Rhythm box seen in action January 27, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Guy Forsyth was featured in Music Fog recently. Notice the ToneSlut box on the floor, providing that driving bass thump.
http://musicfog.com/home/2012/1/16/guy-forsyth-the-hard-way.html
New PCB design for the boost pedals May 4, 2011 at 4:44 am
I’ve definitely not been in blog mode, but I have been working on products.
One item is a new PCB design for the Boost pedals. Same fantastic pedal, but this one board allows me to configure it a half dozen different ways to match the guitarist’s specific needs. It could be as a standard boost, a buffer, or a custom jobber like the Interstellar Overdrive.
The differences between the configurations are probably fodder for a future post, but if you don’t know which one is perfect for you, drop me an email. I’ll be glad to explain the differences and how they relate to you, personally.
Meanwhile, here are the first of the new boards being prepped for pedals in the classic configuration. I was feeling whimsical, so these even got tropical fishy caps.
New Boost Boards, Stuffed and Ready For Boxes
Rhythm Box in Action at 4:23 am
I should have posted this a long time ago, but there’s a lovely video floating around the YouTube of Guy Forsyth using one of our boxes.
Guy’s not an endorser or anything, but he inadvertently put on a short clinic during a solo performance in Flanders, Belgium. If you want to know what the boxes are all about, just have a look for yourself:
The box he’s using is the one without keys here:
In case you’re not familiar, Guy is just plain awesome. Go check him out at his site http://www.guyforsyth.com/
Rocket for sale August 2, 2010 at 3:52 am
I built a Rocket a while back to test transformer types. It’s a workmanlike copy of the original layout using all the same component values and types, and sits in a traditional style cabinet.
The cabinet took more than the usual share of hand work. Corners are dovetailed, finish is a half dozen coats of catalyzed tung oil rubbed out to a gloss finish. And the box is continuous grain, with all grain, curl, knots, and figure flowing around the corners.
Specs:
- 30 watts
- 4 x EL84 power amp (currently has a quad of Saratovs)
- Preamp tibes are 12ax7/ecc83 (currently with RCA preamp tubes and a Telefunken phase inverter tube)
- GZ34 Rectifier
- Volume, Treble and Bass controls
- Presence is a High Cut type circuit
- Output switchable to between 4/8/16 ohms
Price is $1250 with the current tubes. SOLD
What Compresses and Boosts? May 4, 2010 at 3:41 am
I was asked by my friend in Oz “Do you think people would like something that compresses and boosts?”
I thought “Of course they would!” and then I realized he was talking about an effects pedal. But that works too, and the pedal that compresses and boosts was born.
Der Wünderbra — pronounced like “Voon Der Brah” with the sort of German accent you might hear in Hogan’s Heroes — is a Ross compressor feeding a Performance Enhancer boost. Each is independent and switchable, but the client wanted them both in one convenient package for his small acoustic gigs, where he doesn’t want to bring the giant pedalboard.
Oh, with a name like Der Wünderbra, you KNEW there had to be cleavage on the graphics.
the Interstellar Overdrive April 3, 2010 at 1:42 am
What’s in a name? A paean to Pink Floyd, even though the circuit has absolutely nothing to do with Syd Barret, or anything else Floyd. It just seemed like a cool name for a pedal with a spacey theme. And, a good description of what you get. Pure, clean boost to overdrive your amp for a tone that’s out of this world? Well, maybe “interstellar” is hyperbole, but this boost circuit is in the one pedal I am NEVER without, acoustic or electric.
Functionally, the Interstellar Overdrive is the same as the Double Boost version of the Performance Enhancer that inspired the theme. However, I now powdercoat my boxes under the graphics, and finish with a super-durable top coat (either clear powder-coat or automotive finish suitable for rough use).
This one is the first of a limited edition run I’ll be doing for a few friends and loyal customers. The new owner is Justin Froese, one of my favorite local guitarists. Be sure to check him out solo, or with his band Taming the Fox.
