Aion Solstice Manuel utilisateur

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 1

PROJECT NAME

SOLSTICE

BASED ON

EFFECT TYPE

PROJECT SUMMARY

DOCUMENT VERSION

Marshall Shredmaster

A great mid-gain amp-like distortion with a 3-band EQ. Most notably used by Jonny Greenwood of

Radiohead and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine.

Overdrive / Amp-Like Distortion 1.0.0 (2018-12-15)

BUILD DIFFICULTY

Easy

Actual size is 2.3” x 1.86” (main board) and 2.3” x 0.86” (bypass board).

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1Project Overview 7Drill Template

2Introduction & Usage 8Enclosure Layout

3-4 Parts List 9Wiring Diagram

5Build Notes 10 Licensing

6Schematic 10 Document Revisions

INTRODUCTION

The Solstice Amp Distortion is a recreation of the Marshall Shredmaster, first released in 1991

alongside the Bluesbreaker and the Guv’nor, which was previously released in 1988 as the Drivemaster.

Despite its name, the Shredmaster is not an ultra-gain metal monster like the Boss Metal Zone. Unlike

the Guv’nor, it does have the ability to scoop the mids, so you can get some sounds out of it that

approach the metal territory—but for the most part, the name is misleading.

The Shredmaster has a lot in common with the Guv’nor / Drivemaster, and in fact the first half of both

circuits are nearly identical. However, the Shredmaster has an additional gain recovery stage, and even

though the three tone knobs appear to be the same on the outside, the tone stack is very different.

The Solstice is faithful to the original, but with one added modification: a switch that lets you go

between different clipping diodes. The original has a pretty low clipping threshold with just one 1N914

diode in each direction, meaning its clipping character is more gainy and compressed. But some different

sounds can be coaxed out of it if you stack two additional diodes (as in the Bluesbreaker) or use LEDs (as

in the Guv’nor) to get a higher threshold.

USAGE

The Solstice has the following controls:

• Treble and Bass form a passive 2-band tonestack similar to the type found on an amp. It’s the same

as the classic “FMV” (Fender/Marshall/Vox) arrangement, but with a 1k resistor in place of the mid

knob, essentially fixing the midrange control at a specific setting.

• Contour pans between a mid scoop on one side and a lowpass (treble cut) filter on the other side. It

serves the function of a midrange control while being a little unique in its tone-shaping properties.

• Gain controls the amount of gain in the op-amp gain stages that is fed into the clipping stage.

• Volume controls the overall output of the effect.

• Clipping (toggle switch) selects the clipping diodes which changes the character of the drive tone.

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 3

PARTS LIST

This parts list is also available in a spreadsheet format which can be imported directly into Mouser for

easy parts ordering. Mouser doesn’t carry all the parts (most notably potentiometers) so the second tab

lists all the non-Mouser parts as well as sources for each.

View parts list spreadsheet →

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

R1 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R2 3k3 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R3 9k1 Metal film resistor, 1/4W Nearest common value. The original has two 4.7k resistors in series.

R4 680k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R5 10k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R6 6k8 Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R7 1k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R8 47k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R9 220k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R10 100R Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R11 33k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R12 33k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R13 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R14 100k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R15 1M Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R16 47k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

R17 47k Metal film resistor, 1/4W

RPD 2M2 Metal film resistor, 1/4W Input pulldown resistor. Can be as low as 1M.

LEDR 4k7 Metal film resistor, 1/4W LED current-limiting resistor. Adjust value to change LED brightness.

C1 10n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C2 100pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G

C3 47n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C4 68n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm The original has 220n and 100n capacitors in series, which makes 68n.

C5 47pF MLCC capacitor, NP0/C0G

C6 100n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C7 22n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C8 220n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C9 22n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C10 220n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C11 2n2 Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 4

PARTS LIST, CONT.

PART VALUE TYPE NOTES

C12 100n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C13 47n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C14 1n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C15 220n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C16 1n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm Try 470pf or 330pf here to reduce the steep treble cut. See build notes.

