Superhero Overdrive!

[G._Hoffman]

Clean!!!





Dirty!!!!!!





I think it looks like the costume of a `70's era superhero!!!  I think I'll call it the Super Hero Overdrive. 


It's not actually done, and I'll have to build a speaker cabinet to go with it, but I covered the front panel tonight, and it looks so good I had to share!!!  Unfortunately, I made the front panel too large to fit the white piping around the front panel, which would have added that last 10% to the looks, but I thing it looks pretty damn cool anyway.

I like it so much, I just spent about 5 minutes just going back and forth between close ups of the logo changing colors!  Plus, the clean sound is so good, I might not give it to the shop like I was planning (we need a new electric guitar amp - Overdrive is good to have, but what we MUST have is a great clean amp so we can decide what is what on guitars we are working on!)  I still have to work out some buzzes/hums, the cabinet still needs some blocking and the back panel (which should make the logo plate look even better!), and I'll probably remake some of the plastic bits (the control plate and the logo panel aren't quite right). 


Gabriel

[tubenit]

Gabriel,

That's cool!!!    Superb choice for the name, IMO.   

When you have time can you share a little info about the circuit?  I'm curious what you have there? 

With respect, Tubenit

[G._Hoffman]

Gabriel,

That's cool!!!    Superb choice for the name, IMO.   

When you have time can you share a little info about the circuit?  I'm curious what you have there? 

With respect, Tubenit

It's just a Ceriatone Overtone Special (well, I used their drawing as a starting point), redrawn with a new power supply to fit the iron I had on hand, a VERY tiny SOIC8 PIC micro control that is in charge of the switching (because I couldn't think of a way to make it do what I wanted without the PIC), a small solid state power supply (driving the switching, PIC, and the LED's for the logo plate), and minus the FET input.  Two EL34's, so around 50W.  Oh, and I moved a pot they had on the front panel back inside the box, so it came closer to matching our shop manager's Dumble (I think - he won't let me look inside the amp!).  I made a couple other incidental changes, but nothing major.  I'm not too fond of this style of distortion/overdrive/whatever (too smooth!), but it sounds better at lower volumes, which is nice if customers are going to be using it!!!!!!!

I wanted to build something complicated.  This seemed to qualify. 


Gabriel

[G._Hoffman]

What I can't decide yet, is do I put something black behind the logo plate so it pops a bit better, or do I just put on the back panel and let the tubes glow through the plexi.  I'll decide after I've made the back panel, of course, as it can be easily made at a later date.


Gabriel

[SILVERGUN]

VERY cool!!
Thanks for posting......love the color/channel change option, and overall really love the non-traditional approach 

Great creativity and concept.....I personally like the see-through panel, and look forward to seeing it with a matching cab 

 

[tubenit]

Gabriel,

THANKS for the info!  Sounds remarkably cool and truly quite creative all the way around.  You seem to always find success "coloring outside the lines" in your guitars and amps.
 

The smoothness of the D-style OD is something that changes how one plays and approachs playing.  Physonoodler has stated numerous times, that he prefers a "cranked" Fender tone to the  Overdrive Special type overdriven tone.

I do find the D-style OD to be more challenging to play but I appreciate the smoothness and sustain at reasonably low volumes (given my hearing loss).

With respect, Tubenit

[G._Hoffman]

Gabriel,

THANKS for the info!  Sounds remarkably cool and truly quite creative all the way around.  You seem to always find success "coloring outside the lines" in your guitars and amps.
 

The smoothness of the D-style OD is something that changes how one plays and approachs playing.  Physonoodler has stated numerous times, that he prefers a "cranked" Fender tone to the  Overdrive Special type overdriven tone.

I do find the D-style OD to be more challenging to play but I appreciate the smoothness and sustain at reasonably low volumes (given my hearing loss).

With respect, Tubenit

I'm a bit of a punk rocker, so I tend towards the cracked Marshall sound myself.


Gabriel

[zendragon63]

Wow, what a way cool cabinet! Nice work Gabriel! I am with you--not as big a fan of the smooth D-style OD circuits as with the coarser 'wreck style. Excellent just the same. (Funny you should mention the CLEAN aspect of things--I can't really tell how rich the guitar tones can really get unless I dial back the dirt to nearly nothing). Regards

dennis

[TIMBO]

NICE 

[TubeRube]

Holy Moly, Gabe! I think it looks great as-is & that a white piping border around the front panel would...  diffuse? distract? what's the word? mess up?  ...that sharply defining white stripe bordering the slash of bright red.   

[G._Hoffman]

Holy Moly, Gabe! I think it looks great as-is & that a white piping border around the front panel would...  diffuse? distract? what's the word? mess up?  ...that sharply defining white stripe bordering the slash of bright red.   

Eh, maybe.  It will definitely look better when I get the black panel on it, though, as it will make the logo pop a bit more. 


Gabriel