Fuzzbox, Distortion, Phaser, Chorus, Echo and other Guitar Effects Info

The Power Supply pcb is back in stock. I have not yet raised the price on this board so order before I have to up the price to cover the increased postage.

This is version 2 of the pcb and it has 9v, -9v, 18v and 9v sag-battery-sim voltage outputs.

I was at the post office on Thursday and discovered that the US Post Office had raised rates. First class stamps have not gone up but the rates for small envelopes (like I use to send pc boards) had increased by 50 cents. There is now no rate for 1 or 2 oz. packages as in the past, and all items up to 3 oz. get the same fee.

Also, in the last couple of months, the manufacturer has raised prices on pc boards by about 10 percent.

I suppose that increased fuel charges caused by higher oil prices is at least part of the reason for these increases.

In the April issue of Elektor, there is a guitar distortion article derived from the Ibanez Tube Screamer. The input and output buffers are removed to simplify the design, which is the general idea I used for the AMZ Son of Screamer. They also made a few other changes to the Ibanez circuit.

However, there is a mistake on the schematic in Elektor.

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A simple DC power filter circuit in a small aluminum box that has proven to be quite useful in the studio.
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Here are some prototype pedals that I just finished building. The middle pedal is the Mini-Muff version of the new Multi-Fuzz pcb. The box was recycled from an old project which is why it has the Cheesetone name on it. The other two pedals are different versions of the new AMZ Tweed Stack.

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I bought these two Behringer amp/cabinet simulators since they were inexpensive and I hoped they could be used for recording because I have not been totally happy with the amp sim software that I had bought. I had plans to build an amp sim but I figured for $38 each, I could not go wrong with these pedals.
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Steve Ciarcia wrote an editorial for a recent issue of Circuit Cellar magazine that deals with patents in the context of modern business. It is worth the time to read:

Patently Insane by Steve Ciarcia

Here is a blank track sheet for use in your recording studio. I use it mainly for planning how I am going to record a song. Each page has spaces for information about 16 tracks. It’s a free download:

Download Blank Track Sheet

The first Q&D compressor was first posted back in the late 1990s on the AMZ site and is an adaptation of the basic datasheet circuit to make it compatible with guitar use. The circuit was built and used successfully by a large number of pedal builders.

The new S-Comp version is an updated and expanded circuit design that includes some extra features for better interfacing with guitars and pedals.

These pc boards were originally made several years ago but the project was dropped when the DIP version of the compressor chip was discontinued by the manufacturer. I recently secured a handful of these rare chips and decided to make the project available for DIY use.

More info on the circuit and PC Boards for this project…

SOLD OUT!

Stock up on LEDs now because it is only a matter of time before they are declared hazardous waste and then outlawed… okay, maybe that is a bit reactionary, but researchers at the University of California did a study on the metal content of LEDs (light emitting didoes) and found that there were levels of metals in LEDs that exceeded California regulatory limits. Those metals included copper, lead, nickel, and silver.

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