tonebone classic?

[LoKi6922]

hey everyone. i'm fairly new to the board... long time browser, 2nd time poster..  :lol:

most of my experience with pedals has been slight mods to boss pedals and crybaby's and that sort of thing... so i was thinking its time to step up and build my own box!

hence my question... has anybody gotten a good look at a tonebone classic? its a great sounding box, and if it wasn't for the $300. canadian price tag, i'd have bought one by now.

or does anybody have a similiar tube based distortion circuit? or would a tube distortion box be too much for my first 'real' project?

thanks in advance!

-Andre

[RedHouse]

I had a Tonebone Hot British, opened it up and was bummed to find it is a relative of the tube screamer family, but with a bunch of EQ options added.

Another bummer is the tube is used as a buffer, both halves, a startved plate buffer, not as tube-overdrive element as I had hoped when I bought it.

I took it to my friends recording studio and recorded some tracks with it and was quite displeased with it, I worked with it for 4 hours, tried every setting, with my R9, his LP Studio and an American Strat, it just sounded toooo much like a pedal one can get (or make) much way cheaper.

...I sold it on ebay 1 week later.

[aron]

RedHouse, that's incredible! I know some people that love those pedals (but I have never tried one).

[LoKi6922]

i've also heard good things about the tonebones...

well, all i'm really looking for is a nice smooth tube distortion... if anybody has made one of their own, i'd love to hear it!

thanks for the replies!

-Andre

[Ed G.]

Try the Shaka Tube by Aron.

[phillip]

I'm still loving my BSIABII that was designed by that Ed Guidry fellow  Although it might not be the distortion sound you're looking for...it has that huge cranked Marshall stack thing...even through my Fender Twin.  It does Guns N' Roses very well...  

Phillip

[LoKi6922]

sounds awesome! but i already blew the money on my cranked marshall stack a decade ago...

i usually use a JCM800, 100 watt, and i really dig the amps natural distortion on the high gain channel. only problem is i can't get more volume when i'm looking to solo or anything... so if the sound man isn't doing his job *and he usually isn't* i'm lost in the mix.

i recently started using the low gain input, and a DS-1, which actually sounds GREAT with my GE-7 just after it.

i'm sort of still searching for the right tone though, ya know? heheh... yea obviously you guys know.. :lol:

i bought a hm-2 today, for 25 bucks... i haven't tried it yet, but i'm sure its going to need some tweaking... and i'd still rather have a real tube distortion box!

thanks for the replies again! i'll check out the shaka tube... any sound clips floating around? also i don't want to steal someone elses design... unless its okay with the maker..

cheers!
-Andre

[sean k]

A really simple way to get a boost is to make a boost then control it with the volume knob.The easyvibe by Joe Davisson is just such an monster but you may want something that has less gain and is cleaner.I reckon some work with the feedback diodes,maybe GE,(and a switch to bring them in and out) and the voltage divider cap value and you could really tune in the sound you like the most.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/analogalchemy/pedals/easydrive.html
 Also for your use an input sensitivity pot to control how much drives going in might help.

[LoKi6922]

i just find that on the high gain input, all i get is MORE gain whenever i throw a boost in front of it *not always bad, but what i want is a straight, unadulterated volume boost :lol:*

i use my eq now as a slight boost for solos on the low gain input.

when i use the high gain input, i use the eq as an 'anti-boost' to give me marshally clean tones... warm, and slighty fuzzy with hard attack. its great, but again, doesn't help with my problem of not having enough raw volume..

i think i'll go through that beginner project forum and make the booster and play around a bit... i wish i could mod my amp to have a footswitch that would give me 20db more power tube output on command... well maybe not that much... but enough to get heard clearly!

thanks!
-Andre

[brad]

A starved plate buffer, you say?

I was looking at a Behringer tube mic-pre thing the other day...and it runs off 9 volts  :shock:

Actually, I'd be interested to see a schematic for a starved plate buffer.  It'd be a cool twist to add a tube buffer to the tired old effects we've seen a million times.  I wouldn't care if the tube is just MOJO, because I'd just like to build something with a tube in it that won't electrocute me!

