New Zvex Distortion

[WGTP]

http://zvex.com/vexterbor.html

Let the **** begin. 

Anyone have a schematic???   

[nelson]

Cascaded mosfet boosts should get you close.

[jonathan perez]

ZVEX is THE man 

[alecacca]

if you see better, there are some " crackle okay" near pots!

[Torchy]

Hmmmm ... how about

Booster                 =   MOSFET boost.
Distortion Engine   =   ROG Thunderchief with improved biassing (as discussed on here).
"Crackle OK"         =   No decoupling caps leaving dc on the gain pots ?

I wonder how that would sound.
Erm, back in a bit, I, err, left the cat, I mean the kettle on ....

[WGTP]

IIRC Z indicated it was a Mosfet device with some special filtering, when it first appeared in some NAMM pics.   

[Joe Kramer]

Hm.  I don't want to cause trouble, but I wonder if I have a case here:

http://mcclean.org/distort/

My "Distortion Engine" pedals were made in 2000.  Anyone have opinoins/advice?

 

[Hiwatt25]

Joe, did you trademark that name?  If not, I'm afraid it might be a  "Good luck proving it" situation.  I hope everything works itself out.   

[slacker]

zvex's pedal has a distortron engine  not a distortion engine. Does sound a bit like WGTP's "Distron Thrust" though.

[Khas Evets]

Post the schematic and we'll tell you if you have a case.

[Joe Kramer]

No I didn't trademark it, but as I understand copywrite, simply putting the C symbol and a date is usually fairly credible in a court of law.  That may be different than trademarking though.

Thanks for the clarification on "distortron," that makes me feel a little better about it--at least he can't stop ME from using "distortion engine."

Post the schematic and we'll tell you if you have a case.

Is this blackmail?    IIUC, circuits aren't copywrite-able only patentable.  I wouldn't even dream of claiming the circuit in my Distortion Engine is original--it's not;  only the name is original.

[KerryF]

Putting a "C" and the date doesnt make it Copyrighten.  You have to send the info into the Copyright office along with money.  Then its really copyrighten.

[tcobretti]

I have to say that this pedal sounds like a good idea to me.  I never thought about putting a distortion before a booster.  You could use the booster to drive the amp and just add a touch of distortion if you wanted a little more oomph.

[Joe Kramer]

Putting a "C" and the date doesnt make it Copyrighten.  You have to send the info into the Copyright office along with money.  Then its really copyrighten.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

Read "Obtaining and Enforcing Copyright."

"A copyright need not be granted or obtained through official registration with any Government Office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape or a letter), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce his or her exclusive rights"

[Mark Hammer]

Whatever the case, I'll bet you it sells great in Japan with those graphics.  It would seem they love that stuff.

[markm]

Joe,
Are those etched enclosures I see?? 

[Joe Kramer]

Yes, they're etched.  Done the old-fashioned way, with a Sharpie.

BTW, sorry to WGTP for thread-jacking. . . .

BTW II, note to self: it's copyright and copyrighted, not copywrite nor copywrited nor copyrighten, etc.   

[Snuffy]

anybody played/heard/built a wolly mammoth?
I hear they're fat & sassy

[Pushtone]

Joe,

You did those etched graphics in 2000?
You were way ahead of you time with that contribution.
Etching caught on like wildfire here 2005.

[zachary vex]

hey Joe,

sorry if i stepped on the toes of your pedal's name.  i did a search, naturally, but only for "distortron engine".  it never occurred to me to do a search on the other name, but when i do now, it's a very confusing set of results.  also, banzai effects uses that combination of words on their site.

honestly, i only named that half of the pedal "distortron engine" so i could pull that circuit out and use it elsewhere if need be, and refer to it by a name other than "box of rock's distortion half."  8^)

there are three super hard-on circuits in the distortron engine, with heavy filtering pre-emphasis and de-emphasis (post distortion.)  it is similar to approaches used by others over the years, in amps and pedals, but with the SHO as the basic building block, it's got its own texture.  the multiple-SHO distortion i find to be very criss/crossy, or blizzardy.  i'll be putting up a video demo soon.

z