PT80 COMPLETE KIT

A complete kit for the PT-80, a warm, quiet digital delay patterned after the Ibanez™ AD-80 analog delay. It sounds so analog you may forget there is a digital chip inside.

About the effect

Designed by Scott Swartz, the PT-80 follows the general design of the vintage Ibanez™ AD-80, but the bucket brigade ICs are replaced with a Princeton Technology PT2399 delay/echo IC and the electronic switching with a 3PDT stomp switch. The compander IC gives it excellent noise specs and contributes to its analog-like sound. An on-board charge pump, a modern addition the AD-80 did not have, gives it plenty of headroom from a single 9 volt battery or a typical stompbox wall wart. It is one of the best-regarded delay builds in the DIY community.

See a YouTube video demo.

Hear the sound files (sound samples from Scott Swartz):

• Sound file 1: Rockabilly slapback. A few notes dry, then the delay on for a single-note passage and a short Travis-picking riff. Delay Time 30%, Repeats 25%, Delay Level 50%.
• Sound file 2: 175 millisecond atmospheric delay. About 175 ms, 3-4 repeats, with the level set for atmosphere behind a thirds-and-sixths riff played dry and then with delay. Delay Time 40%, Repeats 30%, Delay Level 40%.
• Sound file 3: Maximum delay. Max delay (using a 50K pot) with the delay level matched to the dry signal, descending sixths played in time with the repeats for a big wash, then single notes to isolate the repeats. The higher note shows some distortion that is not present at shorter settings. Delay Time 100%, Repeats 30%, Delay Level 60%.

What you get

• 1590BB: the complete kit with the larger 1590BB enclosure (spec sheet).
• No Enclosure: everything except the enclosure.

Build resources

• Complete instructions for this kit
• PT-80 instructions (PDF)
• Schematic (PDF)
• Layout and wiring diagram (PDF)
• General information about our kits

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