Jimi Hendrix' Gear and Mods at West Coast Organ and Amp

[shakti]

You know you do, Neil!

Thanks for the kind words. I really should learn to care a little less, and also to just play "in the spirit of" rather than going note-by-note when doing a specific tone demo. Not that I necessarily did it note by note this time, at least mostly. But it's easy to fall back on note-note when the aim is to sound as close to BOG as possible.

When I turn on this fuzz just to play, I am always struck by how inspiring and easy it is to play. It just oozes Jimi character. I compared again with the Dunlop BOG, and in a recording the sound is not that dissimilar, but the feeling is quite different. With the Dunlop, you have to work really hard to fully make it sing. With the West Coast fuzz, it feels almost like it's playing by itself.

[PhilSt]

Let's see..does this work?

https://soundcloud.com/user-25664926/8-24-oct-18

holy smokes shakti, now I know what you mean when you say you are close to the BOG sound! That sounds fantastic.
Damn, I guess now I have to build one too.

[Tek465b]

Wow really good demo it sound awesome, thanks you
It really do it for bog and also woodstock. I bet it make the hair on your arm go up while playing, at least it did for me .

I dont know how you could get closer to the BOG sound, because to me this is it.

[shakti]

I absolutely agree. It's actually very versatile, excellent gain range and twekable with the input and fuzz trim controls. The only thing I have to decide on is whether to mod it true bypass or keep the bypass as it is (i.e. "cancel" mode).

I have put in a 2M gain pot, and used the mini toggle as a battery on/off switch. Is there a way to add another mini toggle to select either true bypass or "cancel" bypass? Can't figure it out by myself...

[daveweyer]

Wow, where is Xplorer when we need him? He shouldn't miss this!

[daveweyer]

One of the things we have discussed ad-nauseum here is the idea of there being an always-on condition in the signal chain. It was one of my pet ideas way back when, because I thought it would do a little coloring, and give the tone the slightest bit of edge, fattening it somewhat.
The reason I never did a true bypass was to keep that extra fatness under all conditions. You get a little noise and all that, but when you dial back to do some blues or comping at lower volume, there is still a little sing to it. I even left the gain at slightly over 1 when the unit is at zero gain.
I modded any number of FF units to work that way, even the good old Fuzzfaces. I don't know if anybody else tried that mod, but if they did you guys would probably know about who made it.
It is not too hard to make the 3 tranny model a true hardwire bypass though. And maybe there is a good application for it when you have other always-on pedals in the signal chain.
When I first did it for Jimi, he would switch the thing out of the circuit, or so he thought, but it would actually still be on. He wondered later how come certain of the FF units sounded better when they were off than others did. We had a good laugh when I told him, and then got stoned together!

[shakti]

I put a .68 back in on V2a. Previously I had a red WIMA MKA type in there, like Marshall often used in early 69, and have been going back and forth with it. But this time I put in a WIMA TFF type, like the rest of the caps I used in this amp, and I like the whole setup even better now! The sustain and clarity just got bumped up a tiny notch. Loving it! That milky sustained note in Machine Gun is right there at my fingertips!

To be fair, the whole setup is a touch hissy when the fuzz is on, so if there's a tweak that Tek or Dave can come up with it to cut some of that white noise, then I would love to try it.

[Xplorer]

Wow, where is Xplorer when we need him? He shouldn't miss this!

I'm here ! I'm here ! ha ha, Wow, i love what i'm hearing Shakti !! it's fantastic ! Thanks a ton for doing this clip, and thanks a ton to Dave and Tek !!!

i'm sorry, i don't receive the metropoulos notifications anymore, but thanksfully, shakti dropped a pm to me.

This fuzz seems to play itself, the whole combination is perfect.
Since it's been a while that the fuzz project started, and i didn't build anything since years probably, i'd like to make a new topic when time comes, about the build, to gather the schematic, parts, show the build etc ... and any input would be very appreciated.
what do you think ?
Maybe a topic also about a new west coast amp build, where everyone could ask me to try this or that ....
and the wima 0.68 sounds interesting, i'm just affraid i'll forget about it when building the new amp.
But maybe it's too public, don't know, up to you guys if you like the idea or ... so so.

[daveweyer]

Well at least we ought to offer a few Christmas greetings if we can't talk about amps right now, what do you think?

[Xplorer]

Well at least we ought to offer a few Christmas greetings if we can't talk about amps right now, what do you think?

Why can't we talk about amps ?
Yes, Christmas comes super fast, i can't believe it .... How are you ?

I repaired and saved an amp recently, been super long that i didn't do electronics, just a big recaping, but not a guitar amp, a Bang & Olufsen 1972 amp !! i changed about 60 caps and now it's working. A Beomaster 4000. Will do the same to another Beomaster 4000 i have it's good for another 50 years i guess. Love it.

And my workshop table : i'm finishing sanding it, then varnish, then ...... Probably the first project that i'll build on it will be your Fuzz !! Tek's little pcb and parts from him and you maybe a Christmas project.
Pfffiouuu, it's been very long to renovate these rooms, repaint etc, but a race anyway.

cheers

[daveweyer]

Well, I just had to post something. I didn't want to see this once lively site go into a coma. Big plans this year for a Woodstock 50th, including dreams of providing hand-built original Jimi gear, like maybe the 3 transistor fuzz, or Neal Moser's Strat with the Tele neck, even a West Coast original Marshall.
Word has it there might be a hologram of Jimi playing with a live band--wouldn't that be something?

[Xplorer]

Well, I just had to post something. I didn't want to see this once lively site go into a coma. Big plans this year for a Woodstock 50th, including dreams of providing hand-built original Jimi gear, like maybe the 3 transistor fuzz, or Neal Moser's Strat with the Tele neck, even a West Coast original Marshall.
Word has it there might be a hologram of Jimi playing with a live band--wouldn't that be something?

Please do !!! That's cool news ! This site won't go into coma, don't worry.

Damn that's true, almost 50 years ago you changed Jimi Hendrix's sound ... You definitely have to build some Woodstock amps, sure !
You've found some original West coast gears ?

[daveweyer]

It may be true. The Hendrix Foundation Of America believes it may have found some original West Coast Marshalls. They have also put me in contact with Hiwatt amps, and I have talked to the CEO about the possibility of building a special "Jimi 69" super lead, with the West Coast mods built in.

All very speculative, but at least folks are thinking about it. We shall see.

[Xplorer]

It may be true. The Hendrix Foundation Of America believes it may have found some original West Coast Marshalls. They have also put me in contact with Hiwatt amps, and I have talked to the CEO about the possibility of building a special "Jimi 69" super lead, with the West Coast mods built in.

All very speculative, but at least folks are thinking about it. We shall see.

Speculative perhaps but .... wow !

[bill bokey]

I just built another 'West Coast' Super Lead :