The Hudson Electronics Broadcast (made in the UK) is one of my favorite boost/overdrive pedals. I bought mine a little over 6 years ago but it appears that they are now very hard to find due to the fact that they used a rare NOS germanium transistor and were made in very limited quantities. I paid $285 + $28 shipping for my original 9 volt version, but they later slightly modified the circuit and added 24 volt version which offers more headroom for a slightly higher price. The funny thing is, I actually prefer the sound of the early 9 volt version so that's the one that I decided to clone. The original came in a larger 1590BB with a sticker for the controls (see pic below), but to save space I went with a polished and etched 125B with all top jacks. You can run this version on anywhere from 9V to 18 volts (with a center negative power supply.
Description from Hudson Electronics: " The Broadcast is a transformer coupled, discrete Class-A germanium pre-amplifier based on the classic broadcast consoles of the 1960s. In the low-gain setting, the Broadcast can cover everything from sparkling clean boost through to transparent overdrive, all with a healthy dose of volume available to push your amp. The Broadcast features a specially selected Triad steel-core transformer and a NOS germanium transistor. Advancing the gain on the Broadcast starts to saturate the transformer and the pedal’s discrete circuitry, giving rise to a gentle and dynamic compression coupled with subtle thickening of the midrange. With the gain switch in the high setting and the trim control wound up, the Broadcast starts to deliver heavier distorted sounds with a warm and fuzzy edge to them. The Broadcast covers a wide range of driven and distorted tones whilst remaining dynamic, responding well to pick attack and the subtle nuances of every player."
I also added a relayed true bypass (the stock pedal uses a standard, inexpensive 3PDT stomp switch). I also used the rare and expensive vintage Mullard black glass germanium transistor originally used in this circuit (CV5712) as well as silver plated teflon coated wire. The original circuits are built on a large veroboard, which explains their larger enclosure. I drew up and etched my own PCB's for the main circuit which, in my opinion is a lot nicer than the somewhat funky/sloppy veroboard used in the original. This new relayed bypass circuit also allows you to run it momentary on or off when you press and hold it down.
All of my pedals are built, hand polished and etched one at a time 100% by myself in the USA. I will be offering only 5 of them for sale and each one will be numbered and hand-signed by me inside the bottom cover plate. The pedal shown is IN STOCK and I will not be making any more of them for sale.
