# Golden Falk (Colombo Plexi Breed)



## MichaelW (Aug 12, 2022)

Two weeks ago I never heard of this pedal. But it's been recommended by so many different people since then that I just had to build it.

And am I very glad I did! Fantastic sounding pedal. Some HUGE sounds out of it. Huge as in very 3d-like and open sounding.
I had this pedal drilled and ready to go earlier in the week but was missing one A1M pot which arrived in todays mail Woohoo!

Probably the most amp-ish sounding Marshall style pedal I've played yet. It doesn't feel like I'm playing through a pedal but rather an amp.

For those unfamiliar with it, it's a transistor clipping Marshall-in-a-box type pedal that has 3 different flavors on a toggle that map to a 1987 JCM style, 1959 Plexi and a JTM.

Do they sound like any of those amps? Uhm.....well....no, not really. But the 3 modes DO sound fantastic. The controls are not real intuitive and I'm still figuring them out but there's a whole range of low to high gain sounds in there. I was comparing it side by side with my XS Drive (Xotic Super Lead), Van Pelt (JHS Charlie Brown).

Each has their own thing going on. The XS side by side with the Golden Falk sounds a bit nasally and for lack of a better term "pedal-ish".

Both the Van Pelt and Golden Falk sound more open, organic and amp-ish. The Van Pelt is more of a one trick pony as a lower gain pedal where the Golden Falk can do it all and do it all well. My one niggle with it is that it's a very bass heavy pedal. I'm still learning how to dial out some of that bass with the two EQ controls.

I've only played around with it with my Strat so far and it sounds really great with both neck pickup and bridge pickup. The way my Strat is wired the middle pickup is like a "blow switch" that bypasses the tone stack and is wide open for soloing, it sounds fantastic through this pedal for a convincing "Strat through a Plexi" kind of sound.

The original pedal uses ceramic disc capacitors. Of which I have none....heh. But I was able to populate most of the ceramic pads with MLCC caps.
I really have no idea if it would sound any different with box film caps or cheap ceramics but if the designer of the pedal went with ceramics then there must be a reason. I'm toying with the idea of building another one with the disc ceramics just to see if it makes a diff.

Since it was named by @PedalPCB as the "Golden Falk" is decided to use the new Gold Glitter enclosure from Tayda (that still looks a little green to me...)
Put it in a 125B as it's a pretty long board. I probably "could" have fit it in a 1590B with some pot leg bending but I didn't have a Gold in a 1590B.

I also used SMD MMBFJ201's. Man those things are tiny, but I think I'm getting the hang of soldering those little suckers in. The real trick is in how to pick them up with pair of tweezers. They have a life of their own and are like Mexican jumping beans.......squeeze a little too hard and they'll go flying. And they would be impossible for me to find on my garage floor!

I biased the transistors to the specs that are silkscreened on the board. Very handy! Sounds great with those settings and I probably won't bother messing with it any further.


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## aefpv (Aug 12, 2022)

Oh, I like that enclosure. I haven’t seen that one. Great looking pedal.


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## Robert (Aug 12, 2022)

That looks nice!

Don't think of the Normal/Treble controls as EQ controls, they're volume controls for two parallel channels.

I've recently seen another Colombo pedal which also uses ceramics throughout, so I'm thinking that's just "his thing" and not necessarily selected specifically for the Plexi Breed circuit.


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## MichaelW (Aug 12, 2022)

Robert said:


> That looks nice!
> 
> Don't think of the Normal/Treble controls as EQ controls, they're volume controls for two parallel channels.
> 
> I've recently seen another Colombo pedal which also uses ceramics throughout, so I'm thinking that's just "his thing" and not necessarily selected specifically for the Plexi Breed circuit.


Ok that's what's confusing, so should treat it like an "always jumpered" 4 hole plexi? Then dial gain 1 and gain 2 to taste?


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## Robert (Aug 12, 2022)

Yep, that's basically it.  

One is voiced brighter than the other and they blend before going into the "power" section.

The Tone control rolls off highs right before the Master Volume control.


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## MichaelW (Aug 12, 2022)

Ok I get it now, I see how it works. That makes a lot more sense! 

He should have just called it Gain 1 and Gain 2, much more familiar to Marshall players.

Thanks!


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## MichaelW (Aug 12, 2022)

I wonder if there's a way to emulate a "bright cap" feels like it could use it.


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## Mentaltossflycoon (Aug 12, 2022)

I once had one of those little things fire out of my tweezers into my hair only to see it fall out later that night down my shower drain.


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## jjjimi84 (Aug 12, 2022)

Looks great and this is easily in my top five favorite pedals.


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## swyse (Aug 13, 2022)

Always enjoy your build reports, I appreciate all the details. The new gold looks great. I find those little SMD J201s a bit of a hassle to get lined up compared to big through hole parts, but I can't argue with the tones so it's worth the work I suppose.


Robert said:


> Yep, that's basically it.
> 
> One is voiced brighter than the other and they blend before going into the "power" section.
> 
> The Tone control rolls off highs right before the Master Volume control.



