Keeley compressor clone

Started by davph30, September 15, 2006, 03:52:45 PM

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davph30

I know that the keeley is based on the ross compressor, does anyone have a keeley schematic with values and semiconductor types ?

what is the differences between the ross and the keeley?

Thanks for reading

markm

All ya gotta do is build a stock DIY Ross comp build and you pretty much will have a Keeley.
I can't say the exact differences but, I think he uses different pot values/tapers and 1% metal film resistors,
"hi-fi" caps and supposedly OEM trannies.
I built the tonepad Ross clone and about a week after doing so I happily e-bayed my Keeley to buy more parts!
I haven't missed it one bit  ;D

Gus

I find this question kind of funny.

davph30

why is it funny Gus? I'd just like to know the exact differences in values ect

Ed G.

Kind of an inside joke here.
Lots of people here figure Keeley got at least some of his ideas from this forum.
There are lots of mods for the Ross compressor here. Do a search.

markm

Quote from: Ed G. on September 16, 2006, 10:16:54 PM
Kind of an inside joke here.
Lots of people here figure Keeley got at least some of his ideas from this forum.

That would not surprise me at all.

Dragonfly

Quote from: Ed G. on September 16, 2006, 10:16:54 PM
Lots of people here figure Keeley got at least some of his ideas from this forum.

...kind of an understatement, don't you think ?  :D

seriously...to the original poster....build a ross, use MF resistors and either MF or PF caps, and you'll be 99% there...

AC

Ed G.

Just going from memory, Jay Doyle and Mark Hammer have some really good posts on the Ross chorus. With some of their suggested tweaks you can put together a comp that should surpass Keeley's.

bancika

yeah, there's vero layout aroun here with both RG's and Hammers mods included. I finshed one comp done according to it, so it's verified :)
The new version of DIY Layout Creator is out, check it out here


Ed G.

Quote from: Dragonfly on September 17, 2006, 12:00:20 PM

...kind of an understatement, don't you think ?  :D


Yeah, I was just trying to be nice  ;)

markm

Quote from: Ed G. on September 17, 2006, 01:49:30 PM
Just going from memory, Jay Doyle and Mark Hammer have some really good posts on the Ross chorus. With some of their suggested tweaks you can put together a comp that should surpass Keeley's.

Absolutely.
It's not really all that difficult to surpass Keeley's Comp.
Matter of fact, from what I have seen of the PCB, it is quite comparable ( :icon_biggrin:) to the TP layout.

analogmike

Quote from: markm on September 15, 2006, 07:03:29 PM

I can't say the exact differences but, I think he uses ... supposedly OEM trannies.

nope, he ran out of the 2SC1849R a year or more ago, he sells a lot more compressor pedals than we do (good marketing and builds them a lot faster) . We have some NOS trannies left but getting low....
DIY has unpleasant realities, such as that an operating soldering iron has two ends differing markedly in the degree of comfort with which they can be grasped. - J. Smith

mike  ~^v^~ aNaLoG.MaN ~^v^~   vintage guitar effects

http://www.analogman.com

davph30

thanks for your help guys, i've ordered the parts and going to give it a try, will try it with 2n5088's first. If i get a pile how do i best match them?

markm

Quote from: analogmike on September 18, 2006, 10:28:02 AM
Quote from: markm on September 15, 2006, 07:03:29 PM

I can't say the exact differences but, I think he uses ... supposedly OEM trannies.

nope, he ran out of the 2SC1849R a year or more ago, he sells a lot more compressor pedals than we do (good marketing and builds them a lot faster) . We have some NOS trannies left but getting low....

Interesting.
I think his website still promotes this but, I could be wrong and really have no desire to look either!  :icon_lol:

Gilles C

Just in case you need more info, if you don't already have it.

http://fuzzcentral.tripod.com/compressor.html

Gilles

Fp-www.Tonepad.com

a clone of a clone can be the clone of the original  ::)

Seriously, if one wanted to clone a pedal that is itself a clone, a requirement would be to replicate the dedication in construction and part selection, since the circuit itself is not what's 'special' about a boutique pedal. There is a certain skill there, which makes the difference, IMO, not a small difference.

