Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

marshall bluesbreaker pedal


dbreslauer

Recommended Posts

i was reading how the original Bluesbreaker pedal is much better than the more recent incarnation, but of course long discontinued. on the Bay, they appear to be quite expensive if you can even find them (and odds are John Mayer has bought them all by now.) :)

 

so i built my own yesterday.

 

i got this schematic from tonepad.com, parts all from Small Bear.

 

i used the iron transfer method for this PCB, as the layout is more complex than other fuzz circuits.

1.jpg

2.jpg

 

 

all drilled. the traces are a lot neater than the freehand way. i still enlarge the pads a bit though.

3.jpg

 

 

board populated:

4.jpg

 

 

i used a larger enclosure this time... room to breathe! :)

5.jpg

 

wired up with a 3PDT switch, for true bypass and LED indicator:

6.jpg

 

 

now on to the hard part: painting!

7.jpg

 

Don

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What color paint design are you going for?

 

 

i'm priming now, while i think about it. i got those cream colored knobs for a vintage feel, and the LED is amber. maybe a brown or hammered metal look?

 

suggestions? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i went with a hammered look paint, and used an aged white/cream color. i am a horrible painter, but this does have an old vintage feel too it. it probably needs another coat or two, but i've learned that sandpaper and hammered finish paint do not get along well at all... the finish also bubbled up around the switch: need to flatten that out when i break it down for the sealer coats.

 

8.jpg

 

i ordered some waterslide decal sheets to try some labelling and lettering before the sealer.

 

i LOVE the sound of this pedal. very warm drive, not biting or harsh at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

between you and our friend andy, the forum could open up a custom shop for guitars AND pedals.

 

you are a mad man!

 

what was the cost of parts and components?

 

Very excellent job, sir.

 

 

just under $40 for everything, not including the shipping costs and the paint.

 

thanks!

 

Gosh, it looks great. Good job!! But, more importantly, how does it Sound??!

 

CB

 

thanks! i like this drive sound a LOT. very warm with the tone rolled back, and then brighter with it up a bit. crank up the gain and it breaks up into a distortion, but again not harshly. think Clapton with John Mayall...

 

i'm very pleased with the sound (moreso than the paint!) :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i went with a hammered look paint, and used an aged white/cream color. i am a horrible painter, but this does have an old vintage feel too it. it probably needs another coat or two, but i've learned that sandpaper and hammered finish paint do not get along well at all... the finish also bubbled up around the switch: need to flatten that out when i break it down for the sealer coats.

 

8.jpg

 

i ordered some waterslide decal sheets to try some labelling and lettering before the sealer.

 

i LOVE the sound of this pedal. very warm drive, not biting or harsh at all.

 

 

Looks great!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the hammered metal look.

I have a copper/pepper switcher that I use.

How do you achieve that effect? I'd like to know.

 

 

Rustoleum makes several different styles of "hammered look" spray paint. the hard part is keeping it even, but you just spray it on and it dries like that. that copper pedal looks awesome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i made my first water slide decal label for this pedal. in hindsight, i would do the knob labels separately, and i'm also guessing these decals work better on non-textured surfaces.

 

but overall i'm pleased with the outcome.

 

9.jpg

 

i have to do some fine sanding on the case and then seal it some more with coats of poly. then, all done. :)

 

i like the orange LED a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...