Here's a collection of vero (stripboard) and tagboard guitar and bass effect layouts that we have put together covering many classic and popular effects in growing numbers. Many of these have been posted on freestompboxes.org, so check that site out for great discussions on building your own effect pedals. Enjoy the builds and please also visit us on Facebook and Twitter
I did it based on the generalguitargadgets schematic which definitely has it going to the 4.5V rail. It would no doubt also work connected to ground too and at one point in it's manufacture it may have been connected in that way. Give it a try and see how it affects the sound.
Hi Ivlark! Compliments for this layout, very clear and it sounds great! Just a question...i'd like to add to this pedal a toggle switch to choose beetween the normal configuration and a sort of "increase" of the LOW frequency response...
Can you give me an idea about this little modification? Thanks a lot!
Hi Mark Not sure where ive gone wrong with this one ??..It works , well no it dont work..what i mean is..ive got a sound coming from it...like the brightest treble booster in the world but with no grit/gain at all...Ive checked everything i know..cant see any solder bridges., changed the pots, opamp and had a general poke around..in fact for some reason , ive spent lots of time trying to get this going, normally by now it would be in the corner with the rest of my " No Goes "
Hi! I don't know how to send you a request, so I try this way... would you please set up a layout of the Marshall Guv'nor, following this schematic and including the interesting improvements reported? https://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_mgv_sc.pdf?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a
Hi Mark, great job and great pedal ! Thanks a million. However, tried to add the "bass boost" switches, and screwed everything up. If i connect (with the extra caps in the circuit) input to IC pin 3 the pedal drops dead - no sound at all. On the other hand connecting output to Volume 2 makes no difference... I am pretty sure i am doing something wrong, but what... May i ask for your help? Thanks a lot.
Never mind... figured it out myself. Anyway, 10+10uF and 100+100uF in this particular pedal makes almost no difference at all (audibly). When values of first caps (onboard) are lower, and "switch" caps values are higher... then it makes sense. Bass bosst switch verified (in case it matters :))) Cheers.
Made this, and it's my first functionally-finished pedal. I like it. It is very clean for the first three quarters of the gain pot, which could be better, but I have enough control in that last quarter to make it not matter. Very responsive to pickup settings on my guitar. No bass switch or anything, just as-is.
Whoah. I did not know about how this sounded until i built it (two actually) today. Now i just can't get my head around what's the fuzz (heheh) about Sweet Honey. I think i'm never building another of those.
After playing with my circuits for about twenty minutes... This is the deal. Soft and hard at the same time and the frequency responce licks both single coils and humbs like two teenagers lick each other at a house party.
Both circuits are stock, but i built the first one with greenies and TL072. Tried that first. Awesome. Second circuit is with panasonic caps and NE5532. Awesome. Only slight change in sound between those two is the opamp. NE5532s never fail, giving a slightly better low frequency touch - nearly unnoticeable. The caps do not sound different at all.
If i was to mod just one thing in this - that would be the overall volume. Not gain, but just sheer power. This design would benefit greatly from having a recovery stage after the tone control... (Might draw that schem up at some point..:)
Weird, as i usually stamp everything as "overdrive" and "distortion" if it has a clipping stage.. This one is just beautiful sounding slightly clipping Bluesbreaker amp emulation that i would rather call a boost than a overdrive - this is more of an booster than any of the Xotic's "Boosters".
It goes well over unity even with gain at CCW, but i'm just personally drawn to circuits that reach unity at 9 o'clock. And after that, well, can blow the sh*t out of my preamp tubes when cranked and/or needed. :D +m
..and put 29 months wait time for one. ..and charge puny $390 for it too :D
Actually, i was thinking about boxing both separately. These will probably get sold at some point, as i'm really thinking about doing the recovery gain stage mod. That is the box i really want for myself. (or i could just box with LPB..)
Yeah. I was really positively surprised about this one. It is mild on the gain, but still the characteristics are just awesome. I do like this more than Sweet Honey.
