One guitar pedal I've wanted for a long time, or at least an adequate clone of, is a Boss HM-2. The problem being they stopped making them years before I even knew my first guitar chord. Sure, I could throw money at the problem, but you and I both know that's not what I do. This build has been almost three years in the making, seriously. I researched and researched and even watched almost every video about the HM-2 by Dome on youtube. As well as MANY videos by HM2CULT on youtube.
Most of the HM-2 layouts looked scary because they require three op-amps, which really put me off. Now, I did build four variants of Centaur clones, so you could catch me on a technicality here and say I should be able to build an HM-2, but I really wanted to make sure I was building the right one. The layout world is abounds with layouts for HM-2 clones, and finally I found one that I felt comfortable with. Not to give the game away, but this one only required two op-amps; a singular TL072 and a TL074, both of which I have.
After cutting the board and packing the parts I was excited that my dream was finally coming true, I will finally have an HM-2 clone and I'll be able to chainsaw the living hell out of whatever is left of my eardrums. HA! Too late, I don't have eardrums. No, seriously I was told by a doctor at the at of 15 that I have no eardrums. Protect your hearing kids! On a heavily overcast day I decided to take all my stuff outside and finally give the HM-2 clone a whirl, but I was going to do a few mods to the layout that I felt suited my needs.
Ok, the layout has switches for engaging the hard and/or soft clipping diodes individually, which I decided to replace with two jumpers instead. The layout also has a mids control, which I swapped out for an internal trimpot to keep the option, but not take away from the external HM-2 vibe. After a few frustrating hours of building, mostly due to my overcomplicating the process by wanted to build it my way, the circuit was ready to be tested. Welp, I wired in the volume control backwards. I also wired up the mids trimpot backwards, both of which are easy enough fixes. So, you want to know does it chainsaw!? Eh, well, uhm, not really. I don't know what's going on. It's a REALLY nice heavy metal distortion, and adding some mids with the trimpot makes it a little bit nicer, but it's not chainsawing to my ears.
My circuit seems to step right up to the line of chainsaw and stops as it stares longingly into the black abyss where all the other HM-2 clones are screaming and chainsawing away. I've checked all the gaps for solder bridges, I've made sure everything was where it's supposed to be and it all seems to be right, it just doesn't sound right. Again, it's a really nice heavy metal distortion, but Left Hand Path this is not. I'm sure it will find it's use, but I guess I might just plunk down the cash for the Behringer el cheapo clone since this one didn't work out the way I hoped it would.
All that being said I'm down to two build left; a Soldano SLO 100 emulating preamp and a Lightspeed overdrive clone. Yep! That's all I've got left. That will bring me up to 68 builds, as I believe I said in the last entry, so I need to come up with something spectacular for the 69th build. I just don't know what it could possibly be yet. Nothing planned, it's all up in the air, but believe me you'll know when it's all said and done.
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