Is It Distortion? Is It Sustain? A New SS-3 Clone!

A little over a year ago a built the AionFX Soma - their clone of the Cornish SS-3 - and called it the "Dimetrodon Distortion 2." This was before the complete re-work of the Dimetrodon Distortion pedal into its current form, and honestly the SS-3 is a little bit of a different beast than a Distortion+, even with the shared DNA. Recently I'd gotten a request for a new SS-3 clone, so I worked with the requestor to come up with a new prehistoric creature to serve as the mascot for the build. I also transitioned over to the PedalPCB Semi-Sweet Distortion 3 board in the process.

Updating an Old Favorite - A Cornish-Inspired Silicon Big Muff

Before the release of the PedalPCB Polonium 2 distortion board (which I've built up as the Protoceratops 2, and which now has taken up permanent residence on my pedalboard), there was a loose consensus on the internet as to what the Cornish P-2 looked like from a schematic standpoint. I'd previously built up several hand-etched versions using the Effects Layouts PCB, and really enjoyed them. In hindsight with a clone in hand, there are several differences, and the Effects Layouts design always included the "probably" disclaimer anyway. It's therefore likely more proper to call this an "Cornish-inspired" variant, as it really is kind of its own thing.

Cloning the Cornish P-2 - For Real This Time!

Pete Cornish's effects and pedalboards have been used by a wide array of guitar luminaires including David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Brian May, Paul McCartney, and Mark Knopfler. While some of his designs are completely original, like the CC-1 Overdrive and OC-1 Compressor, other designs are based on existing circuits, like the SS-3 (loosely based on the MXR Distortion+) and the G-2 and P-2 (both based on the Big Muff Pi circuit using germanium and silicon diodes respectively). AionFX offers many Cornish boards, and as a fan of Cornish pedals, I've built many of them including the OC-1 compressor, the SS-3, and the G-2 (both in non-dino and dino versions!). Unfortunately AionFX did not offer a board for the P-2 and after hunting around, there were no commercial boards available. The only board I could find was the Effects Layouts version, which had the "probably" disclaimer and appears to have been based some speculative circuit diagrams on the net. I'd built a few pedals using hand-etched boards, both with and without the effects layouts Cornish buffer, and had really loved the sound. I still wanted to have a faithful clone of the original, though, and with a little gentle dino-sized nudging, PedalPCB has recently released the Polonium-2 board based on a trace of the actual P-2 pedal itself.

For a Pachycephalosaurus this counts as a "gentle nudge"

Finally a Dino Themed G-2 Clone... No Really!

I've been threaten... errr... promising to get around to finishing up my dinosaur themed G-2 clones for a while now, but they kept getting put on the back burner for other projects. This past weekend I decided it was high time to get them finished up! For more details on the pedal itself and some of the challenges one encountered making a reasonable clone of it, please refer to my original build from last May.

More NG-2 Clones!

The Cornish NG-2 is a high end fuzz pedal used most famously by John Mayer. I'd previously done a couple of clones in a hybrid Cornish style / dinosaur enclosure, but I really wanted to go with something more unique going forward. At the same time, I got a request for a couple of NG-2 pedals, but they wanted a custom enclosure similar to the original pedal. So, I had a lot of building to do!

Grab Bag Sale Update! Only 2 Pedals Left!

There are still a couple of pedals left in Steggo's second Grab Bag Sale. The Eggeaux Steggo G-2 has sold, but the Centurion and Meteor are still available (modeled by Kyle the Ankylosaurus below). In an effort to find these new pedals new homes, we've made a final markdown - $79 for one (your choice) or $149 for both!

Steggo's Second Grab Bag Sale!!!!

Steggo's first grab bag sale went so well, Dimetrius decided that it would be a good idea to run another one! So here to present the three pedals in this group is our founder Steggo and his younger sister Steggi, our resident electronics expert!

A Far More Sophisticated Distortion+ Variant - Cloning the Cornish SS-3

With the Dimetrodon Distortion version of the MXR Distortion+ circuit just about ready to be sprung onto an unexpecting world, I wanted to explore other variations of the circuit to see if there was a "Dimetrodon Distortion 2" waiting in the wings. Given I can make several varieties of the original circuit in the Dimetrodon Distortion design, I had to go further afield to find something that was substantially different - and which couldn't simply be built on the existing board. Once again, AionFX comes to the rescue with their Soma project. The Soma clones the Cornish SS-3, which is based on the venerable MXR Distortion+ with the addition of high and low tone controls, a Cornish buffer, and many other Pete Cornish tweaks along the way. 

A Cornish Fuzz Clone - With a Fun Dinosaur!

I was talking to a couple of the great employees at my favorite local guitar shop, Five Star Guitars, and they mentioned a pedal they wanted to try out, but as it was a Cornish pedal, the NG-2, it was rare and expensive. Ever the enterprising DIY builder, I managed to track down a clone of it to see if I could replicate it on a mere mortal's budget. Clones of this particular pedal aren't extremely common, but PedalPCB offers the Nugget Fuzz which is a clone of the original Cornish pedal. Unlike AionFX Cornish clones which come with the Cornish buffer by default, the PedalPCB board in stock configuration is true bypass. They do, however, offer the C-buffer which can be purchased separately to add the active buffer to the pedal. As is more common these days, I figured I'd build a couple of them - one to keep and one to share. I also decided to try one with true bypass and one with the C-bypass to see how much of a difference it makes which is an approach I've used on my P-2 clones which I have versions both with and without the Cornish bypass.

