# Parentheses Feedback



## Viehwoider (Dec 5, 2019)

Hi all,
i am quite new to Pedal building did a few fuzz boxes but my understanding of electronics is quite limited...think of a trained monkey 
But building Fuzzes and dirt boxes is so addictive 
I just finisherd my Parenthesis Fuzz, everything worked fine and i took it to our rehersal space two times. First time i played with my Jazzmaster und my Laney LA30bl. I hit the front end of my Amp hard with Amplitude and Magnitude more or less maxed and Distortion wide open ... and it sounded absolutely GLORIOUS, never had such a good sound before! An the pedal was astoundingly quiet as well, little hum, less feedback than i used to have before. So I was really, really pleased with my new build.
Second time i took it to the rehersal room i had a Les Paul special with P90s with me. This time... i might be wrong but i remember it started all of a sudden ...squealing uncontrollable Feedback. It was that bad that i had to play my all new Hyped Fuzz that evening (which isn´t too bad either).
Back home i tried to analyse the problem. Played  through another Amp, took the Pedal of the board, changed the power supply tried different distances pedal to amp, guitar to amp, changed cables ... that didn´t change anything. It´s better with Distortion way back, or with both pickups engaged an one of them rolled allmost off. And it´s better with my Jazzmaster or a Humbucker equipped Jaguar. Tried another diy rat into the parenteses boost section and it was exactly the same squealing.
I somehow feel like boost after Rat is the Problem but i wonder why it worked that fine the first time. Does my memory play tricks on me and that´s just what a 
Parenthesis Fuzz is like? Or could something have blown during that second evening? Can´t see any damage though...
I am happy to have a retired technician who repaired amps in his youth in my neighbourhood... but before i haul my rig up the steep hill and ask him vor advice i would apreciate your oppinion.

Cheers Andi


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## Nostradoomus (Dec 5, 2019)

Does it only really happen with P90s? Because P90s definitely do that.


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## Viehwoider (Dec 6, 2019)

Wasn't in the rehersal room again, so i couldn't try under the same cicumstances (volume) but with another guitar. 
But my P90s didn't have any problems with the Hyped Fuzz at similar volume which is odd...
At home i could produce squealing with my other guitars too but it was by far worst with the P90s. 
Maybe i just have to wait till the next rehersal and take another guitar with me ?
Was just disappoited and impatient...


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## Viehwoider (Dec 6, 2019)

But you think it was more likely due to the P90s and not due to a blown component?
Can components in a new pedal blow all of a sudden and a pedal becomes microphonic? 
Sorry for the naive questions...


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## chongmagic (Dec 6, 2019)

On my Parenthesis Mini, if I use my Ibanez with humbuckers I have noticed that the effect is much more spitty, with my Strat it is much more tame, but it has noiseless single coils, and they are way less output than the Ibanez DiMarzios. The P90s have much more noise generally so I imagine that plays a lot into it.

And really nice build by the way, very neat and the graphics are killer!


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## Nostradoomus (Dec 6, 2019)

Re: P90s or blown components...That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Capacitors can become microphonic but definitely try other guitars at volume before you go poking around in there!

Rats have a ridiculous gain factor...the 308 in that circuit is being pushed to its extreme to get the sound it has so it can be fairly unruly. I like using shielded cable in that one.


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## Nostradoomus (Dec 6, 2019)

chongmagic said:


> On my Parenthesis Mini, if I use my Ibanez with humbuckers I have noticed that the effect is much more spitty, with my Strat it is much more tame, but it has noiseless single coils, and they are way less output than the Ibanez DiMarzios. The P90s have much more noise generally so I imagine that plays a lot into it.
> 
> And really nice build by the way, very neat and the graphics are killer!



Yeah...I’ve got BKP war pigs in my guitar and I’ve really had to play with the height of them to get some pedals to play nice haha


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## Viehwoider (Dec 6, 2019)

Thanks for your replies mates,
i definitely try other guitars at volume before i start swapping out anything... but changing caps doesn´t sound that bad either and i just wanted to know if a blown part could cause microphony, now i know, what i can try if changing setup fails. And shielded cable sounds like a good idea too.
@chongmagic: thanks, seems i am a well trained monkey  and Graphics were just snatched from Metallicas Four Horsemen


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