Friday 29 July 2016

Wampler Sovereign

The Wampler Sovereign Distortion is a versatile beast of a distortion pedal that is unlike the rest of its ilk. The gain is rich and full of harmonic overtones, never sounding or feeling fake and stiff. Surprisingly shapeable and responsive, the non-traditional gain and EQ controls allow you to tune the pedal to suit any setup, and instead of just emphasizing a certain frequency range, they actually change the texture of the gain. With the right settings dialed up, it can nail the elusive sludgy deep sound loved by stoner metal guitarists, along with virtually every other shade of high-gain tone a player can imagine.
You can find original thread and schematic on FSB forum here.


Posted by at 15:06
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61 comments:

  1. Dr. Iggy29 July 2016 at 16:11

    Alex, you're on a roll. Three great pedals in a row. Thanks for all your hard work.

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  2. MichaelPolutta29 July 2016 at 16:27

    Very happy to see this one. Thanks. Hope to build this one soon.

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  3. IvIark29 July 2016 at 17:46

    Awesome stuff matey

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    Replies
    1. MAO30 July 2016 at 14:54

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. MAO30 July 2016 at 14:59

      Thanks Alex!

      Both ends of the 10k connected to Tone 1 should be moved down a row.

      Also, if polarity protection is desired, move the 47k (near the mids) left 1 column, raise the bottom of 10R up 2 rows and move the 10R right 1 column, add cut to the right of Q4-G and add a 1n5817 to the left of the newly placed 10R, between bottom of 10R and the link 2 rows down.

      Delete
    3. Alex30 July 2016 at 16:52

      Thanks Michael!
      Must have moved it by mistake.
      I've also added a polarity protection but in a different way

      Delete
  4. Unknown31 July 2016 at 00:36

    For the 100k trimmer what would I have to set it to. This seems like a very interesting project.

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    Replies
    1. drdFX31 July 2016 at 13:10

      It acts as the drain resistor for the last jfet stage. I would set it by ear.

      Delete
  5. Doron Barness31 July 2016 at 05:50

    Awesome pedal!!!

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  6. Willy31 July 2016 at 14:55

    I've been waiting for this one!

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  7. Unknown31 July 2016 at 20:36

    I just built this. Tried a few different ICs and settled on JRC4558 because I didn't have a 4580D. Oh man it sounds awesome, always have been interested in this pedal but not sure if I wanted to buy it. This one is going on the pedal board for sure! Exactly the sound I've been looking for. I see its still unverified, you can mark it as verified and mark it as awesome.

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    Replies
    1. Alex1 August 2016 at 11:23

      Cool!
      Thanks Ralf!

      Delete
    2. tinkercreak1 August 2016 at 16:25

      Ralf

      Looks very similar to a Pinnacle. Were there any squealing issues at higher gain/boost settings that would warrant shielded input cabling like we had to do on the Pinnacle?

      Delete
    3. Unknown1 August 2016 at 16:51

      I was surprised how quiet the pedal was even with the gain maxed out. I didn't use any shielded cables and personally didn't have any issues in my build.

      Delete
  8. Jimmy1 August 2016 at 02:09

    Thank you for this layout, been drooling over one of these for a while.

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  9. tinkercreak1 August 2016 at 17:53

    Great! Appreciate the reply. This will be my next build.....

    Thanks

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  10. Hozy312 August 2016 at 17:21

    This pedal rocks. Sounded best to me when drain on J201 underneath trimmer was set to 4.5v. Definitely one for the pedal board. Thanks as always Alex for the layout.

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  11. Victor Frankenstein11 October 2016 at 05:02

    Hi guys, I need your help. I would like to build this pedal, but I don't have any j201, Is the 2N5458 a good replacement for this aplication? Thanks in advance.

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  12. Unknown12 October 2016 at 18:51

    My understanding and in my experience you can totally sub 2n5458 for a j201. It would sound different though.

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  13. bonsaiforum.gr11 November 2016 at 19:59

    This pedal is amazing! Thank you Alex!!!

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  14. Unknown15 November 2016 at 18:13

    Just built this worked first try. A bit of hiss but havent boxed it up yet so that is expected. Sounds great

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  15. MAO30 December 2016 at 07:20

    Finally built this one, with a slightly altered layout.

