Vox AC30

[Heath]

I lust after this sound.

So.. when I saw the Catalinbread Galileo on here, I nearly wet myself.

I built it.

Bypass works.  Boost works.  Nothing else works.

Spent hours effing with it.  Nothing.  Scraped tracks.  Resoldered.  Changed everything I reasonably could.  Nope.

Sacrificed a chicken.  Still no good.

*anguish* *heartbreak*

I tossed it in the Bag of Broken Dreams.  I had horked it somewhere beyond my ability to repair, I was sure.

The next day I said "Damn it to hell!  I WILL build it!"

Fresh vero, fresh components, fresh underwear... YES!

SAME DAMN THING ALL OVER AGAIN.

Like Sherlock Holmes, I peered closely with my magnifying  glass, sure I would find the culprit any second and laugh to myself at such a minor error.  The CB-Galli and I would go watch a movie together and share some popcorn.

It didn't happen that way.  I just spent 4 hours staring at it, slack-jawed.  When, Lawd?  When gone be mah time?

Into the Bag.




Okay, so if you bothered reading through that, here's the deal:  I still want that sound.  

I see a layout for the CB-30, but from what I've read, the reaction is mostly that it kind of sucks.  Nothing like the Galileo.  

The Love Pedal English Gentlemen seems to have people who like it and who don't, plus it doesn't seem meant to really cover the full AC-30 spectrum, but primarily cranked and dying slowly.. which is cool and all, but I want more.

The ROG English Channel might be an option, but I'm not sure if it really compares to the Galileo.

Recently I saw the Brigg's Vintage '64 layout... and so I'm thinking about trying it as well.

So, dear esteemed colleagues, with most of you being more experienced with these than I, can you suggest one that, in your opinion, might blow my pants off?  

I realize I could just build several and check them out, but I'm actually a little burned out on failure at the moment, having attempted and botched both a John Hollis Ultra Flanger and an MXR Phase90 beyond hope, AND I'm waiting for a parts restock from Futurlec, who I will never order from again.  Three months I've been waiting.  I'm going to build a Green Ringer or something small and easy and get some mojo back.

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear your opinions on a good Vox AC30 pedal.

[dexxyy]

I built the Galileo and I love it...... But I love the English channel more. For me the English channel is closer to the full ac30 sound especially with the normal/bright switch, the Galileo nails the Brian may tone but for me it doesn't have the body of the English channel. The English channel isn't an easy build either, the Galileo is basically a cb30 with a naga viper in front of it so why not build them and get your Galileo that way. Most of the gripes with the cb30 were regarding the lack of volume (basically unity gain) the naga viper boosting it solves that issue.

[Heath]

Now you've got me wanting to build an English Channel.  :D Looking at the layout, I remember now why I shied away from it.  J201s and bias trimmers *shudder*  I hate that shit.

CB-30 it is!!

I'm assuming the CB-30 is just as happy with an 18v charge pump as the Galileo.  Throw a rock at me if I'm wrong.

[Edit: Oh, and thank you for the info!!]

[Heath]

Son of a... I'm out of big enough Vero board pieces.

[Heath]

Where there's a will, there's a way...

[dodido]

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[Heath]

Found the culprit...   I still believe there was something else going on with my other attempts, as I'm pretty sure I remember swapping out different transistors, but I can't recall what I substituted to test it out.

Anyway, after wiring the circuit up (no switch or DC in, just 9 volt battery, input/output straight to jacks, etc) and getting nothing, I tried swapping out the 2n5457s for some J201s I had sitting around.  Instantly it started working.

Frankenboard lives!!!!



Hell yeah.

It's 3:20am, so I can't make any qualified judgements on how it sounds except to say I'm not blown away.  However that could be due to any number of things (the J201s, not being able to really explore the sounds without the cops showing up, or the fact that I'm sop sleepy my face is starting to feel numb).  I'm looking forward to cranking it tomorrow and seeing what I think.  

I do not plan on leaving the J201s in there, though I don't have a particular reason why, except I've had bad experiences with them in the past.  I'll get some replacement 2n5457s ordered and hopefully have it working properly.

In the meantime, can anyone suggest a transistor that is a close replacement/alternative of the 2n5457 so that I can get a better idea what this pedal sounds like?

Danke!