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Dave Richards edited this page Dec 18, 2024 · 81 revisions

Welcome to the Blues Box wiki!

Introduction

The purpose of this project is to design, develop and release a Blues guitar-oriented multi-effects unit. It will draw heavily upon the legacy of excellent guitar effects circuits that have been developed over the past seven (or so) decades. The Blues Box will identify a set of high-quality effects circuits for inclusion

The selected circuits will be collected and the schematics captured into KiCAD. They will be laid out, routed and a series of PCBs will be designed. Their Gerbers will be generated and made available through the bluesbox repository.

The project will design a custom chassis/enclosure for the unit. All pedals will be installed within the chassis. The design will be made available as a 3D CAD model. Space will be made available for kit designers to apply their individual logo on the enclosure.

A pair of documents will be written. The first is geared towards kit builders. It will explain how to properly assemble the Blues Box. It will include both assembly instructions and troubleshooting tips. All test points will be documented. It will include all schematics. When a PCB allows for different versions of a circuit to be created, the document will explain how to asemble each variant. A second document will be written that is geared towards guitarists (users) explaining how to use each of the individual effects and the unit as a whole.

Most of the circuits will be purely analog. A few mey include digital components (such as delay or reverb), but their controls will be analog. No DSP or microcontroller circuits are intended for use in the Blues Box.

All resultant work products will be released openly through this github site. The intent is that effect kit companies will provide kits that hobbyists can purchase and use to assemble their own Blues Box. Companies may also sell pre-built units for those that do not wish to (or are unable to) assemble their own.

Background

I am Dave Richards and I am a blind Blues guitarist. I have spent many years refining my guitar rig. I have found a number of guitars and amps that I enjoy using. The problem that has existed throughout my exploration has been my inability to find a set of guitar effects that I can use effectively.

There are many excellent guitar effects units available today. Unfortunately, most of them are not accessible to the blind. Consider that multi-effects units these days almost universally use LCD displays and/or touchpads. These are visual aids and are, unfortunately,useless to blind users. None that I am aware of provide voice assistance, for example. This is unsurprising. Most musicians are not blind. For the few of us that do exist, modern multi-effects units are largely unusable.

The BOSS ME- line is a refreshing exception. Each of the control parameters are accessible via manual knobs and switches. No menu-diving is necessary. It is not a perfect solution, of course. It is a heavily effect laden product. There is a lot of multiplexing of effects on controls. As is common with BOSS multi-effect units, the ME- exposes its internal DSP architecture to the user. It takes time to learn, but can be done. What it lacks is the orthoginality of a sequence of analog effects, which is easier to understand and memorize.

There are some products available, like the Sonicake Twiggy or some of the Keeley workstations, that both provide some excellent Blues-oriented effects and are accessible to the blind. Unfortunately, they are not designed to be complete solutions. Instead, they are designed to sit side-by-side with other effects on a pedalboard. This is understandable, but limits their utility.

One might argue that the modern pedalboard would be the perfect solution for the blind. I have not found this to be true. Pedals come in different shapes and sizes. They may be laid out logically, but the distances between stomp switches are not equally-spaced. Nor are they always of the same height. Using velcro to adhere the effects to the board is also problematic. It is not difficult to disconnect them accidentally during movement. This is one advantage that many multi-effects units have over pedalboards. They are a single integrated unit. They will not come apart when moved. They are also regularly-spaced.

Thus, the Blues Box is an attempt to create a blind-accessible Blues guitar multi-effects unit. One that even I can use!

Guidelines

Every engineering project is an exercise in compromise. Trade-offs must be made in terms of circuit design, component selection, etc. We need a model for making these trade-offs.

Each decision can be viewed through the lens of the formula: return = vvalue / cost. Our goal is to maximize the return. Unfortunately, although cost may be objective, value is not. This does not make the formula unuseable, however. Consider a simple example of stomp switch selection. One can compare three candidate switches and rate them in ascending order of value (quality). One can then compare the costs of the various options and ask whether the quality of each switch justifies the increased cost. At some point one would conclude that the marginal value increase does not justify the marginal cost increase. It is at this point we would make our component selection.

