The JVK TB-1 Switcher The Ultimate in a Mark III controller

[Nomad]

Been talking with Johny at JVK Amplification about building a pedal for my Mark III.

Want to see what you guys think about this. For me it will do pretty much everything I need and will do it in ways the current pedals from Boogie (or anyone else I know of) will do.

I asked JVK if he would put up a mokup of it for us to see. Hopefully he can do that shortly.

What we've been talking about is a seperate switch for each channel. In other words Lead, R1, and R2. When you hit the channel you want thats what you get.

Also with that there would be a footswitch for EQ and Reverb and a switch to make the pedal go into a manual mode or an automatic mode. In the manual mode the footswitches for Reverb and EQ are just what you see on/off footswitch. In the auto mode you can assign Reverb or EQ to come on in what channel you would like it when you step on the channel button.

The pedal would need to have a power supply but the power would come through the cable and the supply just plug in the extra outlet on the back of my Boogie. In other words one cable from pedal to amp and the cable splitting up when it gets back to the amp to go where it needs to. We havent talked about this but it makes sense to say right angle on the front lead switch jack, straight on the other two, and then the power supply to plug in the extra outlet. A nice neat easy way of grabbing the amp going to the gig throwing the pedal out there hooking it up and playing.

Also we talked about the colors for the LED's and I thought Red, Yellow, and Orange would be good for the Lead, R1, and R2 then Blue for Reverb, Green for GEQ.

Anyway guys just thought I'd throw this out there and ask what you think of it?

 

[Restless Rocks]

Sounds really sweet; however for jvk to design the digital circuitry, fabricate the pc board and housing and produce the prototype will be, for him very time consuming and probably for you expensive. The Voodo Dude switches are nothing more than a fancy box housing some latching switches (just like in all the separate boogie switch boxes) and a cable to the amp.

 

[jvk]

Restless Rocks, you're right. Selling a product made in the UK at US prices means that it's not worth my while to make a single one. I'm hoping that others will be interested, and I can order the boards in batches instead of building them myself (time consuming). The box is a commercial enclosure, and I have some components that I always use so it'll be easier. Mockup coming up.

 

[Buddy]

Drilling all those tiny holes in the board is my least favorite part of the process .

 

[Nomad]

Yes JVK and I have talked about this pedal from every angle. There is no doubt he is gonna spend some time on this one. For what he is building me I think the pricing is pretty darn fair.

This thing is going to be cosmic bounds above anything I've seen out there. Its going to take manual switching of classic Boogies into the Modern Era.

The Voodoo stuff aint even close. I agree that its just the same stuff in one box. With the EQ and Reverb footswiches having extra contacts so as to turn an LED on and off.

Having just gotten this Boogie it makes absolutely no sense to have all these pedals and cables. Its a big loose unorganized mess. What JVK is gona do though is take it to the next level. He is going to actually build a circuit to do all this stuff and when its done it will be nice, easy to use, simple to hook up, quick, and do what no other Boogie switch has done before it.

Rock and Roll Baby. Thats what I'm talking bout now. 8)

 

[AustinK]

if the price is reasonable you can count me in for one.

Also i think it would be neat if there would be a way to choose lead w/ r1
and lead w/ r2 because for solos i like to have r1 engaged with the lead. while rythem is lead w/ r2.

 

[Nomad]

I'm not sure I follow you. Maybe you doing somfin wif yo Boogie I dont know how to do. :lol:

Please splain a little more.

 

[AustinK]

Try playing on the lead channel with r1 engaged. Then engage r2. The sound becomes more distorted and less clear. It adds a little fuzz that makes the amp a little better for heavy rythems.

 

[Nomad]

OK I see what your saying.

I'm not sure about that. I suppose JVK could maker the pedal so as you step on R2 first then go to Lead you have that and if you step on R1 first then you have that combination.

I didnt relise R2 made a difference on the Lead Channel but it makes sense. When Lead is engaged your still playing through R1/R2 just with the extra drive circuits turned on.

Its a good thing you brought that up.

 

[SymenTimmermans]

Sounds great!

I think it could be even better if the pedal could also switch assigned fx loops.

Make it a cross between a loooper pedal and the mark iv footswitch.



Without the loops, you'd be better off buying a CFX4 from Axess electronics and a midi pedal.

 

[AustinK]

we need something like this
http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=19615&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Except have a way to control lead W/R1 and Lead W/r2

 

[Nomad]

I do like that but to me personally that is too complicated.

In other words to go from A to Z there is an awful lot of tapdancing. :lol:

What I was proposing was a Pedal that enables me to Auto Asign which channels I want to have Reverb or Graphic on but it still allows for manual use of Rev and Graphic.

Now that pedal does offer more options at one time than what I'm talking about but will I ever need every combination at my disposal at one gig? No.

