The Surfy Bear Fet Reverb

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

The Surfy Bear Fet Reverb

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HallmarkSweptWinger Joined: Jul 27, 2006 Posts: 1284 Berlinesia, Germanifornia	Posted on Oct 26 2014 01:45 PM I don`t understand anything here (like mostly) but I agree totally! — Twang cheers! Ralf Kilauea www.kilaueas.de https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien Top
bjoish Joined: Jul 06, 2010 Posts: 596 Stockholm	Posted on Oct 29 2014 04:51 PM LeeVanCleef wrote: JObeast wrote: Now if you could design a FET version of the Magnatone stereo vibrato... There are commercially available pedals that more or less mimic the Magnatone 280's stereo vibrato circuit: the Big Tone Music Brewery Maggie and the Bigfoot FX Magnavibe. Schematics and vero/stripboard or PCB layouts for the latter are easily found on the internet if you want to build yours — no ready-to-assemble kits though. Interesting reading!! Seems like most designs avoid the 'varistor-patent' used in the Magnatone vibrato. I found this document explaining various vibrato circuits. Would be fun to experiment with varistors and jFETs Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Oct 29 2014 07:44 PM Go for it Bjorn! I will be a happy prototype-tester for you! — Squink Out! Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 30 2014 04:06 AM Heya Björn, just a quick question: IIRC the power supply has to be 12V, 1A, center negative? So a VoodooLab PP2+ set to 12V would not be sufficient, as it only provides 250mA? — The Hicadoolas Top
bjoish Joined: Jul 06, 2010 Posts: 596 Stockholm	Posted on Oct 30 2014 04:17 AM SanchoPansen wrote: Heya Björn, just a quick question: IIRC the power supply has to be 12V, 1A, center negative? So a VoodooLab PP2+ set to 12V would not be sufficient, as it only provides 250mA? The absolute minimum is 400-500mA, but I recommend 1A. Since it is a class A amp, the current consumption is quite high. /Björn Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 30 2014 04:37 AM Thanks for the fast reply! Looking forward to receiving the parts Very excited, tbh. — The Hicadoolas Last edited: Oct 30, 2014 04:38:05 Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Oct 30 2014 04:49 AM I bought a used JHS-Q12-S48 regulated power supply 12v 4A - center positive. I believe these originally come with Black and Decker drills and I've found it to be very quiet even when mounted inside the cabinet. Only cost £5! Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Oct 30 2014 09:18 AM I mistakenly bought a regulated power supply that is center negative. But it's no problem, I just wired the power leads to the correct polarity. — Squink Out! Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 30 2014 09:42 AM I am confused now. When I get the parts and build it like the manual says, is it center negative for the power supply or not? Or do I simply pick one way by rewiring it like Jo did? — The Hicadoolas Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Oct 30 2014 10:17 AM SanchoPansen wrote: Or do I simply pick one way by rewiring it like Jo did? You wire the socket to suit the polarity of the power supply. However.. if you are looking to buy a power supply you might as well chose center positive because the socket Bjorn uses "looks" center positive. Note the larger size of center contact (live blue wire - if center positive like I am). It's reassuring to visibly see this when soldering. Last edited: Oct 31, 2014 15:32:21 Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Oct 30 2014 09:21 PM Excellent photo. That's the kind of info nubes like us need. — Squink Out! Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Oct 31 2014 02:30 AM Thanks a lot for the pic and clarification! My unit arrived yesterday and I guess I'll have a lot of questions as soon as I get started. — The Hicadoolas Top
cambeezy Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 399 Cleveland, Ohio	Posted on Oct 31 2014 04:23 PM OMG, Bjorn created a Monster Splash Machine! Its early in my testing stages, but its sounding better than either my Triode kit or Re-issue tanks. I didn't want to think something could sound better than tubes, but …it does! If you're on the fence about getting one, just do it! If you've ever built a pedal, this is probably easier -- more space to work with. Put it in a tool box, hammer together a wooden box or whatever but don't put it in a mailbox - that's too undignified for this circuit. Bjorn's directions are clear and he answered all my stupid questions really fast. If you go with a conventional box, a cut-off steel construction stud would