BugBrand BabyBugCrusher rehouse!

DannDubblewe · #1 12-17-2011, 12:59 PM

At first I was all "Man. This is an expensive piece of equipment. Don't do it." Then I got the wire cutters out and went SNIP!

So the original enclosure is approximately 5.5 x 3.75 x 2". More often than I'd like I would rock my MP201 and knock the boost knob (far right knob) on this sucker all the way up because it was so close to the treadle. Here's a shot of it on my board:

I had a bunch of 1590B's laying around and after some enclosure research for the "perfect" rehouse project, I decided to just cram it into the 1590B.

It will now fit into the old enclosure! The effect order reverser (pedal to the right of the BugBrand in my pedalboard photo) is the same type of enclosure I used to rehouse the Bug.

I'm currently in the process of etching the enclosure. Normally I would have etched the box first then drilled it, but I wasn't entirely sure I would actually be able to pull this one off. I did, so it's etch time baby! Transfer is printed and paint is drying right now. Before I go to work I should have the etch done and the sealer drying, so hopefully this thing will be put back together by this evening to reveal the FREAKING AWESOME etch design! If not tonight, surely by tomorrow I'll post fresh and quality pictures from my DSLR.

I was initially worried not because of my electronics know-how but defiling a 'sacred' unit. They've been out of production for some years and are NOT easy to come by.

Comments and questions welcomed! DIG IT!

JohnDavisNYC · #2 12-17-2011, 02:55 PM

awesome!

also, awesome pedal board. looks like i'd be right at home on it...

john

Jean Baudin · #3 12-17-2011, 05:00 PM

that looks rad! You wanna rehouse my pog2?

DannDubblewe · #4 12-17-2011, 06:09 PM

pahhhhderrrrr!

Yeah, I totally expected the first two comments to be (positive ones) from two bass heroes. Duh, it happens all the time.

John - thanks! I definitely got the majority of my inspiration from you, so it would make sense you could rock that board too

Jean - you will receive a PM shortly.

ALSO, here's the etching! I snapped a shot right before I left for work while the sealer was drying. It was a shorter etch and I decided to not fill in any areas with paint. Some areas got darker than others from the residual aluminum/ stop out paint sanding but I wanted a rather "open" design for this particular pedal.

I'm gonna let it finish drying for the remainder of the evening and box it back up tomorrow. Expect some fresh pictures then.

Eric! · #5 12-18-2011, 09:42 PM

hell yeah!

Jeff Moote · #6 12-18-2011, 10:15 PM

Looks fantastic. It's too bad these are OOP - that circuit in the format you've put together would probably be a real hit.

DannDubblewe · #7 12-19-2011, 11:02 AM

Thanks Jeff! I agree. I mean, chances are he wouldn't sell enough to warrant such a thing, but I know that the newer MicroCrushers were literally flying off his shelves. Like, FAST. As in a batch of 10 gone in less than 3 minutes fast.

For me, rehousing it was for two reasons - The enclosure was enormous and there was a lot of dead space in the box (not to mention the decal was wearing and fast). The circuit was rather small. The second is more because the C/D, Level, Tone, and Boost knobs were always set it and forget it, and the only knob that needed regular twiddling was the sample rate knob. John Davis' original BugCrusher Micro had just the one knob in the center, and I was so pleased to be able to cop that look and usefulness.

FINAL PICTURES!!!

Size comparisons to the original enclosure:

In its natural habitat:

Jeff Moote · #8 12-19-2011, 11:18 AM

It has probably been discussed elsewhere, but since you have both on your board can you talk a bit about the Bugcrusher vs. Frantabit and when you use one vs. the other?

DannDubblewe · #9 12-19-2011, 02:50 PM

I have received only PM's regarding that question, so there is no actual post that answers that.

The BugBrand seems to respond in a more hi-fi way. To illustrate, if you put either pedal after the MF-101 and set the cutoff to a very dub-like deep tone, the high pitched bitcrushing sets over it and results in a ridiculous type electronic bass sound. The FrantaBit in this setting has a more industrial or nasal quality and is less clean that the BB. As for before the MF-101 to achieve the "nasty" electronic vocal quality, the BB is again much cleaner and more direct in that it immediately responds in that vocal way. The FB takes some fine tuning to achieve that vocal sound, and I have honestly had better results with the FB and FreqBox for that. When they are before the MF-101, the FB creates a layer that sounds like cutting metal very reminiscent of the "robots fighting" wobble bass you hear in some newly made electronic(ish?) music. With the BB in that setting, it adds a depth to whatever fuzz is pushing it.

The FB is generally more in-your-face. I like using it to color some wobbles or to add a wonderful ambient soundscape to my music. I treat the BB more like a utility pedal for electronic sounding fuzz or in unison with the MF-101 for crushing deep bass.

Sorry if that was at all confusing, and hopefully I'll find the time to record some clips of this for interested parties. I love them both dearly, and I doubt I'll part with either in the coming years.