Columbo must have thought the ramble marvel drive didn't need the 18 volts.


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## music6000 (Aug 13, 2022)

MichaelW said:


> Ok that's what's confusing, so should treat it like an "always jumpered" 4 hole plexi? Then dial gain 1 and gain 2 to taste?


When I first built it, I was thinking Robert must like a Fat Booming type of MIAB!???
I use the Normal Gain knob as a Bass style knob at around 9.00 O'clock, 7.00 O'clock being full CCW.
The Treble Gain knob is the one I use for how much Gain I want the pedal to have.
When I have it where it's to my liking, I will turn the Normal Gain Knob up or down to the amount of Bass content I want.
Then adjust the Treble Gain pot to fine tune.


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2022)

swyse said:


> Columbo must have thought the ramble marvel drive didn't need the 18 volts.



Well I'll be damned, I hadn't made the connection but you're absolutely right.

Now I want to try it on 18V... (or build another Marble Drive)




music6000 said:


> When I first built it, I was thinking Robert must like a Fat Booming type of MIAB!???



I mean, you wouldn't have been _completely_ wrong.


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## music6000 (Aug 13, 2022)

I'm going to build a dual pedal based on a Golden Marble & 5lb Grover !!!


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## MichaelW (Aug 13, 2022)

Robert said:


> Well I'll be damned, I hadn't made the connection but you're absolutely right.
> 
> Now I want to try it on 18V... (or build another Marble Drive)
> 
> ...


Wait a minute, the Golden Falk can't run at 18v? Why not? I'm actually running at 18 it sounds better than 9.


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2022)

Sure, as long as your electrolytics are rated high enough.

The Marble Drive has a charge pump and 9V/18V switch.


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## spi (Aug 13, 2022)

MichaelW said:


> Ok that's what's confusing, so should treat it like an "always jumpered" 4 hole plexi? Then dial gain 1 and gain 2 to taste?



In this thread I said the day will come when you wish you labeled knobs.... I was thinking that didn't take long.





						Van Pelt Drive (JHS Charlie Brown)
					

This is the first of a series of MIAB type pedals I have queued up.   I've been sitting on this board for some time now, it might even have been in the first PPCB order I placed. I actually owned the commercial version of this for a hot minute, but it wasn't enough to hold my attention so I...




					forum.pedalpcb.com
				




I've got this PCB waiting to build.   The last thing I thought I needed was another MIAB but so many good reports for this one I had to check it out.  You're review makes me even more excited to get on it.


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## swyse (Aug 13, 2022)

MichaelW said:


> Wait a minute, the Golden Falk can't run at 18v? Why not? I'm actually running at 18 it sounds better than 9.


My apologies if I added some confusion. I was just making a little joke about how the ramble marvel drive and the colombo plexi breed have almost identical schematics except for the switch and the 18 volts from a charge pump.


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## Robert (Aug 13, 2022)

I'm actually glad you pointed that out.   I figured it was based on _something_ else but completely forgot about the Marvel Drive.


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## MichaelW (Aug 13, 2022)

swyse said:


> My apologies if I added some confusion. I was just making a little joke about how the ramble marvel drive and the colombo plexi breed have almost identical schematics except for the switch and the 18 volts from a charge pump.


Ok now you have me interested in the Marvel Drive....hahhaha......

I was playing the Golden Falk with the Sushi Box FX Space Heater in front of it, man what a combination. 

I need to wait until I have the house to myself and CRANK that through my amp. 

Having said that, the beauty of the Space Heater is bringing some of that tube goodness to my desktop rig.


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## Robert (Aug 14, 2022)

I'm thinking a hybrid design is in order.... I want the 9V/18V voltage switch of the Marvel, but I don't want to lose the Mode switch of the Golden Falk.


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## GizzWizzKing (Aug 14, 2022)

I also have the golden falk board sitting close to the top of my backlog. I haven't played through it or the marvel but from sound clips I think I like the sound of the marvel with single coils and the falk seems to just want to be let out to do it's thing with some hot pickups... But it is clear to me that I now need to add a marble drive to my list so I can really see how the sausage is made. And which flavors of sausage I prefer. Unless you're playing through a marshall everyone needs a MIAB.... Or maybe two or three.


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## music6000 (Aug 14, 2022)

Robert said:


> I'm thinking a hybrid design is in order.... I want the 9V/18V voltage switch of the Marvel, but I don't want to lose the Mode switch of the Golden Falk.


Maybe something like this
Based on 6 knob layout :


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## Feral Feline (Aug 29, 2022)

Falk me that'd be coolio!
It could be called the "Mahvelously Guilded Big Falker"




Michael's Golden Falk build looks Falken A, by the by.




If I build it, I may call it "Gold Member"...







Controls:

Bong & Blintz

Smoke & Pancake


Toggles: Pipe & Crepe


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## xefned (Nov 11, 2022)

I wouldn't complicate things by adding a potentially noisy charge pump into the mix.

If people want to run it at 18v, they'll just plug it into the 18v output of their power supplies. Seems more like a 1-time decision rather than something to change on the fly.


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