back to basics-new brontoboost reissue

[joegagan]

Hi guys and gals
The commercial version of the brontoboost was basically version3, it had gain controls for each stage and an input buffer that I liked because it added a little more grit and sustain to the pedal.
But there were 2 customers who had early versions, (and later also got the commercial one) . no input buffer and with a simplified input gain that was weird in operation, a little counterintuitive (there was full gain at either cw or ccw positions)
Both of these customers said they much prefer the early version, so i am relaunching a new 'reissue' that has all the good early features with the circuit improvements to reduce noise of the later version.
Any one who is more recent on this forum might like to try it. it isn't hard, the only tricky thing is wiring the dualgangs.
regular single pots can be subbed if you don't mind having more knobs. ( you have to come up with your own onestage/twostage switch if you do this, just do a dpdt bypass for the si stage.)
try it and post results if you would like a very versatile treble boost/ OD/ fuzz!

[joegagan]

oh, one more thing.

in any mode or setting, this pedal is the best I have ever heard for getting clean by turning your guitar volume down.
I use the bronto by itself all the time, set the amp fairly clean and have all the control right on the guitar and play all night that way.

[Arn C.]

Thanks much JOE!!!!!!

Peace!
Arn C.

[Mark Hammer]

NVN rides again!



Thanks, Joe.

[The Tone God]

Cool stuff Joe. Thanks

Andrew

[newbie builder]

Very cool- thanks!

[petemoore]

  He he he ...that is a good one Joe !!
  Looking at it again [you may remember I populated from that schematic, a board once...] I see 1/2 of a DG pot per transistor input, some type of balance going on there !
  Some really cool stuff going on there, you actually have me thinking about trying that again. Splicing a buffer back in'd be easy enough.
  Kind of a monster..what'd make that build easier to harness'd be using the DG pots..12 lugs as the board mount, and matching PCB of course..this would simplify the wiring considerably and I would think 12 potlugs sharing the load of the board mounting could be laid out to make a sturdy assembly, socket spacing on the transistors of course.
  Just wondering what it would do if a large DC blocking cap were to be across the B/E junction of a buffer, with it's emitter resistor lifted, thinking spdt bypass, emitter in the middle, E resistor on one end, cap to base on the other.
 

[joegagan]

thanks guys
pete, I understand what you are saying. board mounted dualgangs would ease the assembly process alot.
I didn't produce this type of gain control for the public because it is too weird for the average user - they expect full gain to be Cw , and they have every right to expect it.

A good solution would be to have it be two stage all the time and simply make the (pre)gain for the Si stage only.

I will draw this up shrtly.

one Q, pete---what are you trying to achieve with the switch on the buffer emitter, some kind of unity/gain select?

[joegagan]

ok, here is a simpler version - the pedal has both stages in circ at all times
I won't have time to mock it up for a while but based on extensive experiments with this circuit overall, I am pretty confident it will have no issues.
please , anyone if you have time, breadboard it and let us now how it is

[tungngruv]

Updated your gallery Joe. Thanks for the work! Also, check your mail.

[petemoore]

  I am just rambling, Joe !
  I have some beefy Spdt's, and can't figure out much to use them for, was just wondering if putting a cap across the B/E and lifting the E resistor would be close to a true bypass for a buffer. Something I might want to try on a wah pedal...just curious, sometimes I want to try a buffer, then maybe install it permanent, or...have it switchable bypassed, I don't know because I didn't want to dedicate a dpdt to that, I'd be more inclined to try it with an Spdt., I got these beefy 'looking industrial/automotive ones with toggles.
  HG settings at both ends is fine as long as the user understands it and it's not hard to use, two pots there would be somewhat confusing, providing precise gain control the way multiple interactive gain controls do.
 

[joegagan]

Jack Orman gave me a simple switch for a buffer, can be spdt , check it out here

[tcobretti]

I was looking at this in another thread, and it looks really cool, Joe.  Why does it need a buffer?

[joegagan]

hi tcobretti
the buffer was an add-on right before i put the bronto into production. it added more sustain and nice compression.

but the two guys who had both versions both said almost exactly the same comments, that the non buffer version had better tone and more touch sensitivity. and of course more mojo(ha)

[tcobretti]

Very interesting.  Compression is one thing I like very much in a fuzz, so I may have to try it with the buffer.

[John Lyons]

Hey Joe

So just to clairify
The Schematic at the top is the sort of Hybrid version with the buffer right? It's the same buffer as the skyripper. Gain/buffer/sustain added when set counter and clockwise but nulled in the middle.
This version has both satges in all the time too, no?
How do you set bettween fuzz and no fuzz?

Then V1B is a non buffer version right? also both stages in all the time.

Sorry for all the questions, the buffer throws me off a bit still.
These are great simple circuits with some nice ingenious routing tweaks!

John

[joegagan]

Hey Joe

So just to clairify
The Schematic at the top is the sort of Hybrid version with the buffer right? It's the same buffer as the skyripper. Gain/buffer/sustain added when set counter and clockwise but nulled in the middle.
This version has both satges in all the time too, no?

hi John,
both stages are NOt in circ all the time in V1a
V1a is the new reissue wth no buffer. the original bronto had the exact same 'blender' dualgang as the skyripper(except on the bronto it selected between one stage or 2stage rather than buffer/no-buffer as in skyrip).
as i mentioned above, i didn't think the public would appreciate the quirky blend pot so I did away with it. but the guys who tried the early version with the dualgang input preferred it to the production version, hence the back to  basics ( no pun intended John) version you see here.

if you look at it, it is wired just ilke a true bypass dpdt. I actually did not think this (DG config) up. someone emailed the circuit snippet to me, wish i could remember who

How do you set bettween fuzz and no fuzz?

the fuzz comes on when the tone is to the fat side ( lotta low end overdriving like a 2.2 uf input cap on fuzzface), and the gains are high

Then V1B is a non buffer version right? also both stages in all the time.

both v1a and v1b have no buffer. the main dif between them is that v1b is 2 stage all the time

These are great simple circuits with some nice ingenious routing tweaks!

thanks! when i designed the bronto I had a breadboard, very little knowledge or experience and a pretty good set of ears, I would lay in bed at night and dream up ways of getting more control with less knobs! in a live show I debuted the first bronto in a stage ready box, my brother tim said it was one of the best OD tones he had heard me get. guitarists would come up to me constantly wanting to know how i got that tone. for 4 years it was my main tone about 85% of the time.

when I frst publicized it , bill bergman built it and really dug it, so I was psyched! He liked it with LEDS instead of diodes

[John Lyons]

Ok, thanks for the clarification Joe. I'll have the study these a bit more to get my head around them. (then come back with more questions...HA!)

P.S. Did you get that S Rip to bias correctly finally?

John

[joegagan]

P.S. Did you get that S Rip to bias correctly finally?

John

i haven't put the TnG Srip on the bench yet. 'll let you and tony know what I find

[Aharon]

Hey Joe,long time no see......................just wnated to say HI.
Aharon