Sola Sound - Tonebender Mark II Professional [schematic]

[Electric Warrior]

Gotta hate the lack of edit function in this part of the forum

Link

[boblob]

The Sola Sound OC84 reissue that I have has 15nF caps in place of the 10s to compensate for drift. That's pretty important - sounds much more like a vintage unit if you do that (more mids, a little smoother up top, and just generally better). Up to 22nF on the output cap still sounds good with the Tungsrams.

I don't think that Dave uses the 15nFs to compensate for anything. Many vintage units had 15nFs, his own Vox included. He likes that sound a lot!

[ Image ]

[youtube]ohT4Chsa8hs[/youtube]

Read the whole story here: http://www.stompboxes.co.uk/Wifey.html

Ah yeah. Cool. Gotta love Wifey.

Mine had 10nF and all the schematics I'd seen had 10s, so I assumed wrong. A-B-ing with a set on Tungsram AC125s on the breadboard, 15nF got me much closer to the sound of the original. I had assumed drift/wide tolerance to be the reason (although differences in the way the transistors clip will come into it too).

[Electric Warrior]

Right, different transistors do sound slightly different. My Valvo AC125s sound quite a bit brighter than my Philips OC75s.
Your Philips AC125s should work great for a MKII, btw. Make sure you use the OC75 variant of the schematic with 10k on Q1's base and 47k on Q2's collector.

[rosetta]

I built mine a few months ago, the trannies I used were from a smallbear kit oc75, I use some carbon comp resistor and a mustard cap, it sound great, but I got some of issues.

first; the 470ohm resistor used to control volume I had to rise it value, but I had to rise alot y mean on my built is 33K and it gives me a good range of volume to play with.

second: the attack pot doesn't make much difference at max or min.

third: whan I set a Micro POG before it the sound turns weak, duno maybe a impedance problem.

forth: the pedal is a little trebly, is there something i could mod to get more bass or les treble??.


so can any of you guys tell me how to fix the last three issues?

[Electric Warrior]

Did you use the schematic that came with the transistors? That tends to cause most of your issues. Small Bear biases Q3 at 4.5V, which makes it sound trebly and brings down the level. They use a 100k at Q1's base which takes a lot of range from the attack pot when used with OC75s.

Impedance problems with pedals/buffers in front of a MKII are quite common..

[rosetta]

yes I did, I followed their scheme, so what bias value you recomend? something higher or lower?.

on the base of Q1 I've got 10K, but the attack pot is connected to Q2 and it base has a 100k.

anyway I will make some probes.

THanks

[Masuto]

I built mine

Where did you get that hot enclosure?

[Electric Warrior]

yes I did, I followed their scheme, so what bias value you recomend? something higher or lower?.

on the base of Q1 I've got 10K, but the attack pot is connected to Q2 and it base has a 100k.

anyway I will make some probes.

THanks

With stock values and OC75s it usually ends up somewhere between 7.5 and 9V.
I can see an 8k2 resistor. If that's Q3's collector resistor things should be alright.

With that board you probably followed a later Supa Fuzz schematic. It's pretty much identical to the Sola Sound made version except for the 10µF electrolytics.

[rosetta]

I built mine

Where did you get that hot enclosure?

they used to sale them on pedalenclousure.com, but the webpage doesn't work.

yes I did, I followed their scheme, so what bias value you recomend? something higher or lower?.


With stock values and OC75s it usually ends up somewhere between 7.5 and 9V.
I can see an 8k2 resistor. If that's Q3's collector resistor things should be alright.

With that board you probably followed a later Supa Fuzz schematic. It's pretty much identical to the Sola Sound made version except for the 10µF electrolytics.

[ Image ]

yeap I followed a supafuzz schematic with the smalbear changes.

[Masuto]

they used to sale them on pedalenclousure.com

Cheers. So they are basically unavailable as of now! Shame, shame, shameee.
PEDALENCLOSURE.COM PEOPLEGIVE US A BUZZ

[Electric Warrior]

I built mine

Where did you get that hot enclosure?

they used to sale them on pedalenclousure.com, but the webpage doesn't work.

yes I did, I followed their scheme, so what bias value you recomend? something higher or lower?.


With stock values and OC75s it usually ends up somewhere between 7.5 and 9V.
I can see an 8k2 resistor. If that's Q3's collector resistor things should be alright.

With that board you probably followed a later Supa Fuzz schematic. It's pretty much identical to the Sola Sound made version except for the 10µF electrolytics.

[ Image ]

yeap I followed a supafuzz schematic with the smalbear changes.

Try it without any changes then. You may have to adjust Q2's collector resistor to bias it to the sweet spot between noisyness and gating, though.

[Nocentelli]

they used to sale them on pedalenclousure.com

Cheers. So they are basically unavailable as of now! Shame, shame, shameee.
PEDALENCLOSURE.COM PEOPLEGIVE US A BUZZ

If it's a steel "Z wedge" enclosure, I have an unfinished one, undrilled (and unmarked apart from a couple of tiny tentative drill marks that would disappear under a finish). I bought without realising I didn't have the cojones (or drill bits) to drill steel, and you or anyone else is welcome to it for £10 + the cost of postage to wherever you are.

[Masuto]

Of all the tonebenders, I really do like the MkII version - It nails the Hendrix Voodoo Child sound when you put a well tuned wah pedal in front of it too.
I don't think Hendrix ever used a Fuzz Face - If he did, I don't think he liked it from what I have heard from folks supposedly in the know - forget the other benders - build a MkII - you won't be sorry you did.
bajaman

Call me sentimental, call me dumb.. But it's time to rehash the first post in this here thread.. And check this auction:

http://www.ebay.it/itm/JIMI-HENDRIX-EXP ... 697&_uhb=1

[DrNomis]

Looks like I'm going to have to see if I can buy myself a trio of OC75s on eBay, since I've got a PCB kit for a Marshall Super Fuzz which I might build soon, I've already built a good sounding Mk II with some OC81Ds......

[jalmonsalmon]

Of all the tonebenders, I really do like the MkII version - It nails the Hendrix Voodoo Child sound when you put a well tuned wah pedal in front of it too.
I don't think Hendrix ever used a Fuzz Face - If he did, I don't think he liked it from what I have heard from folks supposedly in the know - forget the other benders - build a MkII - you won't be sorry you did.
bajaman

Call me sentimental, call me dumb.. But it's time to rehash the first post in this here thread.. And check this auction:

http://www.ebay.it/itm/JIMI-HENDRIX-EXP ... 697&_uhb=1

There it is... Marshall Super Fuzz justification to add to my pedal collection.
I am wondering if Jimi actually used that pedal on any recordings...

Looks like I'm going to have to see if I can buy myself a trio of OC75s on eBay, since I've got a PCB kit for a Marshall Super Fuzz which I might build soon, I've already built a good sounding Mk II with some OC81Ds......

Where did you get that PCB kit from? I was thinking about using a layout from Sinner but I like PCBs if I can get them

[DrNomis]

Of all the tonebenders, I really do like the MkII version - It nails the Hendrix Voodoo Child sound when you put a well tuned wah pedal in front of it too.
I don't think Hendrix ever used a Fuzz Face - If he did, I don't think he liked it from what I have heard from folks supposedly in the know - forget the other benders - build a MkII - you won't be sorry you did.
bajaman

Call me sentimental, call me dumb.. But it's time to rehash the first post in this here thread.. And check this auction:

http://www.ebay.it/itm/JIMI-HENDRIX-EXP ... 697&_uhb=1

There it is... Marshall Super Fuzz justification to add to my pedal collection.
I am wondering if Jimi actually used that pedal on any recordings...

Looks like I'm going to have to see if I can buy myself a trio of OC75s on eBay, since I've got a PCB kit for a Marshall Super Fuzz which I might build soon, I've already built a good sounding Mk II with some OC81Ds......

Where did you get that PCB kit from? I was thinking about using a layout from Sinner but I like PCBs if I can get them

I bought the Marshall Super Fuzz PCB kit online from Pigeon FX, the PCB is etched on Phenolic and comes with all the vintage style components you need minus the Transistors, I'd definitely recommend buying one of these kits, they're pretty good quality......


http://www.pigeonfx.com/index.html

[jalmonsalmon]

I bought the Marshall Super Fuzz PCB kit online from Pigeon FX, the PCB is etched on Phenolic and comes with all the vintage style components you need minus the Transistors, I'd definitely recommend buying one of these kits, they're pretty good quality......
http://www.pigeonfx.com/index.html

Nice! That will save me time finding the mojo parts... Thanks!

[DrNomis]

I bought the Marshall Super Fuzz PCB kit online from Pigeon FX, the PCB is etched on Phenolic and comes with all the vintage style components you need minus the Transistors, I'd definitely recommend buying one of these kits, they're pretty good quality......
http://www.pigeonfx.com/index.html

Nice! That will save me time finding the mojo parts... Thanks!

You're welcome, let me know how your build goes......

[Masuto]

There it is... Marshall Super Fuzz justification to add to my pedal collection.

Are we hooked or whaaat

I've already built a good sounding Mk II with some OC81Ds......

Follow you, follow me: i bought those very same dsi oc81d that you have like one year ago, never got around to make the build, the other day i fired the pro mk ii thread you posted, and right now i am building a mk ii with those dsi's into a WHITE PIgeon FX MK I enclosure. Good grief.

Party party, party party, party party

[Masuto]

The vox tone bender vid that Electric Warrior has posted..
Now thats what i call oscillating, misbiased, porky mother of a pedal! Ahahah