Wiring a Stratoblaster onboard

[Greg M.]

Is there somewhere I can find a detailed explanation or, even better, a layout of how to hook up the GGG stratoblaster onboard my telecaster?  I'm confused on deleting the adapter jack and LED from the pedal and using a dpdt instead of the 3pdt.  I also just don't know where to run my pickup wiring, boost wiring, etc.  Probably simple stuff to many of you but it confounds me greatly .

I thank you for any help you can provide.

[mth5044]

I'm guessing you want to use a dpdt switch because you dont want the LED?

If so, its pretty easy to wire up, or atleast this is how I would do it. on the dpdt switch, I'm labeling the lugs 1,2,3 (from top to bottom) on the left, then 4,5,6 from top to bottom on the right.

on lug 2, you would wire the output of the pickups to where it would usually go onto the tip of the jack of the guitar, then another wire from lug 5 to the tip of the jack on the guitar. Wire lugs 3 and 6 together. Lug 1 will go to the input on the PCB and lug 4 will go to the output.

I think that sums it all up?

[Ben N]

Check out this diagram: http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/asb_gc_lo.gif. When you disconnect the wires from the output jack, those wires become the green (hot, from volume pot on a Strat or Tele, from the switch on a LP or similar) & black (ground) on the left. Then wire the rest as per the diagram.

[Renegadrian]

I did it!!! First I'll post a pic, then PM if you need advice...Or I can write all details in some hours...

[Greg M.]

Thanks for the great input guys.  I'll get to it and post my results when I'm done (or when I can't get it to work).  I'm sure your advice will be a huge step in the right direction.

This is basically my stab at an Andy Summers boost circuit.  I hope this Stratoblaster turns out to do the trick.

[reverbie]

http://www.guitarheads.net/

check out the onboard effects...waiting for someone to do some "boutique" clones.

[mth5044]

http://www.guitarheads.net/

check out the onboard effects...waiting for someone to do some "boutique" clones.

A bit OT, but they have another brand of onboard effects sold elsewhere, one of which is an SMD analogue delay. Someone over at HCFX took it and put it in a teeny stompbox. It's pretty cool.

[cheeb]

A bit OT, but they have another brand of onboard effects sold elsewhere, one of which is an SMD analogue delay.

It's Guitar Fetish. http://store.guitarfetish.com/modboards.html

Someone over at HCFX took it and put it in a teeny stompbox. It's pretty cool.

It's in the pictures thread.
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=36392.msg585284#msg585284

[Greg M.]

Well, I did get the Stratoblaster wired into my guitar and it works just as I wanted it to, except...

the booster's volume pot does nothing.  Well, it actually does something:  it turns the volume all the way down when the boost is off!  Puzzling that.

Also, it operates in reverse to a normal volume pot.  I know it's a reverse log pot, but should it have to be turned counter clockwise to operate?

Another problem I'm experiencing is a loud pop every time I switch the pickups, flip the boost switch, or flip the phase switch.  I think the tone knob actually pops too when turned, which it didn't do before.

Any ideas on what I could have done, or what I need to do? 

Thanks in advance.

[Renegadrian]

I guess there's something wrong in the wiring...I used a standard pot, 100k-B

[Greg M.]

Wonder why they call for a reverse log pot?

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_sbb_bom.pdf

I'll pull it apart (damn!) in a day or two and recheck my wiring (again).  Oh well, nothing ever works the first time for me, I should be used to it now.

[Renegadrian]

LAYOUT ONE standard 50k lin
LAYOUT TWO standard 50k lin
LAYOUT THREE standard 50k pot again
LAYOUT FOUR 100k pot - MarkM wrote that Volume control could benefit from using a reverse taper pot.


I don't know how much difference wil make, as I never used C pots, but you know...have you got a 50k or 100k B around?!

[DavidRavenMoon]

Wonder why they call for a reverse log pot?

Is that for the gain pot? Because it goes from unity to full boost really quickly.  I've been building Stratoblasters for about 20 years now.  I had them in all my instruments as buffers at one point.

[Renegadrian]

It is that way on mine, witha 100k B pot. The gain is at the end of the pot, I rarely move it just a little less open...

[Greg M.]

Well, after giving this thing the once-over, I found out something very useful:  What I thought was "on" was actually "off" and vice versa .  I assumed the louder switch position was boost on but then I took the battery out and it was still "boosted".  Dang!

So I think the pot is actually working though as that low output level it's hard to tell if it's going to work very well.  I'll have to see when I finally get the board and hookup right.  It does still operate counterclockwise which doesn't make sense to me but I've got bigger problems right now to fret over that too much.

I'll get the soldering gun out tonight and see what I can do.  If anyone has any advice, it would be much appreciated. 

When I get this figured out it may help someone with a similar problem in the future. 

[Renegadrian]

Sorry, which layout did you use? Remember that pins 1 and 2 of the pot (LIN 50k or 100k) go to the 10µF pot - pin 3 to the source (with one end of the 12k in between, the other end going to ground).
Also some layout call for a j201, else a 2n5457 can be used (like in MarkM's) - did you try swapping trannies?

Hope that helps...

[Greg M.]

I used this layout:  http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_sbb_lo.pdf

and I took mth5044's advice from above on how to wire a DPDT switch instead of the 3PDT from the plan.  I do have it hooked up right.

A question:  in the original hookup diagram from Seymour Duncan, there is one wire going from the middle lug on the volume pot to the tip of the guitar's input jack, and one wire going from the back of the tone pot to the sleeve (which is a ground wire).  I now have the wire from the middle lug of the volume going to lug #2 on the DPDT as described by mth5044 above.  Is this all I need, no more ground wires necessary?

[Greg M.]

Well. it's like this.  When I was last working on this circuit I was short on 1K resistor so I put it aside for a while.  Now guess what was missing when I checked over the board a while ago ?  Dang!  I hate that kind of stuff.

I also hate to waste you guys' time like that.  But I do appreciate your attention and help even though I was running you around in circles. 

The boost does work fine now and the pot works fine as well.  It's pretty much what I was after and I'm a happy camper now.

Thanks again,
Greg

[Renegadrian]

Happy it works - post the final pics then!!!

[Greg M.]

Happy it works - post the final pics then!!!

Oh, nobody wants to see that mess  .  Seriously, it's nothing to look at, and the board is mostly hidden by a birdsnest of wires.  I have never been good at keeping wiring looking neat.  Some of the builders on here really are just the opposite.  But the sound is all that matters to me, and this project gets the thumbs up.

I am still puzzled as to the reason behind this though:  when the HB is activated, you can press a string to the metal HB cover and short the thing out. In other words, pressing a string to the cover shuts off all output.  What the...?  But it's not the biggest deal.  I'm having too much fun playing it now to take it apart again.

Thanks again everyone