I've come to conclusion that every time i want to build a verified layout, i'll build two. One seems to get sold every time, even if i wanted keep it :)
Yesterday i finished 6 boards. 2 of these, 2 Deep Blue Delays and 2 Klons. I didn't wire up the Klons yet (that's where i broke one CV7130, still pisses me off)... I'm currently on 145 on the builds. I just can't stop. Not that i want to... +m
Agree with Miro. This is one of those diamonds in the dirt. I have no idea why people overlook the bluesbreaker in favour for Tubescreamers etc... Same goes for the Clark gainster... another that should be up there with the best sellers..
I use it to just push my clean channel on my Marshall DSL into a bluesy crunch... I forget it's even half of the time... sign of a great pedal... I may do the switch mod at some point though and see how it sounds being a little fatter...
Just built another one of these and socketed the in/output caps... I tried everything up to 220nf in both positions with near zero difference.I could literally not hear a worthwhile difference. In fact it got to the point where I was listening so hard that I began to imagine a difference lol...
Seems like this is a case of 'if ain't broke'.....
Thanks for this layout - and for keeping this fantastic site going with new stuff. The Bluesbreaker is only my second build so I don't have anything to compare it with, but I love the sound.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this! I used to have it in the past, but it went, like so much stuff. Tested the circuit with a 4558 instead of the 072. Gets a very soft boost- crunch - still functional. Might build one with a big switch to use 072 or 4558. Now working on the Shred Master (used to have that one too! ;-)
There's a guy on ebay selling these clones. Worth looking at his layout and sound sample. He touts his as being the smoother version of the two circuits vice the harsher circuit. Maybe this smooth circuit is what we are looking for???
forgot to add the link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-Marshall-BluesBreaker-Mk1-Boutique-Handwired-Clone-Pedal-JTM45-OD-/261374845217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cdb27a121
It will be hard to work out what he's doing. We can't get the cap values and he uses some standing resistors which we can't see the values for so it will end up as guesswork. It may be worth checking out freestompboxes or diystompboxes for any mods discussed about the circuit.
I got this mostly working ... It just seems quiet. My clean tone is audibly louder and more pronounced. Bad opamp maybe? Tested several different TL072. I may switch to the RC4558.
It's not too much to say this is an inspiring site. Thank you, Mark, for your great work and all your help for idiots like me. I actually got this working pretty soon and without losing blood or being electrocuted. Nice transparent sound with quite a lot of dirt available above 3 o'clock on the gain dial. The GGG version seems to be slightly darker, at least through my set-up. Both are thoroughly recommended.
Hi, I just built this after hearing a lot of good things about it but with my strat it sounds not very good. Ghost-noting on the higher strings. Not if i pick softly, but normally i have a pretty strong attack and that gives some harsh ugly overtones. If i play it with a humbucker guitar it sounds better. I guess it is very sensitive for ringing of the strings on the frets. Is this normal? Can anybody verify this for me? Thanks.
Try other opamps. I experienced a hint of octave or ring mod when playing double stops and higher notes while using a NE5532. That didn't happen with some other opamps (TL072, 4558). Even if you are using a TL072 already, I'd still suggest you to try other options.
I'm having some trouble with this one... The gain knob seem to be interfering with the tone and volume in a way that's not natural. With the gain all the way down, it sounds like the tone is all the way down too and the output is really weak. It's the reverse with the gain all the way up. Here's a clip: https://clyp.it/sepfuj1o
Just finished it. I've also built the Morning Glory and have a Blues Crab... I think I like this more than the blues crab (which is supposed to be the same)
Thanks for this layout and this super cool website in general. Might build this one soon.
I think I found a couple of mistakes: -10n coming from the 3k3 and 4k7 on the loop is connected to VR+ and it should be connected to ground. - On this layout between the opamps it's layed out as 220n - 4k7 -220n - 4k7 and in the schematic it's 220 4k7 4k7 220n. It shouldn't make a difference on the filter, right? Either way, without the original bypassing circuit would make more sense just to simplify it as 10K 100n like the KOT anyways.
