Crunch Box with bass pot - surprisingly useful

[HamishR]

As usual I don't know if I am posting this in the right area!  I have been experimenting with the Crunch Box and JHS @ pedal circuits in an effort to build a great OD for a Strat.  I wanted something which made a Strat sound bigger on the bridge pickup - fatter and chunkier but still capable of twanging.  This is my favourite so far.  I love my modded Muffs but they don't exactly twang...  So far I have two circuits which are getting me towards my goal of an OD for Strat which has the girth of a muff but great low string definition and less gain.

This one is my modded Crunch Box/@:



It sounds great with the red LEDs as clippers but I like the 1N4001s better.  There is a ton of low-end available here so that's why I stuck a bass pot in there (from the Rockett pedals) and it helps when I play a Gibson through it.

Oh, and it's verified.  :-)

[Blackboarcult]

Nice one!

How does it sound with a clean bright amp? This added bass control might be really useful on certain settings indeed.

[GrooveChampion]

....Can this be added to the Delyk PCB that has the presence control?

[HamishR]

Well so far I have only played it through a home-brew 5E3 tweed Deluxe and it sounds great to me!  :-)  My 5E3 is not the typical saturated Deluxe.  It has a lot of headroom so at loud home levels (I have played gigs at this volume) the amp is clean and bright and not quite as bass heavy as the typical Deluxe.  I can get some nice chug going with this pedal.  The audio taper gain pot really helps as a linear taper is brutal.

[HamishR]

Groover i don't know - I doubt it.

[Snare227]

Loving your layouts man!  I built a few of the 45 Cal you posted, how would you say that this compares sonically?  I might have to lay into this one too.  Any drive pedal with a bass pot has a chance of getting built for me. Thanks!

[HamishR]

Well the Cal 45 remains my pick for HBs or P90s.  But the modded Crunch Box is thicker and gainier, which is really useful for making a Strat bridge pickup sound beefy.  It can make a small amp chug like a much bigger amp because of the ridiculous amounts of tight low end on tap.  The beauty of having a bass pot is of course you can dial it back if necessary.

Lack of control over the lows has long been a pet peeve of mine.  I like the sound of the King of Tone for example, but it has always lacked enough balls in my rig.  I have since built my own version which has more grunt but a bass pot would be wonderful.

[Snare227]

Absolutely agree buddy.  A bass pot is so helpful for matching a pedal up to the rest of your rig.  A Bluesbreaker with a bass pot would be pretty sweet.

[alltrax74]

That looks interesting, I also always thought the crunch box (which i like very much) lacked something
I see you rearranged things around the tone pot, removed the presence trim and changed some cap values
How would you compare the clipping with 1n4001 to the original leds ?
Thanks

[Blackboarcult]

Good to know, mate! I'll probably build it as soon as my list is reduced to a handful of layouts... Thanks!

[HamishR]

Alltrax the 4001s aren't so very different from the LEDs but there is something I prefer about them.  It's difficult to say what it is!  It's easy enough to use the LEDs if you want to.  I tried 4x 1N4148s because they have worked so well for me before, but not in this circuit.  I also tried the 4001+4148 each side as in some of the Rockett pedals... Nope, the single 4001 just sounds better to me.  Of course I am 100% certain that many would disagree with me.  I have been meaning to try BAT41s too!

This layout is a combination of Crunch Box and JHS @ pedal.

[alltrax74]

I built several CB, always with leds
Well next time I might try your layout and socket the leds/diodes to see which I prefer
Thank you

[alltrax74]

BTW, any idea on how to add a mid pot on this one ? Crunch Box with TMB TS would be a killer  !
And thanks also for the '59

[JabboWookie]

Isn't the Crunch box with a TMB tonestack just the Andy Timmons?

[alltrax74]

The super CB v2 does but no schematic available from what i know

[HamishR]

I am being fickle now - Played with this again today and have gone back to red LEDs as clippers.  Also changed to 1K from the clipping diodes to Tone 3 to 2K - it gives a little more midrange which really helps a Strat.  I'm really enjoying this pedal now.  I may reduce the lows a little at some stage because I'm running the bass just under halfway and there is still plenty.  

But overall I am loving this with my Strat.