Hiwatt-based preamp

[Stompin_Tom]

Great! You've made me very excited... I'll probably want to figure out a 18vdc supply for this somewhere along the way, but 9v will be easy to start with. Thanks for all your effort!

Now I need to order more parts.

Also looking foward to seeing and hearing it some more.

[Stompin_Tom]

Wait... just noticed that you went with a tone control instead of a full tone stack (treb, mid, bass)... was that just to make it simpler?

[syndromet]

Wait... just noticed that you went with a tone control instead of a full tone stack (treb, mid, bass)... was that just to make it simpler?

Yes. The TMB controll from the hiwatt schem can easily be put back in place, but for stompbox-use, I figured 6 controlls and a swich was a little too much. I'm allso a "less is more" kind of guy, and I figured that a bright switch, a tone-, middle, and bass-knob and a presence knob was to many ways for me to change the voicing. A TMB-tonestack
always give me a headache, as I feel I have to twist knobs for hours to find a sound I like. Thats why I like the simplicity of a simple knob.

It would also recuire a somewhat larger layout, but it can easily be done. If you have the oppertunity to wait a few days, I might be able to draw up a new schem and layout with the full tonestack. I think this circuit could benefitt from the full tonestack, as I've heard much of the "Hiwatt-magic" lies in this tonestack. Nyway, it makes a pretty good overdive with the tonestack that I've added, but I would really like to change the tone-circuit a little, as it doesen't have that much affect on the sound. Anyway, I like this enough to use it as my main overdrive, but I might be a little biased.  Thats why I would like to hear what others think.

[Stompin_Tom]

Cool. Keep me posted on the progress... I think as a stompbox a tone stack is not so important, but as a preamp it's very important... So, if you get around to adding it back in, let me know!! When I have some more time I'll look into myself... Thanks.

[syndromet]

Here is a few soundclipps that does it a little more justice than the earlier ones... Backing is with gain and vol at 12, while the solos are with the knobs dimed. The playing sucks, as everything you hear is first take. It's recorded Guitar -> Hiawatha -> SB Audigy SE -> Cab sim in Guitar rig.

Single coil
Humbuckers

[Stompin_Tom]

Sounding good! Nice solos...

[syndromet]

Sounding good! Nice solos...

Thanks. Don't know about the solos, though, as there is a lot of laatency on my soundcard, I miss the high e on my les paul, and the playing was really sloppy.

So, does it sound anything like a Hiwatt?

[Stompin_Tom]

My friend likes to use his with hardly any eqing (more or less flat) and that sounds much like your clips... I personally like Hiwatts set up to be really bright and cutting with my tele. It's hard to say if your pedal could do that from the sound clips. I think your pedal sounds good, even if it's not *exactly* like a hiwatt... and that's probably all that matters.

One thing I had thought of is bridging the norm and brill inputs with separate volume controls (instead of a switch between the two). Using both 'channels' at the same time on a hiwatt sounds really excellent. I'm not sure if that would have much effect on your pedal, though, as it wouldn't really drive the 'tubes' in the same way... but I'm curious.

[syndromet]

Two different inputs is probably a good idea, since the Brilliant input has a boost cap that I left out. I think if you follow the original Hiwatt schem with Jfets instead of tubes, you will probably have a really good preamp.

[Georgedepinedo]

Can you please repost the vero and schematic, I cannot open them.