I'm referencing the Original Wiring schematic at GGG for my replies (http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_mbb_orig_sc.pdf or https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9F3cPJg3Ic/Wq234jJ9JxI/AAAAAAAAD9I/3rmQH5ljh9AKN4szF8upZRI-rCItSRhGgCLcBGAs/s400/1366373077_bluesbreaker_sc1.gif)
"10n coming from the 3k3 and 4k7 on the loop is connected to VR+" - Yes, that's the way the schematic has it. On the layout, C1 is the far left cap, C3 is the next one to the right, and C2 is the one under pin 4 of the IC. There's not a 10n that goes directly to ground on the schematic.
"On this layout between the opamps it's layed out as 220n - 4k7 -220n - 4k7 and in the schematic it's 220 4k7 4k7 220n" - That's the way the schematic has it, C6->R8->C7->R7.
Miguel it seems as though you're working from a different schematic?
Built the circuit the other day. I noted the volume problem, then I found the following mods: https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=64242
I replaced the 220k w/ a 330k. Just the slightest increase in gain, but I noted that I didn't need to Vol to be almost dimed to get achieve unity. Food for thought.
Can anybody help me please? I built the pedal, sounds just amazing, quit loud as well (which is strange though), but as I turn up the volume on guitar I get a bad humming. It isn't that bad, but a little bit annoying. I checked the board several times, everything is in the right place, no solder bridges etc. What do you think why is it humming? Is it possible that it can be solved by applying a 100µ+100p pair of caps between 9V and ground? Thanks in order
That's one possibility for the source of noise. Out of interest have you fitted the pedal with a battery snap as well as a DC socket? Ii would be worth seeing if you're still getting the noise when using a battery or if it just happens with an AC adapter
Hi there! Thanks for all this work. I have a "beginner" question, do you see any potenital problem if I put a 2M resistance instead of the 2M2 in the input port of the circuit? Thanks for helping
I would like help: I built the pedal and am having a problem with very loud noise after 50% gain and tone. I've checked the veroboard several times and everything looks fine. Can it be the opamp?
Made this pedal and it's pretty great. I followed Brian Wampler's suggestion and added a presence knob which makes the pedal way more useful in my opinion. It's just a 50k Linear pot in between the 6k8 resistor and the 10nF capacitor just before the volume pot. I did it by adding one more column to the board making it 22 x 10, having the 6k8 resistor only span 4 rows instead of 5 to make use of that unused strip on Row H, and then connecting the wires of the knob from that row to the row beneath (Row I) completing the connection to the 10nF. Simple.
Now if someone would just figure out what the circuit for the boost knob on the Snouse Black Box 2 is....
Hi
ReplyDeleteJust build this and sounds great!
Just wondering though, shouldn't the 10n cap below the 3k3 head towards ground instead of the 4.5v rail?
Darren
I did it based on the generalguitargadgets schematic which definitely has it going to the 4.5V rail. It would no doubt also work connected to ground too and at one point in it's manufacture it may have been connected in that way. Give it a try and see how it affects the sound.
DeleteJust built this, boxed and fire up first time.... it is just like the demos of the original.. not very loud, unity at around 3'O clock.
ReplyDeleteI get the best results through my strat, It sounds kind of 'buzzy' with buckers?
One the collection (if you so wish)
ReplyDeletehttp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/651/1335273613540.jpg/
Cool, thanks for that mate
DeleteHi Ivlark!
ReplyDeleteCompliments for this layout, very clear and it sounds great!
Just a question...i'd like to add to this pedal a toggle switch to choose beetween the normal configuration and a sort of "increase" of the LOW frequency response...
Can you give me an idea about this little modification?
Thanks a lot!
You could add a couple of switches like this:
Deletehttp://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j6/IvIark_2006/DIY/MarshallBluesbreaker-BassSwitches.png
Or even use a single 4PDT toggle to switch both simultaneously.
