Main board


Current project (smaller board)

pending: clean boost(Keeley Katana, PedalworX McBoost, or another ZVEX SHO).

Keeley True Bypass Loop to replace the Boss PSM-5 (Alesis Nanoverb under 2nd tier).

All non Monster Rock connectore to be replaced by George L's.

The Echo Park would fit the space and give me tap tempo (if they ever do something about that "crap shoot" hiss issue.

Next, I'll have to build a smaller small pedalboard. . .
Brett

I love the Barber triple threat on the small board - All three are great pedals. Very cool boards!

The board's still growing. It's in "transition" right now. Next week, will most likely order a PedalworX McSqueeze to replace the ED-1 and possibly a McBoost or another FET based boost pedal (so the SHO can go back to its home on the other board.

The next to go will be the Boss loop. . .


Brett

Still Growing. . .

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting

I replaced the Marshall ED-1 "Edward" COmpressor with a PedalworX McSqueeze, and the ZVEX SHO (it went back home to the larger pedalboard) with a TC Jauernig Luxury Drive Model T (nice pedal, but I'm not yet convinced that it's right clean boost for this board, might end up with a Caitlinbread Super Chili Picoso in that spot).

Pulled the Boss tuner from the other board and put an Ibanez tuner there for now (too wide for this board).

Brett

Changed the "drive" order a bit. . .


This is turning into a sort of Pedalboard diary.

New Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
LTD(@16v)=>
SHO (the Luxury Drive Model T boost was not "making it" on this board as a pure clean boost so it sits inthe SHO's spot on the main board for now)

Original order:
McSqueeze=>
Tone Press=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
LTD(@12.3v)=>
SHO

Though I was using the Tone Press as my light duty compressor, I found I liked the McSqueeze better for that job than for the heavy sustain work, so I reset the internal trim to the factory setting after raising it to 3:30. The Tone Press, now first in the chain, was set to full sustain, unity gain, and the blend knob set to give me a more natural attack. Works nicer than the CS-3 on my big board. With both compressors on, I get more sustain than I got previously, and it's "beefier" than the CS-3=>ED-1 combination on the other board (more grit, more gain).

The Tour Pro Toggle first in the chain (set for no compression) was nice for adding dynamics to the DDSS and it's more compressed, brighter tone but by itself or boosted by the compressors, I wasn't getting enough sustain out of it, though I liked the aggressive nature of the non-compressed tone as a contrast to the DDSS. Reversing the order of the two and boosting the gain on the DDSS allowed me to use the TPT alone for dynamic, lighter "distortion," the DDSS for that brighter,"Ford/Carlton" type tone. The DDSS into the TPT gave me a darker, pretty raw distortion (a greater difference in sound than the TPT going into the DDSS at my settings).

I was able to back the LTD's gain off just a bit more also so now, I get more of that "searing lead" tone with little breakup that I can get from the CS-3=>ED-1=>FatBoost combination on the other board.

As a result of the tweaks on this board, I used the other L6 input to power the FatBoost at 16v, raised the tone pot higher, and got a smoother response (just a bit smoother than the LTD, but with more bottom end).

The main board has a darker sound to the OD/distortion with the mid level gains sounding much looser and darker, and the 3 together (FullDrive-2, FatBoost, Distortion Pro)having more fuzz and a lower noise floor . . . basically silence (and barely any hiss even with the FD-2 in boost mode).

The smaller board has a brighter sound with a little more variety (because I can choose either the DDSS or TPT individually). The middle gain combinations are tighter and more aggressive and a smoother progression up to all three on (DirectDrive SS, Tour Pro Toggle, LTD) with greater sustain and a bit of hiss but manageable.

The TPT makes me wonder about the Texas Two Step and it's mid boost, but things are already a tight fit. . .

That's all for now.

This month, I might look into an Analogman Mini Chorus or a combination of a Caitnilbread Super Chili Picoso a Keeley looper, and the George L cable package.

