Bubbletonic Guitar Blog

EMGs versatile?

2012-10-18T08:50:00.001-07:00

The internet is full of people with unwavering opinions, especially when it comes to anything guitar related. EMGs have a reputation for being sterile pickups that are only useful for heavy metal music. Now while it's true that if you use them for anything with gain, that they will really sizzle:

They also work great clean, and not just 'metal' clean, a real clean. I've made this quick clean demo on Amplitube using a Bassman and Deluxe models.

I plan on recording another using a very light edge-of-breakup setting as they can also fit that genre nicely. I wouldn't attempt to argue that they are the greatest of pickups and for most applications I would still choose a PAF style pickup over them, but they're not just a one-trick-super-high-gain-pony.

BYOC Triboost Review

2012-10-18T08:24:00.002-07:00

Longing for a hand wired, reasonably priced, versatile Dallas Rangemaster clone? Own a soldering Iron? Look no further than the BYOC Triboost. As I mentioned previously in my BYOC Confidence Boost review, Build Your Own Clone are one of the top players when it comes to the DIY stompbox market. The Triboost is a step up in difficulty over the Confidence Boost but is a real stompbox rather than a practice PCB / springboard to greater conquests.

The Triboost is more complex than the original Dallas Rangemaster, but it is a lot more versatile. BYOC's Triboost infact has three different boost circuits hiding with it; a Mosfet boost, a Silicon boost and ofcourse the Germanium boost. I bought and built it for the Germanium boost so my review will be based on that particular portion of the pedal, but the two other boosts are a nice addition and both have their own characteristics.

As previously mentioned, the Triboost is a step up in difficulty over the Confidence Boost kit, but it's still a relatively simple solder-the-components affair. BYOCs instructions are as ever clear and easy to read and their forum community happy as ever to look over your gut shots to help you trouble shoot any problems. My kit came together in under two hours and aside from me positioning my transistor incorrectly to begin with, it worked flawlessly from the get-go.

The pedal has two knobs and a 3-way switch. The left knob controls gain and the right selects between Mosfet, Silicon and Germanium. A central LED changes colour to allow you to quickly tell which circuit is engaged. The 3-way switch is only functional when using the Germanium selection and switches between the classic "Treble Boost" in the central position, "Mid Boost" to the right and "Full Range Boost" to the left.

My kit came stock with a NOS OC75 transistor. Some people prefer the OC44. I have tried both and have stuck with the OC75. Here's how I have it mocked up now, in the classic Dallas Rangemaster livery, which differs from what I have in the following demo video where it's in a purple swirl.

Without further adieu here's what it sounds like in the Germanium setting.

Bitmo 10-Uator Review

2012-10-18T06:49:00.001-07:00

Bitmo are famous around the world for their low wattage amplifier mod kits. A simple search on ebay usually brings up a range of mod kits for Epiphone Valve Juniors and Blackheart amps, among others. Bitmos mod kits range from reverb kits to full blown tone shaping modifications. My foray into the world of Bitmo came in the form of their 10-Uator. It's a 10 watt attenuator clone. The small amplifier market is booming at the moment, from the original Orange Tiny Terror to the Fender Blues Junior, Vox AC4TV and even the Marshall 1 Watt 50th anniversary series. All these lower wattage amplifiers are obviously much more tamed than their 50-100 watt brethren , but can still be a little overbearing in a 'bedroom' setting, especially if you have to crank them up to get their optimum tone.

There are many ways to tame the volume of an amplifier; powerscaling, variable voltage and volume boxes. Other options include slaving and isocabs, but the least invasive and often most cost effect way is with attenuation. Traditionally an attenuator is going to go between the amplifier and the speaker and as with most things guitar related, there are a few options out there; Marshall Powerbreak, THD Hotplate, Weber, Ultimate Attenuator. The things these units have in common is that they're all arguably too highly priced for a small low powered amp. Some attenuators cost more than whole amplifiers! This is where the Bitmo 10-uator comes in....

The Bitmo 10-Uator is a 10 watt attenuator, therefore suitable for amplifiers such as the aforementioned AC4TV, Epiphone Valve Junior and 1 watt Marshalls, along with other amps like the Blackheart Killer Ant, Fender Greta and in my case the Marshall Class 5.