A second selection criteria is the 80/20 rule. We recognize that a product will never satisfy 100% of potential customers. There are many reasons why this may be true. Perhaps the customer is a professional musician and wants complete control over the effects selected, the order of the signal chain, etc. In this case, the Blues Box may be too constraining. On the other end of the spectrum, there may be customers that cannot afford something as large as the Blues Box. They may be building their rig one pedal at a time (which is not a bad approach). In such cases (the 20%) these customers will not be satisfied with the Blues Box. The goal is to focus on the 80%, those that can be. . For example, I am blind. I will never be satisfied with a visual guitar tuner. Thus, In my case, the marginal return will always be 0. But if 80% of the potential customers want a guitar tuner, then the Blues Box should probably include one.

Applying these guidelines requires both good engineering judgement and intellectual honesty. The Blues Box can never be everything to everyone. There will always be compromise. The goal is to produce the highest value product at the lowest cost that satisfies 80% of potential customers' needs.

Effect Types

The first thing that needs to be determined is which, of the many available guitar effects, are both appropriate for, and sought after by Blues guitarists. There is a strong affinity amongst Blues guitarists towards vintage guitars, pickups, amps and effects. This is natural. Guitarists often attempt to emulate the tone of their heroes. This tendency is demonstrated by the effects they utilize.

In his article Must-have Guitar Pedals for Blues, Paul Kobylensky (Sweetwater), introduces some of the effects commonly used by Blues guitarists.

In his YouTube video, Blues Pedalboard Tips for Beginners, Chris Harvey shares his wisdom on the subject. He also includes some nice sound clips of the Ibanez Tube Screamer, Klon Centaur and Nobels ODR-1 overdrive pedals.

In a pair of articles, The best guitar pedals for the blues, and, 7 types of overdrive pedal for killer blues Tones, Aidan, the Happy Bluesman, dives deeply into the subject of Blues guitar effects and, more specifically, overdrive pedals. .

In his video, How To Get Any Blues Tone, Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) goes into the history of guitar Blues music and explains how several pedals can be used to create these classic tones.

Mason Maringella (Vertex Effects), recommends specific products for different effect types in his video, The Best Pedals You'll Ever Play.

The Wikipedia article, Effects Units, provides a broad introduction to guitar effects, in general, not specific to those used by Blues guitarists.

The following sections summarize the effect types recommended in the above articles/videos. These are the "candidate" effects for the Blues Box. Not every effect type may be included. Some effect types, (such as overdrive), may have more than a single instance. The decision as to which effect types, and how many instances of that type, will be included will solidify as the design develops.

Boost

Clean Boost

Treble boost

The Wikipedia article, Treble booster introduces a number of popular treble boost pedals.

Buffer

A Buffer is usually a unity-gain amplifier circuit that presents a high (~1Mω) input impedance and produces a low (~100ω) output impedance.

Chorus

Compressor

Delay

The Wikipedia article, Delay (Audio Effect), introduces the use of "delay" in guitar effects.

EQ

Fuzz

Overdrive

The Wikipedia article, Distortion (Music), explores the use of distortion effects in music. Wikipedia also attempts to enumerate these pedals in the article, List of distortion pedals.

Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) explores the history of distortion pedals in his video, History Of Guitar Distortion . He further investigates the different types of overdrive pedals in his video, Understand The Types Of Overdrive Pedals On The Market.

Reverb

The Wikipedia article, Reverb Effect, discusses the use and types of the reverberation effect in music.

Rotary

The Wikipedia article, Leslie Speaker, explores the origins of the rotary effect.

Tremolo

The Wikipedia article, Tremolo (electronic effect), discusses the use of the Tremolo effect in music.

Tuner

Uni-Vibe

The Wikipedia article, Uni-Vibe, introduces the uni-vibe effect.

In the video, What Is Univibe and How To Use It!, Josh Scott (JHS Pedals), explores his personal journey of discovering the uni-vibe effect. He enumerates many of his favorite uni-vibe pedals and provide sound clips for a number of them.