This will double the values of the input and output caps which should increase bass.
Thanks a lot!!!
ReplyDeleteWould it be the same modification to incorporate a "Bright" switch, much like the popular JHS Morning GLory?
ReplyDeleteHi Mark
ReplyDeleteNot sure where ive gone wrong with this one ??..It works , well no it dont work..what i mean is..ive got a sound coming from it...like the brightest treble booster in the world but with no grit/gain at all...Ive checked everything i know..cant see any solder bridges., changed the pots, opamp and had a general poke around..in fact for some reason , ive spent lots of time trying to get this going, normally by now it would be in the corner with the rest of my " No Goes "
Hi! I don't know how to send you a request, so I try this way... would you please set up a layout of the Marshall Guv'nor, following this schematic and including the interesting improvements reported?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_mgv_sc.pdf?phpMyAdmin=78482479fd7e7fc3768044a841b3e85a
Thanks a lot! :)
Hi Mark, great job and great pedal ! Thanks a million.
ReplyDeleteHowever, tried to add the "bass boost" switches, and screwed everything up. If i connect (with the extra caps in the circuit) input to IC pin 3 the pedal drops dead - no sound at all. On the other hand connecting output to Volume 2 makes no difference... I am pretty sure i am doing something wrong, but what... May i ask for your help? Thanks a lot.
Never mind... figured it out myself. Anyway, 10+10uF and 100+100uF in this particular pedal makes almost no difference at all (audibly). When values of first caps (onboard) are lower, and "switch" caps values are higher... then it makes sense. Bass bosst switch verified (in case it matters :))) Cheers.
ReplyDeleteMade this, and it's my first functionally-finished pedal. I like it. It is very clean for the first three quarters of the gain pot, which could be better, but I have enough control in that last quarter to make it not matter. Very responsive to pickup settings on my guitar. No bass switch or anything, just as-is.
ReplyDeleteWhoah. I did not know about how this sounded until i built it (two actually) today. Now i just can't get my head around what's the fuzz (heheh) about Sweet Honey. I think i'm never building another of those.
ReplyDeleteAfter playing with my circuits for about twenty minutes... This is the deal. Soft and hard at the same time and the frequency responce licks both single coils and humbs like two teenagers lick each other at a house party.
Both circuits are stock, but i built the first one with greenies and TL072. Tried that first. Awesome. Second circuit is with panasonic caps and NE5532. Awesome. Only slight change in sound between those two is the opamp. NE5532s never fail, giving a slightly better low frequency touch - nearly unnoticeable. The caps do not sound different at all.
If i was to mod just one thing in this - that would be the overall volume. Not gain, but just sheer power. This design would benefit greatly from having a recovery stage after the tone control... (Might draw that schem up at some point..:)
Weird, as i usually stamp everything as "overdrive" and "distortion" if it has a clipping stage.. This one is just beautiful sounding slightly clipping Bluesbreaker amp emulation that i would rather call a boost than a overdrive - this is more of an booster than any of the Xotic's "Boosters".
Just loving it.
+m
It goes well over unity even with gain at CCW, but i'm just personally drawn to circuits that reach unity at 9 o'clock. And after that, well, can blow the sh*t out of my preamp tubes when cranked and/or needed. :D
Delete+m
Are you putting them both in one box and calling it the King of Clones?
Delete..and put 29 months wait time for one. ..and charge puny $390 for it too :D
DeleteActually, i was thinking about boxing both separately. These will probably get sold at some point, as i'm really thinking about doing the recovery gain stage mod. That is the box i really want for myself. (or i could just box with LPB..)
Yeah. I was really positively surprised about this one. It is mild on the gain, but still the characteristics are just awesome. I do like this more than Sweet Honey.
I've come to conclusion that every time i want to build a verified layout, i'll build two. One seems to get sold every time, even if i wanted keep it :)
Yesterday i finished 6 boards. 2 of these, 2 Deep Blue Delays and 2 Klons. I didn't wire up the Klons yet (that's where i broke one CV7130, still pisses me off)... I'm currently on 145 on the builds. I just can't stop. Not that i want to...
