Support NeoGAF

[Articate]

So, I've been a guitarist for some years now, and I'm currently in the process of upgrading my guitar-rig. I've always hated having to bend down to turn the knobs on my effects. If I simply place the effects on the table, I can't turn them on-off with my feet. So I want to modify them to be able to do both! Now, I know electronics, I've actually built my distortion pedal myself, but I just need some details about how to realise my project, and I'm open to improvements, of course!

To those of you that know anything about guitar-effects, here's my rig:
EDITED: guitar -> CS3 (compressor) -> Whammy -> PodXT (FX send -> Tube Driver -> distortion -> FX return)

The Whammy needs a MIDI-pedal to control it, so I'll get an external pedal for it. I'll use my old PodXT Live as a MIDI-foot controller for my Pod HD500.

The way I want to be able to have the effects on a table, but still be able to turn them on/off from the floor is to have floor-controls that turns the effects on/off. In my first draft, the floor switches would actually be DPDT switches that either routed the guitar-signal straight through or via the pedal. In my second draft, however, I want to modify the pedals themselves so I can use SPST (push-to-make/normally open) to turn the effects on and off, while the signal itself goes through the pedals, so there's never any excessive wiring for the signal to run through, which would cause signal degredation.

Here's a simple drawing:

So as you can see, everything is a-ok, so far. The CS3 and the Whammy both have momentary switches to toggle on/off, so no mechanical switch. This makes it easy for me, because I can simply solder on a couple of wires to the points on the switches inside the effect and hook them up to a SPST. The problem here is my Tube Driver and my home-built distortion, which both have DPDT switches to completely by-pass the pedal when turned off. Here I need some magic. I was thinking of modding relay-switches into them. I'm a noob regarding relay-switches, but I suppose I need a bi-stable relay, so that I can send an electrical impusle to it for it to switch over. I need two DPDT relays.

What are the details I need to complete this? What relay should I use? Where can I buy them? Can I use a 9V battery with some resistors to send the impulse to the relays?

 

[Fusebox]

Sounds like you should just rethink your entire rig. If I were you I'd throw the soldering iron in the bin and buy rack modules for your table with midi foot controllers.

Fractal FX maybe? And why the Boss chorus if you've got a Pod, cant you run your tube driver through the Fx loop on the Pod to put the chorus in front but keep your delay/reverb at the end of the chain?

 

[PumpkinPie]

Not trying to be a dick but why do you need these **CS3 (compressor) -> Whammy (Pitch-bend) -> Tube Driver -> Distortion** when the POD can perfectly emulate almost any pedal? Can't the pedal on the POD be tied to EQ?

 

[Articate]

Not trying to be a dick but why do you need these **CS3 (compressor) -> Whammy (Pitch-bend) -> Tube Driver -> Distortion** when the POD can perfectly emulate almost any pedal? Can't the pedal on the POD be tied to EQ?

I have the CS3 because it's better than the emulated CS2 (I think it is) - I needed it more when I had my PodXT because you can only run one stomp, which meant either comp or distortion. The Whammy on the Pod isn't good. The Tube Driver on the Pod doesn't stand a chance against the real deal and the distortion is 1970-era like Big Muff. So yeah, I really like the Pod, but I know what it is. It's an aproximation, it is not the real thing. That's why I have my most used effects in their proper form. I'm not about to buy a Hiwatt 103, which is why I'm loving the amp-model on the Pod, plus the immense fun it is to all those effects at my feet. Some effects are near-perfectly emulated and don't need to be a seperate stomp-box

Sounds like you should just rethink your entire rig. If I were you I'd throw the soldering iron in the bin and buy rack modules for your table with midi foot controllers.

Fractal FX maybe? And why the Boss chorus if you've got a Pod, cant you run your tube driver through the Fx loop on the Pod to put the chorus in front but keep your delay/reverb at the end of the chain?

Well, the Pod HD doesn't come in rack-form, and I'm sticking with it, nor does my original Tube Driver. And it's a compressor, not chorus - Yeah, I forgot to update the effect chain (currently in the process of getting the Pod HD500). Edited OP.

EDIT: also, we're not talking "on the fly" changes to effects, I'm talking the leisure of having my effects at my fingertips while I'm playing so I really have access to them. You could of course argue that you don't normally sit around fine-tuning the knobs on your effects - and I don't normally. It's a lot about the novelty of doing it is at is about fixing the problem of having the knobs of your effects on the floor. And since I'm getting the HD500 I'd hate sitting bent over it while I get to know it.

 

[Fusebox]

Not trying to be a dick but why do you need these **CS3 (compressor) -> Whammy (Pitch-bend) -> Tube Driver -> Distortion** when the POD can perfectly emulate almost any pedal? Can't the pedal on the POD be tied to EQ?

Mm, I'd say the POD could emulate everything except his tube driver. I've never found Line 6, Zoom etc to be good at modeling distortion.

And oops at the Chorus comment, my bad.

 

[Articate]

Also, I'm gonna have to get a 12au7 to try in my Tube Driver. I can't get the mellow drive with the 12ax7. I seem to be using it either at 1% or 50-60%, so maybe a 12atu7 can replace that range with more detail.

 

[Fusebox]

What kind of tube driver is that?

 

[Articate]

Original Tube Driver from B.K. Butler himself. He built it for me a couple of years ago.