C17 220n Film capacitor, 7.2 x 2.5mm

C18 100uF Electrolytic capacitor, 6.3mm Power supply filter capacitor.

C19 47uF Electrolytic capacitor, 5mm Reference voltage filter capacitor.

C20 100n MLCC capacitor, X7R Power supply filter capacitor.

D1 1N5817 Schottky diode, DO-41

D2 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D3 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D4 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D5 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D6 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D7 1N914 Fast-switching diode, DO-35

D8 3mm LED, 3mm, red diffused

D9 3mm LED, 3mm, red diffused

IC1 TL072 Operational amplifier, DIP8

IC1-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

IC2 TL072 Operational amplifier, DIP8

IC2-S DIP-8 socket IC socket, DIP-8

TREBLE 25kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

BASS 100kA 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

CONT. 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

GAIN 100kB 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

VOL 100kA 16mm right-angle PCB mount pot

CLIP SPDT cntr off Toggle switch, SPDT on-off-on

LED 5mm LED, 5mm, red diffused

IN 1/4" stereo 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 112BX or equivalent.

OUT 1/4" mono 1/4" phone jack, closed frame Switchcraft 111X or equivalent.

DC 2.1mm DC jack, 2.1mm panel mount Mouser 163-4302-E or equivalent.

BATT Battery snap 9V battery snap Optional. Use the soft plastic type—the hard-shell type will not fit.

FSW 3PDT Stomp switch, 3PDT

ENC 125B Enclosure, die-cast aluminum Can also use a Hammond 1590N1.

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 5

BUILD NOTES

Clipping switch

The clipping switch allows you select between different sets of diodes.

The downward position of the toggle switch is the stock Shredmaster clipping arrangement, which has

one silicon diode in each direction. The upward position of the toggle is two diodes in each direction, a

higher clipping threshold with a more open sound. The center position leaves only the LEDs for a more

dynamic and transparent tone.

If you look at the schematic, you’ll see that the LEDs, D8 and D9, are always connected. However, in

either the up or down switch positions, the lower-threshold diodes are connected and so the LEDs have

no effect—there’s no signal remaining for them to clip.

Feel free to experiment, For example, you could jumper D7 for asymmetrical clipping. Or, you could omit

the two clipping LEDs for a diode-lift mode in the center position.

Treble cut capacitor

Many people feel that the biggest flaw with the stock Shredmaster is the steep treble cut introduced

near the end. C16 is a 1nF capacitor that forms a low-pass filter right before the volume control and is

solely responsible for this cut. The common consensus is that the circuit will perform much better if this

capacitor is dropped down to 330pF or 470pF to allow more treble through this stage.

Schematic notes

If you search online for Shredmaster schematics, you could pull up five of them and each one would

probably be slightly different. Early traces of the pedal were all over the map, and there was especially a

lot of confusion surrounding the portion near C4 and R3 where the effect was grounded in bypass mode.

The two capacitors and two resistors in series should be simplified down in a true-bypass setup, but it

was often not done correctly.

The correct schematic is the one in this post from FSB. From here you can see why the different values

were circulating around. The series value of C15 and C6 (using the PhnomPenh2004 schematic’s

numbering), 220n in series with 100n, is 68n. So some schematics correctly show the capacitor as 68n,

while others show it as 220n, dropping the second capacitor entirely. Some DIY Shredmaster projects

maintain both capacitors, but this is really not necessary at all—especially since 68n is a standard value

and easy to find.

Some schematics show 4.1k for R7 and R8 (again, using the PhnomPenh2004 schematic numbering)

for 8.2k total. It’s possible that some variants used this value. However, the unit shown in the photos is

definitely 4.7k. Two of these in series is 9.4k total, with 9.1k being the nearest common value. 10k is also

fine if that’s all you have—it basically just reduces the minimum gain setting by a tiny amount.

