First proto of possible new Black Arts pedal

[culturejam]

Here's a first prototype build of a fun noise-fuzz circuit originally designed by Tim Escobedo. I adjusted some values and revamped the power supply section to reduce current draw. This is very similar to the Logic Fuzz pedal that I've built several of and enjoyed immensely.

This may or may not become an official product of Black Arts Toneworks. I think Mark wants to dabble in a few short run "custom shop" type pedals, and this one is going to be the pilot. Probably. We're going with "Fnord! Fuzz" as the name, since he and I are both big fans of the Illuminatus Trilogy.

I pitched the idea to him several months back, and he was all like "Go for it! If people want it, I'll build some." And just to be totally clear, I'm not an employee of Black Arts, just an enthusiastic collaborator.

This one is a total departure, sonically speaking, from the other stuff in the Black Arts lineup. A little bit more "noise" than his other stuff. I thought you guys would appreciate it more than any other group.

Here's a clip I did of a previous version:
http://www.archive.org/details/LogicFuzz-Demo

The current version is very similar sounding, but the octave up is a little more pronounced than in the clip above.

Anyway, here are a few pics. If it ends up going into a short run production, the final enclosure will have cool silkscreened graphics. It will likely look nothing like the unit pictured below.

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

that's quite the rakish tilt to that IC... saucy!

[Seiche]

tilted IC GAS!

[skullservant]

Cool!

[Holy Schnikes]

Cool indeed!

[theavondon]

Yeah, that is super rad!

[culturejam]

that's quite the rakish tilt to that IC... saucy!

Thanks!

I saw a photo of some PCB for robotics stuff, and it had an IC at an angle similar to what I did. I thought it looked cool, so I copied the idea. All I did was place the part normally in Eagle and then on the layout I edited the properties to adjust the angle to 45 degrees. You probably already knew how that worked, but I figured I'd post it if anyone else was interested it doing it themselves.

[Holy Schnikes]

Can you spread those knobbies any further apart on the production design?

[culturejam]

Can you spread those knobbies any further apart on the production design?

Oh yeah. It's actually laid out for PCB-mount pots that are in a straight line. I just didn't want to wait for the proper-sized enclosure so I crammed it all in that box. I actually had to sand the edges of the board to get it to fit in that box, and it barely squeaked in.

[Holy Schnikes]

Awesome!

And the clip sounds badass sir!

[Seiche]

Can you spread those knobbies any further apart on the production design?

Oh yeah. It's actually laid out for PCB-mount pots that are in a straight line. I just didn't want to wait for the proper-sized enclosure so I crammed it all in that box. I actually had to sand the edges of the board to get it to fit in that box, and it barely squeaked in.

so it wont fit in a B?

[culturejam]

so it wont fit in a B?

I assume you mean 1590B. It will, but some trimming is required.

125B is a much easier fit. And I think to use all the pots mounted on the PCB you'd have to go bigger or turn the box sideways.

[Officer Bukowski]

I love the finish on that box I had a similar idea for a finish but with a sunflower or something

I had the OG Logic Fuzz (Dandolin has it now) and it was fuckin cool. It had some really unique texture-y sounds on the extremes of the "?!" knob. It did some pretty weird shit, like sometimes the harder you strum/pick the quieter it sounds and the notes swell up as they decay.

[Gone Fission]

Ditto on the box. Are those graphics applied by stamp? The thought had occurred to me before to try that sort of thing. How's it hold up in use?

[culturejam]

It did some pretty weird shit, like sometimes the harder you strum/pick the quieter it sounds and the notes swell up as they decay.

Yeah, on some settings of the knobs it will do dynamic compression like that. You hit it hard and it clamps down, and then as the notes decay the compression de-clamps and the note starts to get louder.

Are those graphics applied by stamp? The thought had occurred to me before to try that sort of thing. How's it hold up in use?

Yes, they are basic craft store rubber stamps. The trick to making them durable is to use the right ink. I recommend Staz On ink, as it is designed specifically to be applied to metal, glass, and other surfaces that ink usually doesn't work on. And it's also available in several colors, including white. I've found that with some elbow grease, you can wipe off the ink after it is dry, but it takes a lot of effort. So, if you really want maximum longevity, I recommend stamping, then hit it with a light coat of clear to give it an extra protective layer. Also, if you stamp to bare metal, hit the metal with a light coat of clear first, then stamp, the finish with a light coat of clear. I say to keep it light because the ink can run if you get heavy.

Another great thing is that you can have custom stamps made for pretty cheap (less than $20). This is great if you want to do a run of the same kind of pedal or you want to have part time boutique bidness.