Brett

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brett Valentine,

Awesome post bud and nice pedals. congrats

Thanks,

That second board started out as just the LTD so I could have a pedal to take with me without having to carry the full board.

As it grew, I decided that it would be better to try and build a "backup" board, or one I could quickly throw in the trunk. Now, it's taken on a life of its own. . .

. . .definitely thanks in part to Music Toyz and this bulliten board as well.

Brett

Big Board revisited


I've changed some things around on my big board:
Drive Section-New Configuration:
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer=>
Marshal ED-1 "Edward" Compressor=>
Fulltone Fulldrive 2(flat mids)comp cut@12v=>
Fulltone DP-1 Distortion Pro=>
Fulltone FB-1 Fatboost @16v=>
TC Jauernig Luxury Drive Model T @9v (will try 12v later on)=>


Drive Section-Old Configuration:
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer=>
Marshal ED-1 "Edward" Compressor=>
Fulltone Fulldrive 2(flat mids)comp cut@4v(PP2 sag)=>
Fulltone FB-1 Fatboost @~7-8v(PP2 sag)=>
Fulltone DP-1 Distortion Pro=>
ZVEX SHO=>

After spending time with the smaller board, I went back to the larger one and realized the general "sound" seemed a bit overly loose and "dark" in comparison (though with a bit more "buzziness" in the top end). With the SHO now pretty well established on the small board, I put the Luxury Drive in the SHO's original place to better effect than with the smaller board. While the sound was definitely more "covered" in the high end with less headroom and a bit of compression, it definitely fit better with the darker sounding board, even at a higher level than on the other board. The LDMT's compression wasn't too much when paired with even all 3 of the Fulltone pedals which have a wide open, feel with greater dynamics (FD-2 in comp cut). Run with the ED-1 and CS-3, the combination did seem overly squished, but not too much for some Strat bridge twang. With humbuckers, it tended to be a bit much and required my rolling the guitar's volume down a bit.

I originally drove the Distortion Pro with the FD2 and FatBoost. This gave me very aggressive distortion still with no audible hiss! The only drawback was the the DP-1 does not have enough overall level boost to keep up with the other 2 pedals, so I would tend to get a bit of a volume drop when I engage it on top of the other two. Placing the DP-1 before the FatBoost eliminated the level drop problem and still offered me an aggressive distortion (though not as edgy) with a greater bottom end and a bit more warmth in the lower treble range. With the 3 pedals on, the bottom end tends to get a bit "clipped" sounding, so I had toback the bottom end off of the DP-1. Because of the change of pedal order, the noise floor comes up just a bit, but is still lower than that of the smaller board.

With the FB-1 running @16v, tone maxed out, drive at somewhere around 3:00; I was able to get closer to that "driven Fender" tone I was getting with the LTD, but a bit darker and with a smoother slope on the breakup as the guitar's volume is increased or with pick/finger presure.

FD-2 is now running @12v,tone maxed out, OD maxed out, Boost at ~3:30; I had more headroom, but I wasn't getting the dark, round distortion I was getting running the FD-2 at less than 9v. the OD section was closer in character to the FatBoost, but just a bit brighter, and a little less bottom end. The 2 together though still give me a pretty aggressive distortion that seems greater than the expected sum of the 2 together. With the Boost control set much higher, I was pretty much able to get what I had from it before, but it seemed just a bit brighter to my ears.

The 2 boards come much closer together in feel with this one still slightly darker, larger bottom end, but capable of more aggressive distortion overall. The big board's drive section still does what it did before, but I think it sounds a little bit better and tighter overall when doing it now.

I still intend to replace the Luxury Drive Model T most likely with the SHO (back where it belongs), and order the Super Chile Picoso for the other board, but the LDMT definitely seems a better fit as a "clean" boost for the darker, more open pedals.