What I want (and invision) is once I get acustome to which combinations I prefer for R1, R2, Lead, Rev, and GEQ then I can set what I want where and forget about it. This would allow me very simple foot movements to get any number of combinations I want.

Now Im still in the thinking stage on this and my inability to get a Dark Solo Tone out of the Lead Channel has made me rethink all of this.

You guys please give me your thoughts on this.

First off not sure if R2 is giving me what I need for Crunches plus cant get Dark Solo Lin Lead so I picked up a Pedal that allows me to get the Solo Tone I need.

Now that takes me into this.

R1 with Reverb for Cleans, no R2, Lead Channel for Crunch Tone (I like a Bright Crunch Tone). I should be able to get a really good Crunch Tone out of the Lead Channel at the Volume I want. Then I have the option of using the Graphic in either of those for different flavors or a Boost. I can set my Pedal for my Solo Tone and have a number of options there - using it with the Clean Channel or the (now) Crunch Channel.

The only draw back to that is now I may have two buttons to hit rather than one to get the sound I need which makes me think about having some kind of loop built in the pedal that is also auto assignable. Playing in my Band I have to be able to play Lead/ Rythem Guitar and Lead/ Backup Vocals and do all this on the fly seemlessly. More than one Footswitch to hit to turn off Reverb and go to another Channel while hiting an Overdrive pedal all at the same time can be mind blowing.

 

[AustinK]

wow i think what you need is a midi controller where you can program as many things as you would like. Personally i am a guitar right into the amp guy so midi is too much for me but i think it is what you are looking for. Check out the all access under controllers.

I am not positive if the mark III is midi capable can anyone elaborate?

http://www.rocktron.com/frameset1.html

 

[Tuna141]

I am not positive if the mark III is midi capable can anyone elaborate?

None of the Mark series amps are middi capable. In fact, offhand, I don't believe any Mesa's are, which is too bad.

However, a midi switcher, such as Voodoo Labs GCX, in conjunction with a midi foot controller such as their Ground Control pedal can be used to switch the Mesa amps. Although not cheap, these types of switchers are extrememly versatile and will allow you to switch channels, turn the EQ off & on, take effects out of the loop etc. In addition it can also send multiple midi commands on different channels at the same time so you can control midi effects with it as well. For instance, you can rig this system up so when you switch to a preset, it will switch channels on the amp, switch the EQ on, and switch to different patches on your midi rack effects all at the same time.

I use a GCX/Ground Control system to control my Mark IV & G-Major and use it to also switch another preamp in and out of my rig. It works great.

 

[AustinK]

That is too bad mesa needs to get with it as the other brands are one step ahead.

 

[CoG]

Don't forget that the MarkIII and IVs dates to the early/mid-80s in design terms. Recto and LS amps have less stuff to manage and more comprehensive footswitching.

 

[Nomad]

You could control an old Boogie withg Midi.

I dont want Midi though I'm wanting a dedicated hardwired foot controller to do what I want.

It can be done and its not that awful exspensive.

 

[AustinK]

You could control an old Boogie withg Midi.

If you can i want to know if when you are going from the lead channel without effects to the lead channel with effects by hitting a switch that engages the lead channel and effects, this same switch could be used to go from clean to lead with effects also so it would have to send out an inpulse to turn on the lead channel. will the pedal turn off the lead channel as it is sending out another inpulse that counteracts what you want it to do. Or would it essentially just consolidate your pedalboard as you would still not be able to switch many things at once.

The one i posted earlier has a circuit board in it so it knows when to engage the different channels unlike the boogie pedal where to go from lead w/ clean to r2 it requires hitting two switches. Would a midi footcontroller do the same or would it not because it doesn't comunicate with the amp as the mark III isn't midi capable.

 

[Nomad]

I'm kind of tired so I may not follow you to well.

In the last part of your question there are a number of midi controllers out there that will control devices with external control outputs like the lead, rythem , eq, reverb, rythem 2 in a Boogie which after programming will allow for any combination thinkable at the touch of one button in a midi floor pedal.

That can be a little involved but I'm sure there are simple ones and very complicated ones. Controlling external control outputs has been being done for many many years now. I cant recommend anything because I stopped using stuff like that years ago.

I dont want a rack unit and lots of cables going to and fro.

I want a pedal that all the cables end up back at my amp in a nice neat package. So just roll out the cable, hook it up to the 3 jacks on my Boogie, plus plug in the power supply in the external AC on back of Boogie and plug and play. Now there is more to it for me obviously. I will hook up my pedal board too. No Programming just flip some switches for how I want it. Not leaving me every option instantly at my disposal but allowing me to come up with the few sounds I need to get the job done. Not a lot to think about and allow me to play! Once I have it where I need it then I set and forget and keep it nice and simple. I dont need 100 sounds just maybe a few.