The Thagomizer 2 - A Cornish ST-2 Clone

So as promised in my recent Thagomizer I update, there is indeed a Thagomizer 2, and I'm presenting the prototype build today. The Thagomizer I is a cone of the Colorsound Power Boost - at this point built with all vintage components. The Power Boost is very closely related to the Colorsound Overdriver, which I'd also previously built - though with all modern components. I first became interested in both of these pedals when researching David Gilmour's effects boards. In later years, however, David worked with Pete Cornish to develop a custom integrated pedalboard - which Pete later released as distinct effects pedals in their own right. The ST-2 is a major overhaul of the original Overdriver circuit with different component values (and therefore different voicing), a double buffer like the G-2, and an op amp gain stage tacked on to the end of the circuit. With new copies running over $500 (with a long wait) and used copies starting at about $650 - this is yet another pedal that screams for a good clone!

We've Sprung a Leak! Cloning the Very Precise Cornish G-2

It's been, what, three weeks since I posted a clone of a Big Muff Pi variant? Must be time for another one! This time around, I'm building the AionFX Cygnus, a clone of the Cornish G-2. This particular build has honestly been one of my more challenging builds for a variety of reasons. First off, it's a Cornish pedal, and Pete Cornish's designs are always absolute works of art with an amazing transistor-based buffer design. The component count is usually very high as well, and the circuits are typically extremely well balanced, and as long as you have high-quality components you can usually guarantee a good build from the outset. However, because the G-2 uses Germanium diodes for the clipping stages, that adds an additional level of complexity to the build, which I'll go into later. As you can't touch a real G-2 for under $500, this one screams for a good clone.

Eggeaux Steggo Cornish P-2 with Bypass Clone - $135

I just finished up my second Effects Layouts P-2 with the Cornish Bypass. This one is pretty much a carbon copy of the first one I built a few weeks ago. Price is $135 which is a real steal compared to retail on the originals!

Production Updates, Prices, Timeline, and Teasers!

Steggo Studios will have some pedals available for sale soon! I've been working in the background on the boards as mentioned in my previous blog entry - along with a few surprises because who doesn't love surprises! I've been waiting on enclosures from Tayda to arrive, and they hit the post earlier this week! So without further ado, here's "the plan" and planned inventory levels!

Quick News Updates and Upcoming Production Schedule

The blog has been quiet for a few days while I've been working in the background on a few items, but I wanted to take a moment and give everyone an update on a few recent topics and make a few announcements. 

First up, as I indicated earlier in the month, I entered the StG-90 in the Warmoth guitar of the month contest on their forum. Well, the results are in and... I didn't win, but I did come in a strong second out of six with over 20% of the total vote (8 votes vs. the winning entry's 11). The winning entry was submitted by a previous guitar of the month winner, and was honestly pretty dang stunning. So for my first time out, I can't say I'm disappointed in how well the guitar did.

Take the Bypass - P2 Clone - Now With Cornish Bypass

A little less than a week ago, I posted a build of the Cornish P-2 as traced and published by Effects Layouts. For that first build I used a PCB Guitar Mania 3PDT stomp switch board as I wanted to make sure that the PCB itself actually worked. That build quickly became one of my favorite pedals, so I wanted to take the next step and try it with the actual Cornish Bypass (originally traced as part of Effects Layouts G-2 project). I am hoping to offer a few of these for sale in the not so distant future, so I wanted to make sure the board worked properly with and without the Cornish Bypass.

Going Basic to Clone the Cornish P-2

Pete Cornish is a well-known pedal builder and designer out of the UK with an A-list of clients that includes the likes Brian May, Pete Townshend, and, one of my personal favorites, David Gilmour. All Cornish pedals are hand made in the UK to an extremely high standard, and are incredibly expensive. The subject of this build, the Cornish P-2, is essentially one of the ultimate evolutions of the Big Muff Pi circuit, and it runs for anywhere between $800-$1200 on Reverb depending on condition. I've seen new prices available from the Cornish website, but it is unclear how long the wait time is. As I mentioned in my entry on photoetching last month, I etched up several P-2 boards along with a couple of Cornish Bypass boards as well. I've managed to populate one board so far, and while I'm using a conventional bypass 3PDT daughterboard (from PCB Guitar Mania) for this first build I plan additional builds with the actual Cornish Bypass.

Aion Oceanid - Cornish OC-1 Optical Compressor Adaptation

Here's a project I literally finished up last night. Granted, the PCB had been populated a couple of weeks ago, but it took me a while to get the enclosure to a point where I was happy with it. The Aion Oceanid is quite a bit more complex than Acapulco I detailed in my previous blog entry, and is an adaptation of the Cornish OC-1. This brings me to one of the major benefits of building your own guitar effects pedals. The cheapest I've seen a Cornish OC-1 for sale is about $750. Some Cornish pedals blast through the $1000 mark. The Aion PCB will cost you $12, and the rest of the components (assuming you get good quality ones) should run you $50-$60, meaning you get a boutique pedal for an order of magnitude less cost - assuming you're willing to put the time in to build it.