MXR Phase 45 clone

[jugglindan]

Starting the next pedal build: a clone of the MXR phase 45, layout from Guitar FX Layouts. As well as being a simpler circuit, I prefer the more subtle phaser effect anyway. If I want gnarly phasing I have the Xtomp with Phase 90 and Small Stone models.

Since I am still waiting for some components to arrive (Murphy's Law of Electronics: no matter how many components you have stashed, the new circuit will still require parts you don't have), I decided to start with the enclosure. I am planning a space-age Star Trek theme based on the phaser pun, so first step is polishing the enclosure.

The raw enclosure:


Partway through sanding grades:


Getting there:


I did this last night while watching Babylon 5, but in the sunlight today I could see fine scratches that are too deep for the current sanding grade, so it's back down the grades for a bit. I should probably also drill before getting to the final polishing stage. I will use the same 1 knob template I used on the Lemon Squeezy.

[Andy40]

Dammit, you are beating me. I've got the "Smoothie" by Madbean PCB but not started it. Whats your plan to match the transistors?

[Woltz]

Cool build, can't wait to see the enclosure design.

Slightly off topic, lads talk to me about the best Vox AC clone pedal that I can either buy a pcb or get a layout for that I can etch my own board. I want to try get the closest Vox sound I can out of my Marshall without actually buying a Vox amp which then takes up more space in my house.

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[jugglindan]

Dammit, you are beating me. I've got the "Smoothie" by Madbean PCB but not started it. Whats your plan to match the transistors?

For JFET matching, I will probably build one of these on a breadboard, then pick the best pair.

Cool build, can't wait to see the enclosure design.

Slightly off topic, lads talk to me about the best Vox AC clone pedal that I can either buy a pcb or get a layout for that I can etch my own board. I want to try get the closest Vox sound I can out of my Marshall without actually buying a Vox amp which then takes up more space in my house.

I have no experience with Vox amp in a box pedals, but reviews indicate that the Catalinbread CB30 and Galileo pedals are pretty good. Guitar FX Layouts has stripboard layouts for both (2 versions of Galileo). If it was me I would start by listening to YouTube reviews of those to see if they are close to what you are looking for.

[jugglindan]

Oh, the RunOffGroove Britannia has a good rep as well. Guitar FX Layouts has it as well. It's a fairly complex stripboard build though, so might be worth looking for a PCB. The ROG site has a PCB layout, but the link to purchase a board is dead.

[McCreed]

Woltz, try a search for Joyo AC Tone schematic.

I know bugger-all about building pedals but I can say that actual Joyo pedal is really good. The down side is you can buy the pedal for $65 form Artist Guitars, which is probably less than you can build one, but I reckon that's not the point so much with you DIY pedal guys

[jugglindan]

Woltz, try a search for Joyo AC Tone schematic.

I know bugger-all about building pedals but I can say that actual Joyo pedal is really good. The down side is you can buy the pedal for $65 form Artist Guitars, which is probably less than you can build one, but I reckon that's not the point so much with you DIY pedal guys

According to this list, the Joyo AC Tone is a clone of the Tech21 SansAmp Liverpool. I haven't heard either, but the Tech21 pedal does come in the same conversations of good Vox in a Box pedals that mentioned the Catalinbread ones. Joyo do have a good rep as one of the better quality clone builders. I have the Joyo Sweet Baby, which is an excellent clone of the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive. It's a great pedal but I have never bonded with it so it's been evicted by the recent #5 build (Barber CDD).

I can build a pedal for much less than $65 worth of parts. Typically less than $20 depending on the components. Most of the cost is a more or less a fixed cost per pedal - ~$10 for the enclosure, ~$5-7 worth of pots, knobs, jacks and other hardware, and then just a couple of dollars worth of components. I keep things cheap by mostly buying bulk packs on eBay. Some circuits require special orders, but I usually use that to stock up on other parts to amortize the postage cost.

Here's the breakup on the 3 pedals I completed recently:
Buffer: cost me ~$15. The original JHS Little Black Buffer costs $129. Most of the cost was harware, electronics are probably less than $1.
Lemon Squeezy: cost me $35. An AnalogMan Juicer is $279. My cost was higher because I got a PCB kit, but a stripboard build would have been pricey as well due to rare JFETs.
#5: cost me $20. The original Barber Compact Direct Drive is around $250 if you can find one at all.

So I get the equivalent of over $650 worth of high-end pedals for $70. But that's not all of the point, or even the main point. I enjoy the process of building the pedals. I find it relaxing, and a good creative outlet.

[jugglindan]

I should add that those costs are just for the actual parts used in each pedal. My total outlay to get to the point of being able to do this so cheaply is higher. $15 for a kit of 1200 resistors, $50 multimeter, soldering stuff etc. But it's the same with building guitars. The tools cost gets cheaper per build the more builds you do, which I think is one thing that motivates people to build just one more.

[Andy40]

For JFET matching, I will probably build one of these on a breadboard, then pick the best pair.

I'd be copying you, so if you have time to document your travels, i'm interested.

[jugglindan]

I'd be copying you, so if you have time to document your travels, i'm interested.

No worries. I can document the JFET selection process in this build thread. I don't have any 2N5952 JFETs in stock. They are on order but who knows when they will arrive. I have read of others using J201s (which I have) or 2N5457s with success (even Mark Hammer, the DIY pedal god says they will work). I think the key is matching.

As an aside, I tried my Lemon Squeezer with J201s instead of the 2N5457s and it sounded pretty much the same. I didn't even adjust the voltage trimmer (since it took so much work to get just right).