Wah-Wah

The Wikipedia article, Wah-wah pedal, introduces the Wah-Wah pedal.

Effect Order

A necessary aspect of the Blues Box design will be to determine the order of the effects in the "signal chain".

There are a number of YouTube videos that explore the question of how effects should be ordered on a pedal board. They include, How to Set up a Pedal Board (Easy Step-by-Step Guide), Guitar Effects Pedal Order Explained, How to order guitar pedals effects in signal chain, and Mason Maringella's (Vertex Effects), Effects Pedal Order Explained. He goes on to recommend The BEST Way To Stack Your Overdrive Pedals .

Based on the above recommendations,The Blues Box will order its effects as follows:

  • Tuner
  • Fuzz
  • Wah-Wah
  • Input Buffer
  • Uni-Vibe
  • Compressor
  • Overdrive
  • Boost
  • EQ
  • FX Loop
  • Tremolo
  • Rotary
  • Chorus
  • Delay
  • Reverb
  • Output Buffer

This is only an approximation. The "proper" order of overdrive and/or boost pedals, for example, is contraversial. Similarly, given how delays and reverbs are used in the Blues, guitarists may prefer to order either before the other. . The good news is that routing circuits can be used for re-ordering effects in the signal chain when a single order is contested. This flexibility does, however, come at a price, i.e., increase design complexity and cost.

Design Resources

Kits

Articles

Videos

Pedals

Boost

Alembic Stratoblaster Booster

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/OOP Japanese Electronics Book/alembic-boo-pcb.gif
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/OOP Japanese Electronics Book/alembic-fet-booster.gif
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sbb

Black Hawk Booster

  • design/effectpedalkits.com/black-hawk-booster-kit-building-manual.pdf

BOSS FA-1

  • design/aionfx.com/prism
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/BOSS FA1.png

Brian May Treble Booster

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/geb_may

B.Y.O.C. MOSFET boost

  • `design/byoc/mosfetboostinstructions.pdf

Dallas Arbiter Rangemaster

  • design/aionfx.com/radian
  • design/effectpedalkits.com/rangemaster-treble-booster
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/geb_rm

Dan Armstrong Red Ranger

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/rgr

Dual Booster

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/dual_bst

EHX LPB2

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/cb1

EHX Screaming Bird

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Screaming-Bird-ENG.pdf

Keeley Katana

  • design/aionfx.com/muramasa

MXR MicroAmp

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/mamp
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/MC401-ENG.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/meb

NostalgiTone 70s Boost

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-70s-Boost.pdf

NostalgiTone Ascension Boost

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Ascension-Boost.pdf

NostalgiTone PreAmp Boost

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-PreAmp-Boost.pdf

Orange (& Apollo) Tone Booster

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/geb_orange

Pad Down Box

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/paddownbox

Stage 3 Booster

  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Stage-3-Mini.pdf

Vox Treble Booster

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/geb_vox_tb

Xotic AC/RC Booster

  • design/aionfx.com/malacandra
  • `design/guitar-electronics.eu/aC-BOOSTER-ENG.pdf
  • `design/guitar-electronics.eu/RC-BOOSTER-ENG.pdf

Xotic EP Booster

  • design/aionfx.com/ephemeris
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/EP-BOOSTER-ENG.pdf

Xotic Super Clean & Super Sweet

  • design/aionfx.com/xanthus

XX Double Shot Dual Booster

  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_XX-Double-Shot.pdf

Buffer

BJT Buffer

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/buffer-bjt

IC Buffer

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ic-buffer
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/dual-ic-buffer

JFET Buffer

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/-buffer-jfet
  • design/pedalpcb.com/buffer

Op Amp Buffer

  • `design/effectpedalkits.com/opamp-buffer>

Chorus

BOSS CE-2 Chorus Ensemble

  • design/aionfx.com/azure
  • design/byoc/analogchorusinstructions.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Chorus/BOSS CE-2.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/cepheid