The ED-1 compressor is most likely to be replaced with another PedalworX McSqueeze just to give me greater dynamics, a nicer feel, and the addition of some uncompressed grit. The ED-1 does a nice low compression/medium gain boost, but it doesn't impart the same "character as the McSqueeze." The McSqueeze makes me want to play it, the ED-1 holds its end up competently but doesn't draw me in. I really didn't notice the difference until I replaced the first ED-1.

The Boss CS-3 might find itself eventually replaced with an Analogman Mini Bi-Comp, but I think this pedalboard needs the buffer at the front end more. I might have to order a CS-3 with the Keeley mod to replace this one, but that will have to wait until the small board is done.


The Analogman Mini Clone Chorus is on order and will replace the Boss chorus (so I'll be trading the back end buffer for a better chorus sound). Once the small board is finished, it will be completely true bypass. The tone doesn't seem overly dark yet, but the Luxury Drive will probably end up being used as a "Swiss army knife" buffer at the end of the board if I find I need it (when I need to run a 21' Monster Rock cable to the front end of the amp).

The Ibanez LU-10 Tuner (got it for $19.00) isn't bad, but it also suffers from a similar "slowness of response" and is also a bit imprecise (though not as bad as the Fender Stage Tuner) so I won't be adjusting intonation with it anytime soon. It's very easy to read from a dark stage. At this point, I'll just get another Boss TU-16.

Well, that's all for now.
Brett

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brett Valentine,

The Mini Clone Chorus arrived. . .


First impressions. . . it's a definite sound improvement over the Boss. THough the Boss sounds slightly more airy, the Mini Clone set to the lighter setting should get into that range (emailed AnalogMike about that). That said, the tone was definitely warmer).

Glad I went with the Mini as I had to rearrange the pedal order, and the full sized Clone Chorus would not have fit on the board at all. I had to place the Mini before the SHO. The accumulated boost level between the SHO, LTD, and McSqueeze, ate up the Mini's headroom. Adjusted the bias to get the least amount of distortion, but even running it at 12v didn't completely clean things up. Running it before the SHO cleared up the problem.

Latest Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
LTD(@16v)=>
Mini Clone Chorus(@12v)=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=> Amp
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)

Old Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
LTD(@16v)=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=>
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)
Boss CH-1 Super Chorus=>Amp


Tonewise, the Mini Clone remains warm sounding, even with the depth set pretty low. The Boss set similarly sounded did not sound as full, and the chorus sounded thinner and a bit "indistinct" in it's effect, but at the end of the chain, it did make the reverb "shimmer" a bit. While I lose that effect with this present order, the better chorus effect makes up for it. The next option is to put the boost at the very end of the signal chain, but that's at a future date.

Brett

Next month, most likely the Super Chili Picoso.

Latest changes:


Wasn't happy with the way the Mini CHorus was sounding run after the distortion pedals so I placed it before the Tour Pro Toggle and the LTD.

The Tour Pro Toggle was sounding too much like the DDSS, and it needed more sustain. I liked it's sond better after the DDSS, and so I placed it after the LTD as well. This allowed me to get a heavier, slightly more modern sounding distortion tone after the other 2. Also, it allowed the TPT to act as it's own solo/lead boost to the LTD. Raised the gain levels to 9:00. It raises up the noise floor just a bit, but gives me more options. Also allows me to use the TPT on it's own as a grittier, very dynamic blues tone.

The Barber Direct Drive SS went through a bunch of internal adjustments. Without adjusting any of the outer controls, I went through the California (Dumble) setting, but lost the touch sensitivity of the clipping that I was getting, and it didn't mix well with the TPT.
Went to the Marshall settings (REALLY liked that one) but I lost that high mid, lower treble bite (a la Robben Ford/Larry Carlton). My blues tone is covered; finally ended up with something cloes to the CLEAN settings:
Harmonics: 8:30
Bass: 3:30 - 4:00
Presence: 2:00

The only change I had to make was to boost the tone a bit. Now, it's smoother than it was, and even more so than the Tour Pro Toggle. I can see where one might want to have 2 Direct Drive SS pedals, each with different internal settings.

