13 posts
Hey fellas. I recently picked up an old 3 knob Tube Driver from eBay. When I got it, it sounded like a broken fuzz pedal. Put in a brand new Mesa 12AX7 and voilà- big, fat tone. Sounds great. Maybe as good as my 5 knob Tube Driver. The only problem is, even with the output maxed, the pedal is pretty quiet. It won't even match my clean volume. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Also, anyone have any idea on true bypass mods? Thanks for any info. :)
I'm on vacation this week and can only check in quickly every once in a while. Check back next week and we'll discuss this. Take some close up gut shots if you can.
Nevermind! I sort of fixed my volume problem, though I don't know if it's a smart way of doing it. I just used an 18v out in my DC Brick instead of a 9v out and now I have more than enough volume. Just hope I don't blow up the pedal or something. ;D
that shouldn't be needed though, telling me that something is wrong with the circuit (since we've ruled out the tube). Thing is, this pedals do NOT run at higher voltage like the tubes normally do, so if the pedal is built to handle 18 volts (and I'm not sure if it is) this would normally be a no brainer way to run it. But if it's not, you'll just fry something else inside. I see lots of goop. If you really dig it, I'd pay someone to look at it. Get it fixed. THEN try it with 18V if it's safe. I'm sure you can find out online if it's built for 18V.
I'll try to take a better look tonight from home for any visible issues. If I don't see any, you should probably find a tech to look at it.
(just thinking... how are the pots? Linear? Scratchy? dead spots? These older pedals usually need a good pot cleaning with Caig De Oxit).
No dead spots but kind of scratchy. I can't find any kind of info on these older TDs. I did e-mail BK for some info but haven't heard back yet. Now I just gotta find someone who could work on these types of pedals.
clean the pot before you do anything else.
Gave all the pots a good cleaning with the Caig Deoxit stuff. Didn't help with much other than the scratchy pots. BK tells me the capacitors inside are rated at 16v max, so I'll be getting a 16v power supply for it. Also going to try some 12AT7 tubes instead of 12AX7s. Although I like the gain I get from the Mesa 12AX7, it's a little too scooped for my tastes.
I have a Real Tube "Tube Driver" which is a variant of that same pedal. It has a lot of gain. Level at 12:00 is a significant boost in output if the gain is anywhere above 9:00. Your pedal should be the same. Something is up with the output level (unless you have the gain all the way down).
I thought I read that the caps were rated for 16V.
Woohoo! Found a guy nearby who's been repairing tube amps and tube devices for over 30 years! Said he'd have my pedal fixed up in a few days! 8-)
cool! What do you use the pedal for? I have the Real Tube version and I get it out every once in a while, but it never stays on my board for long.
It's pretty much my main lead tone at church. It pretty much replaced my Keeley DS-1, though I still use that for heavier rhythms. It sounds somewhat like the DS-1, but with a thicker bottom and smoother highs, no piercing pick attack. Also sounds very different than my new 5 knob Tube Driver. I'll record some clips when I get it back.
Mine is smooth and fat but the bottom is kind of mushy, so it works best for solos also. I need to replace the (original, 20+ year old) tube, but when I tried, I tried until I knew better than to pry any harder and couldn't get it out. I need to hit it with some Caig and get it loose and try some other tubes.
