An Interesting Take on the Klon Centaur - the Skelekloned Kentrosaurus

The Klon Centaur is one of the most popular overdrive circuits in the market today (largely because of the number of clones available). I've built several Klon clones of various types and by and large these all work extremely well. There is, however, an issue with the Klon. Because the design includes a charge pump, that charge pump and buffer can sometimes create interference when coupled with clock-driven modulation effects - like the vintage Electric Mistress and other similar effects. Since a lot of people (including me) like to couple a Klon with more vintage effects, I went in search of designs that eliminated the charge pump - and hopefully the interference with vintage modulation effects. I found a couple of options and this is the first one I've gotten built up.

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 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.

Another BMP Variant? Cloning Frantone's The Sweet

It's been a while since I've done a Big Muff Clone (in my world two months is an eternity!), and I figured it was time I finished up a project that's been collecting dust - Frantone's The Sweet. Frantone is an independent pedal builder who does a lot of very cool fuzz effects (though there are others thrown in there). I was intrigued by her big muff variant as it includes a couple of germanium transistors and I honestly wanted to see what it would do. Unfortunately there isn't a commercial PCB available, but since when has that stopped me?

Distortion Pedal Meets Business Card?????

In the world of guitar effects pedals, there are a lot of cool ideas and amazing variations on the theme. Some builders go the high tech route with programmable logic chips. At the other end of the spectrum you have builders still using perf board or direct connections (and their soldering is elevated to the level of art in many cases). One of the most interesting ideas I'd seen for a DIY pedal is the Godcity Instruments Brutalist Jr. distortion pedal. Kurt Ballou literally had his business card made up as a PCB that you could populate on your own. He provided a set of instructions and modifications on his website (which are still there). Sadly, the business card DIY version itself is sold out at the moment, but Effects Layouts has a trace and etching pattern - so I took the plunge!

Dimetrodon Distortion - Production Prototype!

I'm very excited to release this new version of the Dimetrodon Distortion to the world. It represents several firsts for me, and it is something that I'm pretty much ready to put into (small) volume production either in a couple of standard configurations or bespoke builds. The original versions of the Dimetrodon Distortion consisted of two boards, a hand etched Distortion+ or Drivestortion board with a hand etched BMP Tone Stack (the DD1A) or an Effects Layout commercial Drivestortion board with a hand etched BMP Tone Stack (the DD1B). While I'll continue to make several of those (as I already have the boards, and have an interesting idea - which I hope to detail in a future blog assuming I get it to work!), I thought it would be cool if I could combine the boards into a single etch and not have to use hookup wire to connect the two together. So, I decided to try and merge my graphics skills with what I've learned about electronics and circuit design over the past year or so!

Ukrainian Army BMP Auction is LIVE!

My Ukrainian Army BMP serial number 2 went up for auction on the Pedals for Ukraine Instagram site this morning. Bidding starts at $50 and goes through Thursday May 7 at 11:59PM. The bidding takes place via replying to the comment with the most current high bid. I'm hoping that the pedal will bring in some decent money for relief efforts in Ukraine.

Dimetrodon Distortion - A Classic Hybrid Distortion Pedal

In my update about a week ago, I included some teasers for upcoming pedals that I had not yet included on the blog. One of these was the Steggo-san Overdrive which I featured a few days ago. In terms of overall appearance, that is still one of my favorite pedals. In terms of sound, today's pedal ranks right up there. The Dimetrodon Distortion combines the classic MXR Distortion+ circuit with the tone stack from a Big Muff Pi creating something of a hybrid pedal. I've worked up a couple of different prototypes of this design so far, and I think I've decided which way I want to go long-term, because if offers me the widest range of options for this particular circuit going forward.

Ukrainian Army BMP SN 002 Going to Auction

Over on Instagram there's been an auction of sorts going on to benefit Ukrainian relief efforts called "Pedals for Ukraine." A few weeks ago, I finished up my first early 90's Sovtek Big Muff Pi clone and at the time was trying to figure out a way to give back since I'd sourced a lot of the key components from Ukraine. Well, now that serial number 002 is completed, I've decided rather than trying to sell the pedal and give half to relief, I'm going to just donate it to the Pedals for Ukraine effort so all the funds get to those who need it - and someone gets a really great sounding pedal to boot!

Cloning the Limited Edition Way Huge Geisha Drive

One of the greatest things about DIY guitar pedals is that you're often free to recreate limited edition, rare, or out of production pedals that would be hard or impossible to get ahold of otherwise. The Way Huge Geisha Drive was a fairly niche overdrive / distortion pedal originally released back in around 2017. As far as I can tell, it looks like there were three enclosure variants produced - a red, a blue, and a special handwired edition limited to 40 units. Normal red / blue versions seem to be hovering around the $300 range, while the handwired versions go for over $1000. I'd etched myself a couple of boards using the Effects Layout tracing, and I've got both boards populated (though only one boxed). Of course, no sooner do I etch up my own boards, but I find that PedalPCB appears to have one as the Samurai project. I've ordered one of their boards for comparison, and I might go that route for future builds if I can make it work in my enclosure design without too many modifications. 

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!

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.

More Pi - Two New (for Me) Takes on the Classic Effect

The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi remains one of the most popular and ubiquitous pedals out there. In a previous blog entry, I'd built up two of the Aion FX Halo boards in different configurations. I had a lot of fun with the project, but given there are over 20 variations on the BMP circuit I figured there was room to add a few more flavors to the stable. While I was at it, I decided to look at other board sources as well (though there will likely be more Halo variants coming out in the future!). One of the boards I built up was a Tayda Big Muff DIY board. It's relatively inexpensive and tiny, but the instructions do come with component lists for seven different variations of the board. The second build was a bit (read a lot) more ambitious. A friend and fellow pedal-builder from Kansas City sent me a bare bones board he'd etched for the Ram's Head Big Muff based on the pattern from the Effects Layout blog. I've done some of my own photoetching for hobbies - I first learned from the gurus at the Ohio State University Chemistry department's electronic shop - but I've never etched my own PCB. Therefore, this was the first time I'd attempt to use a truly "old school" board. That being said, now I've now found a completely new rabbit hole to go down - so look for some "home brew" stuff in future blog entries!