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Posted

Hi anyone! I got some effect boxes and pedals diagrams (so I can make my own effect). Is there any risk of damaging my pickups if i make something wrong or the projects are wrong? Anyone? Thanx.

Posted
:D So long as you stick to projects powered by a 9 volt battery or two, you'd really have to work at damaging your pickups to do it. You're a lot more likely to damage your speakers. Use mains current for power and all bets are off. What are you trying to do?
Posted

Some pedal desisgns can ruin your amp! I know of a schematic for one pedal that is floating around the internet (that is great with a tube amp) but can damage a solidstate amp.

(Its a clean volume boost pedal made by a boutique pedal builder)

Thats the only 'damage causeing' pedal I have heard of... remember, like a tap, the signal goes flows FROM your pickup to the effect, THEN to the effect.

As you are making a fuzz, I wouldnt be too worried about it causing damage (Id be more worried about getting the thing working :D

What pedal are you making, if I may ask?

Luke

Posted

:D Yes, we all would have to worry if it works (since most eletronic stuff I've tried to make didn't worked B) )

Anyway, I'm hanging out with some OPAMPS (LM741, anyone?) and clipping diodes (Germanium, Sillicon...) so I can understand them. For LuKeR: it's the Big Muff's clone. BTW: can u answer me this:

I've used a LM741 do get the input (+). The signal going out of the minus pin (-) pass by two diodes (the top one pointing forward, and the other backwards) and going to the output pin. Not even the guitar sound comes out :D , but if I use a transistor (BC549) I can hear what radio my neighbour is listening to. Thanx in advance.

Posted (edited)

Hi Saga,

I am afraid that i dont know anything about op-amps- I mainly use trasnistors in the things I make. I aslo dont know too much about the big muff pedal - I bought a russian one, but only use it on occasisan.

this forum

http://www.diystompboxes.com/forums/stompboxforum/

will definately help you get it going- hey know much more about that sort of thing than i can help you with.

However, 47pF cap to ground after the input cap will probably fix the radio problem. I would use 47pF as a refence point, and adjust it with higher or lower ones until the problem stops. the idea is to use the smallest possible, becuase the higher caps may start to cut the highs.

Good luck with it, and I hope thats a help!

Luke

Edited by LukeR
Posted

Thanks lovecraft.

I think the issue with damaging a solid state amplifier is caused by severely overloading the input, which boosters can certainly do. Tube amps seem to be pretty tough in this regard.

Posted

Luke, which pedal are you referring to? Is it AC powered? I'm not putting you on the spot, I just can't figure out how you'd damage even a solid state amp's input with a single 9 volt 500mAH battery. :D

Of course, it's pretty much a moot point - massive overdrive on a solid state amp usually sounds like @ss anyhow! B)

Posted

hmm dont' most decent guitar amps have a 1v peak to peak rating.????? thats what i was always told.. never really took time to measure it.

however for the facts here the original penguinloves when run off a wall wart could supply aproximately 1 WATT OF POWER to your amps input. when maxed out. not smoke and mirrors not hype not hocus pocus. but we only trashed one amp and that was the expiramental amp that we had blown up 18 times before by making it self oscilate.

Posted

Hi,

Well, the pedal is the Zvex SHO.

I dont know if it can hurt a solid state- i remeber reading somewhere it could, but I could certainly be wrong.

Ansil would know for sure.

Cheers,

luke

Posted

It's interesting that while 8 volts P-P won't even annoy a 12AX7, it's probably enough to cause catastrophic common-mode failure in a poorly-designed opamp input stage. Of course, no manufacturer would design a solid state amp without input protection, would they? B) Yeah, right..., I wouldn't use any serious booster in front of a cheap solid state amp. Ironically, the SHO's input is diode-clamped to avoid damaging the MOSFET with too much voltage.

Seriously, who's going to be silly enough to use a $200.00 boutique clean booster with a cheap solid state amp? :D If that's not putting the cart before the horse, I don't know what is. Just my $.02, YMMV.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Seriously, who's going to be silly enough to use a $200.00 boutique clean booster with a cheap solid state amp? :D If that's not putting the cart before the horse, I don't know what is. Just my $.02, YMMV.

haa this is great cart before the horse i love it. reminds me of that famous qoute you can lead a horticulture but can't make her think.............

anyway sorry bout that. yeah its my bad luck that i know people who would do something like this have a 1000$ pedal board and a 50$ amp

Posted
have a 1000$ pedal board and a 50$ amp

erm.....*looks really guilty here*

gimme a moment to tally it up.

