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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: Thisisyoureading on April 27, 2012, 02:32:21 PM

Title: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: Thisisyoureading on April 27, 2012, 02:32:21 PM
I know you're probably saying 'Why not just buy a tone wicker?', well a) It means spending more money on something and b) I thought it might be cheaper to mod a toggle switch with the same function as the Tone Wicker onto the standard Big Muff Pi.

Is this at all possible?
Title: Re: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: nocentelli on April 27, 2012, 06:31:01 PM
Yes, but it might be a bit fiddly. From what I can gather, it is simply lifting the three B-C caps on Q1-3. You could remove them from the board and mount them on the switch, or lift one leg on each and run wires from the lifted legs + holes from whence they came to the switch.
Title: Re: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: DiscoVlad on April 28, 2012, 12:31:51 AM
GGG has the schematic (http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/projects/17-distortion/108-big-muff-pi) showing how to do the tone bypass for transistor muffs too.
Title: Re: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: Electron Tornado on April 28, 2012, 08:08:57 AM
nocentelli is correct regarding the tone wicker mod. To lift all three caps you'll need either a 3PSP or 3PDP switch. The latter of the two might be easier to find.

The tone bypass will give you a volume boost, BUT will also give you a very noticeable increase in noise as well. Here's another option for modding the tone control:   http://guitarkitbuilder.com/content/big-muff-pi-mod-more-mid-range-tone (http://guitarkitbuilder.com/content/big-muff-pi-mod-more-mid-range-tone) 

Using a switch, you can make the tone control selectable between stock, scooped mids, and flat mids. Download the tone stack calculator and you can tweak the tone control as you like. http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/ (http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/)

Title: Re: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: DiscoVlad on April 28, 2012, 08:04:35 PM
The actual EH Tonewicker BMP uses a single pole toggle switch, and a 4066 (switch IC) to switch the 3 caps out - using something like this, or optocouplers would be more difficult, but less likely to cause popping from one lead of the capacitors being left floating.
Title: Re: Question: Big Muff Pi Standard, could you add a Tone Wicker?
Post by: Thisisyoureading on April 29, 2012, 02:17:29 PM
Thanks guys, I'll have a look at what you've all posted.