Thunderchief Build Report - Awesome!!

[mydementia]

Hi again guys.
I just perf-boarded and boxed up a Thunderchief (from both JD and the ROG layouts - both references can be found here: http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=237) and it worked on the first try!  I must be getting better at this stuff...

I wasn't expecting such a nice, full tone.  In fact, I was expecting another mondo distortion box (my last build was Mark Hammer's Chaos Drive - awesome pedal!).  The Thunderchief is warm and full with a nice range of smooth overdrive to 80's Marshall rock tone.  It makes the clean channel of my Peavey XXX sing!

I'm wondering what switching out the first bypass cap (0.68uF) for a 250uF would do?  More gain?  Just louder?  ROG says 'switches from normal to lead channel' - I don't have any experience playing through Marshall amps so I'm kinda lost...

Any other 'must do' mods for the Thunderchief?

Excellent work, again, all involved on the Thunderchief!
Mike

[RDV]

That XXX is a great amp. You'll probably like all the designs here through that amp.

RDV

[mutant_guitar]

I'm wondering what switching out the first bypass cap (0.68uF) for a 250uF would do?  More gain?  Just louder?  ROG says 'switches from normal to lead channel' - I don't have any experience playing through Marshall amps so I'm kinda lost...

i was wondering this myself. looks like it might just change how much bass gets through the first "stage".

i'm not sure what's up with my TC, but i can't get any feedback out of it. it's weird, it just doesn't want to feed back. i can have my guitar switched the neck pickup, hold it right next to the speaker, and get nothing. mind bending.

anyway, if you're interested, i posted a sound clip of my TC earlier today.

[mydementia]

I had time tonight to add a 220uF/0.68uF SPDT switch to my Thunderchief build (girlfriend was watching an awful Hillary Duff movie).  You were right - the bigger cap rounds out the tone and gives an overall warmer-deeper sound to the unit.  I highly recommend the mod...just don't do what I did and break a leg off the 0.68uF cap...I had to scramble to find the right values to run in parallel to get the right capacitance for the 'normal' cfg. 

mutant_guitar: I checked out your clip - cool stuff man.