    Amazing!!!

    The pedal is super quiet with tons of tone...and the distortion sounds incredible.

    To me it's the Pinnacle, without being locked into the brown sound.

    I installed the trimmer just in case, but luckily only had to sort through about 10 j201s until I found one that biased at 4.7v with a 27k drain resistance.



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  16. tinkercreak12 February 2017 at 22:41

    I just finished this one. Seemed ok until I played it more. The two switches work as expected. But there seems to be something of a fizzy decay on the distorted sound. It's really noticeable at lower gain settings but I hear even with the gain maxed out. I have the jfet on the trimmer biased to 4.5v.

    No one else has mentioned fizzy decay so I am going to assume I have a fault. But I measure every component before I solder. Count each type of component ( resistors, caps, etc. ) at the end to make sure I'm not missing anything.

    Does anyone have an idea of what could cause the fizzy decay so I can kind of hone in on where I need to troubleshoot? Or could the jfets or the opamp be a cause of this? Should I just start by swapping those out?

    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. MAO12 February 2017 at 23:01

      I still have mine, what knob and switch settings do you hear the fizz?

      I'll check the same.

      Can you post a sound sample?

      Delete
    2. Iago12 February 2017 at 23:23

      IMO, yes. Try other JFET's and Opamps.

      Delete
    3. tinkercreak12 February 2017 at 23:25

      It's there on any of the switch settings. It's more noticeable on lower gain knob settings but I can hear it at the end of the decay on higher gain as well - just at the end of the decay. And to be honest, it is a fizzy decay but it also has that gated sort of sound all through in lower gain - you know, if you hit it softly it has that gated sort of sound.

      It's been a long, long time since I've had an issue in a build. I'm just sort of shocked because I do all the measuring all along the way ( because I hate troubleshooting ), count and re-count all the links and cuts. It's actually usually the low parts count builds that I have made errors on...


      I've never posted a sound sample before - I'll have to figure out how to do that.

      Thanks for the reply and for checking yours.

      I think I'm going to try swapping out the jfets before I do any serious digging. Now that I notice the gating sort of quality, that leads me to believe that I might just have some dodgy jfets ( although I just used the same batch in my Black 65 build and it was fine ( a very nice pedal indeed! )

      Thanks again!



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    4. MAO12 February 2017 at 23:37

      I forgot the original layout uses a trimmer, the schematic has that drain resister at 27k, which is what I used, then measured a bunch of jfets to find one that read 4.5 on the drain.

      What resistance do you have on the trimmer to get 4.5v?

      I use Soundcloud to store soundclips, then post the link to the soundcloud file.

      Delete
    5. tinkercreak12 February 2017 at 23:52

      I just went back and measured a couple of resistors. A couple are measuring way off - 3 of the 1M resistors seem to be measuring around 1K. This is going to be very embarrassing if I got all those 1M resistors wrong ( maybe they're measuring off because they are connected to other components? ). And I don't know how I could - I literally measure every resistor and capacitor before I solder it in.

      So let me take this thing out of the enclosure ( I know - I should test before I box it up, but it really has been years since I had something that didn't work correctly ) and start testing. I don't want to waste any more of your time if I have made a bonehead mistake(s). Guess I let my overconfidence get the better of me.

      I'll report back after I figure out my mistakes.

      Thanks

      Delete
    6. tinkercreak20 March 2017 at 14:28

      Checked this over again ( and again and again ). I can't find a fault. Took out a few components and they measured fine. It works fine as long as I am using high gain settings. If the boost is off, and the gain is anywhere below half, it sounds gated and decay fizzles out.

      I'm happy to rebuild but can someone confirm that theirs sounds fine at lower gain settings? No gating, no fizzy decay?

      Thanks all

      Delete
    7. MAO21 March 2017 at 01:26

      What's your Q6 drain resistor (or trimmer) value?

      Maybe try lowering the values of the 1 meg resistors tied to Sw2-1 and Sw2-4. This will give a little more gain on the low gain settings. Try 820k or 750k. (I may try replacing them and the switch with a dual 1 Meg or 500k pot so I can dial in the amount of boost rather than just having the 2 switch settings)

      Here's a sound sample of mine. boost off, tone and mids at noon.
      1/4 gain, then 1/2 gain, then 3/4 gain, then boost on.

