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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: nighthawkz on March 16, 2006, 09:09:40 AM

Title: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: nighthawkz on March 16, 2006, 09:09:40 AM
Hey there,
I play through a Laney LC30 MK1 Combo and the thing I'm asking is: Does anybody know a stombox (doesn't matter if I can buy or build it) that sounds like a modified JCM800 or Plexi? Think about mid-heavy stuff like A perfect circle, fear factory, Green day's "dookie" - and Peavey XXX crunch channel...

Comments?

(Oh, and Admin: In case this is the wrong section, please move the thread)
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: nero1985 on March 16, 2006, 09:18:28 AM
B
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generalguitargadgets.com
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: JimRayden on March 16, 2006, 09:20:05 AM
I was going to write:

"BSIAB2 at generalguitargadgets.com"

But nero beat me to it.

-----------
Jimbo
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: nighthawkz on March 16, 2006, 09:44:42 AM
Argh! Thanks... The thing I'm angry about is: Why is there no sound sample recorded with a humbucker guitar? Has anybody tried the bsiab2? How's it for low palm-muted power chords? (I'm afraid it might be some kind of vintage solo boost, which is NOT what I'm after. Actually I look for a sound that can compete with a dual rectifier...)
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: JimRayden on March 16, 2006, 09:51:06 AM
Hmm, to my knowledge, or my ear memory, the dual recto is quite different from a cranked Marsha. It's a great distortion box to build anyway, maybe you can mod it to sound a lil' meaner.

------------
Jimbo
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: nighthawkz on March 16, 2006, 09:58:33 AM
Sorry if I didn't make myself clear...

I'm not looking for a rectifier sound but for a marshall sound with good low end that can be used instead of a boogyish tone, i.e. mainly for bonecrushing power chords. I'm starting to feel that mesa simply isn't my cup of tea, but i still like the riffs that are usually played through a dual recto.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: petemoore on March 16, 2006, 10:04:14 AM
  BSIAB has 2 x Mu.
  1 x *Mu +, second gain/distortion stage [enter your 'other choice like a second mu or...] *DIST+ or *FF or...
  anyway there's another 'take' on it ... one I like is the Minibooster>Dist+ [modded a bit of course.
  @@R@Te, starting with circuit fragments [ITCase Gain/distortion stages] and building them up to combine them may or may not be your cup of tea...if you just want BSIAB, which is sort of versatile on it's own...there it is.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: JimRayden on March 16, 2006, 10:09:53 AM
And no, BSIAB isn't a "vintage solo boost" as you described it. It's quite a high gain, loud and will rock your socks off.

------------
Jimbo
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: Paul Marossy on March 16, 2006, 10:15:48 AM
I think the original version of the BSIAB gets close to that sound. I really don't know why everyone has forgotten about it (or think it sucks).  :icon_rolleyes: Mine works perfectly fine and doesn't have any issues at all. Anyhow, there's a PCB layout at my site if you need one.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: petemoore on March 16, 2006, 10:19:18 AM
  Mine works perfectly fine and doesn't have any issues at all.
  I'll have to try another, I tried the II...it had issues *I couldn't deal with.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: powerplayj on March 16, 2006, 11:20:52 AM
BSIAB2 will get most of that but I don't know if it has the low end sag I hear in A Perfect Circle tunes.  For a more rectifier-like sound you might search out the Dr. Boogey emulator circuit.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: Paul Marossy on March 16, 2006, 12:58:36 PM
Heck, build a box that switches between the Dr. Boogey and the BSIAB! Now there's an idea...  :icon_idea:
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: SteveB on March 16, 2006, 02:05:30 PM
You could try an Ibanez DS10 Distortion Charger.
(http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/67/1f/3c_1.JPG)

You should be able to find them fairly cheap. A friend of mine had one, & I used it for a while. It took a bit of practice to get the icepick treble out, but with the treble turned almost off, & the mid slightly up, & the bass way up, it sounded pretty good with the gain around 3-4 o'clock. I replaced the diodes with LEDs, & that gave more volume, with plenty enough gain. The bottom end never flabs or fuzzes out, & stays tight. Maybe it was the particular one I had, but the controls all seemed to have very tight sweet spots that made dialing in the "perfect" tone hard to do at first.



Steve
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: gulliver on March 16, 2006, 05:14:16 PM
I have a hotrodded Marshall, a 2205 JCM800 with about $900 worth of Voodoo mods in it. No pedal can get that tone, because you're hitting the power tubes. I use an atenuator with it for lower volumes, or it just doesn't sound as good.

As far as the preamp on the distortion channel, the Keeley DS-1 seeing eye mod is pretty close to my marshall. It's a little too compressed, though, adding LEDs or diodes to taste and keeping the distortion level down increases dynamics. Of course, it needs to be going into a distortion channel as well.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: runmikeyrun on March 16, 2006, 06:54:03 PM
the balls and low end on those amps comes from the power tubes run hard at higher volumes (4+above).  No pedal can EXACTLY duplicate that.  Which means, your chances of building something and making youre laney sound just like it is small.  Now, with some tweaking of BSIAB/BSIAB II and an EQ pedal you may get CLOSER than where you are now.  If you want a cranked marshall sound, find an old jcm 800 and put original Siemens EL34s in it.  Trust me, you will love it. 
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: Peter Davidoff on March 31, 2006, 03:50:55 PM
Hi,

Try Runoffgroove's Thunderchief!

Good luck!

Peter
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: mojotron on March 31, 2006, 04:08:43 PM
The Guv'nor is pretty good for a JCM800 sound. There are some mods to beef it up too. It's pretty tough to know what you really want - but that is another option.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: Traintrack on March 31, 2006, 08:04:51 PM
I just built a BSIAB and I think it sounds really cool, i do not think it is Marshall, But I do think it is one of the best pedals that I have heard. Plus it worked first time out.

There is nothing that touches this pedal for the Marshall tone. http://www.v-stack.com/ (http://www.v-stack.com/), I use it as a Direct box on my recorder and it is hard to tell it's not a Marshall. Check out the sound samples.

Yes I know this is a DIY forum!

I just ordered another GGG board to build another BSIAB for a friend that was as impressed as I was. I d not like to show it to people, they all want one.
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: AdamB on March 31, 2006, 08:21:49 PM
What about a Marshall Guv'nor? O've never played with one, but I've heard some good things.

-Adam
Title: Re: Distortion Pedal for hot-rodded Marshall sound?
Post by: Rick Hardslab on March 31, 2006, 09:19:02 PM
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the sans amp.

Again, it's not perfect, but close.