Build Your Own Clone Message Board

It's been a while since I posted a build....
This is one of those "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." kind of builds. This is a version of Fuzzrocious's "Ram the Manparts" OD pedal. Originally boxed in a 1590 b (I believe) style enclosure I shoe-horned it into a 1590a. To say it was tight, is an understatement! So tight in fact, that it sounds better unboxed on my bench. That being said, I am going to re-box it into a 1590b and see if it will quiet down. It can't be a good thing that the tip or the output jack is about .005" from contacting the LM386 chip! The enclosure originally was black. I rattle-canned it white then scuffed with a scotch brite pad to give it some age. Then finished it off with a waterslide decal and several coats of Minwax Polyurethane sealer (my new favorite clear coat!).

The official description of the pedal goes like this: "Ram The Manparts is a LM386 (a power amp chip) overdrive that we built to allow guitarists and bassists to not only drive an amp HARD, but also to add some textures and features to stand out! The voltage sag allows the user to drop the voltage below 9V, creating a glitchy, sputter, Velcro-like sound. Keep it clean, make it grindier/heavier, or make it glitchy…the choice is yours, dude." Sound demo on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6rdFtq5MM&t=81s)

Thanks for looking!
-=SteveO

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“To know, and not to do, is not to know”

Well done, Steve. You get the "Five pounds in a one-pound bag" merit badge!

Here's my hot take about pedal enclosures: the 1590B is the worst enclosure for pedals. It really doesn't save any appreciable pedalboard real estate because the jacks almost always have to go on the sides, and it's significantly harder to work with than a 125B. Maybe it's my large, arthritic hands talking, but the only thing I've put in a 1590B in the last 5 years is an aux switch.

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Scott

My band, Austin Hollow

Looks good, but yeah, that's a wee bit congested in there!

BTW, it'll work better if you plug your guitar into the input rather than connecting the I/O jacks together. Just sayin'....

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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

Thanks Scott!



I still have 2 unused 1590a's on the shelf and they will probably just remain dust collectors for awhile. I was told (in another forum) that it wasn't a very good idea trying to put that circuit into that enclosure because of the possible noise issue... but hey, I'm a noob and hard headed. I think I just wanted to see IF I could make it fit. I believe you once told me that, regarding enclosures, bigger is always better. Lesson learned!

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“To know, and not to do, is not to know”

Thank you!


DAMN! That might have explained all the problems I was having! Too late now, the guts are in a bag waiting for the new enclosure and I'm not going to put it back together to test that theory.

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“To know, and not to do, is not to know”

Ok, repackaged and fully operational. It's not as impressive as when it was shoehorned into the 'a' box but it is now a functioning pedal. Not that it will see a lot of time on my board as it definitely a 'metal' type distortion with over the top gain. I actually think this pedal could cause your ears to bleed if one was not careful!

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“To know, and not to do, is not to know”