TH Custom Effects / Musikding DIY Tube Driver - Sound Demo

Some short sound samples of the "Tube Driver" DIY kit. This guitar effect is developed by TH Custom Effects and distributed by Das Musikding.
This is a nice little DIY overdrive pedal with a real vacuum tube. It is really nice for crunch sounds.
I've built this effect in about one day. Basic soldering and electronics skills, as well as a decent soldering iron are needed!
The tube is a 12AT7/ECC81, bias is set to about 2 o'clock.
I've changed the LED wiring a bit, so the red indicator LED is always on (connected to the solder points under the tube socket, which are in parallel with the 6v tube heating), and the decorative LED that is illuminating the tube is connected to the 3p3t switch and lights up when the effect is enabled.
diy.thcustom.com/
www.musikding.de/Startseite_1
Recorded with a modified Yamaha Pacifica 112 (Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncyn Little '59, Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom-5) and a Line 6 Pod Studio GX audio interface. The Amp model used in Line 6 Pod Farm is the AC30 - Clean.
Settings: Drive: 17%, Bass: 42%, Cut: 66%, Treble: 62%, Presence: 13%
Please don't freak out about Line 6, I know a lot of their Distortion sounds, especially the presets, are not good. In this case, only a clean sound is used, which sounds decent! I do not own any professional recording gear for miking my 2x12 and I don't use a camera or even a mobile phone to record guitars.

[@soumynona8926]

i made one of this few years back based on baja bk bulter tube driver. Sound great.

[@erikboeren8720]

Sounds great!

[@cannibalus]

I Just made my own one. Tell me please, Does your gain pot also cutting off signal at 0 position (simmilar to volume 0)?

[@RedHeadGuitar]

Hey, nice you built one too! That is normal. It's nothing uncommon with simple drive circuits. No gain, no output. For going fully clean, you must hit the bypass switch. Just tried it myself, it is the same as you describe it. Btw nice bass skills man!

[@cannibalus]

Thank you @@RedHeadGuitar - I just simple love Geddy ;) Thanks for answer. So everything is fine. I'm going to build bass driver with signal blender to blend drive from this circut witch clear bass signal. I hope that will be quite nice badass drive ;)

[@RedHeadGuitar]

@@cannibalus Sounds cool. What circuit will you use for blending the signals? Make a video when it is finished, I'd love to hear how it sounds!

[@cannibalus]

I used circut based on inverted OpAmp TL071. signal at output in this tube driver have inverted phase so to blend it properly you must invert clear signal it as well. This is simple circut based on two resisors, 10uF cap and 100K (linear). I set up all yesterday and works good !

[@cyaxeres]

What is that metal holder over the tube called by?

[@RedHeadGuitar]

It's a tube protector. Musikding sells these simple ones, it's also part of the kit. There are also more elegant variants and for different sizes, just browse the web for tube protection cage. The protector doesn't hold the tube in place, it's held in place by the socket alone. It just protects it, at least a little bit...I honestly don't use this pedal at any live gigs.

[@giuseppeconsole6625]

I can use It as a basso guitar preamp? With a clean sound

[@RedHeadGuitar]

It doesn't have a ton of output gain, especially when the drive is kept in the semi-clean region. So I don't know if it suits your needs as a preamp. I know TH Custom Effects also have a tube PCB called the Valv-e-tizer, which can be built in different configurations, also cleaner ones. Maybe that one is something you could try.

[@giuseppeconsole6625]

Ok thank you

[@mikebchannel4329]

Did you mod the tone control cct.?Cause my tone sucks.

[@RedHeadGuitar]

No, everything's stock. The control range is pretty wide.

[@NightPaddle]

Sounds great, and don't bother using the POD farm tools, they have a great value. The rants usually go out to products like the Spider combo amps. How did it work out to build something from Musikding? I have built a MXR compressor clone some years ago, sounds great, but it does an awful clicking noise when turning it on.

[@RedHeadGuitar]

Thanks :) Actually it's not from Musikding but TH Custom Effects, sold via Musikding. But the documentation was perfect and the PCBs are flawless and easy to solder. So it was not hard to build and worked right away. I've also built a DynaComp clone which was directly from Musikding. Works without issues, no noise in operation and when switching. It's still on my pedalboard. Clicking/popping sounds when switching even though the effect itself works fine sounds like bad true-bypass switching to me. You could check the switch and wiring with a multimeter. Also the LED could cause switching noise. You could desolder it and try if it helps. Also another power supply can sometimes help. There is a good article about true bypass wiring, also that LED problem and how to avoid it on the Swedish website Stinkfoot. Google "true bypass wiring schemes". Hope this helps!

[@clxma]

Built one too but mine isnt as loud as expected. Bias is full on though. And the 3mm led isnt working. Any ideas?

[@RedHeadGuitar]

The unit is acutally not awfully loud. I have the volume knob set to about 2 o'clock to get it as loud as my bridge pickup in bypass. I become suspicious about the LED also not working. Bad soldering might a the problem here. If it is installed the right way, check if all your solder points are good (even junction between the solder points and the piece of wire, nice and shiny), check that nothing is accidently bridged. You may also check all the resistor values with a multimeter. Maybe some values are too high.

[@clxma]

RockGuitarXD thanks, i'll Check that will let you know. fun fact. when I have my multimeter in beep mode and hold in against the LED's joints it starts glowing.

[@RedHeadGuitar]

This is normal, you will see a glow but not very bright, when the device is off (NEVER measure inside a powered on device, unless you are 100% sure what you are doing.), as for the continuity test, the multimeter sends electricity through the probes (logically). But now you know that your LED is working. You can check the polarity that way. The plus pole of the LED should be on the round solder pin.

[@clxma]

RockGuitarXD i'll give it a try. at this point i hope it's the polarity. this would be easy to fix, besides trying to figure out a way to the remove the tube socket haha

[@PedalSyndicate]

The Voltage of a Multimeter (the current) is enough to light up an LED.

[@ArdiNugrohocilacap]

how many volt in HT?

[@RedHeadGuitar]

?

[@ArdiNugrohocilacap]

@@RedHeadGuitar voltage in power supply to tube

[@RedHeadGuitar]

@@ArdiNugrohocilacap The tube is powered with 60 volts, which is quite low compared preamp tubes in amp heads (usually around 100V there). The heater runs on 6v. These voltages are DIY-friendly, not too hazardous.

[@ArdiNugrohocilacap]

@@RedHeadGuitar thx dude,, yepp i agree.. 60v not to dangerous. How u get 60 volt? Using smps ? Can u show the schematic?

[@RedHeadGuitar]

@@ArdiNugrohocilacap You can find the schematic online. Just google TH Custom effects tube driver. The 6 volts for the heater are generated by a 7806 voltage converter. That IC gets quite hot. The 60v tube operating voltage are generated with a 40106 in combination with diodes as you can see in the schematic or research on the web. I don't know the physics behind this, I'm not a professional, I just like DIY kits and have basic understanding of things.