BOSS DC-2 Dimension Chorus

  • `design/aionfx.com/blueshift

B.Y.O.C. Analog Chorus

  • design/byoc/lilchorusinstructions.pdf

EHX Small Clone Chorus

  • design/aionfx.com/lithium

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/small-clone-chorus-ENG.pdf

Mini-Me Chorus

  • design/guitarpcb.com/MM_Build_Instructions_New-2021.pdf

Walrus Audio Julia

  • design/pedalpcb.com/caesar-chorus

Compressor

BOSS CS-3

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Compressors Gates and Limiters/Boss CS-3.gif
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Compressors Gates and Limiters/Boss CS-3.jpg

B.Y.O.C. Optical Compressor

  • design/byoc/opticompinstructions.pdf

Convex Parallel Compressor

  • design/aionfx.com/convex

Dan Armstrong Orange Squeezer

  • design/byoc/mimosajrinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/osc

Diamond Compressor

  • design/aionfx.com/quartz

DOD 280A

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/dod280a
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Squishy-Octopus.pdf

Flatline Compressor

  • design/aionfx.com/proxima

Ibanez CP10

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ibpcp10

Keeley Compressor

  • design/aionfx.com/aurora-deluxe
  • design/pcbguitarmania.com/keepressor

MXR DynaComp

The Wikipedia article, MXR Dyna Comp, introduces the classic MXR Dyna Comp compressor pedal.

  • design/byoc/lilcompinstructions.pdf design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Circuit Bending and Modifications/MXR Dynacomp.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Compressors Gates and Limiters/MXR Dynacomp.gif
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/dnr_dc
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Dyna-Comp-ENG.pdf

NostalgiTone Compressor

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Compressor.pdf

Oceanid Optical Compressor

  • design/aionfx.com/oceanid

Ross/Dyna Comp

  • design/aionfx.com/aurora
  • design/byoc/classiccompressorinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/dnr_ross
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_MoRC.pdf

Delay

BOSS DD-2 Digital Delay

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/BOSS DD-2.png

BOSS DM-2 Analog Delay

  • design/aionfx.com/amethyst
  • design/byoc/analogdelayinstructions.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/BOSS DM-2.jpg

B.Y.O.C. Classic Delay

  • design/byoc/classicdelayinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/classicdelayscheme.pdf

B.Y.O.C. Echo

  • design/byoc/lilechoinstructions.pdf

D'lay Delay

  • design/guitarpcb.com/DLay-v3-2021.pdf

Ibanez Analog Delay

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/Ibanez AD100.gif
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/Ibanez AD80.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/Ibanez AD9.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/Ibanez AD99.pdf

Ibanez EM-5 EchoMachine

  • design/aionfx.com/elysium

Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay

  • design/aionfx.com/vector
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Deep-Blue-Delay-ENG.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/seabeddelay

MXR Analog Delay

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/MXR Analog Delay 1.png
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/MXR Analog Delay 2.png
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Delay Echo and Samplers/MXR Analog Delay 3.png

PT-80 Digital Delay

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/pt-80
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/delay-PT80-plus-ENG.pdf

SHecho

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ggg_shecho.pdf

EQ

6-Band Graphic EQ

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/eq6bg

BOSS GE-7 Graphic EQ

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Tone Control and EQs/BOSS GE-7.pdf
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/GE-7-graphic-equalizer-ENG.pdf

Ibanez Graphic EQ

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Tone Control and EQs/Ibanez Graphic EQ.gif

Fuzz

4-Track Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/4-Track-Fuzz-2022.pdf

69 FUZZ SILICON

  • design/guitar-electronics/69-FUZZ-ENG.pdf

American Fuzz

  • design/gitarpcb.com/American-Fuzz-v5-2021.pdf

Amptweaker Tight Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/cinder

Astrotone Silicon Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/astra

Big Cheese

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/geo_great_cheddar_v6.pdf

Blackout Musket Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/zelus

BOSS FZ-2/FZ-3

  • design/aionfx.com/argent
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Fuzz and Fuzzy Noisemakers/BOSS FZ-2.jpg

B.Y.O.C. Lil Fuzz

  • design/byoc/lilfuzzinstructions.pdf

Colorsound Tone Bender

  • design/aionfx.com/zeta

ColorSound ToneBender (Mark II Professional)

