The power boost is loud, and no matter what people say the 18v power boost is a totally different beast to the watered down 9v colorsound overdriver, which was a basic reimagining for the american market. Build a clone of the colorsound overdriver power boost. Schematic colorsound overdriver back to index of schematics. The footprint and price tag is much more appealing too.
During the last couple of decades, their popularity has increased again and many clones and reissues of the classic circuits have become available. Powersound overdriver colorsound help page 3 pedalpcb. The classic colorsound overdriver bridged the gap between boost. For all you fans of the 2 transistor english fuzz, this is a nice variationevolution on that circuit. These pedals are both so amazing and sound great stacked. The original was used by david gilmour, jeff beck and other pros to become an integral part of 70s. There are bunch of demos of the futureman and the black forest on youtube, it should give you an idea what it sounds like. Throbak has reproduced and improved the circuit of the original colorsound power boost guitar effects pedal also known by the name colorsound overdriver. Colorsound supasustain 15may 1976 11047uf 47k volume iook 220k sensitivity hm 220k all transistors bc 169b 4700hm 220k 6mm lor hm drawn by tobias karlsson 01 ldr and led mounted together in shrink tube created date. As with all pro analog pedals they are not meant for bedroom players though. At a closer look it reveals its dna it is a knockoff to the electroharmonix four transistor big muff violet rams. It contains expresspcb sch and pcb files, and a pdf toner transfer image. To start, turn the trimmers all the way down and measure the farleft pad of the transistor marked c for collector with a multimeter, using the red probe with the black probe touching ground.
The overdriver is perhaps the closest youall ever get to owning a real colorsound. This kit includes all of the parts needed to build the guitarpcb color tone overdrive project. We chose to create these as the 9v version as we now live in the power supply world and make life easy for most. Bc109 transistors, bass and treble control, and high quality 1% metal film resistors provide enough raw power to please just about any highgain player. Boost, colorsound, overdriver a handmade recreation of the famous colorsound power booster and overdriver used by the likes of jeff beck and david gilmour among the few. Trufi colordriver 18 volt guitar pedal like the original colorsound. Transistor companies were in the business of selling transistors, so they offered these application designs for free to give engineers ideas for how to use thier products. The circuit makes use of a single oc71 or oc44 germanium transistor. The power boost came first, powered by two 9volt batteries for 18v operation. The bass and treble knobs are really functional and theres a nive volume boost in it.
Oct 21, 2009 another three transistor fuzz, the colorsound power boost, was added to the line at this time as well, and then renamed colorsound overdriver in 1973. It has insane volume so the reissue pedals from macaris in the 90s have master volumes. It had a transistor based baxandall tonestack along with a gain control. Throbak overdrive boost vintage pedal clone reverb. It was very popular and was used by such guitar superstars as david gilmour of pink floyd, jeff beck, and trex marc bolan.
I posted regarding transistors etc for a colorsound power boost clone. The original circuit remains in tact but when switched on, the germanium pair adds flexibility way beyond that of the original colorsound overdriver, adding the edgy, compressed distortion tones you can only get from germanium. The colorsound power boost and colorsound overdriver were also favorites of marc bolan and is considered by many to be the best overdrivebooster ever made. Classic 1970s era wah same as original but with improved potentiometer for longer life.
Colorsound 18v overdriver power boost bc169c kit ax piher philips tropical fish ebay. Colorsound supasustain 15may 1976 11047uf 47k volume iook 220k sensitivity hm 220k all transistors bc 169b 4700hm 220k 6mm lor hm drawn by tobias karlsson 01 ldr and led mounted together in shrink tube. What is the best of the best colorsound overdriver type. If youare looking for those classic bright and glassy overdrive tones heard on dark side of the moon, wish you were here, animals and tons of other albums from that era then look no further. Thirdly a switchable germanium transistor has been paired with a germanium diode and added to the circuit.