If you want one for yourself, don’t worry! I won’t do more of this exact graphic theme, but I will gladly make the circuit with different graphics. Or you can even get a standard, single-button Performance Enhancer, like the one pictured here, for less. Just drop us an email and we’ll sort out the best solution for you.
With little further ado, the Interstellar Overdrive posing with the black and blue color scheme Performance Enhancer:
The Buzzaround — With Custom Artwork February 2, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet!
Last Autumn, I was asked if I could make a Buzzaround. I’d heard of them, and even heard a clone once, but it didn’t click what a special pedal it was at first. Then I remembered, this was the box used by Robert Fripp of King Crimson and a few others.
Alas, it was made by Baldwin-Burns for only a very short time in the mid-’60s, and is extremely rare on the open market. Luckily, schematics and photos of originals are available, and some good friends of mine even sent me some of the hard-to-find transistors used in the originals.
One last challenge was the artwork. I asked the new owner if he had a preferred theme and he shot me some artwork by the same artist who did the cover of their vinyl-only EP. I dug the critter so much I did the box in white powdercoat and matched the font and border to the colors, then gave it maximum area on the box.
See the results for yourself:
It now wears blue knobs to match the font, but I unfortunately took pictures before I had them on hand.
The sound? I love it. It’s everything a fuzzface wants to be, running from gently pushed distortion to full on grind.
The response I got was:
Hey Chris. Your pedal is kicking my fuzzface's butt, and I really dig my fuzzface. The buzz is a lot creamier and smoother, but again much more dynamic then i thought it would be with the volume knob. getting really nice harmonics out of it also. have regulated my fuzzface as more of a hairy rangemaster and using the buzz as my full on fuzz. cheers! T
Good to hear that it has found a spot on that pedalboard. I feel good when I know I’m making something that works for the musician above all else.
If you enjoy vintage tones like this, definitely check out Tony’s band, The Mag 7 and keep an eye out for their shows in the Chicago area. They’re evolutionary, improvisational, emotional, and powerful — the type of Rock and/or Roll that’s best heard live. The way Rock and/or Roll should be.
Christmas Gifts — Performance Enhancer for the Whiskey Lover December 27, 2009 at 9:30 pm
I couldn’t post this when it was done because it was sent as a gift to my good friend Conrad in Belgium. He’s a certified Whiskey taster, as well as a certified good person, and probably certifiable in general.
I can’t remember when I’ve ever hit it off so well with another person in regards of shared interests and musical tastes. One night we found ourselves listening to his music collection and raiding his stash of single-malts, so I used the occasion as inspiration for a Conrad Special version of this wonderful clean-boost pedal.
Building custom pedals — Double Boost December 14, 2009 at 2:34 am
I’ve been putting together some pedals with custom graphics for folks before Exmas.
This one’s for Don Kohinga in Melbourne, Australia. His company is Southern Cross amplification, so I chose a stellar theme and imposed the southern cross over it.
The pedal is a two stage clean boost based on the Performance Enhancer. The problem was that Don wanted to run his performance enhancer all the time, but he still wanted to have two volume levels — a boost for leads and a lower volume for rhythm sections. The performance enhancer can add something really nice to an acoustic guitar tone, so this is a common conundrum.
This configuration allows the user to run the pedal all the time, dialing in the higher level of boost with the Volume control, and a lower level of boost with the gain control. A kick of the High/Low switch turns the gain control on and off — switching between the higher and lower volumes.
Click on the images for a closeup of the artwork. The graphics are applied over a hand-painted box, so bad masking and rattlecan errors are obvious, but I’m pretty happy with how this one came out.
Rhythm Boxes For Sale! December 5, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I have added Rhythm Boxes here or you can see them from the Products section in the menu bar.
These are a very simple tool. They are a small box made of tone woods with a pickup inside. Plug it in to an amplifier or your mixer board, tap them with your foot, and the thump is delivered to the world via your PA.
So, give one a try!
Several styles of rhythm box