MONARCH OVERDRIVE

The Monarch Overdrive is an all discrete, FET based dirt machine. It’s designed around the input stage of a vintage amp produced by a company that bears the same name as the color of the monarch (hint...). It’s been configured to produce higher gains that sound very natural and free of compression. The treble and bass controls function as frequency boosters, not the traditional roll off filters in most OD’s. They are located in the preamp section and have a large impact on the over all tone, nature and distortion characteristics of the pedal as well as your amp. It gives big bottom end with a snappy, bright top at all gain ranges with some careful tuning of the tone controls. And, yes, it's true bypass.
Handmade with sweet loving care in Akron Ohio.
Power
Any regulated 9-18 volt DC power supply with a negative 2.1mm center barrel. Higher voltages will yield more headroom with a fatter and more focused tone and a wider gain range.
Controls:
Treble- Boosts the Highs
Bass- Boosts the Lows
Gain- Controls the overdrive
Level- Output

I have one of these on my pedalboard and I love ALL the EQD pedals. They are available now at Tym guitars.

Tym strings. Flatwound bass strings added

Strings are strings right ? Wrong. There are masses of cheap Asian made strings on the market now that are just shocking. These are made for factories to put on the thousands of new guitars being produced in China every week. They have no tension, are made from inferior quality metals and sound terrible. I refuse to set up guitars at our repair shop using these strings now. They may be cheap, but they just DON'T WORK.
We have great quality USA made strings under the Tym brand name starting at $10 a pack, less with quantity orders. These are imported and made into packs of the most common gauges.
We currently do 9-42, 10-46, 10-54, 11-48, 11-52 and 13-56 in nickel electric guitar and phosphor bronze acoustic strings in 12-53 and 13-57 gauges and still at an AMAZING $10 a pack. We also offer these great quality strings in 45-105, 50-110 in nickle and 45-105 in stainless AND NOW in flatwound for bass at $30 a pack. You can also order custom gauge sets usually for the same price and we have more standard gauges to come. Contact Tym guitars for more info and bulk deal prices.

My new Jazzmaster

Well, I figured I needed a Christmas present to myself and since I never get to work on my own stuff 'cause I'm so busy with fixing everyone elses stuff, I thought I'd make myself a guitar for my band, Midget Pillion.
The outline was easy. I needed a back up or something similar to my Jazzmaster I currently use for guitar and bass. I started with a nice solid ash body that had been here for some time. A quick clean up and some routing and it was ready to go. I use a widerange humbucker in my other JM and love the sound of that combination, so the bridge was already decided (although a good P-90 was VERY tempting) but the neck pick up wasn't so straight forward. I have a Tele with a Filtertron in the neck and love that so I thought "let's try that"



I may or may not be fitting a bass pick up to this one as I'm writing some songs that may just have drone/noise guitar under the chords so this mod is still open. I cut the scratchplate and added the Jag chrome control plate for something different and ran the pick ups to 2 output jacks. One volume and toggle switch is all I need.

The bridge is my second favorite bridge type being the Bigsby aluminium type. These have a tone like nothing else and as long as you can get the intonation right (like my first favorite, the wrap around) they sound AMAZING. They do prefer heavier strings and I use 11-54's on all my 25.5" guitars which works well with this bridge. I considered a Bigsby vibrato too, but set up properly, the JM vibrato is a great, underrated one. I constantly push the arm to the body on my other JM and it always comes back to tune. I run the bass E string through the baseplate so it doesn't change pitch with the rest of the strings.

I remember talking to J Mascis years ago about a maple fretbaord Jazzmaster and how he'd always wanted one for the clarity of the maple. I shaved this neck down to nothing (38mm at the nut) like a Mosrite neck and fitted it to the solid ash body.








The result is awesome and just what I wanted. The light ash body combined with the maple fretboard neck and Bigsby type bridge makes it very responsive and "sharp". The Filtertron sounds amazing. I just need to get it into a practice room and through my pedal boards. Looking forward to some good shows this year 2011. OK, back to work ............

