Doug Hammond - The Brick (Percolator based)
- jakerandall
- Breadboard Brother
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- Posts: 56
- Joined: 03 Nov 2007, 09:46
as an albini fan, I must build one of these. All the info on the internet disputes any factual schematics. If I can build even a very similiar sounding circuit that would be cool. ideas anyone?
I did try the harmonic jerk and it was weird. similiar but way off. so that was a no go.
I did try the harmonic jerk and it was weird. similiar but way off. so that was a no go.
- DougH
- Transistor Tuner
Oh shit...
Now I gotta go look that one up...
FWIW, I don't think mine is an 'exact' clone or anything. Not because of what the Chuck cloner guy said, but because of new info that came to light in a diystompbox thread last spring. I used some 'NOS' hard-to-find diodes that gave it higher output with still the Ge sound. Also, I think coupling and other cap values in mine are different, although I tried some of the 'official' values but still preferred mine.
Now I gotta go look that one up...
FWIW, I don't think mine is an 'exact' clone or anything. Not because of what the Chuck cloner guy said, but because of new info that came to light in a diystompbox thread last spring. I used some 'NOS' hard-to-find diodes that gave it higher output with still the Ge sound. Also, I think coupling and other cap values in mine are different, although I tried some of the 'official' values but still preferred mine.
If You try the jerkulator You oughta put the clipping diodes back in, plus the resistor in series with one of them. Comes closer.jakerandall wrote:as an albini fan, I must build one of these. All the info on the internet disputes any factual schematics. If I can build even a very similiar sounding circuit that would be cool. ideas anyone?
I did try the harmonic jerk and it was weird. similiar but way off. so that was a no go.
I dunno, maybe it takes some extensive breadboarding plus the right trannies to nail it...
- jakerandall
- Breadboard Brother
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- Posts: 56
- Joined: 03 Nov 2007, 09:46
dougs brick? I actually dont want to build an exact clone just a tonally sounding clone. Exact clones are nearly impossible with available components.
no ofense intended man, I know you do better than cloning. It resembles the HP in it's structure (for what I gather the HP actualy is), but easyer to make it sound good, IMO.DougH wrote:Oh shit...
Now I gotta go look that one up...
FWIW, I don't think mine is an 'exact' clone or anything. Not because of what the Chuck cloner guy said, but because of new info that came to light in a diystompbox thread last spring. I used some 'NOS' hard-to-find diodes that gave it higher output with still the Ge sound. Also, I think coupling and other cap values in mine are different, although I tried some of the 'official' values but still preferred mine.
snail
- RLBJR65
- Resistor Ronker
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The Brick was first called the Harmonic Speculator right?
Here is a vero layout.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Ric ... ewsIndex=1
MarkM's PCB layout http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Mar ... T.gif.html
Transfer http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Mar ... R.gif.html
Here is the schematic resulting from the thread at DIY Doug was refering to.
http://www.geocities.com/george_giblet/ ... rev1_1.png
PCB layout for that schem.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Ric ... r.gif.html
Here is a vero layout.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Ric ... ewsIndex=1
MarkM's PCB layout http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Mar ... T.gif.html
Transfer http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Mar ... R.gif.html
Here is the schematic resulting from the thread at DIY Doug was refering to.
http://www.geocities.com/george_giblet/ ... rev1_1.png
PCB layout for that schem.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Ric ... r.gif.html
- DougH
- Transistor Tuner
No problem. In this case I was actually seeing how close to the "real deal" I could get. The Brick grew out of a game of "hide & seek" I was playing with Chuck Collins on Aron's forum a few years ago. He builds HP clones to sell. I quickly learned I would never get to the "real thing", in his view anyway, but I ended up with something I think I like better. He insisted the diode type was important, and they were rare hard to find unobtanium. So I found some rare hard to find Ge diodes with higher than normal threshold voltage that gave me a hotter output than the HP. HP owners I've spoken to have complained about the "near unity-gain" output level, a problem I encountered when breadboarding it with 1n34a's.no ofense intended man, I know you do better than cloning. It resembles the HP in it's structure (for what I gather the HP actualy is), but easyer to make it sound good, IMO.
snail
Here's the Brick, btw:
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/v/Dou ... /brick.gif
hmmm. I agree with the unity issues. I got to play one of the originals that steve might have used. It was a neat sound. I wonder what could be done to increase unity but still have that clean up fuzzy goodness of the original.
Screw the idea of it being 100% in fact it would be ok with me if it was all siclicon and was made with easy to find parts. The sound is the important thing. I was also not a fan of the jerk.
Screw the idea of it being 100% in fact it would be ok with me if it was all siclicon and was made with easy to find parts. The sound is the important thing. I was also not a fan of the jerk.
- DougH
- Transistor Tuner
Use the 1n46 diodes like I did. They have the same sound as a typical Ge diode with a higher threshold voltage. I don't they are made anymore so they might be hard to find. You might also try 2 1n34a's in series in ea antiparallel leg.I wonder what could be done to increase unity but still have that clean up fuzzy goodness of the original.
I built the Brick with the original transistors. As I mentioned, it was a futile & useless exercise in "cloning". If I was going to try this out, I would play with Tim E.'s "Jerkulator" circuit. It uses common Si 2n3904/06 type BJTs.Screw the idea of it being 100% in fact it would be ok with me if it was all siclicon and was made with easy to find parts.
- DougH
- Transistor Tuner
Here's a fun one. Albini demos the Harmonic Percolator and a "clone":
http://www.gearwire.com/bp1-albini-comparison.html
Compare this to the "BrickFuzz" and "BrickMayhem" clips for fun.
http://www.gearwire.com/bp1-albini-comparison.html
Compare this to the "BrickFuzz" and "BrickMayhem" clips for fun.
- soulsonic
- Old Solderhand
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You gotta love Albini's deadpan bashing of the clone.
I'm a huge Big Black fan, and I think it's really funny how people in the pretentious indie rock community think he's some kind of guru of tone.... it seems pretty obvious to me he takes sarcastic jabs at those people every chance he gets. I mean - have any of these guys ever listened to a Big Black album? His tone is purposefully terrible - it's a wry mockery of what people consider a good sound.
You can hear him using the Harmonic Percolator do it's harmonic thing for real at the beginning of this song:
I'm a huge Big Black fan, and I think it's really funny how people in the pretentious indie rock community think he's some kind of guru of tone.... it seems pretty obvious to me he takes sarcastic jabs at those people every chance he gets. I mean - have any of these guys ever listened to a Big Black album? His tone is purposefully terrible - it's a wry mockery of what people consider a good sound.
You can hear him using the Harmonic Percolator do it's harmonic thing for real at the beginning of this song: