Run Off Groove Tri-Vibe

This is (or was now I guess) one of the few Run Off Groove designs I haven't laid out. It's not a small circuit and I ended up laying it out for a 1590BB so the pots can be board mounted (but it will fit in a smaller enclosure if wire them off board). I also did this in Eagle, as it's a bit more complicated circuit and the schematic reference feature in Eagle makes for fewer mistakes. No worries though, there's a perf version too. More info on the ROG site.

Here's the BOM, and the schematic for reference:

Run Off Groove Whisker Biscuit

For Fuzz Friday here's the Run Off Groove Whisker Biscuit–Big Muff meets Bazz Fuss. From the ROG site:

The Whisker Biscuit is a hybrid of the Bazz Fuss and the Big Muff Pi. A single Bazz Fuss stage replaces the two clipping stages of the BMP. Smooth, super-long sustain, and good clean-up with the guitar volume knob make this circuit an interesting alternative to the standard BMP.

I've included the optional 47pF caps as well as the tone control mod. Omit the 47pF caps if you want more treble, and if you prefer a more standard tone stack, replace the 22k resistors with jumpers and use a B100k pot.

Run Off Groove Mockman 2.0

Continuing to knock out the last few ROG designs I haven't laid out. This one's a pretty easy little circuit, emulating the distortion in Rockman amps designed an used by Boston guitarist Tom Scholz. The toggle allows you to go between 80s (classic) and 90s (modern) tones, and it should all fit in a 1590a. Schematic, sound clips and more info on the ROG site.

Run Off Groove Double D

Still a few Run Off Groove designs I haven't laid out yet, and this is one of them. It's based around the 4049 IC chip and features 2 channels of amp-like distortion. I've laid it out to fit in a 125B with dual footswitches. Bias Q1 to 4.5v and then adjust to taste as usual. More info, schematic and footswitch wiring diagram on the ROG site.

Run Off Groove Nurse Quacky

Here's Run Off Groove's take on the Dr. Q by JD Sleep with mods and improvements suggested by Mark Hammer and Jack Orman. More info, schematic and sound clips here.

Run Off Groove Uno

I know I've mentioned this to a few people over the past year probably, but I've finally been able to get it edited. That's right, here's my tutorial on how I layout circuits in DIYLC... the first installment at least. The tutorial shows how I created today's layout–the Uno from Run Off Groove. It's a JFET amp emulator of the Boogie Mk I. For the schematic, demo and more info check out the Uno article.

Run Off Groove Azabache

Not sure how/why I avoided laying this one out for so long. The Azabache is a great sounding overdrive that emulates classic Fender amps. Check out the ROG article on the circuit for more info, schematic and sound demos. Adjust the trimmers so there's 6v on the drain of Q1, and 5v on the drains of Q2-4. You should be able to squeeze it into a 1590B.

Run Off Groove Omega

Here's a nice little boost from ROG that originated from trying to design a FET-based Rangemaster treble booster. I've laid it out for a 1590a with board mounted 9mm pots. More info, schematic and sound clips can be found here.

Run Off Groove Supreaux Deux

Got a request to do this one again but with board mounted pots. If you don't know, it's a FET emulation of the classic Supro 16T amp. More info, schematic and demos can be found on the Run Off Groove article.

Run Off Groove Ginger

The ROG Ginger is an amp emulator designed to sound like the classic Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex. So it's intended for bass, but sounds good with a guitar as well. Schematic, sound clips, and more info can be found in the ROG article. It's laid out for board mounted pots will fit easily in a 125B with top mounted jacks.

Run of Groove Tonemender

Got a request for this one. It's a nice boost with a 3-band EQ. Pots are board mounted and it will fit in a 1590B sideways (ala Zvex pedals) with the circuit board vertical. From the Run Off Groove article:

The Tonemender is a very flexible, yet simple clean boost with a 3-knob tonestack that allows the user to re-create the classic Fender, Marshall and Vox responses.
We suggest using a TLC2272 for the dual op-amp. The TLC2272 is rated for low-noise and rail-to-rail output, which will offer the highest possible clean boost and dynamic range. The NE5532 is another good choice, but a TL072 can also be used with decent results.
The Mid Shift switch (SW1 on the schematic) selects the center frequency of the midrange dip in the response. The center frequency is moved from around 700Hz (Marshall/Vox) down to 400Hz (Fender) in the HI and LO settings, respectively.
For Fender-style curves, the Mid Shift is placed in the LO setting (closed). To replicate Marshall-style curves, switch the Mid Shift to the HI position (open). Set the Mid control between 12:00 and 5:00 for traditional Marshall settings, with lower settings providing additional flexibility. For a Vox-style response, keep the Mid Shift in the HI setting and set the Mids control fixed at 10:00 and move the Bass between 7:00 and 12:00.
A "flat" equalizer position is set with the Bass and Treble both at minimum, and the Mid control at its midpoint. When Bass and Treble are fully cut, the Mid knob acts as an additional Level control, which is a familiar characteristic of the Fender tonestack.

Run Off Groove Big Daddy/Grace

Here are two great sounding, yet simple circuits from Run Off Groove. The Big Daddy uses a JFET gain stage to push a 386 chip, while the Grace uses a JFET buffer in front of the 386 for added sparkle. Schematics, sound clips, and more info can be found on the ROG site.

Run Off Groove UBE Screamer

Apparently it's Tube Screamer week. This is Run Off Groove's adaption of the classic overdrive to work around a CD4049UBE CMOS chip. More info, schematic and sound clip here. As you can see in the schematic, there's a resistor (RX) where different values will work for different guitar pickup types: 100k for single coils, 220k for humbuckers, 330-470k for hot humbuckers. I've included pads for a switch that will allow you to switch between 2 of the options. If you use the switch, remove the 100k resistor (which is RX) right by those pads from the board.

Run Off Groove Tube Reamer

Here's a simplified Tube Screamer circuit from Run Off Groove, the Tube Reamer. Basically, it's a buffer-less TS without the tone control. The IC can be just about any dual op-amp. JRC4558 or TL072 are good places to start. Should be a great candidate for a 1590a build. For more info, schematic, and demo see the ROG site.

Run Off Groove 22/7

Here's something interesting to do with some of those 4049UB chips. It's a CMOS Big Muff (22/7 being the fractional equivalent of pi). Brian from ROG added a switch to the tone stack to allow for flat response and a super scooped response, in addition to the classic scooped mids. I've also drawn up a version without that switch if you don't want to mess with the extra wiring. Schematic and sound clips can be found on the ROG project page.

Run Off Groove Britannia

And improvement over the original English Channel project, the Run Off Groove Britannia is an adaption of the classic Vox AC-30 amp into stompbox form. Couldn't squeeze this one into a 1590B with onboard pots, but it's laid out for a 125B enclosure. Pots are right angle PCB mount type, mounted from the solder-side of the board. Check out the ROG project page for a full description, schematic, and sound clips of this circuit.

You can find a 125B drilling template for this here.

Run Off Groove 3 Legged Dog

Got a bunch of CD4049UBE chips left over from building Red Llamas? Here's something else you can do with them. You might need to play with the the value of the 8.2k resistor going to the drain of the J201 to make sure you're getting to around 4.5v there. Also if you encounter squealing or unwanted noise, try increasing the power filter cap from 47µ up to 100-220µ. Sound clip and schematic can be found here.

Run Off Groove Eighteen

The ROG Eighteen is an overdrive/distortion circuit based on the classic 18watt Marshall amp of the late 60s. It uses JFETs in place of tubes, like many other ROG amp-based drive effects. J201s are specified, but socket and try some other JFETs (2N5457, MPF102, etc.) The Volume control will probably act more like a gain control, though there is no resistor limiting the minimum amount of signal sent to ground when it's at zero. For the schematic and more info on the circuit see the ROG article.

Run Off Groove May Queen

Here's another "Brian May in a box" circuits, this time from Run Off Groove. The May Queen is a treble booster/overdrive that should get you pretty close to those classic Queen tones. The cap between 9v and the drain of Q3 in the layout below is optional. It's a high end filter, so the larger the values will cut more treble frequencies (2.2n is just a good starting point–adjust to taste). I've added polarity protection, power filtering, and a pull down resistor at the input. You might be able to cram it into a 1590a. For the schematic, transistor voltages, and sound samples, check out RunOffGroove.com.

Run Off Groove Condor Cab Sim

Part of the last request included a cab simulator to run the headphone amp through. The ROG Condor is a great cab sim and has a fairly low parts count. It uses a JFET amplifier at the input, boosting the signal to drive the following 3 filters (Bridged-T notch filter, High-pass filter, and Low-pass filter). Much more info on the circuit can be found here, as well as a few mods. J201 apparently sounds the best for Q1, but similar DSG pinout JFETs will also work. Any dual opamps can be used for the 2 ICs, so socket and try the usual candidates (TL072, JRC4558, etc).