tiki101
Joined: Mar 22, 2009
Posts: 101
pgh, where the zombies live
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 01:10 PM
FRV very clean, no box, $90 shipped
TR-2 very clean, box/papers, $55 shipped
Older OLC tube tremolo, bought from DeadRanchHands a couple years ago, overhauled by a great pedal guy in California (Timbo on OSG). I just never use it, yours for the cost of the work $50 shipped.
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Last edited: Feb 11, 2014 05:43:23
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 01:21 PM
Chris, please say more about the tube tremolo pedal. I was getting around to buying a Joyo tremolo, but this looks very tempting.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: Feb 10, 2014 13:22:42
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LeeVanCleef
Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 02:58 PM
PM sent.
— Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 03:02 PM
Also sent PM. That tube tremolo...
— Squink Out!
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tiki101
Joined: Mar 22, 2009
Posts: 101
pgh, where the zombies live
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 03:41 PM
tube trem sale pending.
thanks.
offers considered on the BOSS stuff.
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 03:51 PM
I figured that, expected it really, when I didn't PM you an offer as soon as I saw it. But I'd still like to know more about it.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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tiki101
Joined: Mar 22, 2009
Posts: 101
pgh, where the zombies live
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 04:03 PM
Noel wrote:
I figured that, expected it really, when I didn't PM you an offer as soon as I saw it. But I'd still like to know more about it.
sadly, I can't tell you more about it. LeeVanCleef probably knows more than I do. It's a prototype OLC Darth Fader, I believe. It was kind of a mess when I bought it. Tim found the proper diagrams and rebuilt it. Great sounding, but I never figured out a way to work it into my smallish board.
Last edited: Feb 10, 2014 18:12:48
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 04:04 PM
Noel wrote:
But I'd still like to know more about it.
Likewise, whenever Chris gets a moment. That thing is neat looking, and the outside looks cool too. 
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 04:33 PM
That Darth Fader is one nicely-built piece of gear. Never been a Boss man myself though. That deal falls through, let me know.
tiki101 wrote:
tube trem sale pending.
thanks.
offers considered on the BOSS stuff.
— Squink Out!
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josheboy
Joined: Mar 13, 2009
Posts: 2367
Twin Cities, MN
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 04:52 PM
That trem pedal looks awesome. I can vouch for timbo, I have 2 of his pedals and LOVE them. He knows his stuff.
If I didn't already have 2 trem pedals I'd pick it up
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LeeVanCleef
Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 05:12 PM
OK guys,
This is an OLC Darth Fader. OLC stands for Officially Licensed Circuits, it was a small company that basically built effect pedals based on other people's designs, quite often non-commercial ones, but they still paid the original creators a fee for the right to use those designs... something no present day manufacturer (large-scale or boutique) would do. They also sold kits to assemble these pedals yourself. I'm using the past tense because it seems their website has been inactive for a few years now.
In the case of the Darth Fader, the pedal is based on a simplified version of the Bullitt tube tremolo, a non-commercial circuit designed by Andy aka The Tone God, one of the FX gurus of the DIYstompboxes forum. The Bullitt (and subsequently the Darth Fader) is a tube tremolo, but contrary to the old Fender amps it runs on 12VDC, not on high voltage. Therefore it has to have a solid state part (the LFO, ie the part that creates the wave which modulates your signal's volume), as tubes cannot oscillate at low voltage. The signal path is all tube though, but at low voltage you will never get what we think of as the "classic tube tone": you won't really get the compression a cranked up amp or tank can give you.
The Bullitt tremolo has a full tonestack inspired by the classic Fender amps, but I believe this part was not kept for the simpler Darth Fader version. The original Bullitt also has 2 preamp tubes, while the Darth Fader uses only one.
The Fender knobs and Vibrolux decor are obviously not original, but they look perfect on that pedal. I suppose the fact that Timbo gave this pedal an overhaul means it's been officially upgraded from great to awesome.
More info about the Darth Fader here
The full story: this tremolo is actually the reason why I joined sg101 3 years ago. I was a member of the DIYstompboxes forum at the time, trying to learn how to build fx pedals. Someone there suggested that I try the Bullitt circuit, but I never got it to work -- I was (and still am) just an amateur, and not a very gifted one at that. I was also an occasional lurker here on sg101, and when DeadRanchHands, the original owner of this very pedal, mentioned he had one, I joined so I could assault him with questions about how his Darth Fader was built...
— Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.
Last edited: Feb 11, 2014 14:25:50
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 05:41 PM
That's what I get for not paying enough attention to gear topics. That's a great explanation. Thanks! Somebody's gonna be very happy with this.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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tiki101
Joined: Mar 22, 2009
Posts: 101
pgh, where the zombies live
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Posted on Feb 10 2014 06:14 PM
very cool background. thanks a lot!
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LeeVanCleef
Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
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Posted on Feb 11 2014 02:22 PM
Noel wrote:
Somebody's gonna be very happy with this.
Yup, I think so 
But if I ever decide I don't need it anymore, I'll be sure to offer it here for the same price
— Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Feb 11 2014 02:38 PM
See below.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: Feb 11, 2014 15:03:46
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Feb 11 2014 02:40 PM
LeeVanCleef wrote:
Noel wrote:
Somebody's gonna be very happy with this.
Yup, I think so 
But if I ever decide I don't need it anymore, I'll be sure to offer it here for the same price
I accept, and place my OFFICIAL OFFER here and now. In all seriousness, I'm glad the tube tremolo went to a real musician. I wouldn't want to keep someone who can really make the most of it from having it.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: Feb 11, 2014 15:15:39
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on Feb 11 2014 04:34 PM
tiki101 wrote:
very cool background. thanks a lot!
+1, thanks for the history and the lesson. Neat; stuff moving around in its own karma=A=432Hz thing. (ok, no cross-thread points, I get it....)
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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