+m
Agree with Miro. This is one of those diamonds in the dirt. I have no idea why people overlook the bluesbreaker in favour for Tubescreamers etc... Same goes for the Clark gainster... another that should be up there with the best sellers..
DeleteI use it to just push my clean channel on my Marshall DSL into a bluesy crunch... I forget it's even half of the time... sign of a great pedal... I may do the switch mod at some point though and see how it sounds being a little fatter...
Little fatter bass response probably wouldn't hurt it. I'm looking forward to have some quality time with this and my breadboard :)
Delete+m
Just built another one of these and socketed the in/output caps... I tried everything up to 220nf in both positions with near zero difference.I could literally not hear a worthwhile difference. In fact it got to the point where I was listening so hard that I began to imagine a difference lol...
DeleteSeems like this is a case of 'if ain't broke'.....
Boxed up the other one of my builds without any mods.
Deletehttp://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/boxes/BrBl.jpg
Good thing to have :)
+m
Thanks for this layout - and for keeping this fantastic site going with new stuff. The Bluesbreaker is only my second build so I don't have anything to compare it with, but I love the sound.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for sharing this! I used to have it in the past, but it went, like so much stuff. Tested the circuit with a 4558 instead of the 072. Gets a very soft boost- crunch - still functional. Might build one with a big switch to use 072 or 4558. Now working on the Shred Master (used to have that one too! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThere's a guy on ebay selling these clones. Worth looking at his layout and sound sample. He touts his as being the smoother version of the two circuits vice the harsher circuit.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this smooth circuit is what we are looking for???
forgot to add the link:
Deletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-Marshall-BluesBreaker-Mk1-Boutique-Handwired-Clone-Pedal-JTM45-OD-/261374845217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cdb27a121
It will be hard to work out what he's doing. We can't get the cap values and he uses some standing resistors which we can't see the values for so it will end up as guesswork. It may be worth checking out freestompboxes or diystompboxes for any mods discussed about the circuit.
DeleteGotcha.
DeleteAny idea if the schematic you have posted is the "smooth version" or the "harsher" circuit that is described in the ebay article?
I got this mostly working ... It just seems quiet. My clean tone is audibly louder and more pronounced. Bad opamp maybe? Tested several different TL072. I may switch to the RC4558.
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions are appreciated.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's not too much to say this is an inspiring site. Thank you, Mark, for your great work and all your help for idiots like me. I actually got this working pretty soon and without losing blood or being electrocuted. Nice transparent sound with quite a lot of dirt available above 3 o'clock on the gain dial. The GGG version seems to be slightly darker, at least through my set-up. Both are thoroughly recommended.
DeleteHello friend, this layout is verified? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi, I just built this after hearing a lot of good things about it but with my strat it sounds not very good. Ghost-noting on the higher strings. Not if i pick softly, but normally i have a pretty strong attack and that gives some harsh ugly overtones. If i play it with a humbucker guitar it sounds better. I guess it is very sensitive for ringing of the strings on the frets. Is this normal? Can anybody verify this for me? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteTry other opamps. I experienced a hint of octave or ring mod when playing double stops and higher notes while using a NE5532. That didn't happen with some other opamps (TL072, 4558). Even if you are using a TL072 already, I'd still suggest you to try other options.
DeleteMy build of this https://youtu.be/iteAnMlpxJE
ReplyDeleteI'm having some trouble with this one... The gain knob seem to be interfering with the tone and volume in a way that's not natural. With the gain all the way down, it sounds like the tone is all the way down too and the output is really weak. It's the reverse with the gain all the way up. Here's a clip:
ReplyDeletehttps://clyp.it/sepfuj1o
Any ideas what the issue could be?
https://clyp.it/sepfuj1o
DeleteI'm only adjusting the gain knob.
Hi Fredrik, did you solve the noise issue ?
