Black Arts Mark
New member
Re: King Tut demo (Pharoah clone)
Hey Now!! I was directed here by a friend who thought I might have something to say about this…Well, I do. If there is one thing I have, it’s an opinion on anything…I’ll address a few things and then follow up. Get a beer, this might take awhile.
It is a modded out muff, although I didn’t use the orman link you posted. I used the Duncan tonestack calculator to find away to make the tonestack fit my needs.
Certainly can build a “Pharaoh” on any muff pcb. I did it that way too for a time.
That’s an angry way to look at it, but essentially correct. If there is a backlash against DIY, it’s not from me. I’m a DIYer from wayyy back.
Very good. +1 on these sentiments. I will add that when I heard the Pharaoh was on the Big Muff site, I gotta admit, I cracked an Ale and felt some gravitas.
Bible.
One of my favorite bands right now is OFF, and Id have to say it’s a direct spur into the sides of Black Flag.
That said, I also look at it as a an honor to be copied in some fashion and kit really is a way of respecting the design. Now, if they would use the Pharaoh circuit and call something totally unrelated, that would feel weird. But King Tut implies its heritage and I like that. Am I reading the thread and between the lines correctly to assume that “Curly” is behind the King Tut?
Thank You! That’s the obvious and final tweeks for the Pharaoh inspired by an aggregate of mods Ive done at customers request over the last few years.
I’ll end it this way;
I have never thought this rocket science, taken for granted what I do, or ever taken for granted the people who buy my pedals. But equally, I have never been upset or anything about reverse engineers and/or DIYers. I thinks its an honor for someone to take their time, craftsmanship and money to build a tribute to one of my designs. That’s ****ing cool. Not everyone can or wants to take the time to build a pedal. For those who do, the DIY community is massive. For those who don’t, up sprang a cottage industry to fill those wants from guitar players. I started as DIYer by necessity because I was a broke ass guitar player playing a style of music that no one wanted to pay for. Broken equipment was a way of life. Learning to fix it was a way of survival. These are the roots of the Pharaoh. Necessity, not a mad scientist wringing his hands over trying to make a breakthrough. Just dirty rock and roll. So, **** yeah, DIY the **** out of everything.There are only so many ways to use a transistor and diodes to make distortion. Finding a way to make a new toy is encouraged and will hopefully be the way to make Rock music relevant again. Cool sounds, cool vibes and a DIY attitude of doing what we all love.
:soapbox:
Hey Now!! I was directed here by a friend who thought I might have something to say about this…Well, I do. If there is one thing I have, it’s an opinion on anything…I’ll address a few things and then follow up. Get a beer, this might take awhile.
I appreciate the sentiment, and can’t disagree. :beerchug: But DIY clone kits are there for a good reason.
I think its awesome. DIY is great and encouraged.
It is a modded out muff, although I didn’t use the orman link you posted. I used the Duncan tonestack calculator to find away to make the tonestack fit my needs.
Certainly can build a “Pharaoh” on any muff pcb. I did it that way too for a time.
Agreed. I tweeked the muff to fit my needs. I liken it to a chef who takes a traditional dish, then applies his own recipe of spices to make it taste different. Certainly the same soup, but tastes different than another chef’s soup.
Thank You, and I agree. Pharaoh variations are great. A variation of a variation is yet another variation of an original no?
That’s an angry way to look at it, but essentially correct. If there is a backlash against DIY, it’s not from me. I’m a DIYer from wayyy back.
hey guys,
thanks for all the comments!
I didn't expect to post a little clip on my favorite forum, and get knocked for 'not being cool' because I built a DIY pedal at home.It's not even boxed yet, so there's no suggestion on my part that I'm going into business and getting rich selling knock-offs .
It's a damn hobby!
Guitar is my passion, and I like to see what makes things tick, so over the years, I've built guitars, amps, and pedals. Lately I've been building pedals more, and I spend time over on madbean's foum. I think I've gotten a lot better at it lately. I've been learning Eagle CAD, tracing circuits and designing board layouts for pcb fabrication. A real learning experience in itself, but I enjoy that design part, and I already have a lot of CAD experience.
the guy who has probably written as much about Big Muffs as anyone, Kit Rae, has a page dedicated to builders 'inspired' by the Big Muff:
http://www.kitrae.net/music/Music_Muff Inspired Pedals and Clones.html
so, the list of those who make Muff copies and variations is long.
