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Drasp's Lil' Chuckster Site Went Live (9V mini amp)


Jumbo Fuzz

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It should at least use 6xAA batteries and not a 9 volt -- what's that last, 5 minutes to noticable degradation, 1/2 hour to unusable? That's what my mini-Marshall got when maxed.

 

Otherwise, what they said ... although it does intrigue me to design a better mini-amp, there's the Roland route of putting in better processing, but also the idea of a solid-state power section really designed for distortion. The limit is what cost is justified for what's still a mini-amp, which this does put in different perspective.

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It should at least use 6xAA batteries and not a 9 volt -- what's that last, 5 minutes to noticable degradation, 1/2 hour to unusable? That's what my mini-Marshall got
when maxed
.

 

 

Actually, no. I've gotten hours into a 9V and the amp is still loud enough when cranked to bury an acoustic. Gregovertone (think I mentioned this earlier) said he got nearly 8hrs of teaching lessons from a single 9v without much noticeable drop in headroom. My original plans were all based around operation at 18VDC - (I'm using the JRC 'bd' variant of the chip) - but I found that the headroom increase at 12-18VDC is negligible. I was actually a little bummed, b/c I was hoping that would be a big improvement. It is nice though, that if you must run batteries, there is really no reason for more than a 9V.

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the chuckster is ONE COOL little amp!

 

it's kinda like having a DAM Sonic Titan in an amp! :love::love::love:

 

i very much lik ethe amp, and am gonna do some more demos of it, and we are gonna use it for some busking gigs and stuff in key west.

 

if you want a cheap one, there are PLENTY of $50 battery powered amps out there....made of plastic.....sound like shit...etc.

 

the Chuckster is the only PRO quality amp that runs on 9v batteries, the SPEAKER in that amp is expensive, and it can be used at GIGS :thu:

 

the enclosure is solid, toneful, and expensive to make as well.

 

honestly -- you are getting your $$$ worth with that amp. :love:

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Actually, no. I've gotten hours into a 9V and the amp is still loud enough when cranked to bury an acoustic. Gregovertone (think I mentioned this earlier) said he got
nearly 8hrs of teaching lessons
from a single 9v without much noticeable drop in headroom. My original plans were all based around operation at 18VDC - (I'm using the JRC 'bd' variant of the chip) - but I found that the headroom increase at 12-18VDC is negligible. I was actually a little bummed, b/c I was hoping that would be a big improvement. It is nice though, that if you must run batteries, there is really no reason for more than a 9V.

 

I was hoping to see a quad of EL-34's in there but I see it's just a chip :wave:

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yo Drasp just thinking about an acoustic rig for small gigs and i was thinking a version of the chuckster for acoustic would be sick!

I find alot of small PA's and the speakers they use very sterile

 

this would be perfect for coffee house/small bar gigs! :idea:

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yo Drasp just thinking about an acoustic rig for small gigs and i was thinking a version of the chuckster for acoustic would be sick!

I find alot of small PA's and the speakers they use very sterile


this would be perfect for coffee house/small bar gigs!
:idea:

 

Man, that makes me wish I still had a pickup for my acoustic! I wonder how the Chuckster would sound w/ one. . .

 

Regardless, because the Chuckster is all about being able to achieve a satisfying amount of breakup at low volumes, you'd have to dig an acoustic with a bit of hair - not going to be like playing into a powerful SS amp.

 

Hmm. :idea: Bobby - have you tried an acoustic through the Chuckster?

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not trying to get flamed here...


large7.jpg

it looks and sounds really cool, so
:thu:
on that, but...


isnt it basically a modded 'lil somkie w/ a real speaker/cab?
:confused:

 

Based on the same chip, yes. And I certainly don't think you deserve flaming!

 

There have been several popular circuits that all got their start from the National Semiconductor datasheet for the LM386. My jumping off point & inspiration was the Beavis Audio Noisy Cricket, which grew out of some runoffgroove.com projects like the Ruby.

 

While my inspiration came from simple & inexpensive DIY projects, I wanted to see how far I could take the circuit. Think of it this way: you can get a Danelectro plastic enclosure pedal for $20, or you can buy a boutique version of the same circuit that has been fluffed & buffed & made with all the fanciest parts. Some people like one end of the spectrum, some people like the other. I'm very open about what the Lil' Chuckster is & why its not cheap. That said, I don't expect everyone to 'get it'.

 

Its the 9V amp for folks who want the Rolls Royce of 9V amps. . .

 

:rawk:

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I realize this doesn't offer much help for current business, but before the first half of the year is up, I plan on ordering one of these bad boys. I love quirky little amps.

 

Thats great to hear! Current business is good - I don't have the time to build more than just small runs of the Chucksters, which is exactly what I've been doing since we launched. Got a few cool plans in the works & a few very tasty videos coming of the final/production version of the circuit.

 

If you dug the proto demos, you'll LOVE the new ones! :p

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The clips on your webpage sound great. So, can I power it from a regular 9V center minus adapter? How many mA does it draw?

 

Thanks much. :thu:

 

Regular Boss adapter powers it just fine, but you can run it at up to 18V for a bit more headroom (not a huge difference. . .) Not sure what the mA draw is, but a battery lasts forever & its no sweat to run a full pedal board + the Chuckster off a 1SPOT.

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