Tried runnign the SHO at the very end of the chain to solve the reverb overdriving problems, but the overall sound semed to lose just a bit of its liveliness.

The only other option is to get rid of the loop pedal for the reverb, set the input level (less than unity gain), get the foot switch for it, and rely on it's internal buffer, but I'm not there yet.

Latest Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Mini Clone Chorus(@12v)=>
LTD(@16v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=> Amp
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)

Old Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
LTD(@16v)=>
Mini Clone Chorus(@12v)=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=> Amp
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)

On Order:
PedalworX McSqueeze for the big board (replacing the Marshall ED-1)
Catalinbread Super Chili Picoso as post distortion clean boost
(for which ever board it works best on)

Still Need:
Keeley Looper for the NanoVerb
Delay Pedal w/tap tempo
(holding off on the Echo Park, will see how much space is freed up with the Keeley looper - Boss DD-20?)

As to replacing the Luxury Drive on the big board, I tried running it after the 2 compressors and before the Cry Baby 535Q. It really pushes the Fulltone pedals nicely, and the noise floor remains ridiculously low! The FullDrive gets pushed without gettig fizzy. The Distortion Pro get's pushed closer to a fuzz (nice), but I had to keep the level lower and the trim high, otherwise the DP-1 starts to get a bit finncky and makes a funny little noise (lowered it, and everything's nice again). The FatBoost went from a rather clean boost (@ 16v) to a pretty dark, fat bottomed distortion even with the tone maxed out (!).

After spending so much time working on, and getting familiar with the smaller board, the grittier character of the big board took me a bit by surprise. I need a bit more of this on the smaller board.

Lord willing, I might even look into a Keeley Fuzz Head for the small board, but I'd have to figure out what I'd move.

That's all for now,
Brett

The second McSqueeze arrived today, ran it and the first one side by side to get the set up the same, noticed that the newer one sounded just a bit warmer with a slightly more compressed attack than the first one I had, which sounded a bit edgier (adjusted the internal trim until the sustain/release of the second one was about the same as the first, but there is a slight difference). Spent a little time figuring out which one worked better with which board. Ended up putting the older one in the older board with it's more subtle attack. The newer one might still get tweaked a bit more.

Addendum to the above post. With the Luxury Drive Model T/FatBoost, I needed to clear up what I posted abotu the reaction between the two. When the LDMT is set with the TRIM full up and the LEVEL set to about 11:00 - 12:00, the LDMT is pretty clean, and when it boosts the FatBoost, the tone is fatter and a little darker with overdrive. When the LDMT is set with the LEVEL maxed out and the TRIM set to about 11:00 (slightly less volume boost than the other setting, but with a gritty, kind of scratchy distortion), the distortion between the two has slightly more high end content than the LTMD alone, but the midrange and lower range of the FatBoost fill the rest of the sound out. It is the grittiest distortion sound of any combination of the 3 (FullDrive 2, Distortion Pro, Luxury Drive Model T) with the FatBoost.

Brett

damn, thats some nice stuff man....i need a mini-chorus..

The Mini Chorus is pretty nice. I roiginally wanted the ability to switch to the lighter setting and maybe have the ability to blend in the dry sound as well, but this is working for me. Didn't have enough space for the big one.

Brett

Smart Card reader working again. . .

It's been awhile, there have been a bunch of changes. I'll update gradually.

This picture goes along with my previous post for the large board. While this setup didn't last very long (SHO came back to this board, the Super Chili Picoso ended back on the small board), and the power cable arrangement wasn't really working, but it was pretty nice. . .


Both the Fulldrive2 and Fat Boost are back running at 9v and I'm enjoying re-discovering that sound again. The overdrive is warm and responsive with just enough grit, very close to what I was going for with the DDSS on the other board.

I do NOT like that Ibanez tuner!

