Polytone in a Pedal

[lawson-stone]

That sounds like a very fair price. I think a pre-order form is a good idea too.

[add4]

And here is the form for the waiting list and more details (shipping, payement, ... )
DDCK-Fx Multitone pre-order form

i'll try to find better shipping prices soon but these i can guarantee.
Thanks to you all for your support

[lawson-stone]

Is "Option 1" the completely finished pedal?

[Herbie]

175 is a classic price in jazz guitar circles!

Could there be an option 1,5 that includes the pcb and the components with documentation (no box nor assembly)? Kind of a 'kit version'?

[add4]

175 is a classic price in jazz guitar circles!

Could there be an option 1,5 that includes the pcb and the components with documentation (no box nor assembly)? Kind of a 'kit version'?

Honestly my first answer is that i don't want to do that for a few reasons: i will take me a lot of time to go through my stash to sort everything out, and in the end i'll cetainly make mistakes, i'll need to label everything, i dont have all the additional bags to separate everything nicely, ... and it has a limited added value so most of that work would be free.

but i'll think about it anyway if you really want it.

[add4]

Very interested, but... did I miss the sound clips?

no soundclips so far, i have a busy busy busy week. i'll try to make that soon.

I also did not make them because now we have a 100% polytone preamp.. i played with it in a few amps, it sounds good, but i have ideas for improvements related to the fact that we now use it in front of an amp and not directly into a preamp.. I want to make a new pedal with the changes i have in mind and decide which one would be better.
i wanted to say that later, after testing it , but here you are.

Basically i would like to increase the volume a bit: the summing stage that i removed is also a gain recovery stage, and i think we could compensate the loss of that stage in the initial gain stage (so this is actually changing MY design to be closer to the real polytone thingy). I also want to increase the boost/cut gain of each EQ pot, because in front of a fender amp for instance, the knobs have to be a bit higher than i wish for the sound they change. I believe it's due to the big sound coloration of the fender preamp which is 'crushing' the frequencies enhanced by the polytone.

as always, it's when you thought something was finished that making another iteration can give you the last % of goodness that you really were after.
Right now I have ideas for improvements and i know how to make them .. so i at least want to try

[Herbie]

Honestly my first answer is that i don't want to do that for a few reasons: i will take me a lot of time to go through my stash to sort everything out, and in the end i'll cetainly make mistakes, i'll need to label everything, i dont have all the additional bags to separate everything nicely, ... and it has a limited added value so most of that work would be free.

but i'll think about it anyway if you really want it.

Of course I can get the parts too, I just asked.

Last winter I made a 10" combo cabin to re-house my Polytone Mini-Brute amp inside it. The parts fitted in but after all the hum is quite audible so the parts – transformers, reverb tank, speaker magnet etc – are apparently too close to each other.

Anyway I have now a combo cab free. So I thought I'll build a new amp in it from Your Multitone preamp and some yet unknown form of a power amp (EHX 44 Magnum?). That's why I think about getting a pcb instead of a pedal.

[Herbie]

Someone from this thread actually pointed me to what he used. I'll share that link with you.

You mean the Polyclone of jazzmus? It is impressive, but actually I thought something even more straight ahead solution. A readymade power amp would be ideal.

[add4]

You mean the Polyclone of jazzmus? It is impressive, but actually I thought something even more straight ahead solution. A readymade power amp would be ideal.

Someone gave me a link to a ready made class D power amp he used for another polytone build. I'll find that for your when I'm not on my phone.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[lstelie]

Basically, there are two potential customers: 1) people who gig and want xlr, reverb, low cut, IRs, phantom power, batteries, etc... 2) pepple who don't gig and just want a simple bass treble volume pedal, 1 jack in 1 jack out.

I think we'll need two different pedals

Two other useful possibilites for those who record: two mono outs to split the chain and a buffered fry out yo keep a dry track on the studio, just in case.

I totally second this point.. because I’m in the first group.