...imagine a tube Rat!  

[LoKi6922]

i think a tube rat would sound badass!

[RedHouse]

"A starved plate" just means you run the 12AX7 under the minimum voltage which IIRC is around 100v or so (don't have a spec sheet at hand)

Funny thing was, when I used it for practicing in the bedroom or through headphones, I thought it was great ...but... when I recorded it and listened to it after-the-fact, I thought is was just mediocre sounding.

I feel I gave it a decent shot to impress me, I recorded with it trying all kinds of different settings for over four hours (including DI to the mixer) and when listening to the playback it just sounded like a distortion box, not much "tube" distortion, just distortion with lots of tone controlls/mid-scoop etc. and absolutely DID NOT sound as good (to me) as things we build around here like the Doug's Highway89, Bret's piggyback FF, or the Fetzer variations from ROG, not to mention all the TS variations and the HMP.

I feel I overpaid for the ToneBone by about $175 bucks, and is one of the reasons why I put it on ebay so someone else who likes the box can have-at-it and I could recover the cost. It's just my opinion, many folks like the ToneBone(s) and think they are the greatest.

Also, when I tried to use it live with the band, it tended to squeal when the Marshall was at the "right" place for great tone. Seemed the kind of thing you get when you try for too much gain in a single stage, I think this box would have been better in front of a Fender tube amp which I did not try.

[LoKi6922]

i wonder if maybe it had to do with the 'hot british' stomp in front of a real hot british amp?

a guy i know swears by the classic.. but as you said, at such a high price i would expect it to sound more tube like... i mean, that is the jist behind their entire advertising... tube like tone... but if it doesn't have it.... :?

[RedHouse]

Yeah I wondered that too and so I even tried it into the "low" input, still no joy. (for me)

I don't mean to sound like a kill-joy, but I want folks to know there is quite a bit of "over-hype" going around on these ToneBones.

I'd suggest trying one out at a music store where you can return it in 30 days (GC) and make your own mind.

[cbriere]

you may want to check my version
of a tube pedal,
here the link to my site
http://pages.infinit.net/cbriere/userfiles/varitube.PDF

[LoKi6922]

that looks really cool!

when you say steve vai, do you mean 'bad horsie' steve vai? or passion and warfare-esque?

i loved his heavy tones on passion and warfare and on alien love secrets.

might be a tough one for me to build... i've never completed my own box from scratch.. always been a modder up until now.. but i'm ready to take the plunge!

[cbriere]

Loki,
Steve Vai type sound means you get a lot a gain to take solos
like MrVai, but also dynamics. That when you can get lots of controls on
the attack and sustain just by variyng the guitar volume knob.
Also, with tube distorsion, i found it has the best responsivenss with
how you play.
What i liked about this circuit is that it's not too sensible to sourounding
noise (hum etc..) that because the impedances are kept relatively low
along the way of the signal path.
First project ?? ok so you may need to have a complete schematics
(mine is missing the power supply section) Basicaly it consist of 2 transformers. 1 step dwon to 12v, and second one to raise it back to
approx 300 VDC after filtering. Tell me if you need help. christian

[phillip]

Doesn't Steve Vai also use Keeley-modded Boss DS-1s?  

I remember on Robert Keeley's AOL webpage he had the story and pictures of a pair of DS-1s that he modified for Steve Via.  I think one was a "Seeing Eye" and the other was "Ultra" mods.

Phillip

[cbriere]

yes , i read that also,
Joe Satriani is also a supposed sd-1 user,
Maybe it's all true
but... i own one for a long time ago
( that when i tarted playing guitar back in 1978)
and it is just hard diodes clipping type of sound,
not much dynamics response.
if you got a chance to try an tube preamp distorsion
you will be pleased, i am shure. christian

[LoKi6922]

tube preamp is the way to go!

anyone tried a mesa bottle rocket?

also, i tried using my sd-1 with the JSX head, and it sounded pretty neat... kept the gain on 0, and the level on full... was a very smooth sound.

the JSX is a great design though. probably one of my next major purchases.

that would be a kickin' preamp to make a stompbox out of! its got gain coming out the waaaahzooo!