Fp
www.tonepad.com : Effect PCB Layout artwork classics and originals : www.tonepad.com

RobertKeeley

#16
Howdy folks, or maybe Bullocks to some....
Anyway, listen all of you that continue to guess, surmise, accuse, etc....
I copied the a Ross schematic by RGKEEN in April or so of 2001.
Since then, at least a 100 design changes have been made....to say that is probably a huge understatement, things get improved here all of the time.
I have not changed my design by looking at or learing about TP, M. Hammer's, Analogman's, or ANYONE'S ideas except for four cases.
I've talked with Jack Orman about some mods and made changes, I pay him from time to time for the help.
I've changed things based on the techs opinions here at the shop.
I've talked with my dad (also an EE) about the pedal.
Things I do on my own.
I've gotten mods from Jeorge Tripps and his ideas on the pedal and a whole slew of stuff thrown at me over time...but have used NONE of it.
Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING I've seen on this forum has EVER been used.  I'll let you know when I do learn from this place and decide to utilize the information.

Analogman.  Dude, you need to stop your guessing and crying about everything related to my business.  Grow up man.
You have some silly comment if I run a full page ad, sell on ebay, if I talk about things that matter like customer service, you think you know when I run out of a part, etc, etc, etc...
Since I blew past you years ago, I've forgotten about you.  Forget about me!  THANKS!  ;D
hmmm...the last time I REALLY thought about you was when I paid well over $60,000 in federal income taxes a couple years ago.  The roads and schools and police needed the help, I was glad to give.   ;)


Just about anyone can build a compressor.  Millions can build a compressor better than the product we offer.  That is not the point.  We make something that sounds good and we support it in terms of sales, service, and supply.

You know what I do?!?!?!?  I laugh at you guys that think you know how and what and why I do things!!!  ;D
What I DO is try to grow a business and a family.  For the 27 or so people I employ, we give full medical and dental insurance coverage for a tiny cost, large vacation times, paid education Regardless of Degree Type, IRA Investing with matching, schedules to fit families and education, birthday parties, company events, a chance for people to grow and create their own future here and outside the company.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?  That means that I'm not going to let my customers down.  I've got things under control enough to offer that by making people happy and helping them with their tone (even if it's not our mods, or even our pedals, etc...).  I don't have to worry about looking around this place but once every couple years and wonder how over 1/2 of you are so negative and wrong about what you surmise as my history and business.

SO think what you want about something that started in early 2001 and you guys can still be jealous and pontificate about it all you want.  I do need to get back to family, friends and our killer customers!!!

Robert
Always learning, always having fun!

Ken

Robert,

Mate have a stiff drink.....................

I really don't think anyone here has problems with you.

I think it's great that you can make a living for yourself and others out

of something most of us treat as a hobby...well maybe more than a hobby.

I don't see how you feel threatened ?

If I'm missing something please say so .

Cheers Ken.  :icon_biggrin:

amz-fx

I'll confirm much of what Robert says...   I talk with him every month on the phone and we discuss many ideas about circuit design, the NAMM show, how to run a business, the weather, or why our wives are on our butts :icon_mrgreen:

Robert has a business to run and it takes much more time to manage employees and products than some people understand, which leaves little time for visiting forums. Also, I know he intentionally does not read this forum because he does not want to be suspected of borrowing ideas...  that might be a bad idea because I've found that if you are present on a forum then the people tend to be more considerate. If you are absent, then you lose that personal touch, and some folks start to become loose with their consideration/respect for you, or your business. 

re: the Attack mod.  It wasn't invented on this forum....  maybe it was independently derived by someone here, which is certainly possible, but I have seen the exact same type of design on a commercial pedal that long predates any discussion here.  It's just a logical mod that a competent designer can arrive at by looking at the circuit.  It is easy for it to have been developed independently by Keeley, AnalogMike or this forum without input from each other.

re: the Keeley compressor. It started life as a Ross/MXR clone, and he has always been upfront about acknowledging that. There are lots of mods to the circuit that improve upon the basic design and as Robert stated, I contributed some of them. We talked about a new mod to it just recently, which I don't know if he has implemented yet, but that particular mod hasn't been seen on any forum... however, it is logical and it would not surprise me if it did appear one day.

QuoteWhat I DO is try to grow a business and a family.  For the 27 or so people I employ, we give full medical and dental insurance coverage for a tiny cost, large vacation times, paid education Regardless of Degree Type, IRA Investing with matching, schedules to fit families and education, birthday parties, company events, a chance for people to grow and create their own future here and outside the company.

This speaks for itself.    I'll only confirm that we discuss some of these items on the phone from time to time.

I know Robert has a good feeling about DiY hobbyists - he started as one - and believes as I do that 99.5% of them are great people who are considerate and honest.  Please return the sentiment.   :icon_cool:

Best regards, Jack

StephenGiles

I for one have no reason to think other than Robert is a good egg. (quaint English expression). He obviously looks after his staff.
"I want my meat burned, like St Joan. Bring me pickles and vicious mustards to pierce the tongue like Cardigan's Lancers.".