Help me debug this before I murder it...

[Silver Blues]

Hey guys... recently built an Engineer's Thumb, 5-knobber. Long story short I built it two weeks ago and it STILL doesn't work properly.

1. Popping during switching. Massively. I rewired it every way to Sunday and settled on Mark's offboard method on this site and it STILL does it. There's a 10M pulldown in this thing!!

2. It doesn't compress!

Controls are fucked:
3. The Threshold cuts off my signal at both ends of the rotation, rolling it off like a volume control as you turn it down and overdriving ridiculously with a massive volume boost then cutting out abruptly as you roll it up.
4. The Ratio is really scratchy, and I get no signal when turned down and it drives the cuts out as I turn it up. I can use maybe 1/4 of the rotation. Same sort of thing as the Threshold, except just a narrower range.
5. Very little volume UNLESS the Thresh and Ratio are at just the right spots. It still doesn't compress, though, it's more like the planet's most complicated (and weakest) clean boost.
6. Can't really tell if the Attack and Release controls are doing anything.
7. On the bright side (pun unintentional), the Bright switch actually does stuff! However, it comes through the amp when I flip the switch.

The voltages check out perfectly for the most part (positive meter lead to jack and negative to probe around), except I get 0v at the V+ pins of the IC and full power at the V- pins unless I place my black on ground and use the red to probe around, then ALL voltages are correct.

I am a meticulous builder. I checked the board and components a myriad of times before and during the assembly. I knifed the gaps at least ten times. I went over the component placement SIX TIMES, twice already mounted in the enclosure. I had another experienced pair of eyes check my cuts/links and my component placement. The wiring is correct. The voltages (as above) are correct.

I am beginning to get really pissed off with this thing because there do not appear to be any faults yet it pointedly and completely does not function. Please help me.

[Dave]

Hmm strange, without wishing to sound patronising have you checked things like resistor values, that the pots are working properly, replaced the transistors and IC's? Other than those things I'm not sure...
Thanks
Dave

[Silver Blues]

Yeah man, I haven't checked ICs (I might swap 3080s later, as I have no reason to believe the TL072s aren't working because the OD tone is not unpleasant), I tested the tranny before I put it in, and everything else is fine. Unless I overlooked the same mistake 35 times...Tested the pots before they went in too.

Frustrating... lol. Thanks for trying

[Dave]

No worries, other than a faulty part I can't think what could have gone wrong. I hate those occasional circuits that don't work no matter what you do.
thanks
Dave