owlexifry
Well-known member
- Build Rating
this build is the result of trying out the scythe / tone reaper schematic on a breadboard sesh, and i was immediately impressed with just that one alone.
seriously, the tone reaper / scythe fuzz is hecking brilliant. go build one if you haven't.
but i decided i might as well just go with the war scythe since the other two bonus options (squidward/green ringer, ungula/hoof) looked pretty good too.
to ensure the Ge transistors, and parts selections for the octave circuit would operate as desired, i breadboarded the whole thing first.
along the way i have run into an inadvertent mod with the squidward circuit.
sounds great, somehow has a stronger octave, more aggressive overall (more fuzz/gain?), and mildly gated.
more on that later. #
NPN Ge specs:
Scythe/Tone Reaper:
MP11A, 60 hfe, 108 leak
Ungula/Hoof:
MP38A, 52hfe, 59 leak
MP38A, 55hfe 62 leak
as expected, it’s a monstrous combo.
- the scythe/reaper is a thick, somewhat articulate, ripping fuzz / distortion.
it’s fairly searing and has enough high end to cover just about any tuning and great for humbuckers.
the tone control is essentially a bass/‘body’ control.
- the green ringer /squidward octave is much loved and i’m happy with my accidental mod (details below #)
- the ungula / hoof is a hecking awesome big muff.
the combination of the tone and shift controls allows a large range of sounds that make this big muff sound better than any other muff i’ve tried whilst still retaining that distinctive muff signature sound, grind and crunch.
im gonna have to build another one standalone, it's that good - i need it to take the place of my V2 '73 #4 big muff that’s currently on (occasional) boosting duties with an ST-9 drive for my band, cos it’s demonstrated to do this very well, much like the swollen pickle.
here’s the demo.
japanese les paul (aria pro ii) tuned to drop G# straight into the pedal.
#
the squidward mod:
came about when i was breadboarding/being a clueless twit trying different values from the life pedal octave circuit, in an attempt to try and beef it up a bit.
amongst this i must have inserted ‘Q1’ backwards - without realizing - before i built the PCB.
- built the PCB as per my mod values and found the octave didn’t work (with Q1 in correct orientation).
initially i was confounded as to why.
then i looked back at some photos of my breadboard builds and noticed Q1 was backwards.
so i took out Q1, reinserted it backwards and tested it dry before soldering in.
yep. Q1 has to be backwards for the mod to work.
just to make sure i’m not completely off my chops, i breadboarded this squidward circuit again, but completely stock with components matched etc., for comparison.
and to my relief, as described above the mod sounded better to my ears.
(following this i also made adjustments to R2 to minimize gating).
seriously, the tone reaper / scythe fuzz is hecking brilliant. go build one if you haven't.
but i decided i might as well just go with the war scythe since the other two bonus options (squidward/green ringer, ungula/hoof) looked pretty good too.
to ensure the Ge transistors, and parts selections for the octave circuit would operate as desired, i breadboarded the whole thing first.
along the way i have run into an inadvertent mod with the squidward circuit.
sounds great, somehow has a stronger octave, more aggressive overall (more fuzz/gain?), and mildly gated.
more on that later. #
NPN Ge specs:
Scythe/Tone Reaper:
MP11A, 60 hfe, 108 leak
Ungula/Hoof:
MP38A, 52hfe, 59 leak
MP38A, 55hfe 62 leak
as expected, it’s a monstrous combo.
- the scythe/reaper is a thick, somewhat articulate, ripping fuzz / distortion.
it’s fairly searing and has enough high end to cover just about any tuning and great for humbuckers.
the tone control is essentially a bass/‘body’ control.
- the green ringer /squidward octave is much loved and i’m happy with my accidental mod (details below #)
- the ungula / hoof is a hecking awesome big muff.
the combination of the tone and shift controls allows a large range of sounds that make this big muff sound better than any other muff i’ve tried whilst still retaining that distinctive muff signature sound, grind and crunch.
im gonna have to build another one standalone, it's that good - i need it to take the place of my V2 '73 #4 big muff that’s currently on (occasional) boosting duties with an ST-9 drive for my band, cos it’s demonstrated to do this very well, much like the swollen pickle.
here’s the demo.
japanese les paul (aria pro ii) tuned to drop G# straight into the pedal.
#
the squidward mod:
came about when i was breadboarding/being a clueless twit trying different values from the life pedal octave circuit, in an attempt to try and beef it up a bit.
amongst this i must have inserted ‘Q1’ backwards - without realizing - before i built the PCB.
- built the PCB as per my mod values and found the octave didn’t work (with Q1 in correct orientation).
initially i was confounded as to why.
then i looked back at some photos of my breadboard builds and noticed Q1 was backwards.
so i took out Q1, reinserted it backwards and tested it dry before soldering in.
yep. Q1 has to be backwards for the mod to work.
just to make sure i’m not completely off my chops, i breadboarded this squidward circuit again, but completely stock with components matched etc., for comparison.
and to my relief, as described above the mod sounded better to my ears.
(following this i also made adjustments to R2 to minimize gating).
thanks - i was kinda unsure about this take cos i was really tired when i recorded it and it kinda shows lol