Cloning the Famous EQD Monarch

The EQD Monarch is an out of production FET based overdrive pedal that gained a lot of popularity as a dirty boost without a lot of extra distortion or compression. It was also available as a DIY kit for many years through StewMac (and others), but while StewMac still offers many DIY effects pedal kits, the Monarch is no longer among them. I had a friend who wanted a Monarch clone - largely to allow a bandmate to leave his original unit in the studio and gig with a more easily replaceable copy - so I started doing some investigation on boards and kits available. As it turns out, the pedal is more than a bit finicky, and there were some flaws in the original design which likely led to a fair amount of frustration for both the users and the DIY community. Chuck Bones (of the PedalPCB Boneyard) did a great analysis of the circuit, suggested some modest improvements, and then took that a few steps further ultimately creating the Viceroy - a six-knob, two footswitch Monarch on steroids. Down the road, I plan to build the Viceroy, but for now I was more interested in getting a good direct clone of the Monarch working well - and across its full range.

Get the Funk Out - Cloning the Legendary Mu-Tron III

The Mu-Tron III envelope filter possibly more than any other pedal created the funk sound of the 1970's. Classic units are in high demand and cost in excess of $600 for units in good shape. The circuit itself is another one that is hard to clone because there are some specific parts required. Madbean pedals used to make a couple of PCBs - the Naughty Fish and Nautilus - that captured the sound of the original pedal. Unfortunately both of these are currently out of production. However, Fuzz Dog now offers the Moo Tron (see what he did there?) board which combines the features of the original Madbean boards to  replicate the effect of the original Mu-Tron III.