Klon Klone kit

Chalky

Just built one of these kits this weekend.  No instructions, just a marked up PCB and then found a picture and video via Google. Sounds great. My first pedal build so I'm chuffed it worked fine. I included a switch to choose between 3 pairs of diodes but not much diff other than volume. Anyone recommend different diodes or opamps to use?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122205456661

juansolo

Changing the op-amps will not be particularly perceptible. Also wash your mouth out on the diodes, don't you know that those are ESSENTIAL! In all seriousness, you might notice the difference more at higher vols if you turn the gain up. But no-one turns the gain up so it doesn't really matter.

FWIW, if you want to tweak the sound of it, concentrate on the values around the tone control, as that's where the biggest differences will be. Otherwise it is what it is.

Chalky

Thank you @juansolo - as you are the acknowledged expert I shall take your advice. And use it as an excuse to build another pedal! I'm thinking of a fuzz, the type that sounds nice and vocal on a neck pickup - any tagboard recommendations? I've got some perfboard.

juansolo

Avoid anything using germanium transistors. They're invariably circuits that look simple, but are trickier to get right than lots of things. Plus they come with so much baggage; inverted power, actually getting good in-range transistors that sound good, biasing it correctly (few people actually do this), playing nice with other effects, etc, etc. The few upsides IMO don't justify the downsides.

So, sticking with silicon fuzzes, it depends what you want to go for... I'm particularly fond of the silicon Mosrite Fuzzrite and Roger Mayer Spitfire. Though the latter is more of a fuzzstortion, the former will get you more classic fuzz tones with less issues than it's Ge brethren.

There are silicon takes on the Tonebender for example. The Doug Hammond's Hot Silicon is a good one. I'd add that I think it's a little different to a ge one (it adds tone and a fat switch for a start) and can sound more Billy Gibbons than anything else. but it's a great sound of it's own regardless.

Oh, that reminds me. Do a search for a Buzz-a-like. it's a Burns Buzz-a-round, but redesigned to play nice. Another great sounding fuzz.

They're a few I'd start with anyhow that'll be less temperamental than the earlier effects. FWIW In all the time I've made effects I've lucked upon making maybe two stellar Fuzz Faces (@musteatbrains has both of those) and about maybe four TB MkIIs. Most of those only because Matt had a stash of his granddad's old electronics and there were some really good transistors in there. But, bear in mind out of around 200 transistors, we made, I think, six pedals... Most of them went in the bin. Which is why I don't make Ge stuff any more. I also don't make analogue delays, but that's another conversation

Chalky

Thanks @juansolo - will follow your recommendations.

Wow about only getting 6 out of 200. I'm definitely looking for easier than that! 

juansolo

6 pedals so about 20 germ transistors. So a 10% success rate. There aren't many good ones left. There weren't that many good ones back in the day!