Wednesday, May 31, 2017
BMP Tone Stack
Had a few requests for adding a Big Muff tone stack to a few existing layouts. Call me lazy, but it's easier to draw this up than make a whole bunch of random alternate layouts. 😁 Anyway, it should be pretty handy. I've included a layout for just the tone stack, and one for the tone stack plus the gain recovery stage that typically follows the tone stack in a Big Muff. You can use different values for various responses (values listed in the image below).
Cool! That'll come in handy! Thank you very much sir!
ReplyDeleteCall me noob (in fact I am), but I really have no idea how to use this.. can anyone tell me?
ReplyDeleten00b! :D Say you have something like a stock Fuzz Face circuit and you want to add a tone control. You'd use this (probably the version with the gain recovery section) at the output of the Fuzz Face, either before or after the existing volume control on the FF. You could do the same with a Red Llama, Distortion +, Tone Bender, etc.
DeleteAahhhh... ok, Lazy XD
DeleteThis is SO useful, i have been splicing BM tonestacks onto the end of my first homebrew circuits, and always annoyed at the signal loss! I've been looking for a good gain recovery stage, thankyou!!
ReplyDeleteThanks David!
ReplyDeleteChanging some values on the recover stage, and adding an a100k pot you have an LPB1.
470K---> 1M (optional)
2K7---> 390R
heeyy, noob is back!
ReplyDeletecan I use it with dynacomp?
Which one would you suggest? I use my comp as an always on pedal
DeleteThe one with the gain recovery stage. You might want to add a 100k trimmer at the output as a volume control.
Deleteso, if I'm not mistaken, the chain would be:
Deletefrom lug 3 output of dynacomp goes to IN of this circuit, and from the OUT goes to lug 3 new output trimmer (or pot), lug 2 is the new OUT, and lug 1 to ground.
is that so?
Lug 2 is output on the dyna, but the rest of what you wrote is right.
Deleteyes, lug 2 is the output of the dyna IF we use pot. But if I want to remove the "stock output pot" of the dyna, the output would be lug 3. CMIIW.
Deletehere's the plan.
I want to put this tone stack circuit after dyna comp. If I follow your suggestion above ("You might want to add a 100k trimmer at the output as a volume control"), there would be two volume control (the one on the dyna comp, the other one from the tone stack) coz i'm planning to put a volume control you suggested but using a pot instead of a trimmer.
whaddya think mate? should I stick with your suggestion using a trimmer, or build this tone stack without volume control, or remove the stock output pot of the dyna and adding a new volume pot instead of a trimmer after the tone stack?
regards,
the noob :D
Your way would work too. Really, just try one way and see how it is. If you don't like it, try the other way and see how that sounds. So much of this hobby is just experimenting. Kinda what makes it fun ;)
DeleteBig thanks Dave. Awesome. Start building it now
DeleteIt works! Awesome
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello good day, I have a pedal behringer dd600 but it sounds really dark even when I did it truebypass, this tone control would serve me to brighten the delay, will it give you more treble? tnx
It can give more treble. I'd use the flat mids values.
Deleteif you add an op amp and a recovery stage would this work as an overdrive
ReplyDeletewould the tone stack work as the drive section?
DeleteNo. It's a tone section. You'd need to add a gain control in the amplifier stage. Check out The Barber Silver LTD. It's an opamp-based OD with a BMP tonestack in the middle.
DeleteHi, tnks for layout,,,,can you suggest me the i want to use active eq bass and treble and mid control for my overdrive, and this is active tonestack?
ReplyDeletethank you.
Actually i want to use it in matsumin valvecaster basically it sounds very dark or fat so i want to add active tone control,
Deletewhere to put tone control? at guitar in signal or at output stage?
please suggest.
thank you
I would think it'd work best at the output
DeleteHi! can i add it to other circuits without tone section or it only works with big muff?
ReplyDeleteIt's designed to add it to whatever you like. It's a good building block and not Big Muff specific, just used most famously in the Big Muff.
Deletegreat! thank you for the answer and your work in general..cheers!
DeleteWhat values would u recommend for adding a Tone to the muff fuzz? Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletePersonally I tend to prefer the flat mids, but it's really a matter of personal preference. You could socket C1-2 and R1-2 and experiment.
DeleteHi there, one nooby question... Pot's lugs are 1-2-3 or 3-2-1 looking at the image as is...? I guess 1-2-3 because lug 3 is grounded by a cap, right? Thanks
ReplyDelete3-2-1
DeleteOh yes! I've messed up with another circuit. Thank you
Delete(sorry for the second comment) ok, i have a my imaginary big muff pcb and the tone stack pcb, how can i fix all together?i really don't understand(my fault obviously)
ReplyDeleteNo worries. You could add this at the output of something like a Fuzz Face or an Electra or anything you wanted to add a tone control too.
DeleteIf I add this circuit (unbuffered) to a pedal with to much gain, it helps lowering the gain without any frequency loss??
ReplyDeleteHi, can i add this tone stack to the JTM from Lovepedal? and it would be nice to add the standard tone stack, or the gain recovery stage is a better option? thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't see why not. Gain recovery is likely a better option
DeleteCan i use 2n2222 for gain and recovery or sud it be only high gain transistor?
ReplyDeleteCan i add in mxr microchorus?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the advantages of using the layout with the gain recovery vs. the passive layout? Is it just... added gain? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe basic tone stack does reduce the overall volume of what you send through it. The gain recovery stage gets the signal back up to what it was before the tone stack. Not always necessary, depending on what you're tacking it onto, so some experimentation may be required.
DeleteSo, I've built both iterations of this tone stack adding it to the end of the ColorSound One knob Fuzz. The passive tone stack worked nicely but there was an obvious loss of volume. I tried the gain recovery version and it completely mangled the effect (on a breadboard and PCB). I did some research and read that the impedance of the tone stack needs to be matched or changed to compensate, normally done with an op-amp. Is the transistor in this gain recovery layout doing basically that? Any idea why adding the transistor would alter the fuzz sound?
ReplyDelete