Brett

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brett Valentine,

Here's the current setup for the small board.


Though the arrangement on the board is different, the only change to the path was that I replaced the DDSS with the upgraded Distortion Pro. . .the mini knobs were disintegrating and I had the circuit upgrade done (great dynamics-doesn't get "ratty" anymore as the signal decays, improved clarity). The new layout makes for a little more space.


I figured the best way to get a different sound fromthe Tour Pro Toggle was to go with a different pedal (considering the Keeley FuzzHead). I took a chance with the DP-1. First of all, I made the Tour Pro Toggle a little smoother sounding (low compression, less drive), then took advantage of the DP-1's tube like "sag" by maxing out the saturation knob. Running it first in the distortion chain took care of the progressive slight volume drop you get as you boost the saturation knob; only a problem when last in the chain and you get a drop in level when kicking it in with the other gain pedals on (with the other pedals set up so that there is a cumulative level gain as each is kicked in).

Now I've got a smooth progression from clean to very saturated.

Latest Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Distortion Pro(@9v)=>
Mini Clone Chorus(@12v)=>
LTD(@16v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=> Amp
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)

Old Order:
Tone Press=>
McSqueeze=>
Direct Drive SS(@12.3v)=>
Mini Clone Chorus(@12v)=>
LTD(@16v)=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(TU-12 Tuner not in signal chain)
Boss Master Switch Loop pedal=> Amp
(Alesis NanoVerb in loop)

I can't think of much else to do to the drive section of this board.

Brett

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brett Valentine,

Here's a current view of the large board


I needed to re-address the tone on the large board, needing the ability to get a smoother tone from it. With the DP-1 making a better fit on the small board, I ordered a second Tour Pro Toggle for the big board. This one (red LED), as compared to the other TPT 9blue LED) is a later model with greater compression and a more aggressive distortion. While the earlier one excelled at that Larry Carlton "Sleepwalk" tone (just like the clip on the website) the later model could get a nice Santana-ish/Eric Johnson sort of feel while still doing a nice "Sleepwalk" tone, if just a bit less smooth attack slope on the clipping. I ended up with the earlier model on the small board.

Funy thing, the later, more aggressive model ended up in front of the Direct Drive SS, as per my original intent back in February.

The TPT is set to be the more agressive OD, and the DDSS is set for an even smoother sound (with the other settings, it helped to lower the noise floor on the DDSS just a bit more).

HARMONICS min - 8:00
BASS max
PRESENCE 12:00

As to the DDSS in place of the FD2, I diecded to pull the FullDrive 2 as I wanted something with a smoother, slightly compressed tone, and the DDSS was hitting the mark pretty much dead on.

The next big change was that I picked up a Tech21 Trademark 60 for smaller gigs (the Boogie Mark 4 needs to go out for repairs, and the Fender Stage 112SE is too loud with the volume knob at "1"). It has an interestig response. With the FatBoost set the way I normally had it, it caused the lower end of the amp to clip in a strange manner. I tried the Luxury Drive Model T in its place for one gig, but ended up returning the FatBoost to that position with the tone maxed out and the lelve lowered. In fact, I lowered the output levels of the DDSS, FB-1,and the TPT (the three of them together get's nice and aggressive).

I'm using both channels of the Trademark 60, so the FatBoost and DDSS work more to push the both channels into low level clipping. The Tour Pro Toggle really drives the second channel pretty heavily. In the first channel, I tend to use it more in conjunction with the DDSS to really make that pedal sing (those 2 are a great combination on their own).

After spending time with the Tone Press, I re-addressed the settings on the CS-3. I lowered the level to get it back to line level - no boost, and the attack (for years, set to minimum) is now maxed out to give me more of my "picking artifacts" and it reacts in a manner that is closer to the Tone Press, though not quite with the same transparency or character.