I’m a bass guy (I play.. let's be honest.. I learn ... guitar at home for my own pleasure).
In the bass world we have several tools that provide in the same box :
- Preamp
- DI
- shitload of in/out among those a aux/in and a headphones/out
- power on usual 9v or internal battery

I use an Ampeg SCR-DI (but there are others like EBS Microbass) others from Tech21 or Aguilar don't have aux/in and headphones/out

These tools serve two distinct purposes

I can use the SCR-DI in my garden playing bass with iReal on my smartphone connected to the AUX/in and using headphones.. some kind of expansive headphones amp.. but with real first class sound

When I rehearse (or gig), it's a real gig-worthy Ampeg preamp, I use the SCR-DI in places where the is no space for an amp (small bars..) and it works like a charm.

From a marketing point of view this approach is quite clever, because gig-only gear appeal to people who.. gig.. only them
Gear with gig level quality but broader spectrum of use appeal to people who gig, people who gig AND need a tool for personal use, and also to raw basic amateurs who don't gig but want “serious” gear

The Ampeg I use is equally at ease at home for practicing either with the DI out connected to my Mac's sound card, or for silent practicing using the (quite good) headphones out AND on stage.

In the <400euros/dollars range, such thing doesn't exist in the guitar world, or I failed to find them (except the digital tools like Pod and so on that are not really in the same league quality wise). Of course guitar preamps exist, but most of them are targeted at hi-gain (or at least crunch) users.. those I tried are not very good for clean jazzy sound. There is the excellent Torpedo CAB but the price is quite high and it doesn't run on battery.


My 2cents

[jorgemg1984]

I truly hope it's everything you're expecting, I still love mine.

[destinytot]

I truly hope it's everything you're expecting, I still love mine.

Thanks! I like that it's come about through the forum - and I'm very grateful to you for this. I'm confident that it'll be fine through the cab of an AER Compact 3.

I'm keeping my actual Polytone (for sentimental value - because Sean Levitt used it for over a year).

[jorgemg1984]

Yes - keep the amp, and also keep us posted on your thoughts on the pedal

When I first started this thread I could never imagine an eleven-page thread and that so many people would be interested. Hope there's still more to come!

[lawson-stone]

So is the pedal now being offered generally for sale? If so, what's the price and how do I get one?

[destinytot]

So is the pedal now being offered generally for sale? If so, what's the price and how do I get one?

I contacted Miguel (150euros + shipping):
Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
If anyone wants this pedal to be built my tech can build one equal to mine.

miguel.oliveir@gmail.com

He's based in Portugal but he ships overseas. My pedal has a few custom options (OPA2134, pump charger to 18v, low cut, stereo out) and killer looks but he'll customise to your needs.

[jorgemg1984]

Lawson, my friend, Miguel, is a pedal builder and has built mine and a few others more. Meanwhile, Arnaud is building his own version, which should be amazing, too. I believe any of these versions will make forum members happy!

[add4]

I have been distracted by entering the digital pedal world and getting my first prototype (of a digitally powered pedal... nothing to do with the polytone pedal) to run..
i was actually planning to start working on a second prototype (of the polytone pedal)
today:

some thoughts on the first prototype and why i want to work on it again:

It is in fact composed of
- A 100% clean boost stage with 'voice' control:
- Dark: for a typical muffled jazz tone
- Normal: 100% transparent
- Bright: For a brighter, very direct sound (Early Rosenwinkel tone), great for fusion of modern jazz
- A 3 band bandaxall active EQ
- boost/cut on each band
- Boost or cut each band
- Completely transparent is all controls are at noon
- A passive Low End Control (LEC) switch that removes bass from the sound to prevent boomy sounds with 2 levels of bass cut and 1 level which leaves all the basses on

the problem i have is that the normal voice is, by design, 100 transparent.. so what you hear in a polytone is .. the polytone cab and speaker + some EQ.
what you will hear with the pedal in the normal setting is your amp .. with the EQ.. but it will still be very much like your amp.

The other 2 voices ARE different in taste with the dark channel bringing fat and medium like the polytone does, and the bright channel pretty much colors the sound as much as my polytone does.