Another common discrepancy is R1, the 47k resistor in the second-to-last op-amp stage (R8 in this

project). Some schematics show this as 39k. It’s possible that some versions of the pedal used 39k there,

but based on the photos in the FSB thread, it’s definitely 47k in that unit.

SCHEMATIC

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 6

GND

2M2

1N5817

100uF

GND

+9V

100n

3k3

9k1

680k

10k

47k

10n

TL072P

100pF

47n

GND

100kB

TL072P

68n

47pF

100n

100kA

47uF

GND GND

220n

GND

22n

6k8

220n

22n

25kB100kA

TL072P

220n

47k

220k

2n2

100R

100n

33k 33k

100kB

47n

220n 100k

100k

GND

RPD

C18

OUT

C20

R16

R17

IC1A

GAIN

IC1B

C4 C5

VOLUME

C19

R15

C17

TREBLE

BASS

IC2A

IC2B

C10

C11

R10

C12

R11 R12

CONTOUR

C13

C14

C15 R13

R14

C16

D4 D5

CLIP

D6D7

GND

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 7

DRILL TEMPLATE

Cut out this drill template, fold the edges and tape it to the enclosure. Before drilling, it’s recommended

to first use a center punch for each of the holes to help guide the drill bit.

Ensure that this template is printed at 100% or “Actual Size”. You can double-check this by measuring

the scale on the printed page.

Top jack layout requires the use of closed-frame jacks like the Switchcraft 111X. Open-frame jacks will

not fit in layouts with 5 or more knobs due to the placement of the DC jack.

LED hole drill size assumes the use of a 5mm LED bezel, available from several parts suppliers. Adjust

size accordingly if using something different, such as a 3mm bezel, a plastic bezel, or just a plain LED.

0 1 2

0 1

INCH

x: -0.775, y: +1.71 x: +0.775, y: +1.71

ø9/32” ø9/32”

x: -0.775, y: +0.41

ø9/32”

x: 0, y: +1.71

ø9/32”

x: 0, y: +0.41

ø1/4”

x: +0.775, y: +0.41

ø9/32”

x: 0, y: -1.20

ø15/32”

x: -0.775, y: -1.20

ø5/16”

CENTER (0,0)

125B

TREBLEBASSCONTOUR

GAINCLIPVOLUME

FOOTSWITCHLED

ø3/8” ø1/2”

0.385”

0.625” 0.625”

ø3/8”

OUT DC IN

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 8

ENCLOSURE LAYOUT

Enclosure is shown without jacks. See next page for jack layout and wiring.

125B

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 9

WIRING DIAGRAM

125B

IN +VGND N.C. N.C. OUT

PCB

GND +V +V JACK GND JACK

OUTIN

GND GND PCB

OUT

Shown with optional 9V battery. If battery is omitted, both jacks can be mono rather than one being stereo.

Leave the far-right lug of the DC jack unconnected.

SOLSTICE AMP DISTORTION 10

LICENSE & USAGE

No direct support is offered for these projects beyond the provided documentation. It’s assumed

that you have at least some experience building pedals before starting one of these. Replacements and

refunds cannot be offered unless it can be shown that the circuit or documentation are in error.

All of these circuits have been tested in good faith in their base configurations. However, not all the

modifications or variations have necessarily been tested. These are offered only as suggestions based

on the experience and opinions of others.

Projects may be used for commercial endeavors in any quantity unless specifically noted. No

attribution is necessary, though a link back is always greatly appreciated. The only usage restrictions

are that (1) you cannot resell the PCB as part of a kit without prior arrangement, and (2) you cannot

“goop” the circuit, scratch off the screenprint, or otherwise obfuscate the circuit to disguise its source.

(In other words: you don’t have to go out of your way to advertise the fact that you use these PCBs, but

please don’t go out of your way to hide it. The guitar effects industry needs more transparency, not less!)

DOCUMENT REVISIONS

1.0.0 (2018-12-15)

Initial release.

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