# Hidden gem?



## Dali (Dec 3, 2019)

Of all +200 PCBs here, is there something you build and said: * " More *people should know about this one!* "* ?


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## chongmagic (Dec 3, 2019)

The Chalumeau is awesome, especially if you like fuzz and delay. 

I am really digging the Greengage overdrive, of course the Sherwood forest is also a hidden gem. 

The VHS has very nice chorus and reverb, I highly recommend it.

I like the Thermionic Deluxe as well. Phase II is great as well.


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## Funnel (Dec 3, 2019)

Dali said:


> Of all +200 PCBs here, is there something you build and said: * " More *people should know about this one!* "* ?


I was about to ask the same question.  

So far I have only built 2 pedalpcb's, but have a list of pedals that I am interested in.  

I built the paragon (KoT).  It's a main stay on my board now, but I don't think its a "hidden gem"  

My 2nd build was the organ donor.  I haven't found many practical applications for it, but if I feel like I'm stuck in a rut it is a nice pedal to play as it makes me approach the guitar differently.  

any who, I'm excited to follow this thread to find out what everyone's favourite is.


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## Nostradoomus (Dec 3, 2019)

Soul Vendor


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## bifurcation (Dec 3, 2019)

My first two builds were the Hylian Fuzz and Panspermia Fuzz. 

Both are based on Shin-ei clones, but I was surprised that one puts out a wall of bassy noise and the other produces a wall of spitty/staticy noise. 

The volume/tone pot values are pretty similar so I wanna house them together with a blend circuit (and maybe swap out a few values to roll off a little highs on the bassy one and a little lows on the spitty one.) 

The blend knob would then be a kind of weird tone knob that would seriously change the character depending on where it's set.

I'll call it "Jesus & Mary Chain in a Box."


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## jjjimi84 (Dec 3, 2019)

Of the 109 I have built there are a number of them that stand out. It still comes down to personal preference but here are the ones I love and why.

cleaver and je taime in the same enclosure with an order switch. With my Allen Accomplice I cover a ton of ground and it is just awesome.

the captain bit is fun as helleven though i have had no practical applications for it.

The dung beetle changed my guitar playing, I thought I was a fuzz face guy and then played the dung beetle and realized i was more into tone benders and this one is hands down one of the best. Super versatile and so many cool sounds in it.

The flugelhorn is one of two big muff style pedals I actually like, it doesn’t have that crazy over the top saturation and just plays and sounds great.

The pop top is pretty sweet, it makes your blackface amp sound kinda voxy and has some nice features to dial in different tones.

The timmy, sunflower, simulcast, angry andy and mdma should be at the top of anyones list of must have drives, fuzzes and distortions. They my most played and recorded, great pedals with great designs.

The jet drive was the one pedal I built thinking it might kinda suck, I didn’t find a demo of it i liked but turned out to be a really cool pedal.

Hope this helps anyone here looking for a new pedal.


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## Dali (Dec 3, 2019)

Thanks guys for the ideas so far!

@jjjimi84 , I built the Captain bit and almost have finished Angry Andy+  

@srf86 , I just received today the Organ Donor PCB and I'm really looking forward to build it.

As for my preferred built so far, and not well known effect, I would select *The Zapper*, it really nails the Frank Zappa 73-74 tone of Apostrophe and One Size Fits All...

Keep the suggestions and gem coming !


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## DGWVI (Dec 3, 2019)

The one I was surprised by has been the Pacifier. Basically a brutal, broken fuzz mixed with Distortion+ type dirt. Awesome textures to be had


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## Chuck D. Bones (Dec 4, 2019)

I have a few favorites:
Brown Betty, Covert, Ungula, Fuschia, Screw Driver (built on Aldrin board) and Frost Drive.  If I had to pick one, it would be the *Screw Driver*.  The BB, SD and FD all have one thing in common that I find extremely useful: a bass cut control before the distortion stage(s).


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## eaglehat (Dec 4, 2019)

bifurcation said:


> My first two builds were the Hylian Fuzz and Panspermia Fuzz.
> 
> Both are based on Shin-ei clones, but I was surprised that one puts out a wall of bassy noise and the other produces a wall of spitty/staticy noise.
> 
> ...



Which one was the bassy and which the spitty?


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## Gordo (Dec 4, 2019)

Constrictor.  Quietest compressor I own.

I liked the VHS except the chorus was WAY too intense on mine.  I've never figured out a way to get it to back down on the intensity a bit.  Even at the slowest settings it has an unusable seasick wobble to it.


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## eh là bas ma (Jun 10, 2022)

I have been impressed with the Tweed Man Overdrive (5F6), using 2SK117 transistors.

Arkaim Fuzz was one of my first PPCB builds and I still use it quite often. Good for bass and guitar.


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## spi (Jun 10, 2022)

The Pendulum harmonic tremolo is a big winner.  I'm a phaser fan and a tremolo that sounds like a phaser is really interesting to me.

One that I'm surprised I really like is the Contact.  Why surprising?  Well it's nothing but a modded tube screamer, but for some reason the mods make it hit just right for me.   

One other honorable mention is the Van Pelt.  I've built many overdrives and this is the one I prefer to use the most.

The Cataclysm delay really impressed me.  I gave it away, but keep thinking I need to make another one for myself.  I absolutely would if I used delay a lot, but I don't.

I don't think Mach 1 or Dragon's Breath as hidden gems because they're pretty well known, but those are both great circuits.

The one that have been remained on my board the longest is the Speaker Cranker (I built a veroboard one-knob version).  Now PPCB has the Crankshaft, which is the 3 knob version.  It sounds great as a pre-boost for any overdrive I put after it.


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## eh là bas ma (Jun 10, 2022)

There is one circuit that I can't understand why I don't see it more often : Guyatone PS-021 Guitar Exciter / Compressor, aka Aion's Meridian

Pure magic... even if it's slightly out of topic, not being a PPCB board.

Built with bass specs, I use it with everything, even on kicks with my drum machine...


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## HamishR (Jun 11, 2022)

Dark Esbat. Great sounding boost with some classic sounds. Just put it in front of an already starting to break up sound and it can make it sound all kinds of old-school wonderful.


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## Aquaticwombat (Jun 13, 2022)

Buggfx raincoat. So many good tones out of that pedal.


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## Coda (Jun 13, 2022)

Mutagen Fuzz.


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## jeffwhitfield (Jun 13, 2022)

One that I think might be going under the radar is the Cream Pie Fuzz. It's a rather interesting alternative to an op-amp Big Muff. I added a Tentacle to it and ended up with something that is really gnarly.

Others mentioned the Raincoat but I think the Acid Rain Fuzz is a better version. Really great fuzz that's stupidly versatile.


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## Fishbonetabby (Jun 18, 2022)

The Low Tide modulator all day. I love that pedal so much. You can get a lot of real fun subtle effects to a full on warped record.  Really cool, super fun build.


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