I also tested the circuit in the input of my tremolux and my opinion is that a lot of the additional frequencies brought out by the preamp are probably cancelles by the fender preamp.
So the effet could be more dramatic i think.. that's why i anted to boost the EQ cut/boost capability.
BUT i also know that the circuit was not tested in a PA or soundcard (now i have one .. so i should test that) and also that my test was actually stupildy donc with the fender EQ far from flat... or the flattest possible.. so my plan is

construct another prototype of the pedal with :
- more gain (the summing preamp actually also amplifies, and i removed it .. since there is no reverb and distortion, so it's just catching up with reality)
- more boost/cut for each EQ channel
- maybe a slightly more colored normal channed, like, leaning towards the dark channel.. and a darker dark channel .. to try to color the sound a little bit more..

and let you nkow guys when it's done

Peace

[lawson-stone]

Lawson, my friend, Miguel, is a pedal builder and has built mine and a few others more. Meanwhile, Arnaud is building his own version, which should be amazing, too. I believe any of these versions will make forum members happy!

I had not been aware that we actually had TWO people here who were working on a Polytone-in-a-Pedal. No wonder I've felt confused!

[RonD]

I had not been aware that we actually had TWO people here who were working on a Polytone-in-a-Pedal. No wonder I've felt confused!

I'm with you. What's up with this? Still waiting for a sound clip from, uh... ???

[jorgemg1984]

No deadlines, I believe - but I think Arnaud's price (add4) can be lower the more people show interest. Of course, Miguel is in Braga, not that far from Porto

[destinytot]

There are audio clips on page 2 of this thread (posts 39 and 42).

[eblydian]

I am the lucky owner of a "Polyclone" built by Miguel Oliveira and referred to in Jorge's previous posts.

I never played an original Polytone so I cannot compare, but this thing is a killer. It's my always-on pedal. I would describe it as a discreet jazz preamp with lots of tone-shaping possibilities and a useful low cut filter to tame boomy archtops. It's got a bright/medium/dark selector that IMO gives a nice thunk in the bright position. It brings my almost dead Godin Multiac Jazz back to life and sounds great in combination with any multieffect, IR box or amp.

I use it sometimes with an AER Compact and I love it.

[Dr Bonkers]

If anyone has any questions about these ir's or any of the other ir's on my site, please let me know.

I think many of them will serve your purpose well.

Guitar Cabinet Files | Dr. Bonkers Sound Lab

I also have a buy two ir packs get a third ir pack free during the same buying session using coupon code "eggman2017" until May 30, 2017.

Best,
Dr. B

[Little Jay]

So what's the status on add4's pedal?

[jazzmus]

Heres is another take on on the subject. Built and boxed up yesterday. I have no recording equipment at the mo but i hope to get some samples uploaded asap.
Heres a walk thru:
1.It runs on 9V, internal bipolar supply, can run on a 12V supply but the increase in headroom is rather minimal.
2.Main circuit is a stock polytone pre amp, i added a gain control (= master volume to control the overall output), by its nature its a true pre amp and with the gain/master dimed it can, depending on your setup, push a lower wattage tube amp into clipping.
3.I kept the org brite switch but left out the dark side, pesonally i never liked the dark setting, imo it sounds woofy farty blankety, maybe usefull if you play a 09 strung tele on the bridge pu...
4. Mid control is tweaked to cut/boost at around 450Hz (stock i believe is ca 800-1000hz)
5. I added a unity gain buffered active variable highpass filter, it starts cutting below 80Hz and and then up to a little over 300hz. The filter is seperate from the main circuit so it is useable by its own in if the main pre amp is bypassed.
6. The edge control, another add on also functional as a stand alone, its a very simple circuit that adds non clipping clean 2 order harmonics, very subtle but it adds a little clarity, punch and dynamics. Always on to me now, ive been tweaking and playing the complete breadboarded circuit for weeks now into both a org. late 70´s MB with a 15" alongside my cloned MB with a 8" and my ears dig it.
Graphics turned out rough due to a nearly empty toner cartridge, but ill claim the vintage look was intended. I had to celebrate its origin with the name and B logo.