work really well for a chassis (as someone mentioned above). Or better yet, the Hammond 13.5" x 5" x 2" box is perfect. Just need a step drill for the controls, etc. I would only add that I'm disappointed in the MOD pan. Too much tail. The FET sounds much better with an Accutronics (US made). Also, I splurged and got a Ramsey. Pricey, but dead quiet. It came alive on Halloween! Thanks, Bjorn. edited to say that when I first fired it up, I only got a dry signal because I had the pan wires reversed -- so those labels on the chassis are wrong, lol. Last edited: Oct 31, 2014 16:27:55 Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Oct 31 2014 07:43 PM I concur, the MOD pan has a very long tail. I have to turn Dwell & Mix down to 4 or it's overwhelming. But my old Accutronics pan was unresponsive to therapy (epoxy & shims). Where can one pick up a NOS US-made one? Are the Chinese ones anything like them? Odd that the Gibbs pan in the 50-yr-old Gibson Reverb III responded well to therapy (the circuit still sounds like AM radio compared to SB FET). I should sell it to those La Luz gals as I never plug it in anymore since the SB FET was wired & fired up. — Squink Out! Top
crumble Joined: Sep 09, 2008 Posts: 3158 Guildford England	Posted on Nov 01 2014 05:57 AM cambeezy wrote: OMG, Bjorn created a Monster Splash Machine! Its early in my testing stages, but its sounding better than either my Triode kit or Re-issue tanks. I didn't want to think something could sound better than tubes, but …it does! Excellent start! it's great to see other peoples projects coming along. The Re-issue comparison wow! that really is high praise indeed, we need a few others to comment about this because at the moment the FRV-1 is mentioned on SG101 Wiki but sadly Surfy Bear Fet Reverb isn't.. Grrr Hulk Smash time for Jon Paul! edited to say that when I first fired it up, I only got a dry signal because I had the pan wires reversed -- so those labels on the chassis are wrong, lol. You've joined the club successfully! Top
bjoish Joined: Jul 06, 2010 Posts: 596 Stockholm	Posted on Nov 01 2014 06:32 AM Thanks for the feedback It's the nice people here that makes this such a fun project! Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Nov 01 2014 10:46 AM Is the circuit public domain or under any patent owned by Fender? Does substitution of FETs for tubes make it 'original'? I wonder if word gets out that your rendition of the Fender circuit may be superior to the 'reissue', will it draw heat from FMIC's lawyers? — Squink Out! Last edited: Nov 01, 2014 10:48:00 Top
LeeVanCleef Joined: Oct 05, 2011 Posts: 744 France	Posted on Nov 01 2014 12:45 PM JObeast wrote: Is the circuit public domain or under any patent owned by Fender? Does substitution of FETs for tubes make it 'original'? I wonder if word gets out that your rendition of the Fender circuit may be superior to the 'reissue', will it draw heat from FMIC's lawyers? JObeast, electronic circuits are not patentable; circuit layouts (i.e. PCB designs) are. This is why so many manufacturers (largescale or boutique) can and do offer exact clones of existing effects: as long as the PCBs aren't laid out in the exact same way (which is really easy to do) and they come up with their own name for the effect, they have nothing to fear. But even if that weren't the case, adapting a high voltage tube circuit for use with low voltage transistors requires enough changes and adjustments that it couldn't be considered a straight copy. — Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers. Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Nov 01 2014 01:06 PM Thanks, Lee for clearing that up. Innovation driven by refinement of existing circuits seems something that ought to be encouraged, but in this late capitalist era, innovation and creation of new markets are generally less valued than cost-cutting among big industries. I think the micro-markets represented by boutique musical instrument manufacture are a haven of wholesome business ethics, with emphasis still on creativity. — Squink Out! Top
bjoish Joined: Jul 06, 2010 Posts: 596 Stockholm	Posted on Nov 01 2014 06:16 PM I have very little knowledge about legal aspects. As far as I know, patents in the electronics circuit area must be very detailed to be patentable. This also means that even small changes in a schematic makes it pass. A dont think there are any patents covering the whole concept of spring reverbs. I know that companies that simulate (for example) classic amps like VOX AC30 never refers to VOX. Maybe I should remove all references to Fender on my website... Top

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