Retro Sonic Stereo Chorus

Distinctive lush chorus, amazing vibrato, the Retro-Sonic Chorus Ensemble is the only true reproduction of the 1976 CE-1 using the original analog BBD. Its lush, focused tone is the standard by which all other chorus effects are measured. The Chorus Ensemble is capable of a wide range of sounds from analog chorusing to pulsating vibrato, having the unique Vibrato feature that was incorporated on the original which simulates a Leslie rotating speaker. The chorus and vibrato functions are selectable through a footswitch control, allowing desired presets to be maintained by separate control. The Mono an Stereo outputs allow for a two amp setup for an amazing chorus expierience. Now powered by 9VDC, (thanks to a custom power chip) there's no need for a special adapter, just plug into your existing rig and enjoy! Based on customer demand, the improved Chorus pedal now has stereo outputs and operates from standard 9VDC power supplies.
The additional stereo output provides users the option of a two-amp setup. This brings a heightened dimension to the existing thick sound of the Chorus effect pedal, which has already developed a loyal following throughout North America and Europe.
In the March, 2006 issue of Guitar Player Magazine ©, Barry Cleveland said of the mono version Retro-Sonic® Chorus “This is definitely a thick and sensual old-school chorus…This baby’s definitely a keeper!”
Retro-Sonic® has now developed a custom proprietary solution to allow the use of 9VDC power input, and internally convert this to the Chorus voltage requirements. Internally, the unit still runs on the same voltage spec, (meaning there is no impact to the tone of the circuit), but musicians now have the convenience of hooking up to a standard negative center 9VDC adapter, or popular multi-tap power supply units.
The Chorus outputs are now labeled “MONO” and “STEREO”. Inserting a plug in the “STEREO” jack, splits the dry and wet signals for stereo separation to the two amps (wet signal on the mono output, and dry signal on the “stereo” output). Removing the plug from the stereo jack puts the unit back into mono mode.

The MXR Blue Box

The first MXR effects pedal was the M-101 MXR Phase 90, widely used on the first two Van Halen albums[1]. A milder version of the effect was also released, the MXR Phase 45, and a programmable version, the Phase 100.
Each of these enclosures had 4 screws attaching the bottom plate. A 9V battery powered these effects; to change the battery, one had to unscrew the bottom plate. There were three distinct periods through out the years of the reference series. The script logo, the box logo with out an LED and power jack, and a box logo with LED and power jack. Script boxes often had carbon resistors and are highly sought after by collectors and vintage gear hounds. Some of the earliest Script logo pedals were actually made by hand in the basement shop and feature hand applied silk screen lettering. Also, early on in the script logo phase, BUD boxes were used. They were made with aluminum, and are much lighter when compared side to side with a die cast box. The BUD Box Company was out of Willoubhy, OH. Script logo boxes included the Blue Box, Distortion +, Dyna Comp, Phase 45, Phase 90, and the Phase 100.

This unassuming little box shovels out enough low frequencies to scare a blue whale. It takes your guitar signal, fuzzes it up, then duplicates it two octaves down. You control the output and the mix between the dry signal and the effect. Using it 100% wet is quite an experience, but more recognizable sounds appear as you dial In more dry signal. The Blue Box is known for having a chaotic personality that can make each session a totally unique experience! Power: Single 9 volt battery or Dunlop ECB-002 AC adapter - Controls: Footswitch toggles effect on/bypass (red LED indicates on) Output knob sets total output gain Blend knob adjusts ratio of dry (clean) with wet (effects) signal.

This fiesty little fella has been wisely re-issued to save us all from collectors prices and all those empty handed pawnshop outings. It's here and it's just as mean as ever. The tracking on this unit is very random so don't ever plan on predictable results. Expecting sheer madness when stomping on this is a whole lot of fun and the experience is refreshing compared to the safe sonic trips we all end up taking with most of our effects. The Blue Box will twist and pulverize your riffs and notes into something very sick and, at times, very synthy . Need a little sanity? Try backing off the blend knob and things get a little more manageable. Everyone needs a secret weapon in their rig and this one is the perfect candidate. As used by Thurston Moore, J Mascis, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Trent Reznor, Frank Zappa, Buzz and many many more.
This is a Tym guitars favorite and the Blue Box and all the other MXR pedals are available now at Tym guitars.