Are all those folks "not cool" for building copies?
I don't think so. Most of them do it because they love that circuit, and are inspired by the tone of artists who are notable for using a Muff.
The fact is, the vast majority of circuits are not patented, so once something's been reverse engineered, the cat's out of the bag.
So, copying a circuit that's not protected is not strictly illegal, and that is where the ethical question lies.
I think it's interesting that over on the Free Stomp Box Forum, part of their hobby is reverse engineering certain pedals, and tracing the circuit. They seem to take special pleasure in de-mystifying expensive boutique pedals, especially if they're covered in goop. It's kind of surprising how many gooped up pedals have turned out to be common circuits, or out of production circuits.
The fact is, much of the pedal business and boutique market is based on a very small handful of classic circuits.
At the same time, pedals are in a great phase, and there are a lot of very creative builders out there now: Catalinbread, Strymon, TC Electronics, and Zvex to name a few.
Anyway, that is my rant on ethics. It really is a subject deserving of its own thread.
I'll just add this: Electro Harmonix (who 'invented' the Big Muff), have just come out with the Soul Food -- their own Klon clone. It costs about $60, and everyone loves it. So what do you think of that?
Very good. +1 on these sentiments. I will add that when I heard the Pharaoh was on the Big Muff site, I gotta admit, I cracked an Ale and felt some gravitas.
Bible.
I do see the point here, and yet again, maybe that’s a different discussion altogether.
One of my favorite bands right now is OFF, and Id have to say it’s a direct spur into the sides of Black Flag.
That said, I also look at it as a an honor to be copied in some fashion and kit really is a way of respecting the design. Now, if they would use the Pharaoh circuit and call something totally unrelated, that would feel weird. But King Tut implies its heritage and I like that. Am I reading the thread and between the lines correctly to assume that “Curly” is behind the King Tut?
Thank You! That’s the obvious and final tweeks for the Pharaoh inspired by an aggregate of mods Ive done at customers request over the last few years.
Indeed, and as some might notice, that Pharaoh, and actually about the first 125 or so of them was built on a generic GGG muff board. (with their blessing of course). It’s a long and weird story of which I wont bore anyone. But suffice to say that I NEVER thought anyone would want to buy my modified BMP. I gutted two broken black Russian muffs and tweeked them to my liking over a few months, made a recording w my band and people started asking me for one..SO, I searched out generic boards and the rest is history. I realized after a few months that the demand for this pedal was growing so I had my own board drafted out. I’ve never implied its something that its not, nor taken any moral high ground. If you know otherwise, show me. That’s a slightly angry reply, but hey, I like anger but not understanding it here.This is the circuit of the pharoh
Black Arts:
Please look at these and tell me you realize what we're trying to say here. The guy took something that already existed and added a paint job and changed a few parts... I mean, really? He has the high moral ground? I'm all for someone making a living off of doing what they love but rocket science this ain't.
Truth. I’m being paid for parts, labor and the dumb expertise I have for being able to translate a good guitar sound into the circuit.
I’ll end it this way;
I have never thought this rocket science, taken for granted what I do, or ever taken for granted the people who buy my pedals. But equally, I have never been upset or anything about reverse engineers and/or DIYers. I thinks its an honor for someone to take their time, craftsmanship and money to build a tribute to one of my designs. That’s ****ing cool. Not everyone can or wants to take the time to build a pedal. For those who do, the DIY community is massive. For those who don’t, up sprang a cottage industry to fill those wants from guitar players. I started as DIYer by necessity because I was a broke ass guitar player playing a style of music that no one wanted to pay for. Broken equipment was a way of life. Learning to fix it was a way of survival. These are the roots of the Pharaoh. Necessity, not a mad scientist wringing his hands over trying to make a breakthrough. Just dirty rock and roll. So, **** yeah, DIY the **** out of everything.There are only so many ways to use a transistor and diodes to make distortion. Finding a way to make a new toy is encouraged and will hopefully be the way to make Rock music relevant again. Cool sounds, cool vibes and a DIY attitude of doing what we all love.
:soapbox:
