@barry
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“there’s a mid control in the jhs modded ehx reissue. i’ve tried it and it’s better than stock but the mids that you can dial in are quite low in frequency.”
I am curious to learn more about the JHS mod you tried and would like to see a schematic to see what is going on there. Since you say the MIDs that you can dial in are low in frequency perhaps between Wilkie and I that Mod can be “Modified” to better suit.
I have seen a video of a “Pumpkin Patch Mod” but could not locate a schematic for it. Can you post a link please so we can examine that aspect as well?
The only way to boost any frequency is with an active tone control. Passive tone controls only cut frequency. In other words you would have to cut Bass and Highs to give the apparent boost in Mids.
A better solution is to use an active baxandall circuit like our Tone TwEQ which will allow you to boost or cut frequency.Absolutely not normal.
Some pictures would help to see what mods you made since you brought A/B Pads.
I also suggest an audio probe. See our Guides page for more tips.Most anyone who has experienced oscillation in pedal builds should look for a bad solder joint somewhere. Short of using an audio probe simply re-flow all solder joints both on and off board including pots and jacks. They should be shiny and look like a tiny Hershey kiss. Beware of over heating.
Further help requires photos and voltages however I would certainly bet on a cold solder joint.
This is how most of us learned the Hobby and continue to learn.
Fortunately we took notes along the way over the last 10 years.
If building pedals were as simple as building a model car or assembling furniture we would not need the extra information. This is also why it is such an exciting hobby because it requires study, time, practice and patience with a huge reward after a job well done.
Hello and welcome,
Pedal building and amps are two different things as you indicated. I understand your question. IMHO, in something as small as a pedal, star grounding or loops don’t matter much. Also consider many builders new to the hobby and need a simple method (like pads) to complete their projects. With that:
We use the circuit board ground plane which contains a good deal of copper as a grounding point as opposed to a jack which could come loose, a problem very common to pedal building and one to avoid among other scenarios I might think of. Likewise our method uses both jacks avoiding a potential stage disaster since there is a backup.
Other benefits are that we can easily wire 2, 3, 5 or 10 circuits inside a single enclosure and I can testify traveling to Colorado seeing the one below. No rats nest, grounding issues or noise to be found.
All of that said since you have your way of doing things we do not discourage it but what we do is offer more than one way of wiring all of our boards together which will suit multiple build styles as opposed to just one way and looking back over the past 10 years of GPCB “not star grounding” in the traditional sense has never been an issue.
The unique T&S wiring scheme that is available on all of our boards was created by Tonmann when we started GuitarPCB and he is a vetted veteran of everything electronics as well as having a lot of practical experience working for some big names back in the 70’s. He also repairs and designs amplifiers.
Read more using this link -> GuitarPCB Tonmann Guide taken from our GUIDES PAGE.
I hope that helps explain our position on wiring.
Thank you for sharing that excellent combo. I use the exact same combo (albeit my Stage 3 Booster is separate) and it totally takes the Plexi Plus to a new level. That looks great and I know it sounds great.
This is going to be quick because I am currently dealing with a weather related crisis. This is my advice which is meant to be helpful and since you are a beginner I am going to list these in order.
- Read the other guides thoroughly. All of them. This should take a week at least.
- Print all of the items you need to remember while reading.
- There are (6) PDF Guides to download. This is how we all learned.
- The pots are supposed to be on the backside & use the silkscreen lug number (1)
- If you do not mount the pots with correct orientation they will work backwards.
- You are supposed to have continuity between the diode pads. See Diodes in Crash Course
- The transistors are ruined. You need new ones.
- The GUIDES Section has a CONTINUITY CHART for things that are supposed to beep.
- Study other peoples builds in the SHOW OFF YOUR PEDAL section and the SLIDESHOW.
That is my best advice and should be what everyone does before building a pedal.
That said after spending a weeks studying everything then I would carefully layout the new board and look it over before soldering anything else. The GUIDES are your best source for an easy build. The good news is you already learned some valuable lessons moving forward.
Here are a few small examples but all of this information is found on the GUIDES PAGES:
This shows proper orientation of the potis.You must insert the potis with this orientation on the backside of the board where the silkscreen is located for it or it will work backwards. Do not solder potis till you place it in the enclosure holes so you have a perfect fit. Then solder.
Here are some LINKS you must read first from the GUIDES PAGE: Click on them.
The Beginners Build Guide courtesy of Trom1.
The Beginners Guide to Components courtesy of Billy
The Crash Course Guide courtesy of several members.
The GuitarPCB Guide – Tonmann Version
The Combo Build Guide courtesy of Playsforfun.
I will not be available for a while because i have some crisis here to contend with so i really hope that helps. It is all really good advice.
Re-flow all solder joints and replace burnt wire. It is probably as simple as that and yes the Audio Probe is a TOOL that I wish everyone would use since it narrows down the possibilities to just a few things in a matter of minutes. There could still be an issue with the Main Board but I would start with a careful re-flow.
Excellent execution of Pot Condoms, PCB Secure mounts, DPDT Wiring board and sockets!
The Micro Amp is a clean boost ever since the 70’s it was a way to get your amp tubes to break up.
If you want crunch then that is why they made the DIST+ and other circuits.
Always check Small Bear
That said socket and try J113 and you can switch out if you like.
I avoid MPF102 typically since like J201 there are so many bad ones. Unless you got them from me.
That is a lot of questions and I am happy to help.
My 1st best advice for you would be to spend some time reviewing our GUIDES PAGE as all this info and so much more is covered there in “laymans terms” with illustrated guides, photos and more. I would say there are a several days of material to study and learn from and is a great resource to refer back to.
Quickly:
Sockets are for socketing transistors. This way you do not overheat them and can easily exchange.
Polarity is marked on the schematic and is only an issue when using electrolytic caps. Those are also marked with polarity on the board silkscreen. Film Caps, MLCC and others are non-polar.
The LED is a ON/OFF status LED. It can be wired from the Main Board or a 3PDT wiring Board. Different strokes for different folks there.
The Bezel is what holds the LED in the enclosure hole.
Potentiometers: If they fit mount them without wires. That said your enclosure need to be precisely drilled and always mount potentiometers in the enclosure before soldering to the board (much easier) and no stress on solder joints doing it backwards and trying to make the potentiometers fit in the enclosure holes after they are soldered to the board.
I hope that helps and again please visit the GUIDES PAGE because this is all laid out beautifully and will likely even answer questions you did not even know you had yet. It starts with many PDF downloadable guides and continues with more photos and diagrams.
That said here is just one Photo (of many) from the GUIDES PAGE:
Easy Access to the GUIDES PAGE
Finally you can also learn something by looking at others completed builds in the Show off your build section of the Forum and also checkout the SLIDESHOW in the Main Menu Bar at the top of every page. The GUIDES PAGE is of top importance however.
Once you have taken the time to study the GUIDES and become familiar with the process then all other builds follow similar guidelines so it is very important to read all the materials we make available for a successful build.
- Turn the heat down to avoid burning pads, parts and transistors.
- Use a fine conical tip per my solder tutorial.
- All Potentiometers are on the wrong side of the board (it will still work)
- The extra LED is there as a bonus if you do not want to use a Bicolor.
- The 1N4001 Diode is in backwards. The project will not work if backwards. To avoid burning pads you can tack solder a small jumper connecting both sides of the diode to see if the project works.
If after tack soldering a jumper to the 1N40001 Diode it still doesn’t work we will need voltage readings. The stripe on the diode must match the silkscreen stripe in the board. Please be careful with the Heat of your iron. Some areas look burnt and I see cold solder joints. (dull grey)
The potentiometers are supposed to be on the reverse side of the board so that they can be tightly grouped and will fit inside a small pedal enclosure and line up with the drill pattern as seen in the build document. For now I would leave them alone since they should still work if the Pads are still good.
Here is a solder video tutorial also from the guides page.
I hope that greatly helps,
Barry
Thank you very kindly for reporting back and enjoy your build!
Not to be too hard on Das Musikding since we put multiple switch pattern diagrams in the Build Document because unfortunatly these switches are harder to come by On/On/On and Datasheets are equally hard to find and often were incorrect anyway so that is why we showed multiple switch patterns. Really no other way around it due to the scarcity of the switch.
As I said please read our GUIDES section for alternate methods.
I believe Klaus was considering carrying them so I would email him at Das Musikding.
You simply cannot boost frequency with any passive tone control on any circuit. Only cut.
Same as your passive Guitar Tone Control. It only cuts frequency. See this excellent video:
If you wanted to boost you would need to add an active tone control like our Tone TwEQ.
Most guitar pedal tone controls are passive like the Muff, SD-1 or TubeScreamer etc…
Important: Adding an active tone control can boost unwanted sounds like the Hiss you describe or other unwanted artifacts so it is important to pick the right circuit and make sure it is performing to its potential before considering that option.
As for the Hiss we should have a good look at the pedal to be sure there is not an error or bad solder joint and I suggest testing your transistors with a proper testing rig like the DCA-55 Peak Atlas. A typical DMM tester will never provide accurate results nor show leakage. If you do not have access to a DCA-55 Peak Atlas and decide to order a new transistor I would only buy from a “Very Reputable” dealer like Small Bear. Never eBay!!
Incidentally there are many other factors which could create hiss in a HIGH GAIN Circuit like the Rangemaster. Bad Solder Joint: Re-flow entire project, always do the battery test on every pedal (attach a battery strap to a 2.1mm Negative Tip (paying mind to polarity). Do not use a Positive Tip rigged battery strap that may come included with 1-Spots! This will rule out any power supply and a bad wall receptacle. Move on to checking cables, re-flow ground wiring, be sure the pedal is properly grounded, etc…
Remember our Rangemaster uses a charge pump (so be sure to use the recommended version) and likewise only use a Negative Tip power supply (so you can use with other pedals in chain). Many people associate Rangemasters with a Positive Tip (which includes people who buy from you) which can ruin your pedal.
Use our handy search and filter functions in the SHOP and filter to Overdrive or Distortion and check out the video demos within since it is subjective and purely a matter of taste we have many to choose from.
You may want to start with the SuperLead or the Plexi-Plus or even our Tube Screaming Ultra but again it is up to you. Perhaps consider building a good Combo Pedal as well?
PCB Secure Mounts are available in the SHOP.
I always say check out our GUIDES PAGES for more information beyond the Build Doc:
Here is the COMBO GUIDE from the GUIDES PAGES that you could use for ideas.
This shows proper orientation of the potis.
