Runoffgroove Ginger

[Beer of the Bass]

Has anyone tried one of these? It's supposed to emulate an Ampeg Portaflex. I'd be particularly interested in how it compares to their earlier design, the Flipster. I have a Flipster and while I like what it does, I feel the bass and treble controls don't work so well and I would like to be able to get a little more upper mid/ lower treble out of it by cranking the treble knob. I gather that one of the improvements in the Ginger was supposed to be related to the frequency response and EQ range, so I'm wondering if the Ginger might be worth a try.
The sort of treble I want is not the modern hi-fi slap variety, more the ability to extract a little more grunt from my flatwound-strung bass. I'm not looking for a lot of overdrive, just something I can leave on all the time and run in front of a DI for a little more of a valve amp-esque character. Sansamps and the like tend to be a little too "voiced" in the mids for my taste.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Beer of the Bass

[dannybuoy]

Not tried one but have contemplated ordering a pre-built one from VFE. I'm pretty happy with my Bearfoot Blueberry though and would recommend either that or the Catalinbread SFT (later generation which is brighter) for that application if you haven't tried those out.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1435264944' post='2807189']
Not tried one but have contemplated ordering a pre-built one from VFE. I'm pretty happy with my Bearfoot Blueberry though and would recommend either that or the Catalinbread SFT (later generation which is brighter) for that application if you haven't tried those out.
[/quote]

I'd looked at the SFT, and the fact that there are schematics and layouts out there for DIY versions is appealing too. I don't know whether the schematics available online are the older or newer version though.

[nick]

I've built a few of the Ginger pedals now. I like it, probably my favourite low gain overdrive. I prefer it to the SFT (old and new versions) & original circuit Blueberry, though I do like them too. I think it shines with flatwounds, more touch sensitive than the SFT, less compressed to my ears & a sweeter EQ section.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='nick' timestamp='1435308938' post='2807431']
I've built a few of the Ginger pedals now. I like it, probably my favourite low gain overdrive. I prefer it to the SFT (old and new versions) & original circuit Blueberry, though I do like them too. I think it shines with flatwounds, more touch sensitive than the SFT, less compressed to my ears & a sweeter EQ section.
[/quote]

Interesting, which FETs did you use? The 2N5457 seems to be getting hard to find.

[nick]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1435325142' post='2807722']
Interesting, which FETs did you use? The 2N5457 seems to be getting hard to find.
[/quote]

I used 2N5457's. True, it's becoming a pain to find (good) ones unfortunately, as they're out of production. Beware of counterfeit ones.

[Beer of the Bass]

I've ordered a PCB for the Ginger, I thought about veroboard but the PCB should make for a nice, small build. There are still a couple of places with the 2N5457 in stock, so I should be OK.
If I like it, it should make for a nice small pedalboard with just the Ginger, my Superfuzz clone, a tuner and DI.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Beer of the Bass

[nick]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1435419144' post='2808626']
I've ordered a PCB for the Ginger, I thought about veroboard but the PCB should make for a nice, small build. There are still a couple of places with the 2N5457 in stock, so I should be OK.
If I like it, it should make for a nice small pedalboard with just the Ginger, my Superfuzz clone, a tuner and DI.
[/quote]

I've done vero & the PCB versions, but it's easier to get it in a 1590B with that PCB layout. Regarding 2N5457's I'd steer clear of Tayda ones, I've got a bag of about 30 useless ones, even a batch that I got from Bitsbox a short while ago, were no good either.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='nick' timestamp='1435508018' post='2809493']
I've done vero & the PCB versions, but it's easier to get it in a 1590B with that PCB layout. Regarding 2N5457's I'd steer clear of Tayda ones, I've got a bag of about 30 useless ones, even a batch that I got from Bitsbox a short while ago, were no good either.
[/quote]

I was thinking of trying pedalparts.co.uk, since he has the right pots for this PCB too. Alternatively, there's an eBay seller locally whose stock is all left over from an electronics shop which closed a couple of years ago, so hopefully pre-dates the dodgy ones appearing.