here’s the searing high gain version.

this is what i really do with overdrives.
(can’t do the blues bendy thing very well, but i did make an attempt in the earlier video above)


- used an SM57 + 2i2 interface to record the audio this time.
(expensive adaptor enables iphone to take audio input from 2i2 interface/preamp)

-

 

[UtilityBeltFX]

here’s the searing high gain version.

this is what i really do with overdrives.
(can’t do the blues bendy thing very well, but i did make an attempt in the earlier video above)

That's what I'm talkin' about! Sounds awesome dude!

 

[hamerfan]

My third pedal was the Aion cirrus (legacy version). I use it to stack it with a rat. I ran it in the first year as ST-9 and now I changed it to the STL layout. With the new Aion version of the cirrus it's just a flick of the switch, but with the legacy I had to use 6 adapter pins. It's really a versatile beast, I was even able to tweak the pots in a way to mimic the sound of klon - sort of.
Instead of inkscape try the online app pdf2go.com

 

[MichaelW]

here’s the searing high gain version.

this is what i really do with overdrives.
(can’t do the blues bendy thing very well, but i did make an attempt in the earlier video above)


- used an SM57 + 2i2 interface to record the audio this time.
(expensive adaptor enables iphone to take audio input from 2i2 interface/preamp)
View attachment 46464View attachment 46465View attachment 46466
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Oooo interesting! I just got the same adapter and gave my daughter my old Scarlett so she can record into her iPad. I'm glad to know it works!
Are you going from the headphone out on the Scarlett to the adapter? Awesome demo!

 

[owlexifry]

That's what I'm talkin' about! Sounds awesome dude!

ayy thanks man

My third pedal was the Aion cirrus (legacy version). I use it to stack it with a rat. I ran it in the first year as ST-9 and now I changed it to the STL layout. With the new Aion version of the cirrus it's just a flick of the switch, but with the legacy I had to use 6 adapter pins. It's really a versatile beast, I was even able to tweak the pots in a way to mimic the sound of klon - sort of.
Instead of inkscape try the online app pdf2go.com

damn, having that switching ability STL/ST9 would be pretty cool!
pdf2go hey? i’m still scared, but sure, maybe i’ll have a go sometime

Oooo interesting! I just got the same adapter and gave my daughter my old Scarlett so she can record into her iPad. I'm glad to know it works!
Are you going from the headphone out on the Scarlett to the adapter? Awesome demo!

cheers
yep it works but you have to be quite particular with how you do it:
video/camera app needs to be open and ready to record before plugging the adaptor into the ios device (or it won’t work).

-usb out on the scarlett goes to the adapter.
-iphone charger cable (from wall plug) goes to adaptor (5v supply goes to scarlett)
- adaptor goes into ios device.

 

[owlexifry]

update:
- corrected the tone knob from 20KA to 20KW (which also meant i had to change knobs, all pots were previously 18T spline, tayda only has smooth shaft pcb mount 20KW that was still too big and i had to drill the knob (1/4" bit) to fit.

after i did this i decided i wanted to try some different ICs (hadn't gotten around to it yet), and try and 'objectively' compare to 4558.

so i plugged it directly into the scarlett 2i2, used a recto amp sim + recto IRs (ownhmmer), and doubled tracked the same riff, same settings etc. only difference should be the ICs.

1st is 4558, then next is the LF353

https://soundcloud.com/alexshriffs%2Fjrc4558-vs-lf353-ibanez-super-tube-screamer-vero-clone

(the LF353s are staying)

 

[jimilee]

update:
- corrected the tone knob from 20KA to 20KW (which also meant i had to change knobs, all pots were previously 18T spline, tayda only has smooth shaft pcb mount 20KW that was still too big and i had to drill the knob (1/4" bit) to fit.

after i did this i decided i wanted to try some different ICs (hadn't gotten around to it yet), and try and 'objectively' compare to 4558.

so i plugged it directly into the scarlett 2i2, used a recto amp sim + recto IRs (ownhmmer), and doubled tracked the same riff, same settings etc. only difference should be the ICs.

1st is 4558, then next is the LF353

https://soundcloud.com/alexshriffs%2Fjrc4558-vs-lf353-ibanez-super-tube-screamer-vero-clone

(the LF353s are staying)

Good I’m not the only one that can hear the slight difference.

 

[owlexifry]

Good I’m not the only one that can hear the slight difference.

ayy

the main difference i can hear in these clips (very very small differences, but still)

4558:
- slightly more gain (although it's possible i could have tapped the level knob inadvertently without my knowledge...)
- more noise - this is probably the most obvious, even if you account for the minute gain difference.

LF353
- to me, the low end sounds more 'articulate', less 'flubbing', 'more polished'. perhaps the extra bandwidth is the hero here?
- high end is a little sharper? idk.

 

[Fama]

4558 sounded more noisy and sharper to me, while the LF353 was smoother/more polished sounding with a better defined low end. Subtle difference, but it's there for sure. LF353 was better to me for sure. Not sure anyone would notice in a mix or live tbh, but the important thing is if you care about it.