obsidian vs vulcan vs blackfire

[jogina111]

anyone who has built or heard those 3 of Joe's designs? Which one is like pantera's awesome tone?

[seedlings]

anyone who has built or heard those 3 of Joe's designs? Which one is like pantera's awesome tone?

Pantera's awesome tone may be gone with Dimebag.  I've only built the Vulcan, and it's very amp-dependent.  What kind of amp are you going through?

CHAD

[jogina111]

just a diy tda 2003 power amp.. I havent recieved the tiny giant package yet. But would be my own amp..any recommendations for a good simple metal pedal to build and goes well with a tiny giant amp?

[jogina111]

its been decided! Im a go for a good ole metal simplex and mod it... Anyone got a pcb layout/transfer of the metal simplex? I googled some pics but I only got breadboard layouts...

[deadastronaut]

^ i think you mean vero/stripboard layouts.

to be honest its such a small circuit you may as well use a piece of vero...you could build it in an hour..


if you really want a pcb design of the metal simplex i could knock up a quick layout for you ok.....

[WGTP]

I have tried all of those designs and think they are great.  Not sure why the Vulcan would be anymore amp dependant than anything else.  I wouldn't write them off.  Currently my breadboard has a distortion with 3 stages: Obsidian/Jfet Vulcan/BJT Vulcan and it's great.  I reduce the bass content thru the distortion and boost it at the end with a BMP type tone control.   

[jogina111]

yeah Rob, I really want one. Got no veroboard so I'm using pcb's... What other high gain distortion for metal could I build using some 2n3904?

[seedlings]

Not sure why the Vulcan would be anymore amp dependant than anything else. 

Sounds very different (worse) through the crate SS amp than the cathode-bias jtm-45ish tube amp.  But, yes, you're right - no more so than most other pedals, and that is an important point.

CHAD

[Mark Hammer]

I've made a Blackfire, but none of the others.  Pretty intense.  Not really my style so the components have found other homes.  But a very decent design, with GOBS of output that will handily survive whatever passive tonestack you want to stick on the output.

[deadastronaut]

yeah Rob, I really want one. Got no veroboard so I'm using pcb's... What other high gain distortion for metal could I build using some 2n3904?

ok here ya go...unverified, but looks ok.....as always socket the transistors

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7464107/HOWIESLAYOUT1.pdf

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/7464107/HOWIESPCB1.pdf

not sure on other 3904 distortions...i prefer fets j201's for that..

[jogina111]

what circuits for the j201's? Just the easy ones.

[deadastronaut]

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=47087

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=47090

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ1y8gikPqQ&list=UUGP0eO8ADt0H9FY5UcHTf8A&index=10&feature=plcp

nice simple build, very versatile too...and no trimmers ....(note demo was not through an amp, just a mixer, it really kicks ass in an amp...)

and cleans up nicely too...

i must do an amp demo one day...

[jogina111]

there's a 100uf cap in your layout, what does that do?

[deadastronaut]

its for power filtering..smoothing.

common on most schematics....

[jogina111]

ah,I see. What about the red electrolytic cap on the layout? It doesnt have a label. What should I put in there?

[deadastronaut]

c16 should actually be 100uf...not 1uf... 

c1 = 1uf

c6= 22uf...

[jogina111]

I built the metal simplex but skipped the tone and volume pot  but it got low output .not very low output but just the same volume with clipping.. must I expect some volume  increase? Is this because of the lack of volume pot?

[jogina111]

I built the metal simplex but skipped the tone and volume pot  but it got low output .not very low output but just the same volume with clipping.. must I expect some volume  increase? Is this because of the lack of volume pot?