Another new overdriver clone is from uncle ernies effects. Powersound overdriver colorsound help page 2 pedalpcb. The power booster ran at 18v using two batteries in series. All original down to the original battery clip, everything looks as it came from the factoryas far as im aware of no mods, no parts changed, no. The colorsound power boost is a treble and bass booster that runs on 18 volts, using two ninevolt batteries.
Tones still in demand in the pro guitar shop of today. When you look at the picture of the jennings growler below, the resistor in doubt at the right lower corner is a 82 ohm resistor. The pedal was known for its powerful overdrive but also its incredible boost factor. Colorsound supasustain 15may 1976 11047uf 47k volume iook. As you can see, this project uses alpha boardmounted pots, box caps, and 0. The overdriver dropped the requirement of the second battery and ran on a normal 9v supply. Around 1970, solasound rebranded itself as colorsound th. Ive since sent him a pdf of my board layout, asking him if hell at. Sola sound tone bendergermanium transistors up for sale is a very rare germanium 3knob sola sound colorsound tone bender in extremely excellent condition. Colorsound 18v overdriver power boost bc169c kit ax piher. The power boost was one of the major components of gilmours sound around dsotm, with luscious, rich overdrive on just the right side of saturation overload. This kit offers the choice of making the power boost, which likes 18v or the overdriver, which runs at 9v.
Directconnect compatible 4way download the instruction pdf heres the. This circuit was used heavily in the 70s and has a great tone that bridges the gap between boost, overdrive, and fuzz. While it would distort at incredibly high volumes, its primary purpose was to overdrive the amp. R2 is definitely 100k from what i can see but appears to be a problem personally id check r2 isnt bridged to any nearby components r5, r7 etc then lift the 2. Colorsound overdriver online stripboard layout editor. It was popular due to its ability to bring body, richness and tonal dimension to a tube amp. Manlay sound pro boost two different set of transistors the biggest difference imho is the use of 9v, 9v with voltage doubler and 18v. Is there any chance you could share the schematic you traced when you. Treble boosters were commonly used by guitarists in the 1960s and 1970s. Guitar pedal x news 9 practical modern colorsound power. The colortone overdrive compares well to the colorsound overdriver. Trufi colordriver powerboost overdriver guitar pedal. A reproduction of the colorsound overdriver from the early 1970s, a transistor based boost pedal that featured a twoband tone stack. The original colorsound power boost was release in 196970 and was 18.
Throbak guitar effects pedals overdrive boostthobak overdrive boost photo. There seems to be a variety of opinions on which transistors were used in the csod. The pinouts shown in this layout are based on using more modern transistors as replacements such as the 2n3904 or 2n5088. The byoc color booster is based on the much loved colorsound overdriver use 18v to turn it into a power booster. A treble booster is an effects unit used by guitarists to increase the high end of their tonal spectrum. The overdriver was an updated version of the power booster from 1970. Colorsound overdriver clone project documentation plasma drive. Tr1 now sports an emitter resistor plus feedback from tr2s collector. The only thing missing from the schematic is the 1m to ground pull down resistor and the 100k volume potmeter there. Now you to can build a similar style circuit without overpaying. Feb 03, 2021 throbak has reproduced and improved the circuit of the original colorsound power boost guitar effects pedal also known by the name colorsound overdriver. Throbak offers the overdrive boost guitar effects pedals. What is the best of the best colorsound overdriver type pedal. Ive collect this kit following the schem showed in the pic.
The original colorsound power boost was release in 196970 and was 18 volts using two internal 9v batteries. I mainly use it to add overdrive with the gain down and the treble up a bit. Ive seenheard of three different transistor sets in original power boost overdriver models. Here is the direct link to the manual with layout and schematic. The standard color for this will be the grey but you can get other colors as well. The original colorsound power boost and colorsound overdriver usually lacked a master volume control so we added one to the overdrive boost. I was really hoping it was the sockets that were the problem but i just removed the plastic socket housing and soldered the transistors directly to the socket pins and get the same result q1 2. May 26, 2017 i am a colorsound clone lover and i have had so many pedals. For to92 transistors, the usa 2n types are typically 180 degrees rotated from the european bc types. Download the schematic to color booster kit download.
