OD Fender build

[Smokebreak]

I just finished a build today that I've been working on for the last week or so. The inspiration is definitely the "Overdrive Deluxe", and is rooted in 70's Dumble topology. I'm a bit hesitant to call it that, though, as if you take a left then a sharp right, suddenly you're in Lee Jackson or Rivera zone. At the heart of it all, it's a non-reverb Fender with two added gain stages.

This amp runs 6V6s and I put my tiny wiggle bias tremolo board up in there.
I built a 6L6 head with this similar circuit last month, and took the opportunity to put in every Dumble switch and tonestack known, just to hear the differences. It was a great learning experience, and when I came across an "in-stock" Weber Deluxe cab, I jumped on it. I figured I should get the matching chassis from them as well, wary as I was of that whole scene. Nuff said.

I used my own layout, using Doug Hoffman's "design your own turret board" program, which is just killer, and very reasonably priced, all said and done. This board is actually from a small run of another amp, so I had to make concessions, but it all worked out. I used to love drilling and staking, but lately I've found out I'm much more interested in lining up dots, and making them work when I screw up.

I've got the channel select on a 3-way rotary. The clean channel is straight up non-reverb AB763 with smaller caps. The next position is OD mode with the funky entrance, and the 3rd position is a tweaked entrance for even more gain. Also with the switching comes separate masters for clean and OD. The old Dumble way of fixed "Ratio" works well, but once you start tweaking, separate masters becomes necessary.

The slide switches are for "fat" and "era". For the era I'm trying to cold clip the OD section, but upon fireup I'll say that 5K6/.22 and 10K doesn't sound great with the already heavy attenuation. Still working on that, but I imagine 1 cold clipping stage will do.
Push-pulls are mid boost and stack lift- the one that splits the treble and bass pot-my favorite.

There's an OD treble bleed, and then the trem controls. Trem sounds great and it gets really swampy in that transitional OD zone.

For the components, I wanted to try using anything but orange drops, just for kicks. My favorite Marshall build uses these MKP and MKT caps, and I also utilized pulls from old organ amps, stuff I got from Apex Jr. Steve, and Blackburn. Thanks guys!

[Cameron]

Try 5.6 with a 1uf and change the 10k to 1k - 2.7k this circuit does sound really good with 6v6.....

[stretch2011]

I'm drooling over here! Awesome build!

[Bob S]

Nice work. Looks great.

[Blackburn]

Build looks and sounds awesome. Now build one with orange drops.

[Smokebreak]

Thanks guys. Mark, 5K6 bypassed and 1K does sounds good. For the time being I've got 2k7/.68 and 2k7/.1 . The (Riv)Era switch was kinda an afterthought, as I had an extra slide switch on the panel. The problem with getting it into metal territory is that the rest of the amp is pretty much voiced as a straight up thick rock-n-roll amp, so the palm mute thing is gonna come with compromises. I'd need 2 or 3 more poles on that slide switch to get it right.
David don't worry my next one will be all yellow mallories

[Smokebreak]

I did some quick clips with a tele : https://soundcloud.com/jeremyslemenda/tl22
This is with the masters on 3 for all settings. Anymore than that in OD and it gets totally wild with the feedback. Super fun.

[Structo]

Nice looking build!

Tremolo sounds awesome.

[gui_tarzan]

Very nice!

[Smokebreak]

I got this thing in its home and it may just be a keeper, for a while. I keep finding little pockets of sounds with the switching. Super fun and a jaw-dropper when cranked.

[Blackburn]

Sweet!

[Colossal]

That looks really good man. Nicely done. Bet it sounds killer.

[M Fowler]

Great build and it sounds good too.

[eniam rognab]

love it!!!

[Cameron]

Very cool ....nice build.