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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: Al the Great on January 23, 2005, 12:03:51 PM

Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Al the Great on January 23, 2005, 12:03:51 PM
Hi!

I'm new to this forum so hi to everyone here.
I'm looking to build a simple treble and bass boost. What would be a simple yet powerful boost to make? I'm using a prefboard. : :D



Al
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Torchy on January 23, 2005, 12:08:53 PM
crp
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Al the Great on January 23, 2005, 12:18:19 PM
yeah, sorry for a double post. :D
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: MartyMart on January 23, 2005, 12:32:56 PM
AMZ mosfet boost, LPB1, LPB2 and Dragonfly's sparkle boost
just have a look for them in very recent posts !!
Dragonfly's "booster for ya" and Torchy's "veroboard downloads site"

Marty. 8)
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: squidsquad on January 23, 2005, 12:54:04 PM
Never built it....but there's this:

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/apolobst.gif

And you could try this (easy & sounds nice):

http://www.runoffgroove.com/fetzervalve.html

which you could try in front of....or behind.
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Al the Great on January 23, 2005, 01:01:29 PM
Thanks guys! I'll give them a go! 8)
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: bwanasonic on January 23, 2005, 01:33:28 PM
I like the AMZ Mosfet and Fetzer for both clean and dirty sounds. Dragonfly's Fetzer variant "Sparkle Boost"  is nice. A Rangemaster is great into a slightly dirty and dark tube amp.  Maybe try Jack Orman's AMZ Mini-booster. A lot of it of course comes down to your setup and style of music and how you are using the booster. They all have a tone-shaping aspect as well as a gain-staging aspect.

Kerry M
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: R.G. on January 23, 2005, 06:36:17 PM
You want both bass and treble boost at the same time?? How about a scooped mid ?
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Dragonfly on January 23, 2005, 08:02:40 PM
Quote from: bwanasonicDragonfly's Fetzer variant "Sparkle Boost"  is nice.
Kerry M

Actually....and i say this with great respect....the Sparkle Boost definitely isnt a Fetzer variant. In fact, the Fetzer never even entered my mind when i was designing the Sparkle Boost. My goal for the Sparkle Boosts design was to have a clean boost sound similar to the AMZ Mosfet Boost, the simplicity of a LPB-1, and the ability to get some "grit" (if you dial it in) like a Rangemaster. I'm sure the Fetzer is a great sounding boost, judging from the reviews I've read here, and knowing that the ROG guys are frickin' stompbox geniuses....but I have yet to build one or hear one, and it definitely didnt influence the Sparkle Boost.
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Torchy on January 23, 2005, 08:38:00 PM
crp
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Dragonfly on January 23, 2005, 10:57:48 PM
Quote from: TorchyIf you want treble and bass then head over to GGG and order a RTS pcb for the Fat Boostered (http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/diagrams/joam_sc_fb.gif). If you buy the pcb then assembly is easy. There's a list of parts and a diagram how to put it together.


ive heard good things about this project....
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: bwanasonic on January 24, 2005, 12:13:11 AM
Quote from: Dragonfly.the Sparkle Boost definitely isnt a Fetzer variant.

I didn't intend to say it was a derivative. I meant it in the sense of "change a couple of part values and you have..." . Since the Fetzer was established first , I think of this one as a Fetzer variant. From a design standpoint, I think it is reasonable to look at it as Fetzer variation even if it was arrived at independently.

Kerry M
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Alpha579 on January 24, 2005, 12:28:51 AM
Quote from: Dragonfly
Quote from: bwanasonicDragonfly's Fetzer variant "Sparkle Boost"  is nice.
Kerry M

Actually....and i say this with great respect....the Sparkle Boost definitely isnt a Fetzer variant. In fact, the Fetzer never even entered my mind when i was designing the Sparkle Boost. My goal for the Sparkle Boosts design was to have a clean boost sound similar to the AMZ Mosfet Boost, the simplicity of a LPB-1, and the ability to get some "grit" (if you dial it in) like a Rangemaster. I'm sure the Fetzer is a great sounding boost, judging from the reviews I've read here, and knowing that the ROG guys are frickin' stompbox geniuses....but I have yet to build one or hear one, and it definitely didnt influence the Sparkle Boost.

Even though you say the sparkle boost wasnt influenced by the fetzer valve, they are very similar, and will sound very similar, due to the simple one stage topology of the circuit...
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Dragonfly on January 24, 2005, 12:59:21 AM
Quote from: Alpha579

Even though you say the sparkle boost wasnt influenced by the fetzer valve, they are very similar, and will sound very similar, due to the simple one stage topology of the circuit...

but...by that reasoning, a Orange Sunshine Fuzz, a Vox Tonebender (V829), a Jordan Bosstone,  and a Fuzz Face will sound similar....and we all know they sound quite different from one another....because even though the circuits appear similar, the different part types, part values, and small "additions" make the difference.


I definitely agree that looking at the 2 circuits, they are similar...but theyre also similar to fet circuits that have been around in application notes for quite a while...( in fact, Jack recently referenced a single gain stage fet boost ib his notebook thats similar to both the Fetzer and the Sparkle, and i assume that one came from some app. notes.)  basically i started from those , messed with some values, added the extra cap and resistor, changed the drain resistor to a trimmer, added the Mosfet Boost gain staging, and thats how the circuit came into being. Now im not saying that i'm some genius that came up with the Sparkle Boost out of "thin air"...quite the opposite......i dig into application notes, talk to my Dad (who, among other things, has been an EE since the late 50's), and do a LOT of experimenting.....but i would venture a guess that the Fetzer and the Sparkle sound different, based on those changes (and the fact that i later tried a MPF102 in the Sparkle to see if it worked ok...it did, but it sounded VERY different from the NTE458's ive been using)

i do wish i couldve kept the parts count for the Sparkle Boost down to the same # of parts as the Fetzer, but the Sparkle wouldnt sound like the Sparkle without 'em :)

RAWK ON !
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Dragonfly on January 24, 2005, 01:01:24 AM
Quote from: bwanasonic
Quote from: Dragonfly.the Sparkle Boost definitely isnt a Fetzer variant.

I didn't intend to say it was a derivative. I meant it in the sense of "change a couple of part values and you have..." . Since the Fetzer was established first , I think of this one as a Fetzer variant. From a design standpoint, I think it is reasonable to look at it as Fetzer variation even if it was arrived at independently.

Kerry M

i understand that...but then again, the Fetzer and the Sparkle are also similar to application notes circuits that have been around for a long time....so i guess theyre "both" variants :)

(kinda like the early Marshalls are a variant of the Fender Bassman :) )
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: bwanasonic on January 24, 2005, 02:20:26 AM
Quote from: Dragonfly
(kinda like the early Marshalls are a variant of the Fender Bassman :) )

That's exactly the sense I meant it in. :)

Kerry M
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Alpha579 on January 24, 2005, 03:29:32 AM
for a marshall vibe, also check out http://www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=25640&highlight=marshall+jubilee
Title: A simple boost (other than the NPN Boost) :)
Post by: Al the Great on January 24, 2005, 11:39:36 AM
thanks guys for replying! I think my next build will be the Fetzer Valve. It looks simple enough for me.  :)