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/tb_m2p

ColorSound ToneBenders (3-knob)

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/tb3

ColorSound Jumbo ToneBender

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/tb_jumbo

ColorSound Supa Tone Bender

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/tb_supa
  • design/guitarpcb.com/CT-Supa-Fuzz-v4-2022.pdf

Cornish NG-3 Silicon Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/nysiad

Cornish P-1 Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/halo-deluxe

Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face

  • design/aionfx.com/epsilon
  • design/aionfx.com/proteus
  • design/aionfx.com/solaris
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ff5

Dark Side of the Moon Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/DSOTM-v4-2021.pdf

Dunlop Fuzz Face

The Wikipedia article, Fuzz Face, provides background material on the Fuzz Face.

The Fandom article, Fuzz Face, provides background material on the Fuzz Face.

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Fuzz-Face-ENG.pdf

EHX Big Muff Pi

Loick Jouaud, provides us with The history of the big muff over time.

Kit Rae goes into great technical detail in his four-part article, Big Muff Pi Versions and Schematics.

  • design/aionfx.com/corvus
  • design/aionfx.com/halo
  • design/byoc/largebeavernycinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/largebeaverrussianinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/largebeavertriangleinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbeaverinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbeavernycinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbeaveropampinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbeaverramsinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbeaverrussianinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/bmp
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/opamp-bmp
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Big-Muff-ENG.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_BMP-OP-AMP-v2.pdf
  • `design/guitarpcb.com/BMP-OPAMP-v4-2021.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/MUFFN-v4-2022.pdf

EHX Muff Fuzz

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/muff

ETI Fuzztone

  • design/aionfx.com/atom

Fat Cat Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/Fat-Cat-Fuzz-BD.pdf

Foxtrot Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/Foxtrot-Fuzz-v1-2023.pdf

fOXX Tone Machine

  • design/aionfx.com/vulcan
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ftm

Gretch Controfuzz

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/ggg_controfuzz.pdf

NostalgiTone 60s Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Fuzz.pdf

NostalgiTone Gypsy Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Gypsy-Fuzz.pdf

NostalgiTone Harbinger Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Harbinger-Fuzz.pdf

Hornet

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/hornet

Hot Silicon Tone Bender

  • design/aionfx.com/zircon

Hypercube Fuzz / Distortion

  • design/aionfx.com/hypercube

Industrial Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/IndFuzz_v6-2022.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/IndFuzz_v7.pdf

JHS Muffuletta

The JHS Muffuletta integrates six different variations of the Big Muff circuit into a single effects pedal. The Blues Box should utilize a similar approach to maximize the fuzz variations available to the Blues guitarist.

Jordan Bosstone

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/jbt

Lava Rim 2

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/muff_lr

Maestro MFZ-1

  • design/byoc/lilblackkeyinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/fz1s

Mosrite Fuzzrite

  • design/aionfx.com/orpheus
  • design/generalgadgets.com/secf_mrfr

NostalgiTone Luna Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Luna-Fuzz.pdf

One Knob Fuzz

  • design/guitarpcb.com/OKF-v2-2021-Build-Document.pdf

Rocket

  • design/generalgadgets.com/rocket

Shin Ei Companion Fuzz

  • design/generalgadgets.com/secf_sc

Sola Sound Tone Bender

The Wikipedia article, Tone Bender, introduces the Tone Bender Fuzz pedal.

Tone Bender Mk. II Germanium Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/deimos

Tone Bender Mk. III Germanium Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/phobos

Torus Lo-Fi Fuzz / Mid-Fi Demo Tape Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/torus

Tycho* Octave

  • design/generalgadgets.com/toct

Univox Super Fuzz

  • design/aionfx.com/rift
  • design/generalgadgets.com/superfuzz

Way Huge Swollen Pickle

  • design/pedalpcb.com/gerkin

ZVEX Fuzz Factory

  • design/aionfx.com/flare
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/FUZZ-FACTORY-ENG.pdf

ZVex Woolly Mammoth Fuzz

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Wolly-Mammoth-ENG.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/snuffy

Overdrive

Prince of Tone

  • design/aionfx.com/achilles
  • design/pedalpcb.com/pauper

King of Tone

The Fandom article, King of Tone, /provides background material on the King of Tone.