Bitmos attenuator is cheaper than the competition because it comes in kit form and you have to build it yourself. This kit form might turn away a few people from the get-go, but I don't mind getting my hands dirty to find out what it's made of - and there's no hiding that in a kit! The 10-uator is a simple L-pad attenuator and it gives off heat from a brick shaped resistor.

Now onto the reviewing. The kit itself is relatively simple to build for anyone with any soldering experience, the only complication that might occur is soldering the wires in the confines of the enclosure. Unfortunately the enclosure itself is made of plastic which isn't optimal when dealing with components that heat up, from both a melting risk aspect and a heat dissipation aspect. The plastic also wouldn't be up to much hammer if you did take it around with you - it has no back plate so as to help with heat dissipation, but this also means that all the components are open to the elements and unprotected, not a worry if you plan to only use this at home, but still important to note. The faceplate / label is a sticker, but a paper sticker so I doubt its longevity.

Regardless of its enclosure quality the important thing is, how does it sound?! I've used it between my Marshall Class 5 and my 4x12 cabinet. It recommends an 8 ohm load but a 16 should also be fine. I have a video reviewing the sound here:

So you've got the gory aural details there. From in the room I can say that the Bitmo definitely takes the volume edge off. The control doesn't work in a linear fashion and you will find most of the attenuation in the last quarter of the turn and it definitely gets a bit mushy if you try and wind it all the way down. BUT all in all it's a reasonably effective unit, tone loss isn't massively noticeable and it can be really useful if you just need to bring the volume down from deafening to LOUD. Don't expect miracles, but for the price I think the sound quality is more than acceptable. Unfortunately the enclosure quality isn't. This unit is actually a housed version of the attenuator Bitmo puts inside their modded Epiphone Valve juniors and I'm sure it works much better in that capacity because you don't have the cheap plastic housing. After extended use the resistor does get very hot, I'm not sure how much heat is expectable but it is worth noting. A heatsink would be a great cheap modification.

For my money, on a second time around I would buy the Bitmo if it were only for home use or if I planned on housing inside an amplifier or inside a custom enclosure. If I were gigging with an attenuator, I would save and go for the Weber Mini Mass.

BYOC Build Your Own Clone Confidence Boost

2012-10-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

When it comes to DIY guitar effects Build Your Own Clone / BYOC is at the top of the food chain. Their kits come neatly packaged with all the required components, the instructions are hosted online and viewable before hand and are easy to follow. BYOC also has a vibrant active forum community who are always there to give you a helping hand building and troubleshooting your creation.

For those wanting to get their feet wet and find out what guitar effects building is all about the BYOC Confidence Boost is the place to start. It's a simple kit and does exactly what it says on the wrapper - boosts confidence!.

There are no pots or switches included, just a simple exercise in soldering components and jacks then wiring it up. The kit, once completed is a simple linear boost and buffer. Alls you will need to complete this kit is: A soldering iron and a screwdriver to adjust the trimpot. I would also recommend a solder-sucker and some way of holding the PCB in place, I personally use one of these:

You plug your guitar into one jack and plug the other jack into the front of your amp, or the next effect in your chain! A trim pot soldered to the PCB allows you to adjust the amount of volume it adds - It's a linear boost, it just makes the signal LOUDER! With the trim pot low it simply gives your pickups a little more power, wind it all the way up and it can really dirty up the front end of a tube amp.

Obviously by itself the kit isn't much use as an effect on anyone's pedal board - it's got no enclosure, stomp switch or adjustment knob! But that isn't the point of the kit. The kit gauges your interest, if once you're finished you're left dying to get the next kit started - then you know it's a hobby for you. If you don't finish it up, maybe you need to rethink and atleast you didn't drop serious cash on one of the more expensive full kits.

I personally loved building the Confidence Boost..... so much so that as soon as I'd wired it up I went straight down to the local electronics store and bought myself a stomp switch and potentiometer. I stuffed it all into an old mints tin and made a fully functioning pedal out of it. The simple guide for upgrading the confidence boost can be found in the BYOC forum.

To conclude: Really inexpensive and simple way to get into effects building, highly recommended.