Boss OC-2 (£60)

Boss PS-3 (£70)

Marshall Jackhammer (£40)

Vox V847 Wah Reissue (£100)

Digitech Whammy WH-1 (£300, yeah it cost me an arm but i have spare cash floating and they're only gonna get more expensive)

Boss DD-6 (£110)

and then

Marshall MG15DFX (£100)

oh dear :D

Posted

hey no worries man. alot of us have been there. and as for the chap who asked about the sho. i havent' had any problems with a solidstate amp and one. other than if the amp [PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY SO I DONT' HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT AND IT HURT ANYONES FEELINGS] the amp being designed poorly and the sho at max can make it sound like its dying so rather than say that a maxed out sho makes a crappy amp sound bad it to me seems it would be that the crappy amp is making a maxed out sho sound bad. feel what i mean.??? so in a nutshell [look at me i'm in a nutshell what a freakin huge nut how did i get in here... :D ] i wouldnt' use a sho in front of a 15watt guerilla amp but then i wouldnt' use a 15watt guerilla amp. and if you have any quams about it slam a lm386 full tilt into the front of your amp and see if it survives if it does the sho will work just fine in front of the amp and may the two be forever happily joined till a tube amp do ye part.

Posted

Well, Johnny, I know what my next upgrade would be... :D No, seriously... :D

But I think you missed my point - since the only thing a booster pedal is good for is overdriving the input of an amp, why use one, especially an expensive one, with a solid state amp, especially a cheap one? In other words, a distortion/overdrive pedal into a Peavey Bandit/ Gorilla/ Kustom 112/ Fender Frontman might sound OK (it's doubtful, but for the sake of argument, it might be possible :D ), but a maxed-out boost pedal into a Peavey Bandit/ Gorilla/ Kustom 112/ Fender Frontman sounds like @ss, always, without exception, period. B) Tragically, many are in such deep denial that they may have come to believe otherwise. If you, or someone you know, exhibits these symptoms, please call 1-800-GET-A-REAL-AMP* for help!

*this is not a real phone number.

DISCLAIMER: No disrespect was intended towards any persons, institutions, ethnic groups, religious sects, political parties, corporations or Supreme Beings. No legal or medical advice was implied, nor should any statement be interpreted as being accurate or factual. This post should be considered a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. You should probably ignore the entire post.

Posted

amen to that love kraft. atm im looking to building myself something fun and tubular when i have the cash to sort it out. ive dropped a fair bit on a multi meter and a good quality soldering station so next paycheque hopefully.

i think that a booster pedal can be useful if you have a crap amp, just dont go overdriving the amp with it. ive found that a dallas rnage master clone over driven with a mosfet boost sounds great, so much so that im planning to build a pedal based on it.

i dont think my diddy amp would be happy being battered by an SHO tho

Posted

yeah my set up doesn't do much justice.

Effects and Electronics

Boss Metal Zone $150

Boss Guitar Tuner $125

Boss Compressor/ Sustainer $150

Planet Waves Cables $80

EMG 81 $50

Amp

wait for it....

Peavey Rage 158 - 15 watts of brutality! $150

well, it is not quite $1000 on a FX board and $50 on amp but, i have spent hell of a lot more on FX and electronics then a proper amp.

since i am now in a band, an amp that can produce 100 watts is needed. but i do not have $3K for a Peavey 5150 so i may have to settle with a Line 6 Spider 2 HD and Cab or an Ibanez Toneblaster HD and Cab. has anyone played on these? if so what do you reckon?

Posted
...since i am now in a band, an amp that can produce 100 watts is needed...

Why do you need 100 watts? Are you playing a lot of outdoor festivals without sufficient PA equipment, or is it just the same old Spinal Tap "...goes to 11..." proposition? What kind of music are you playing, and in what size venues?

Posted

hey, i made an amp that actually DOES go to 11! i used a larger imp pot, put a small booster before it to boost the signal a tiny amount, then closed the numbers up a bit on the board. quite an achievement for a UK student i think. (in my mind)

no im not hooked on spinal tap, i jus thought itd be a gr8 p*ss take. an now a lot of ppl at my music college are tryin to get it off me. y not seeing as its a roomy 100w. + 2x12 cab (im a student = not rich). + Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Stack at home.......... :D (ill run...rite...about.............now!)

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