  • design/aionfx.com/theseus
  • design/byoc/royalflushinstructions.pdf
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/King-Of-Tone-ENG.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/paragon

Boss BD-2 Blues Driver

For background material on the BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver, consult the Fandom article, BD-2 Blues Driver.

  • design/aionfx.com/sapphire
  • design/byoc/blueoverdriveinstructions.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/BOSS BD-2.gif
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Crunch-Box-ENG.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/cobalt
  • design/musikding.de/bloozehound

Modifications

Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) discusses how to modify the BOSS BD-2 Blues Driver in his video, How To Modify A BOSS Blues Drive BD-2 Overdrive Pedal.

There is a thread in the Pedal PCB forum: BD-2 Mods

There is a thread in the Gear Page forum: [Boss BD-2 vs. Keeley BD-2] which essentially argues that Robert Keeley's mods are preferred over the stock BD-2.

Chris Pearson, outlines his Keeley-inspired mods to the BD-2 circuit in DIY Boss BD-2 Blues Driver "Keeley Mod"

This github site documents how to add the Keeley mod to the Pedal PCB Cobalt kit: colganr/Boss-BD2-Keeley-Mod-Documents: Supporting Documentation for PedalPCB to Keeley BD-2 Mod

Monte Allums Guitar & Pedal Mods includes four different mod kits for the BBD-2.

FulltoneFulldrive 2 MOSFET

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Fulldrive2mosfet-ENG.pdf

Ibanez Tube Screamer

The Wikipedia article, Ibanez Tube Screamer, introduces the classic tube screamer pedal.

Ibanez TS-808

  • design/aionfx.com/stratosphere
  • design/byoc/classicoverdriveinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/classicodschematic.pdf
  • design/byoc/mododinstructions.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/Ibanez TS-808.jpg
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/its8
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/Tube-Screamer-ENG.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/Tube-Screaming-Preamp-2021.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/Tube-Screaming-Ultra-v4-2021-.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/lgsm

Ibanez TSV808

  • design/aionfx.com/velorum

Ibanez TS-9

  • design/aionfx.com/stratus
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/Ibanez TS9.gif

Ibanez TS-10

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/Ibanez TS-10.gif

JHS Bonsai

Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) explains the JHS Bonsai in his video, JHS Pedals Bonsai: Nine Classic Tube Screamers in One Box. He goes into detail about the evolution of the "tube screamer" circuit over time.

The JHS Bonsai integrates nine different "tube screamer"-like circuits into a single effects pedal. The Blues Box should use a similar approach to combine the collective knowledge of the three different Ibanez circuits and the well-established modifications to them.

Runoffgroove UBE Screamer

  • design/aionfx.com/ube-screamer

Klon Centaur

The Wikipedia article, Klon Centaur, provides background on the much-sought-after Klon Centaur pedal.

The Interstellar Audio Machines article, The History of the Klon Centaur, provides useful background on the seemingly mythical Klon Centaur overdrive pedal.

  • design/aionfx.com/refractor
  • design/byoc/silverponyinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/silverponyschematic.pdf
  • design/byoc/silverpony2instructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/kc
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/klon-centaur-ENG.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/MKC-v4-2021-Build-Document.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/kliche

Marshall Bluesbreaker

For an introduction to the history of the Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal, consult the Pedaltown article, The Story of the Marshall Blues Breaker Pedal.

Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) does a deep-dive on the Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal in his video, What Is A Blues Breaker Guitar Pedal?.

