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Gnomeratron VTF - a nasty muff with blend: prototype review

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#502
gus1894 said:
And Snyder... what are your thoughts after having your VTF for a few days now?
Click to expand...

It's amazing. I think I have all the top controls down, but I'm still mastering the trim knobs on the side. I haven't even considered changing the diodes yet. So many choices, but it's different than going through a digital modeler. With a modeler you get overwhelmed by all the choices but with the Gnomeratron all the choices are tangible and analog.

I'm getting some killer sounds that work well with the low B and that's where I've been playing around with mostly. Didn't get to touch the pedal today. I've been putting other things off to play around with the pedal over the past few days and now I gotta catch up with other things.

I really haven't been much of a fuzz person, but the Gnomeratron has made me a convert. It's not just the fuzzes with this pedal. I've been able to get really tasty mild overdrive, cleanish boosts, etc.

This pedal will cover just about any drive/fuzz you could think of. That's a bold statement, but I'll stand by it.
 
#504
Everyone will soon. Several will go out this week. I'm going to try to get them all out by the beginning of October, but I realize that everything has to go perfectly for that to happen.

Tonight, I'm getting a few circuit boards built. Tomorrow, hopefully -all- of the drilling and some more circuit boards. Rawr.

Then, it's just A LOT of wiring. And I'll try to have a good photo of every graphic.

After this, I'll likely just do this stuff through an Etsy site, or my own website, and try to keep ahead of orders with the most common stuff while I get to breadboarding a delay pedal.
 
#507
Hey Dan, I forget how the diode situation panned out in the end. Are all of the pedals built with the capability to swap out diodes? As in, can I paypal you more cash and you can send me the full set of diodes with my pedal? I may be a bit unsure at this point about swapping different diodes, but I am fairly certain that when I have the pedal in hand I will be more adventurous.
 
#508
They all end up with sockets whether you paid for the extra diodes or not. You can buy extra diodes at any time. Anyone with some sort of clamp/metal clip and a soldering iron could also make their own diode harnesses. It's just two diodes soldered together.
 
#509
Atomic Cow said:
AC's ears prick up

Hmmm?
Click to expand...

Mine too! I love my SMMwH, but you never know :D

McSpunkle said:
They all end up with sockets whether you paid for the extra diodes or not. You can buy extra diodes at any time.
Click to expand...

So does that mean the extra cash is mainly just for the extra diodes, then? If so, I'll probably send some moolah your way. I was holding off because I didn't want to complicate your orders anymore than they already were.
 
#510
Yep. It just covers the cost of the diodes and the bit of time it takes me to solder 'em together. I've considered using twice the sockets/circuit board, but then the boards would have to be twice as big, it'd use twice as many sockets, and take longer to change out. Then you have to make sure the diodes are facing opposite ways and such. Blah. This is easier.
 
#518
Ok, as far as the volume thing goes, I can now control it a lot better to achieve unity gain. There are at least 3 knobs that can potentially affect the volume, hence a bit of a learning curb.

As far as the noise issue, the gate does work wonders.

I actually had quieter popping sounds on the toggle switches tonight and I am not sure as to why. I as playing at a much louder volume. I had more pedals plugged in and had a buffer in front. perhaps it was the settings I was on? It remains a mystery...

I managed to try and cop the Earthbound Audio Beast tone. The Gnome cant get as deep as the Beast, but for most people this should not be an issue at all.

I really like the openness that this fuzz can achieve. I have yet to mess with my bass volume knob nor play chords yet.

It is important to note that I have a Silicon/LED, Schottky/LED combination. A germanium combo would have a darker, more compressed tone, like on the Beast.

The pedal is rocking my world.

So much, that the question now becomes, "Do I need TWO?!"
 
#519
Glad you're getting the hang of it, and some of the problems are... not quite as problem-y?

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to fix the popping toggles. It's a mechanical pop, and the only possible fix is to try different toggle switches.

Anywho, fun fact: Each of these pedals requires drilling 20 holes. So, for 15 pedals, that's 300 holes. That's exhausting. :bawl:

5014762427_81295d1aac_z.jpg
 
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