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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Tube Screamer: Which to build?

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5/27/1997 7:23 AM
Mike Oriente	Tube Screamer: Which to build? I've found a few differant schematics for the Tube Screamer on the Web. Which one should I build?

5/27/1997 9:58 AM
R.G. Keen	The one on my web page matches the actual circuits in the pedals. There's a toner sheet for making your own circuit board, as well as a layout for making a screamer on stripboard. I've had several dozen people build them from these plans successfully, so there's some history, and some help if you run into problems - most of the likely problems with this have already been discovered.

5/27/1997 12:39 PM
Pat Freuler	Mike - I just recently purchased his toner sheet package for the Tube Screamer, and it is excellent. The instructions are clear and very detailed. I personally hate plotting out PC boards, so the hardest part (for me at least) is done. I highly recommend his toner package.

5/31/1997 6:07 PM
Paradiddle	I built the TS-9 then i modifed it to the tS-808 SPECS It sounds more juicy now,.....But i still have a slight prob,.....I will post it seperate,..... Jeff

6/12/1997 7:04 PM
anonymous	Most people prefer the TS808. Check leper's schematics for it...

6/12/1997 8:22 PM

The schematic for the 808 is the same as the one for the TS9, only three resistor values were changed, as noted on the schematic on my web page. I drew up the schematic for Jamie's page, as well.

Jack Orman originally just put my drawing on his page, and then redrew it when I complained.
The redrawn schematic over on DMZ contains a couple of minor errors, but will still make some distortion noise, so a person not familiar with the sound of a TS might not notice it. I don't bring this up to rag on Jack...

I bring it up to highlight something that a reader on my page noted for me. The differences between the correct one on my page and Jack's point out a reasonable mod. His schematic has the value of a resistor too high on the (-) input to the clipping opamp, which means that the max gain is limited to 1/10 that of the original. A clever person might wire up TWO resistors and switch one in and out for a "boost" function. That particular reader won the "new information" prize for that month, an etched and drilled circuit board.

There are toner transfer sheets for a circuit board for this, a stripboard (Vero board) layout for it, and an etched and drilled circuit board for it over on http://www.eden.com/~keen.

Have fun, build one or the other but
BUILD SOMETHING!!! :-)

:-)

6/13/1997 5:59 AM

Do the three versions of the Screamer really sound all that different ? The resistor changes don’t look like they would have any significant effect on the sound but I could be wrong "and not for the first time" some would say.

I built a TS808 from your schematic (Thanks a lot) but have not had time to fiddle with it much because the "real" guitarist in our band bagged it after one song and won’t give it back. (I expect it to return for a battery change when he finds out I soldered it in). The first time I stomped on it I thought "Too much mid give me the bass back" I think its the 4k7/0.047u on the first amp. If you put in Jack Orman’s 47k "error" you should get the bass back as well as reducing the gain. This could be just what I need. If I ever get it back I’m gonna try it.

Jack says he traced his circuit from his original TS9. Just stirin’

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