Brian Roth
Well-known member
I had a random call this weekend from John H., a long lost friend and I was thrilled to chat with him. Many things to discuss and catch up. He's a few years older than me and we both worked together at radio stations in Oklahoma many years ago.
He reminded me that in my High School days (late 60's/early 70's) I was building gizmos such as fuzz boxes. I remember the "original" Roth Fuzz which went through several "limited production" <grin> versions. I soldered them together in my bedroom and taught myself how to do silk screening for the boxes in my parent's garage. I found a crappy copy of the "art work" I used for screening when I moved to my current location eight years ago.
ANYWAY, John H. reminded me of a gizmo I built back then....two ever built IIRC. I called it the "Ping Pong". The idea came to me while working with a guitarist friend who had gotten a SECOND Sears Silvertone amp for Christmas and used a splitter cord (details forgotten in the haze of time) to run his guitar through both amps. He turned up the tremelo on both amps, and as I sat listening midway between the two amps, I could hear the guitar signal which seemed to move from side to side as the tremelo went in and out of sync between the two amps.
IDEA! I had seen a circuit in a magazine for a flip-flop light blinker, and I had been fiddling with photoresistors at the same time. Two light bulbs from the 2 transistor circuit and two photocells. I made what we now call an autopanner!
I showed my original idea to John Simonton, owner of Paia Electronics in Okla City and he greatly simplified my idea and sold it as a kit. I think he gave me a royalty of 50 cents per kit sale and I took it as "adding parts" to my young inventory....lol.
Long story, but I am sure other folks came before me with the idea and am curious about any other ancient back stories about an Autopanner.
Also interested in other "I did this in high school" stomp box, etc. stories....I'm now semi-retired at age 68. But, I still keep a stock of 9 Volt batteries LOL!
Bri
He reminded me that in my High School days (late 60's/early 70's) I was building gizmos such as fuzz boxes. I remember the "original" Roth Fuzz which went through several "limited production" <grin> versions. I soldered them together in my bedroom and taught myself how to do silk screening for the boxes in my parent's garage. I found a crappy copy of the "art work" I used for screening when I moved to my current location eight years ago.
ANYWAY, John H. reminded me of a gizmo I built back then....two ever built IIRC. I called it the "Ping Pong". The idea came to me while working with a guitarist friend who had gotten a SECOND Sears Silvertone amp for Christmas and used a splitter cord (details forgotten in the haze of time) to run his guitar through both amps. He turned up the tremelo on both amps, and as I sat listening midway between the two amps, I could hear the guitar signal which seemed to move from side to side as the tremelo went in and out of sync between the two amps.
IDEA! I had seen a circuit in a magazine for a flip-flop light blinker, and I had been fiddling with photoresistors at the same time. Two light bulbs from the 2 transistor circuit and two photocells. I made what we now call an autopanner!
I showed my original idea to John Simonton, owner of Paia Electronics in Okla City and he greatly simplified my idea and sold it as a kit. I think he gave me a royalty of 50 cents per kit sale and I took it as "adding parts" to my young inventory....lol.
Long story, but I am sure other folks came before me with the idea and am curious about any other ancient back stories about an Autopanner.
Also interested in other "I did this in high school" stomp box, etc. stories....I'm now semi-retired at age 68. But, I still keep a stock of 9 Volt batteries LOL!
Bri