DeleteThanks for the layout ! This pedal sounds very good !!
ReplyDeleteJust finished it. I've also built the Morning Glory and have a Blues Crab... I think I like this more than the blues crab (which is supposed to be the same)
ReplyDeleteHi IvIark,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this layout and this super cool website in general. Might build this one soon.
I think I found a couple of mistakes:
-10n coming from the 3k3 and 4k7 on the loop is connected to VR+ and it should be connected to ground.
- On this layout between the opamps it's layed out as 220n - 4k7 -220n - 4k7 and in the schematic it's 220 4k7 4k7 220n. It shouldn't make a difference on the filter, right?
Either way, without the original bypassing circuit would make more sense just to simplify it as 10K 100n like the KOT anyways.
Thanks!
Miguel
Thanks Miguel, I have a few weeks doing nothing now so I'll check it out and post up any correction. Cheers
DeleteI'm referencing the Original Wiring schematic at GGG for my replies (http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/pdf/ggg_mbb_orig_sc.pdf or https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a9F3cPJg3Ic/Wq234jJ9JxI/AAAAAAAAD9I/3rmQH5ljh9AKN4szF8upZRI-rCItSRhGgCLcBGAs/s400/1366373077_bluesbreaker_sc1.gif)
Delete"10n coming from the 3k3 and 4k7 on the loop is connected to VR+" - Yes, that's the way the schematic has it. On the layout, C1 is the far left cap, C3 is the next one to the right, and C2 is the one under pin 4 of the IC. There's not a 10n that goes directly to ground on the schematic.
"On this layout between the opamps it's layed out as 220n - 4k7 -220n - 4k7 and in the schematic it's 220 4k7 4k7 220n" - That's the way the schematic has it, C6->R8->C7->R7.
Miguel it seems as though you're working from a different schematic?
Built the circuit the other day. I noted the volume problem, then I found the following mods: https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=64242
ReplyDeleteI replaced the 220k w/ a 330k. Just the slightest increase in gain, but I noted that I didn't need to Vol to be almost dimed to get achieve unity. Food for thought.
Useful info, thanks for sharing
DeleteHi Guys!
ReplyDeleteCan anybody help me please? I built the pedal, sounds just amazing, quit loud as well (which is strange though), but as I turn up the volume on guitar I get a bad humming. It isn't that bad, but a little bit annoying. I checked the board several times, everything is in the right place, no solder bridges etc. What do you think why is it humming? Is it possible that it can be solved by applying a 100µ+100p pair of caps between 9V and ground?
Thanks in order
That's one possibility for the source of noise. Out of interest have you fitted the pedal with a battery snap as well as a DC socket? Ii would be worth seeing if you're still getting the noise when using a battery or if it just happens with an AC adapter
DeleteHi there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all this work. I have a "beginner" question, do you see any potenital problem if I put a 2M resistance instead of the 2M2 in the input port of the circuit? Thanks for helping
Don't see a problem with using a 2M. It is within 10% of the 2.2M resistor.
ReplyDeleteI would like help: I built the pedal and am having a problem with very loud noise after 50% gain and tone. I've checked the veroboard several times and everything looks fine. Can it be the opamp?
ReplyDeleteMade this pedal and it's pretty great. I followed Brian Wampler's suggestion and added a presence knob which makes the pedal way more useful in my opinion. It's just a 50k Linear pot in between the 6k8 resistor and the 10nF capacitor just before the volume pot. I did it by adding one more column to the board making it 22 x 10, having the 6k8 resistor only span 4 rows instead of 5 to make use of that unused strip on Row H, and then connecting the wires of the knob from that row to the row beneath (Row I) completing the connection to the 10nF. Simple.
ReplyDeleteNow if someone would just figure out what the circuit for the boost knob on the Snouse Black Box 2 is....
Hey newbie question, isn't Bluesbreaker meant to have 2 op amps?
ReplyDeleteThe TL072 is a dual op-amp chip.
DeleteWhat about the bb2 layout ?
ReplyDelete