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The Ultimate Tube Screamer


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For those of you following the Beavis Audio craziness, I'd like to provide details of mycurrent project and elict feedback from all you diseased gas bastards. Here it is:

 

- 4 stacked opamps, all switchable--you can run them

individually, or stack them all for way more output.

 

- Boost mod with its own pot and stompswitch

 

- Cleanup mod with its own pot

 

- 4 series clipping diodes (standard SI, SI power switching,

germainum, and LED) all switchable on both sides of the

clipping stack i.e. you can select any of the diode options

in or out of circuit. This provides for stock clipping,

assymetrical clipping, or wild bizzare combinations

 

- 6-16v adjustable power with the bitchin Beavis

trademark analog panel meter

 

- a 5 position rotary switch to select different caps for

the tone stack frequency response (don't like the nasal

mid-hump that the TS is famous for? No problem change it!)

 

- switchable between TS808 and TS9 circuits or a hybird

of the two

 

- switching between the stock transistors for the input

and output buffers to NOS germanium.

 

- Jack Orman MOSFET boost on the input stage to drive

the TS into a tonal frenzy, with its own stompswitch.

 

The coolest part (if I can pull it off) is that one of the switchable opamps is actually built using all discrete components. Basically an opamp emulator built with various parts and its own diode clipping that will work in conjuction with the stock TS clipping stage.

 

All in all, this will incorporate (as far as I can tell) all known TS mods that you could get from the usual sources, plus some really cool innovations.

 

Here's the best part. If I can get it all working at a build cost of under $500, I going to do a prodcution batch of ten. First come first serve. Maybe not the rarest pedel ever, but certainly the best ratio of knobs/switches per dollar.

 

Comments, additions, changes, requests, etc. appreciated.

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Originally posted by dan-o-guitar

Comments, additions, changes, requests, etc. appreciated.

 

 

Definitely sounds like a worthwhile project - good luck and keep us posted. I'm not a big TS fan, but I'm sure there's a market for a production run.

 

The one thing you might want to thing about incorporating is a switch to include the "st-9" circuit. I could be wrong, but I think it's one of the rarer TS varieties, and I'm not sure if anyone is currently cloning it...

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Originally posted by camerashake



Definitely sounds like a worthwhile project - good luck and keep us posted. I'm not a big TS fan, but I'm sure there's a market for a production run.


The one thing you might want to thing about incorporating is a switch to include the "st-9" circuit. I could be wrong, but I think it's one of the rarer TS varieties, and I'm not sure if anyone is currently cloning it...

 

 

 

Hmmmm, ST-9. That's the one with the additional knob for a mid scoop? I'll dig around for a schematic, but I think my combination of switchable caps in the tone stack may accomplish the same thing. Thanks for the lead!

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Originally posted by alteredsounds

There was a mad looking TS here and on stompbox forum not long back that I think did the majority of that without possibly the germ option. Was housed in a very extended TX box.

 

 

Right, that was the MohoMods version--quite innovative, but I'm thinking a bit crazier. The MM version allows you to switch between three opamps. Mine will have the same, but the opamps will be stacked so its not an either/or decision. You actually run any or all in parallel. Add in the diode switching, voltage sag, pre-boost, and a pretty flexible tone stack, and hopefully this FrankenScreamer of a pedal will do some "new" stuff.

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Thanks for the great feedback. I'm pretty sure that I can design and build this pedal at this point (all the schematics and wiring diagrams are done.)

What I'm regretting now is that I leaped before I looked in terms of talking about a production run. That may or may not happen.

Regardless, I'll be posting the build steps and info on my site so anyone is welcome to Build Along with Beavis :)

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