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Q: Novak Bs/Ds w/ Filter Based pre

#21
Ibanezer83 said:
Sweet. Congrats! It seems like a great alternative to a normal tone knob ( not a huge fan).
Unfortunately for me you got the last one , and he doesn't know if or when he'll be making more... Well I guess I'm going passive for now...
Click to expand...
Ibanezer83 said:
Sweet. Congrats! It seems like a great alternative to a normal tone knob ( not a huge fan).
Unfortunately for me you got the last one , and he doesn't know if or when he'll be making more... Well I guess I'm going passive for now...
Click to expand...

Update: after a long struggle, I found another suitable pot for my Distiller. It's by the same manufacturer, just a different series. Not quite as nice (or pricey) as the old one, but I'll lower the price to reflect this. Still a good quality, sealed, conductive plastic pot, rated at 100,000 cycles. Short bushing, though: 5mm. This works fine with pickguards, control plates or stomp boxes, but it could be challenging if you have to pass it through wood, unless you make it very thin around the pot. I redesigned the board to accommodate it. It still accepts the original pot, should it resurface at some point. Got the new boards just an hour ago, here's a sneak preview:
IMG_20220617_181941.jpg
 
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#22
Jerry Catanescu said:
Update: after a long struggle, I found another suitable pot for my Distiller. It's by the same manufacturer, just a different series. Not quite as nice (or pricey) as the old one, but I'll lower the price to reflect this. Still a good quality, sealed, conductive plastic pot, rated at 100,000 cycles. Short bushing, though: 5mm. This works fine with pickguards, control plates or stomp boxes, but it could be challenging if you have to pass it through wood, unless you make it very thin around the pot. I redesigned the board to accommodate it. It still accepts the original pot, should it resurface at some point. Got the new boards just an hour ago, here's a sneak preview:View attachment 4723574
Click to expand...
Nice! Can’t wait to order one
 
#23
Jerry Catanescu said:
Update: after a long struggle, I found another suitable pot for my Distiller. It's by the same manufacturer, just a different series. Not quite as nice (or pricey) as the old one, but I'll lower the price to reflect this. Still a good quality, sealed, conductive plastic pot, rated at 100,000 cycles. Short bushing, though: 5mm. This works fine with pickguards, control plates or stomp boxes, but it could be challenging if you have to pass it through wood, unless you make it very thin around the pot. I redesigned the board to accommodate it. It still accepts the original pot, should it resurface at some point. Got the new boards just an hour ago, here's a sneak preview:View attachment 4723574
Click to expand...

Sweet! Glad to hear that you're still honing the distiller design. I presume that the Q will still be adjustable via a 3 way switch? I hope so, for my usage. I think the 3 choices really simplifies it and makes it more appealing to me atleast, than having to use a system that relies on another pot.

I thought your demo of the various Q settings was very helpful to hear how the filter works with just one pickup. The filter sounds so smooth and musical that I'm still thinking that's what I'd like. For example, switching to high Q for a solo /lead passage where I want to poke out sounds a lot easier with a mini switch VS a variable pot where I'd need to dial in a sharper Q with a knob...

I have my new bass coming soon, setup as passive. So I'll be playing with it to see how satisfied I'll be with all passive. But if I need more shapeability, I will no doubt be looking into a distiller circuit to work with. The bass has no pick guard so if I do need a distiller, I might need more routing to work with the new pot, I assume. I'll be checking in with you the moment I feel I need a filter. Thanks for the update, I'm sure many players will be hitting you up !
 
#24
Ibanezer83 said:
Sweet! Glad to hear that you're still honing the distiller design. I presume that the Q will still be adjustable via a 3 way switch? I hope so, for my usage. I think the 3 choices really simplifies it and makes it more appealing to me atleast, than having to use a system that relies on another pot.

I thought your demo of the various Q settings was very helpful to hear how the filter works with just one pickup. The filter sounds so smooth and musical that I'm still thinking that's what I'd like. For example, switching to high Q for a solo /lead passage where I want to poke out sounds a lot easier with a mini switch VS a variable pot where I'd need to dial in a sharper Q with a knob...

I have my new bass coming soon, setup as passive. So I'll be playing with it to see how satisfied I'll be with all passive. But if I need more shapeability, I will no doubt be looking into a distiller circuit to work with. The bass has no pick guard so if I do need a distiller, I might need more routing to work with the new pot, I assume. I'll be checking in with you the moment I feel I need a filter. Thanks for the update, I'm sure many players will be hitting you up !
Click to expand...

Yes, it will have the same 3-position Q Switch.
Now that I found a suitable pot, I'll have to find a substitute for the op amp I was using, which is currently unobtainium due to the chip shortage. A tall order, as it was a great chip (arguably the best available for the job, better than what Alembic uses), and I want to at least stay on a par with Alembic.
 
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#26
Jerry Catanescu said:
In case you're interested, Distillers are back in stock, listed on eBay as usual. Special Edition, purple board, smaller pot, lower price :)
View attachment 4744135
Click to expand...
I just bought one- great deal IMO! I've been enthusiastic to try one of yours after having tried most of the other aftermarket filter pres and an actual Alembic aftermarket PJ pickup + filter set (which I stupidly sold). Curious if you think it would be reasonably low-noise fed power from a nice isolated outboard pedal supply like the Cioks DC7? I've done this with a number of other onboard preamps to make them outboard pedal preamps without issues, but I know this isn't always recommended
 
#27
I don't anticipate any noise/hum issues using external power supplies. Should you somehow still get a little residual hum, it would be very easy to get rid of - just ask me.
If I were to make a Distiller pedal, I don't know if I could even be bothered with an external supply, since the battery life is on the order of two years at 2 hours/day. Just as long as you don't use a power-on LED, which actually draws way more power than the Distiller :)
 
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