T-Rex "Dr Swamp" overdrive pics

[MartyMart]

This is one beautiful design !  the PCB is an "ice blue" colour, better tha the photo sounds very good also in a tube screamer type way ( almost as good as my BSIAB II and Tube reamer !! ) he he he  ....

Outside....
http://www.pbase.com/image/33399056
and inside ....
http://www.pbase.com/image/33399062

The switching ibetween channels A and B is done with "arrow momentary switches"  interesting !

Enjoy,
Marty.

[Lonestarjohnny]

Beauty of a design, you buy this ?
Johnny

[MartyMart]

Yeah i did Johnny,
I've only been "modding" for a year or so and have built 4 of my own "stompers" in the last two months, i've sold about 15 "modded" Ibanez and Boss pedals and will have a web site service up in about two weeks.
Most session players i know just wont go near their pedals with an iron and thats probably a good thing !!
I collect pedals also and have almost every overdrive out their! ( need to cut back a few on Ebay!)
The Dr Swamp is my favorite for some time, really sounds great into a peavey classic 30 or JMP1, it beat off a Crowther Hotcake and a Fulldrive which i was also looking at.
Better to sell most of them and build some more, its WAY cheaper and they sound much better than mass produced pedals, its the "true bypass" that does it rather than Jfet switching.
Regards,
Martin.

[RDV]

All that T-Rex stuff looks well made.

RDV

[MartyMart]

Isn't one of the guys their ex "Tube Tech" or "TC Electronics" ?
Most Hi end Danish/German gear is really great, its serious attention to detail, just look at that PCB !! and components Awesome !
Marty.
EDIT:
I'd love to try and map out the schem and build one, but i think thats some way ahead of a BSIAB II perf build !!!  LOL !

[Claus H]

Well I agree that T-rex Dr. Swamp is ok made and sounds good.. But the PCB Pad's and tracks are very thin and the layout screams autoroute..

Well sorry to come down on this stuff but I have seen a lot of problems be course of the thin PCB Pad's and tracks..


Claus H

[MartyMart]

Well ....... if you will play football with and spill beer all over your stompers !!!    :?

[Claus H]

Well ....... if you will play football with and spill beer all over your stompers !!!    :?

People do..



Claus H

[Claus H]

BTW it has FET Switching...

but it's made so that is does not load down the input.. it has the topology of true bypass..

Claus H

[Regan]

Seems weird to me, use fet switching with expensive 3pdt switches-go figure. :?
REgan

[MartyMart]

The switches are SPDT "momentary" rather than "latching"  thats why its FET switching on the board.
Marty.

[Claus H]

The switches are SPDT "momentary" rather than "latching"  thats why its FET switching on the board.
Marty.

They are actually DPDT "momentary" but only the one pol is used..  (Just kidding sorry no offence) these are used trigger the flip-flop that switches the FET's/opto's I have seen H11F1 "FET" Optocouplers "hidden" under jacks in t-rex pedals.. They do take the bypass seriously..

Claus H

[RobB]

So the momentary action switches pulse the D type flip flop to turn on and off the effect.  That would seem to account for about half of what's on the PCB.  The rest will be the actual signal processing.  

What is the signal path like?  Tube Screamer?  Distortion plus?  What makes this unit sound good?

[MartyMart]

The two channels sound a little different to me, there is a very high quality "TS" sound on one and something a bit more "spikey" and "gritty" on the other.( MXR dist+ ? )
The tone control is very smooth and it "does something" if you know what i mean!
Overall just a high quality no noise stomper, with a good range of tones for both channels, either one will clean up very nice for a good clean boost also.
Cheers,
Marty.

[roseblood11]

Does someone have a schematic for this pedal? Or at least better gut shots?

I guess it´s just a modded Rat, similar to the Mudhoney. (Added input buffer and slightly different tone shaping) - see the thread about the Mudhoney on the other forum.
I can´t hear any difference between both "channels", I think it´s only two switchable gain settings.

[EATyourGuitar]

the other forum

:wink: :wink: :nudge: :nudge: [circus voice] say no more say no more [/circus voice]

[floboe]

Looks great.

I own a T-Rex Alberta, which also sounds very good.
I do have one complaint; The placement of the DC jack input combined with a center negative DC jack makes it very easy to short curcuit the power supply if the DC jack accidentally touches one of the instrument jacks.
It may just be my chubby fingers that have trouble handling the cables, but I do feel that the DC jack input should have been placed a bit further away from the instrument jacks.

[roseblood11]

Does anyone have a schematic? I saw it a couple of years ago, but can't find it now.
It's just a variation of the Proco Rat, but a good one.