Tym Tone Boost

I made a handful (less than 10) of these back in the late 90's and sold/gave them to some big (ish) player friends I knew who all raved about them highly. I stopped making them as they were a lot of work as I was wiring them point to point and assembling by hand. The originals were in an MXR Phase 100 size box and had a clear sticker printed with a bubblejet and stuck to the box with a coat of clear laquer over the top. I think most of them were painted light blue ? I actually saw one of these sell about a year and half ago for what I considered WAY too much money ?
I found the prototype a month or so ago and wired it up and plugged it in. Man, I'd forgotten how much I love this thing. It's a simple 1 transistor subtle to high gain boost/overdrive that can push any nice valve amp into saturation and has a very usable 1 transistor active tone control. The original had a toggle switch to switch from a type of treble/mid boost to a full linear boost which I've changed into a footswitch to make it more usable while you're playing ? Full frequency response makes it usable for both guitar and bass and you can get from the Shellac type "clang" right through to BIG "stoner" type bottom end.
I have re-built a new version which is schematically identical to the original and will be available in the small MXR size enclosure but sideways like some ZVEX pedals ? Please contact me if you're interested so I can gauge interest in getting PCB's and artwork done. Looks like they may (or may not) be back in limited production again ?

Tym Return of the Human Fly

This has been one of my best selling pedals. When I heard Lux Interior of the Cramps had died I took it upon myself to make a pedal in homage to him. This is a NASTY 60's fuzz that I call the "sausage sizzle" type fuzz. Loosely based on a Mosrite Fuzzrite with more gain and "sizzle" this is that classic early Cramps type fuzz. With controls for Volume and Goo Goo Muck, this pedal is a garage rock players dream come true. The Goo Goo Muck knob works in both directions for more, and more gain. "Boss" compatible 9V adaptor and switchcraft jacks top it off. The original Human Fly was made in very limited numbers and is no longer available.
After getting LOTS of people asking for one I decided to "reissue" the Human Fly as the "Return of the Human Fly" (c'mon, it was asking for it) which is essentially the same pedal with slightly different artwork and a tone switch to take the tops off if you're using a Tele or similar so it doesn't take your head off.
These are currently available in the shop NOW.

Tym guitars Big Bottom V2

The Tym guitars Big Bottom V2 has been designed to give bass players more options for effects pedals and sounds over the original Tym guitars Big Bottom.
The idea behind this great pedal is to split the signal coming from your bass guitar and send the mid to high frequencies through an effects loop to any guitar effects pedals, while keeping your bass frequencies clean. This eliminates the loss of bottom end that bass players would normally experience when using guitar effects pedals. You get a clean BIG BOTTOM and an effected main signal.
Designed in conjunction with and used by the late Dean Turner of Australian band Magic Dirt and completely handmade on site at Tym guitars, this pedal is unique and a must have for bass players who use effects of any kind.












Operation is simple.
The bass guitar is plugged into the INSTRUMENT jack.
From the EFFECTS OUT jack connect a patch lead to the input of your effects pedals.
From the output of your effects pedals connect a patch lead to the EFFECTS IN jack of the Big Bottom.
The AMPLIFIER jack is sent to your amp.
EFFECTS LEVEL adjusts the amount of signal flowing through the effects loop so can be used to “blend” the amount of effects in the overall signal.
VOLUME adjusts the amount of clean signal in the bottom end.
The effect has unity volume at around 7 on BOTH volumes so pedals in the loop can be cut or increased to above unity volume and bass frequencies can be boosted or cut from the clean signal.
The STOMP SWITCH is true bypass for the pedal.
The unit is powered by any regulated 9 – 24 volt DC centre negative external power supply. The higher voltage will yield more headroom.

