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Red Llama - Tube Sound Fuzz - build thread

#22
HA! Just go straight to the source! Who needs Fenders S-1 switch, when you can simply get your own switching potentiometer!

It's out there!

I have even seen the push/pull potentiometers somewhere (I'll look around for them again, now that I remembered them). You can do it alll yourself though!

Crazy plan I hatched up one day;
So I found a place to get cheap switching pots and I have this Squier VM 70's bass laying around... How awesome would it be if I routed the body a little for a small backplate, then added a Chorus effect to the neck pickup, and a Distortion or something for the bridge. All with switches, so the pickup would either be on or off with a switch, then the effect would have a blend volume that would be controlled by the switching pot. Who knows what ill think up for tone pot... =]

Have you started your build yet James?
 
#23
Sorry, I misread it =[. It can take a while sometimes... I usually buy the parts for quite a few projects at once and get extras of everything. That way you may actually have the stuff laying around to just read a schematic and built it on the spot!

Since it's your first build I can see sticking with what you need though =]. It's really nice seeing others in this forum getting into DIY. There are lot of PHENOMENAL diy bass projects out there.

Did you get one of those IC socket things for the CMOS chip?
If not I would recommend getting a couple later on (if they get pricey for the little 4 and 8 pin guys you can buy a bigger one and chop it up, thats what I to). They are really nice when using a more expensive chip, and they make tweakability a lot easier as well (using them for swapping IC's as well as chopping them up for sockets for resistors and caps and whatnot).
 
#25
I must say that I've never heard much difference between any of your gain pedals, James. It all sounds just the same to me (or at least very similar). I don't know if it's the bass, amp, or just a very consistent playing style, but I probably couldn't tell the difference if I heard them.
 
#26
it must be me... the clips I've posted of my Thor, Flipster, tubes head crunch channel or ex KOT have all been recorded via different basses, strings and amps (or direct)...

I can hear subtle flavors between... My desire for a few choices is I set a pedal to the specific tone I like it best set to, so I need a mild OD, slight distortion, heavy distortion, fuzz, etc all from individual / independent pedals :)

I am still waiting on my tonepad circuit board... the build begins shortly
 
#27
James Hart said:
I can hear subtle flavors between... My desire for a few choices is I set a pedal to the specific tone I like it best set to, so I need a mild OD, slight distortion, heavy distortion, fuzz, etc all from individual / independent pedals :)
Click to expand...

That's all you need to say, man. I understand completely.

I'd like to hear samples of the Llama though. GM's clip was the first Llama clone I've heard that sparked my interest.
 
#28
James Hart said:
it must be me... the clips I've posted of my Thor, Flipster, tubes head crunch channel or ex KOT have all been recorded via different basses, strings and amps (or direct)...

I can hear subtle flavors between... My desire for a few choices is I set a pedal to the specific tone I like it best set to, so I need a mild OD, slight distortion, heavy distortion, fuzz, etc all from individual / independent pedals :)

I am still waiting on my tonepad circuit board... the build begins shortly
Click to expand...



hey james - did they give you an idea of how long it would take to get your board?
 
#32
Hi James,

I'm in the process of building up a Red Llama clone from a Tone Pad PCB. I plan on using it on Bass as well as guitar. Just interested to know if you upped the input and output cap values? If not, does it work ok on bass. I built a DOD 250 clone and raised the input and output cap values and it warmed things up for bass a bit, but just wondered if you felt the red llama needed any warming? Also, how did the 220uf smoothing cap work out? I have both 220uf and 330uf, but the 330 uf are physically huge!

cheers

Holio
 
#34
James Hart said:
well, I haven't finished....

I ordered the wrong sized CD4049 and missed the 'surface mount' acronym in my .0068uF and 10uF caps. I ordered replacements from Pedalpartsplus that shipped on the 18th.
Click to expand...

Oh ****, there's more than one size cd4049?? I got mine from smallbear, and only saw one kind??? assume that's the one? this is what I got.


IC CD4049UBE
CMOS hex inverter for the Insanity Box and other distortions.
PRICE: $0.45 Shipping Wt. 0.03 oz

All the caps i have are fine though!! How long did your pcb take to get to you?
 
#36
I have one, with an extra 2M res wired in series on a second stomp switch, with the input cap and the cap between the two inverters at 100nF, it sounds great but maybe mine is broken because, when I push the gain to high it gets really nasty, like square wave and ultra compressed!! But I've used this fact to get that nasty compressed square wave to play deeper underground!! (great for toggle switching too!!)

maybe this is because of the junction caps???
 
#37
lowmid said:
I have one, with an extra 2M res wired in series on a second stomp switch, with the input cap and the cap between the two inverters at 100nF, it sounds great but maybe mine is broken because, when I push the gain to high it gets really nasty, like square wave and ultra compressed!! But I've used this fact to get that nasty compressed square wave to play deeper underground!! (great for toggle switching too!!)

maybe this is because of the junction caps???
Click to expand...

what's the 2m resistor for? does that get you extra gain?? all in all, what do these mods do?

anyone know where a good diy fx forum is??
 
#38
holio cornolio said:
what's the 2m resistor for? does that get you extra gain?? all in all, what do these mods do?

anyone know where a good diy fx forum is??
Click to expand...

There really isn't one for bass effects.

If you want a good community that will try to assist you in learning, go to diystompboxes.com.

If you want schematics of botique pedals, go to freestompboxes.org.

However, both of them have a very guitar based slant (like everything else in the music world.)
 
#39
2M resistor is for extra gain, it's added in the circuit path with the second switch, It's like having 2xtimes more gain out of the pedal, and then it gets to gate fuzz heaven, the other caps Are just to let more bass frequencies pass through the circuit!!

I've built the pedal based on the pcb drawing at gaussmarkov , there is a nice project file (pdf) with the drawing and schemactis!!! Great pedals to build!!

If you want another variation on the CD4049 theme but this time less fuzzy, go out and build the Cmos boost from tim escobedo!
 
#40
Hey I got my red llama all built up now and I have to say I'm liking it. I have some questions of those who have used the Red Llama before though. First there's a **** load of volume in this pedal. With drive at 12 oclock or above parity volume is at about 9 o'clock on the vol control. Is this normal? Second, I hear people referring to this as a Fuzz, but it's not a whole lot fuzzier than my DOD OD250. It's built to Red Llama specs except for the 2 - 1 meg resistors which measure more like 950K. I love the pedal, especially at low gain settings where it adds just a hint of crunch, but virtually none of the buzziness you get with most OD pedals. Just wondering if I inadvertently made a low gain version! Whatever it's cool, and I have 2 more boards so will try out some of the mods mentioned.

Did you get your new hex invertor yet James?
 

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