Current Order:
Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer=>
PedalworX McSqueeze=>
Duhlop Crybaby 535Q Wah=>
Tour Pro Toggle=>
Direct Drive SS(@9v)=>
Fulltone FB-1 Fatboost @9v=>
(To Front end of Amp)

(From fx Send)
ZVEX SHO=>
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal=>
(LU10 Tuner not in signal chain)
Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeler=>
(exp pedal sits outside of board)
Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay=>
(To fx Return)

In its current configuration, it is definitely smoother sounding but still with the ability to get aggressive (though not quite as much as before). It still has a pretty heavy bottom end between the FatBoost (which has been tamed just a bit by lowering the level and maxing out the tone knob) and the Tour Pro Toggle (which has a pretty robust bottom end which can be controlled by the DDSS). And it works nicely with the Trademark 60.

Another word about the FD2 I think the FD2's strength is in its uncompressed mode. I was running the FD2 at a higher voltage which sounded nice but ddn't really work fir my current setup. I pulled it from the board and had a chance to use it alone with just batteries and fell in love with the 9v sound over again, so I put it back on, but didn't feel it did what I needed with the Trademark 60 in conjunction with the other pedals on the boar; too much redundancy.

Planned:
Keeley mods for the DL-4 (don't really need the "expression pedal" mod as I have the expression pedal already)

Another Roland Tu-12 Tuner

Considering:
either the new PedalworX Texas Two Step or the Barber Tone Pump to regain the extra gain stage that was lost with the removal of the Full Drive 2.

Ernie Ball jr Volume Pedal to give me more space. I was considering it for the smaller pedalboard, but it has all of the jacks at the front end as opposed to on the side like the earlier version and would get in the way of the tuner on the small board.

Different Reverb pedal.

That's all with this board for now.

Brett

Okay, there's been some reshuffling. I'll deal with the large board later. Right now, the surprise was what I was able to do with the "leftover" pedals.

I've been spending time with the Trademark 60 and found that I could get most of what I needed with just a few pedals. The FD2 found its way to this board and I though it was a great match. With the amp just at or below breakup, the FD2 made a smooth transition to clipping.

It eventually went back to the big board for a gig, and the DDSS is now on the mini board at the moment.



The LDMT directly into the amp adds a bit of upper end sheen and grit that is barely noticeable on its own, but when you add the compressor it get's just dirty enough to capture your attention. The DDSS is very smooth. Great feel and tone, but just a bit too smooth compared to the FD2 in comp cut mode. I'm definitely going to look into the Texas 2 Step. That said, the 3 together give me a great "clear overdrive" lead tone. The LDMT adding a sheen to the tone.

On the drive channel, the ED-1 takes the tone into singing leads with no change in tonal character. The DDSS makes the lead tone even more milky. The LDMT adds a bit more modern grit to the sound. All three together can be a bit much here.

That Ibanez tuner found its way to this board, and the leds hum in conjunction with the LDMT when on the daisychain. It's on its way off this board too.

Boss chorus is working fine, like the ErnieBall jr. volume pedal. Tried it on the large board, but my foot kept hitting other pedals, and because the older NYC pedalboard has a lip around the edge of the board, my heel kept hitting that and keeping me from pulling the volume all the way out, so it sits on the mini board.

Could definitely gig with this board. Will use it at a praise concert next Sunday.

Built the board with a high grade pressboard from Home Depot; 15$ for the whole sheet, cut down to get 5 17"x12" sheets (just about the same size as he pedaltrain board - the leftover scraps became the risers for the distortion pedal and tuner). Bought one of those aluminum tool attache cases for about $20.00 (the red one just because it's red), some industrial strength velcro, 8 "L" brackets for the top and bottom corners, 4 rubber feet, and used an extra Monster Cable velcro tie to pull it out of the case (which is just a slight bit larger than the pedalboard.

Also got some foam inserts for making pillows frokm Walmart's craft section (4 to a package, 1" thickness).

the whole thing cost me about $70.00 plus tax which is still less than the pedal train.

Brett