  • design/aionfx.com/cerulean
  • design/byoc/bbodinstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/britishbluesschematic.pdf
  • design/byoc/lilbreakerinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/mbb
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/BB-Preamp-ENG.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/Blues-Buster-v2-2022.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/bluebreaker

Nobels ODR-1 Natural Overdrive

  • design/aionfx.com/andromeda
  • design/aionfx.com/andromeda-deluxe
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/Nobels ODR-1 Plus.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Distortion Boost and Overdrive/Nobels ODR-1.pdf
  • design/pedalpcb.com/nobleman

Reverb

Accutronics Reverb

  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/reverb-ENG.pdf

ADD-VERB

  • design/guitarpcb.com/ADD-VERB-v1.5-2021.pdf

BOSS RV-3

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Reverb/BOSS RV-3.jpg

B.Y.O.C. Lil Reverb

  • design/byoc/lilreverbinstructions1_0.pdf

Digital Reverb

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/d-verb

Earthquaker Devices Ghost Echo

  • design/pedalpcb.com/spiritbox

Sproing Reverb

  • design/pedalpcb.com/sproing

Stage Center Reverb

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sc_verb

Rotary

Weslie Modulator

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/weslie

Tremolo

Apollo Tremolo

  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Apollo-Tremolo.pdf

BOSS TR-2

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Tremolos and Panners/Boss TR-2.pdf

Brown Face Harmonic Tremolo

  • design/byoc/brownfacetremoloinstructions.pdf

Craig Anderton Tremolo

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/catrem

EA Tremolo

  • design/byoc/treminstructions.pdf
  • design/byoc/tremolitoinstructions.pdf
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/eat
  • design/guitarpcb.com/EA-Tremolo-v4-2021.pdf

NostalgiTone 60s Tremolo

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2023-NostalgiTone-Singles-Tremolo.pdf

Tremulus Lune

  • design/aionfx.com/luna
  • design/guitarpcb.com/apollo-tremolo

VibroBot Tremolo

  • design/pedalpcb.com/vibrobot

Tuner

  • design/pedalpcb.com/tuner

Uni-Vibe

ElectroVibe

  • design/pedalpcb.com/electrovibe

NostalgiTone Vibe

  • design/guitarpcb.com/2024-NostalgiTone-Singles-Vibe.pdf

Runoffgroove Tri-Vibe Vibrato/Phaser

The project page for this pedal is located here.

  • design/aionfx.com/tri-vibe
  • design/musikding.de/tri-vibe

Univox Univibe

  • design/aionfx.com/straylight
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/univox-univibe
  • design/guitar-electronics.eu/univibe-ENG.pdf
  • `design/guitarpcb.com/The-Vibe-v4-2021.pdf

Wah-Wah

B.Y.O.C. Drop-in Wah

  • design/byoc/wahinstructions.pdf

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Filters Wahs and VCFs/Dunlop Crybaby 95.gif
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Filters Wahs and VCFs/Dunlop Crybaby.pdf
  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Filters Wahs and VCFs/Dunlop Original Crybaby.gif

Inductor Wah

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/wah

MoWah

  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_MoWah-Advanced-Mod-Guide.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_MoWah.pdf

VOX V847A

  • design/experimentalistsanonymous.com/Filters Wahs and VCFs/Vox Wah V847.gif
  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/vox-847

Utility Circuits

3PDT Buffer Board

  • design/guitarpcb.com/Buffer-Board-v3-2021.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Silent-Tuning-Buffer.pdf

A/B Switch Box

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_ab

A/B/Y Switch Box

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_aby

Single Effects Loop Switch Box

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_loop

Dual Effects Loop Switch Boxes

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_loop2

Easy Order Switcher

  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Easy-Order-Switching-Board-3PDT-Toggle.pdf
  • design/guitarpcb.com/BD_Easy-Order-Switching-Board-4PDT-Footswitch.pdf

Effects Order Switcher

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_ordertl

TransLocator

  • design/generalguitargadgets.com/sw_tloc

Credits

Many companies and individuals have contributed to the collective knowledge of guitar effects. It would vbe the height of arrogance and ingratitude to ignore their contrabutions, or fail to give them proper credit for their work. Whether they participated in the original designs, modified existing designs, experimented with new circuits, were involved in tracing circuit designs, or worked on new circuit layouts, all participated in the grand work of preserving guitar effects. Moreover, failing to give them proper credit or feigning authorship for someone else's work is plagiarism. It is both unethical and unacceptable.

The Blues Box project will properly document all known contributions of others' work.

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