      Q6 is biased at 4.7v with 27k drain resistor.

      https://soundcloud.com/maopedals/sovereign-low-gain-settings

      Let me know how yours compares.

      Delete
    8. tinkercreak21 March 2017 at 12:22

      MAO

      I listened to your sound sample. Mine sounds nothing like that at lower gain settings. This confirms that I do have a fault somewhere in the build. I will give it one more going over, but I will probably just go ahead and rebuild.

      I really appreciate you confirming the lower gain sounds for me. Many thanks to you!

      Delete
    9. MAO21 March 2017 at 13:34

      Cool, well you know what I mean.

      I'd be glad to give you a hand over in the forums if you want to try to troubleshoot and pinpoint the issue.

      Delete
    10. tinkercreak21 March 2017 at 14:04

      Appreciate the offer. Let's see what I can find by probing around in it a bit more. I'll let you know if I think it's salvageable.

      Thanks!

      Delete
    11. tinkercreak22 March 2017 at 10:51

      MAO

      btw, you mentioned that you didn't use the trimmer. Did you build from this layout or one of your own?

      Thanks

      Delete
    12. MAO22 March 2017 at 13:06

      I slightly modified the original layout, just moved a few things around and added strain relief holes for the off board wiring.

      I'll send it to you if you like. It's 22x22

      Delete
    13. tinkercreak22 March 2017 at 13:40

      I'd love to have a copy of it if you don't mind. How can I get it from you? Email address or link?

      Delete
    14. MAO23 March 2017 at 04:53

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    15. MAO23 March 2017 at 04:56

      Sure, hopefully this link works

      I rotated the board CCW to install in the enclosure.

      https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x73afH6LSEoGUYb6cKEG8dsASgJK_oSi4N3jWnbtwYg

      I have a gut shot of my previous trimmer version in the forums showing the suggested CCW rotation.

      Page 63

      http://guitar-fx-layouts.42897.x6.nabble.com/Show-your-pedal-guts-td8569i1240.html

      Delete
    16. tinkercreak23 March 2017 at 13:26

      Link worked perfectly. I think I want to compare your layout to this one to see if there is any difference between the two. If there is, then maybe I can fix mine. If there is not, I'll just rebuild. I appreciate all the help. Not going to let this one beat me!

      Thanks!

      Delete
    17. MAO23 March 2017 at 17:02

      Cool, let me know if I can help in anyway.

      Delete
    18. tinkercreak10 April 2017 at 19:09

      Ok. Finally got back to this over the weekend. Checked components and positions - all correct. Number of cuts and positions - all fine. In a last ditch effort i did something I've never done before. Re-flowed every solder joint on the board. That seems to have one the trick. No longer have the bad fizz artifacts. Guess I had a bad/incomplete solder joint somewhere on the board.

      Biased the boost trimmer to 4.5 v. Overall, sounds pretty good. In lower gain settings, it sounds similar to the Black 65 that I built, but with a touch more sparkle on top.

      The bright switch is just too bright for my Strats. I might tweak that on the next build. I'd like the bright option but maybe not that extreme.

      Thanks for the help MAO and thanks to Alex for the layout.

      Delete
    19. MAO11 April 2017 at 04:11

      Excellent! I also found the bright switch a bit bright.

      Delete
    20. tinkercreak11 April 2017 at 11:30

      I will add that I really don't have near the gain ( except full on ) that I have seen on the Youtube demos. I do use single coils so that is part of it ( although it's not much different with my les paul ), and maybe it's my jfets. Still, what I have sounds good and is usable. Going to build another anyway - we'll see...

      Delete
  17. Gadelha19 March 2017 at 01:52

    Hi!

    Should I read this?

    Switch 2 (DPDT):
    1 - 2 - 3
    4 - 5 - 6

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. MAO19 March 2017 at 13:53

      Correct, and no connection for 3&6.

      Delete
    2. MAO19 March 2017 at 13:53

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  18. Willy2 April 2017 at 13:02

    The volume pot labels need to be reversed - turning fully clockwise silenced the vero. Works and sounds great.