These are all hand made by me here at our TMI workshop in Brisbane and proceeds from the sale of this pedal goes to Dean Turners family. I'm very happy with this pedal. I think Dean would have loved this version. There are some purple versions available now from Tym guitars in VERY limited numbers along with the standard red versions. Get in quick.

Contact Tym guitars for this or any other pedal in the Tym range.

Tym effects pedals will NO LONGER use betteries

I have made the decision after thinking about this for some time that I will NO LONGER offer the option of running my effects pedals on batteries, of any kind.
In Australia we import over 300 million disposable and 50 million rechargable batteries every year. However, the greatest environmental concern surrounding batteries is the impact they have at the end of their lives. Australia hasn’t embraced battery recycling – it is estimated that around 94 per cent of dead batteries end up in landfill - and this is where the most serious problems start.
Batteries are made from a variety of chemicals to power their reactions. Some of these chemicals, such as nickel and cadmium, are extremely toxic and can cause damage to humans and the environment.
Landfill is generally where batteries end up. Regulations governing battery disposal differ in each state and territory in Australia.
In Western Australia, both disposable and rechargeable batteries are classed as
hazardous waste; they are placed in steel drums encased in concrete within secure landfills so that air and water can’t corrode the battery casings. In Queensland, where I live, by comparison, people throw batteries in the bin with impunity.
Because of these reasons I am now not offering the option of running my pedals on batteries until we as a nation can work out a better way of dealing with this problem.
ALL of my pedals will be offered with a good quality switchmode, regulated power supply for a nominal fee of $20 at the time of purchase.

MJM fuzz pedals

MJM 3 Knob Brit Bender Fuzz The MJM Brit Bender was designed for sustain and gain with a tight bottom end. The 3 Knob Brit Bender is voiced differently than the original. Giving a bigger, more round bottom end the 3 Knob Bender gives less sustain but makes up for it in attitude. This version of the Brit Bender also features a Tone knob for added versatility yielding fuzz tones from dark and dreary to bright and cutting. The MJM 3 Knob Brit Bender Fuzz is perfect for any rig, but really shines with single coils.
MJM 3 Knob Brit Bender Fuzz
* 3 Hand Selected Germanium Transistors
* True Bypass
* Tone Control

MJM China Fuzz Pedal
Here it is. The ultimate remake of the Univox Superfuzz is the MJM China Fuzz Pedal. This little tiny box produces tone bigger than the local shopping mall. The wonderful octave fuzz that is available from the China Fuzz will take you right back to the Univox days with warm creamy fuzz and funky octave mayhem. There is a switch for two different flavors of fuzz as well so you can make your MJM China Fuzz do anything you’d like.
MJM China Fuzz Pedal Features:
* True Bypass
* Two Selectable Fuzz Modes
* Small Enclosure

MJM London Fuzz Pedal
MJM Guitar Effects is proud to bring you the London Fuzz. This is the best of the vintage Hendrix-era fuzz tones packed in with two hand matched germanium transistors among other period correct components to give a true vintage vibe to the fuzz. The MJM London Fuzz Pedal cleans up properly with your volume knob and pick attack allowing you to get the most out of your guitar and amp at any time, in any situation. When you’re ready for the ultimate in vintage fuzz tone, getchyerself an MJM London Fuzz Pedal and turn some heads.
MJM London Fuzz Pedal Features:
* Matched Vintage Germanium Transistors
* True Bypass

MJM Roctavios Pedal
The MJM Roctavios Pedal has done it again with this octavlicious sounding pedal. Providing a zesty clean octave effect on lower boost setting all the way up to a fuzz infused roar at upper boost levels, this Roctavios just begs for the right player to tame it.
The MJM Roctavios Pedal’s layout is simple enough with knobs for Boost and Level and a true bypass footswitch to engage this sonic marvel. A little experimentation with your rig is all it takes to make the Roctavios a permanent member of your sonic fleet. Sounding just as cool with guitar or bass, try of the Roctavios Pedal from MJM today.
These and all the other MJM pedals are available through Tym guitars.