Note that the gain control has migrated from tr2s emitter to tr1s emitter. The colorsound power boost is a treble and bass booster that runs. No the dirt royale is not a colorsound clone but it was amazing. Colorsound overdriver clone project documentation plasma. Powersound overdriver colorsound help pedalpcb community. Balance guitarworks colorsound overdriver clone matts. The nucleus vintage boost is a clone of the colorsound power booster, a transistor based boostdrive pedal with 2band tonestack that was first sold in 1970 by the macaris music store in london. Its electronics were minimal one germanium transistor usually a mullard oc44, four capacitors. Historical fuzz, distortion and overdrivedevices gitec forum. The plasma is a clone pcb for the colorsound overdriver and power boost, two nearlyidentical circuits that serve different functions.
Of course, the trufi colordriver fuzzboost is true bypass, sports led, and manual. Gain controls the amount of gain from the first transistor stage. Using with buffers like other vintage transistor based fuzz circuits. Jun 02, 2012 usually low leakage transistors in 70100hfe gain bucket are recomended, but you can try other transistor types or specs trust your ears, not eyes important update 62012 due to dam counterfeit pedals that recently appeared on the marked all dam straight layouts will be removed from and will be replaced soon. Both are clones of the original circuit and there is an order switch that controls which circuit is first in the chain. The modern colorsound power boost is a reissue of the classic 18v pedal released. Colorsound power boost noise issue element14 forums. A treble booster is an effects unit used by guitarists to increase the high end of their tonal.
Bat black forest isnt a exact clone, but a personal interpretation. Colorsound pedals continued to be made until the early 1980s, then all production stopped. Please school me about the colorsound overdriver the gear page. Notable colorsound overdriver users are said to have included dave gilmour, marc bolan, jimmy page and jeff beck.
They sound incredible into loud amps at stage volume like marshall 100 watters. This is the early version which is referred to as the 18 volt version that came in orange or grey. Trufi colordriver 18v version overdrive guitar pedal. Trufi colordriver 18 volt guitar pedal like the original. A handmade recreation of the famous colorsound power booster and overdriver used by the likes of jeff beck and david gilmour among the few. As with the throbak fuzz haze and stone bender a pre gain switch has been added giving more control to low note definition of distorted tones. The colorsound power boost overdriver is a great pedal. The plasma vintage drive is a clone of the colorsound overdriver, a transistor based boostdrive pedal with 2band tonestack that was first sold in 1972.
Vintage pow colorsound overdriver power boost overdrivedistortion a. It is claimed that the colorsound fuzz box 1knob fuzz uses the same fuzz circuit as was used in the rotosound fuzz, and several jennings pedals like the growler. This article was triggered by the recent that pedal show episode on colorsound power booststyle pedals aka colorsound overdriver where messrs dan and mick introduced us to a variety of largely vintagestyle silicon transistor overdrives. The colorsound overdriver was an updated version of this circuit, a third revision from 1972, that dropped the power requirement down to a single battery. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Colorsound overdriver clone color booster kit moodysounds. Powersound overdriver colorsound help pedalpcb community forum. David gilmour used this orange coloured unit, but is often misunderstood to have used an orange brand treble booster. Throbak overdrive boost effects pedals, colorsound power. Roll back the volume on your guitar and hear it clea.
This is a very easy build and is highly recommended. Colortone overdriver the best colorsound overdriver. The original was used by david gilmour, jeff beck and other pros to become an integral part of 70s signature tones. Of course, the trufi colordriver fuzzboost is true bypass, sports led, and m. The dirt royale is discontinued according to the pa website. Treble controls the highend response of the circuit. Externally switchable pre gain control with internal pot. Both versions can be built with either bc169c, bc184l or bc109 transistors, but.
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