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  19. Travis2 April 2017 at 15:53

    The volume pot is pretty much always wired this way. If it was working backwards you mixed up lug 3 and 1. Check the offboard wiring tab to see how pot lugs are numbered.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Unknown23 May 2017 at 22:57

    Hi,
    I just finished this pedal and it worked on first try. Q6 sounds best between 4.7 and 5.1 volts. It sounds fine but not like the videos i've seen. I think it lacks some gain but mainly some bass. I tested my jfets with a multifuntional meter. It red three of them correctly as NJfets and the other two as PNP transistors. Could this be the culprit? I only had five of them on hand so i used them anyway (until I receive some new ones).

    Also, voltages on 4580D IC are:
    pin1: ~8v pin2: ~8v pin3: 0v pin4: 0v
    pin5: ~4v pin6: ~4v pin7: ~4v pin8: ~8v
    Do they sound correct for this type of IC?

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  21. Unknown20 June 2017 at 10:23

    Do you think I'll get away with a TL072? I've got a whole batch of them that need using up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Willy20 June 2017 at 14:18

      Pretty certain I'm using a TL072 or a 4558 in mine. Maybe. I'd have to check.

      Delete
  22. SammiBoiBuildsPedals22 June 2017 at 01:48

    Sorry, probably a noob question, but what is the square that's labeled "100K, Bias?" I figured it was a potentiometer, but I could be wrong. I don't recall seeing a bias potentiometer on the pedal, so is that like an optional thing?

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  23. Unknown29 June 2017 at 09:17

    Built this after a 2 day, 2am soldering bender (I know you know what I mean). I made some really stupid mistakes... Gain lugs backwards, missing caps and even forgot to put one of the jfets in!?! Nonetheless, after fixing my tired eyed mistakes and tweaking the bias pot, I got it running sweeeeeeet!

    All is left is to box but just wanted to say thanks for all the awesome layouts, this site is such a fantastic resource filled with genuinely generous and helpful people!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Willy10 July 2017 at 15:01

    Strangely enough, after boxing it my volume is working correctly, but all the other pots are around the wrong way. It's been a while since I populated the vero but I can't remember if I swapped it as per my above post.

    I've put the boost on a footswitch, otherwise, as per the vero and sounds great.

    https://scontent.fmel2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/19875320_1599305140132150_6604342427110197866_n.jpg?oh=d792e126744e4c4b6846c48cb5d70da9&oe=59C90019

    ReplyDelete
  25. Troy W26 November 2018 at 15:57

    Good day all, I am getting ready to assemble this project and I have one noob question. What is the green circle symbol on row 7 and 6 from the left on the layout. I would assume this is an additional solder point for that jumper but I need to make sure.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MAO26 November 2018 at 17:21

      That's a double link, both the jumper above and below share that same hole and are soldered together there.

      Delete
  26. cacopanda27 November 2018 at 10:10

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Unknown12 July 2019 at 21:18

    This one has got me stumped, I just can't get it working. I've built about 30 pedals but I just can't seem to get this one going. I get a pretty weak output from Q6 even with a decent drain voltage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MAO12 July 2019 at 22:28

      How is the signal at the gate of Q6?
      Are you using a J201 for Q6?
      What is the drain resistance dialed in at? If it's not close to 27k, try another J201.

      Delete
    2. Unknown30 July 2019 at 11:01

      Thanks for the suggestion MAO, I rebuilt it in the end (on better quality stripboard) and have got it working, but it sounded very 'splatty' initially. After going around the circuit with an audio probe I found the 51pf cap on the 4580d seemed to be altering the sound drastically so I used a jumper instead, and now it sounds good, but not as much gain as the demos (I've read other comments to this effect). I think it's my j201s, they're really cheap ones and may be lower gain than usual. It does sound nice though, just not as high gain as I thought it would be. I'll follow your suggestion anyway as it'll give me an indication of the j201 gain.

      Delete
  28. Unknown4 March 2020 at 22:48

    Very good pedal. I made it in protel program and used mkp capacitors and metal film resistors mostly. Use 50k trimer for bias. Adjust it from silence to just before compressing. Lot of gain, very nice. I also expected more gain but enough for me. Maybe 250k would give more gain. Op amp is MC1458. I tried for euphoria this 1458, NE5532 , RC4559 , BurBrown opa but best for me is 4559. I shall try all of that for souvereign. Good luck

    ReplyDelete

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