Switching on CM Lick Box / Plexitone

andyg_prs · September 2023

Hi,

I have the old 2 channel plexitone but the lack of volume and tone controls meant I stopped using it for years. I just got a CM Greg Howe Lick Box which seems like a version of the old Plexitone but with individual volume and tone controls per channel.

However, a major problem is the switching. On the Plexitone there was a select button in the middle which allowed you to toggle between the Crunch and High Gain channels. On the Lick Box, you can select all or any channels, so to switch between the two, say Crunch is on, you have to hit the Crunch and High Gain buttons at the same time. This is awkward and can lead to you kicking the pots.

Does anyone know how I might modify the Lick Box to switch like the old Plexitone?

Two other things. The Boost is way over the top. If you move the pot clockwise a few degrees from all the way off to a little on, it's really loud....past 8 o' clock and it's unusable. Would it be as simple as changing the value of the pot to have a more usable range?

Third and final, on the crunch channel, at low gain, it's too dark. So I have the tone pot all the way to the right. Is there anything I can do to brighten up the channel?

But the key thing is the switching!

Thanks,
Andy

PS - the high gain with a little bit of the boost is just a gorgeous tone......hence considering putting the work in.....

andyg_prs · September 2023

Bump

andyg_prs · September 2023

Cheeky, and perhaps a bit too specific to the circuit design, but I'd love to know what @ICBM ; thinks

gjonesy · September 2023

link to plexitone schematic/switching to help conversation along
http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.com/2012/01/carl-martin-plexitone.html

gjonesy · September 2023

Not sure but the Lickbox might be two stacked circuits whereas the plexitone is switching variations of one circuit (I'm ignoring the boost section)
Others with more knowledge should be able to confirm/deny

andyg_prs · September 2023

gjonesy said:

link to plexitone schematic/switching to help conversation along
http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.com/2012/01/carl-martin-plexitone.html

Thanks. I found that one. On that basis I opened up my old main powered plexitone and the Lick Box. If the Lick Box were like the Plexitone, it might be comparatively easy for a hack like me to imitate the wiring....but take a look at this for a comparison!

The only upside is that they both use 'proper' rather than surface mount components.

Old Plexitone:

Image: https://i.ibb.co/Tg0y7zX/372166462-961541814932245-1067611500434731346-n.jpg

Lick Box:

Image: https://i.ibb.co/Yc08XGQ/373490957-1365488010763606-9104383716395890909-n.jpg

Now maybe to someone who knows what they are doing, they aren't much different, but to me they are worlds apart in terms of understanding how I might re-wire / mod.

You see here in this layout of the old Plexitone, it seemed to describe the middle selector switch sending the signal to the lug of either the Crunch or the High Gain pot.....on the Lick Box, I can't work out what is going on....

Image: https://i.ibb.co/5LYhMmQ/Plexitone-Parts-Layout.jpg

andyg_prs · September 2023

gjonesy said:

Not sure but the Lickbox might be two stacked circuits whereas the plexitone is switching variations of one circuit (I'm ignoring the boost section)
Others with more knowledge should be able to confirm/deny

Yup, I was going to say that but didn't want to waffle on too much. There is the diagram, that shows High Gain and Crunch as variations (different pot values?) of the same circuit, but as you say, the Lick Box lets you have both with the High Gain running into the Crunch. With how I set them, that sound is horrible, so really not needed.

I can't tell with the Lick Box where the Boost is in the path....and I haven't found anything like the diagram below...

Image: https://i.ibb.co/XtYTLfN/Plexitone-rev3-1.gif

gjonesy · September 2023

7 (or 8?) LEDS and two chips looks like 2 circuits to me
If you can figure out the wiring on the switches you can probably get what you want
One "master" switch and the other to switch between either circuit - you'd lose the stacking (unless you wired another switch for that)
The switches are at least "off board". Have a look at switching on some dual pedal circuits, that might give you an idea of how it's done.
Sorry I cant help beyond that, hopefully someone else might be able to

andyg_prs · September 2023

gjonesy said:

7 (or 8?) LEDS and two chips looks like 2 circuits to me
If you can figure out the wiring on the switches you can probably get what you want
One "master" switch and the other to switch between either circuit - you'd lose the stacking (unless you wired another switch for that)
The switches are at least "off board". Have a look at switching on some dual pedal circuits, that might give you an idea of how it's done.
Sorry I cant help beyond that, hopefully someone else might be able to

I'm quite happy to lose the stacking. I'm looking for a reduced pedalboard to replicate what I do today....I have an ES-5 to let me switch between a Keeley modded DS-1 for low gain and a CM Plexitone (single channel new version) for high gain (both over the clean channel of my Engl Ironball) and then switching them out completely and using the Engl for its modern high gain.

I managed to get sounds for the low and high gain I liked from the Lick Box, but the switching is impractical: Say you have Crunch selected, you then have to hit both high gain and crunch footswitches at the same time to switch to High Gain.

But, I discovered that the Boost on top of the High Gain is a new and really usable tone/texture.....

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Switching on CM Lick Box / Plexitone

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