Fender Banssman 59 simulator

[gefi]

Hello

I am looking for Fender Bassman circuit simulator or 59 FBM-1

thanks

[J M Fahey]

Did you try the "Professor Tweed" ?
At least as a first step in the right direction.

[joecool85]

Here's a link to the professor tweed circuit: http://runoffgroove.com/professor.html

[DJPhil]

The Professor is one of the very few I've actually built so far. I just wanted to throw in my two cents in case it's useful.

It's the type of FET emulation circuit that takes a bit of tweaking to get right. If you decide to build it I'd recommend not skimping on the bias pots like I did. I used 500Ω single turn trim pots I had lying around, and it was wicked difficult to bias the FETs properly. With proper multiturn pots it'd be much easier. You don't necessarily have to hit the voltages they list, but if you tie a voltmeter across the pot you'll be able to tweak the pot til you're running at 1/2 the supply across the pot. This is one of those times you'll really need a multimeter! I used 5457s for the FETs, though I don't think it'd be a whole lot different with 102s. FETs are squirrely parts with huge manufacturing variations, that's what makes it so important that you manually bias them.

In the end it's one of those projects that got away from me, as I never had the fellow I made it for long enough to sit down with him and work out the bugs. It's very hard to make effects for people when you aren't capable of plugging in a guitar and making your own noise!  xP

[joecool85]

It's very hard to make effects for people when you aren't capable of plugging in a guitar and making your own noise!  xP

You don't play?

[J M Fahey]

Me neither !!!!
No problem with me, anyway, my shop is always full of creeping, flying and jumping musicians, which feel very happy to test whatever I'm tweaking at the moment.
Besides, sometimes it's a little difficult to play guitar while simultaneously soldering something, peeling wire ends, turning pots and holding test probes .
I think these Indian guys who created that 8-armed goddess must have been in the technical service too; often I also seem need them.

DJPhil, you're not alone !!
Anyway, if your friend does want a pedal or anything, he should chain himself to your workbench until finished.
Personally I do not believe very much in the "just make it and tell me when it's ready" school of thought

As of Professor Tweed, I invite you to listen to all samples posted in runoffgroove, *most* do not nail the intended sound *at all*, being rather in the "nails on the blackboard" side; Professor Tweed is one of the very few which provide a good sound.
Maybe because it's simple and does not try to bite more than what it can chew.

I would also *love* to take a peek at Boss's "Bassman in a pedal" schematic, although I fear it won't be too far from a tweaked Tube Screamer or something like that.
Just my two cents.

[phatt]

 Hi Mr Fahey, "creeping, flying and jumping musicians" really? 8|
Gee, don't talk about us guitar players like that :trouble

Very funny and yes I know a few muso lads like that. :loco

Yes I second what you say about fets, all the fuss and if one actually compared these circuits to the real thing (Valves) they are just plain jane lame.

As *DJPhil* noted a pain to set each one.

That said I have a simple mu fet booster that I use a lot,, does not qualify as a OD/distorion unit, just a good booster.
Works without issue and the battery lasted for close on a year.
I'll post a schemo if anyone is interested.

Interesting to note I went through many fet circuits while trying to perfect the *PhAbbTone* circuit and even with a bootstrapped fet it just died in the butt and clapped out when you uped the signal. All the way up to 35 VDC supply it was no match for the opamp version which can work from as little as 9 volts.
I did get fets to work but the opamp is miles *less noisey* and ever so much easier to make. (an I hate noisy circuits) :grr

Re Bassman Boss stuff,
My guess is Boss have seen the great success of Teck21's *Character Series* of pedals and jumped on the band wagon, all analog bandpass filtering and tricks.
I did test the Californian model and disliked it straight up, horrible peaky thing.

Now I'm off to practice my flying and jumping routine,,, says a 55 year old fella with a bad back.
Cheers, Phil.

[J M Fahey]

"creeping, flying and jumping musicians" really?
Gee, don't talk about us guitar players like that

Very funny and yes I know a few muso lads like that.

Funny thing, usually those are the ones who play the best 
Fine with me. :tu:

[rowdy_riemer]

For FET circuits, I think the reason for using a high voltage supply is simply to use FETs with a higher Idss, which I suppose, are less noisey. My own FET preamp (overly simple, flat response) is not noisey at all using an 18V supply and 2n5457's. A similar 9V FET preamp I built that has one J201 is noisey as hell. I love my Dr. Boogey build, but it is noisey. Then again, with that much gain, maybe it has no choice but to be noisey. Maybe one day, I'll breadboard Mensur's version for comparison.

Based on my limited experience and listening to the sound samples on ROG, Professor Tweed isn't the only good ROG FET circuit.

[DJPhil]

You don't play?

Not even a little. I'm a fix-it guy and science nerd through and through, and the world's a better place when I don't try to make music.
I've found guitar audio fascinating in it's difference to most of the rest of electronics. Not only is distortion a good thing, it has to *sound* right, so it's a real challenge. I really enjoy squashing misconceptions and voodoo among the musicians I know, and it's saved them a lot of money. They were in dire need of someone who could do the simple things like swap out some pickups without getting dinged for $150US every time for experimenting, and they're starting to pick up the basics.
As good as the symbiosis is, I sometimes wish I could close the feedback loop on a project by myself. If I wasn't so strapped for cash I'd have picked up an old beater guitar by now just as an 'analog arbitrary wave generator'. 

DJPhil, you're not alone !!

It is a great comfort to hear. I feel a lot less handicapped in such good company. :tu:

Anyway, if your friend does want a pedal or anything, he should chain himself to your workbench until finished.
Personally I do not believe very much in the "just make it and tell me when it's ready" school of thought

I'm learning that lesson the hard way. The folks I know are a bit wild compared to me so it's hard to understand sometimes. I always get an itch when something's half done and stay up nights finishing it, and it's hard to imagine not having that sense of urgency. My compromise with them is that no progress is made beyond a day or two until I see them again, that way I can set it aside and go back to tinkering on my own stuff.