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I purchased this kit after reading the comments and review posted here. I was looking for a boost that would get more overdriven as it was pushed; a clean boost down low and some grit as it was boosted. Sort like a Centaur or TS-9. I have both, and like to experiment. Anyway, the comments I read lead me to believe this pedal would be a good choice to achieve a clean boost that would break up as it was driven harder (“...killer fuzz”). It does NOT do this. It is a clean boost, period. It does this very well, and the tone controls work as you would expect. But it does act as a “fuzz” as one reviewer described, nor does it overdrive in a musical way. When you turn the boost up and turn the level down, there is a point where it goes into an overdriven state, but it happens in a very abrupt fashion and with an unpleasant effect, as if it is being asked to do something it wasn’t designed to do. And 9V or 18V does not change the basic nature of the design. So don’t expect this circuit to act as a clean boost AND a fuzz or overdrive. Get a kit that is designed as a fuzz or overdrive.

Hmmm, I've had a different experience with my Color Booster. Granted, once the distortion starts, it comes on pretty quickly and I'm not a fan of the fuzz tone it gets into at higher settings. But I find that with the Gain control in the 1 - 2 o'clock range with vintage-style single coil pickups, I can get a nice boost with breakup. Hotter pickups move this breakup point back down the Gain pot's sweep; e.g. with an HH Tele with a Duncan JB (a hot humbucker) at the bridge, it's more like 9 - 10 o'clock.

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“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

Yes, that is basically what happens except for the part where you say it has some “breakup”. That word implies something controllable, and there is no nuance to that breakup. I agree it goes into an overdriven state, but it is neither controllable nor nuanced. It just goes splat. So my point in my op is is that the first posted review makes it sound like this circuit has a range of effect that includes “killer fuzz”. That’s the misleading comment. In my opinion it would be more accurate and helpful to describe it as having a point where it reaches its limit and goes into a one-dimensional state of distortion. If the review or the description was clearer in this area, I would have chosen a different circuit. I am hoping my observation will help someone else avoid this disappointment.

Tone is subjective. I personally wouldn't use the Color Booster as a stand-alone fuzz myself. I am in agreement with you there. I think it's more suited as a pure boost to push the preamp while adding a bit of grit or stacked with another pedal (the later being the way most people use it ala David Gilmore). But if someone thinks it's a "killer fuzz", that's their opinion. I think it's completely accurate to describe it as a fuzz when you turn the gain up. I guess they just prefer a more splatty, harsh, torn-speaker kind of fuzz. And if you're using it to drive an already breaking up tube amp really hard, this type of fuzz actually sounds better than a more smooth and creamy type of fuzz IMHO.

Anyhow....I am sorry that the customer's review led you to purchase the wrong kit for you. I think it's a really good pedal, it just takes some tweaking and experimentation to get some good tones out of it. My first suggestion if you want to use it more as a "bedroom fuzz" is to turn up the gain all the way and set the EQ flat, but use your guitar's volume knob to adjust the level of fuzz and your guitar's tone knob to adjust some of the harshness. Then use the pedal's EQ to compensate. But where this pedal really shines is putting it in front of another distortion/OD pedal and using it to goose the second pedal. The smoother clipping of the second pedal will tend to alleviate the harshness of the Color Boost's distortion. It basically takes your favorite OD pedal and gives it more gain and more tone shaping abilities.

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*patience is a virtue*

Please do not PM me. email is prefered. keith@buildyourownclone.com

Thanks, Keith. I am using it as an overall boost in front of my pedalboard. It does a good job there, but that one-dimensional “fuzz” effect when it clips is not my cup of tea. Maybe this dialogue will help someone else make a more informed choice.
I also note a “scratch” when turning the bass control. It starts at about 10% of rotation and stops at 90%. It isn’t a dirty pot; the “scratch” is very consistent. Any thoughts on that? Cleaning the pot doesn’t effect it.
Thanks

That kind of sound is typical of DC voltage leaking into the pot. Maybe a bad coupling cap somewhere in the back end of the circuit?

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

How do I locate the potential culprit?

Is the polarity on all your electros right and all the correct values in the right places?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Pedal building is like the opposite of sex. All the fun stuff happens before you get in the box.

Good question. All the examples I can find involve coupling caps in amplifiers operating in high DC voltage environments. But we have a ton of smart people around here, so hopefully someone has an idea for you.

_________________
“My favorite programming language is SOLDER” - Bob Pease (RIP)

My Website * My Musical Gear * My DIY Pedals: Pg.1 - Pg.2

Thanks for the input. I’ll be away for a week so will look at the circuit when I get back.