The Nine Volt Nirvana Tape Measure Boost is a simple one-transistor boost, a boost pedal design that circulated as a DIY layout rather than a factory-built product. It uses a 2N2222 transistor and is built as a set boost: the original schematic calls for a trimmer for the volume, with the idea that it sits inside another pedal or runs as a standalone unit. The layout's author also drew a version with a volume pot instead, for players who want an external knob1.
Circuit and controls
The circuit is a single-transistor design. The 2N2222 can be swapped for any other common NPN silicon transistor, with the 2N5088, BC108 and 2N3904 named as examples1. The only control is the volume: a trimmer in the original schematic, or a pot in the version laid out for panel mounting1.
Because it is a DIY layout, published on Guitar FX Layouts as vero and tagboard layouts on 27 September 2017, there is no factory specification sheet, no list price and no maker's power figures to quote1.
What builders say about the sound
Builder impressions are the main record of how this circuit behaves, and they are not unanimous1.
- One builder put it "in the LPB1 territory," describing a decent amount of boost that breaks up pretty easily once you pull past unity gain, even with single coil pickups1.
- Another, building with a 2N5088 and a 100k log pot, reported "sounds great! Tons of gain"1.
- A third suggested "that could be a nice sub for the lpb1 which i don't really like," adding that it would be worth adding a filter cap1.
- A later comment was less favorable: "Not a transparent boost; It sucks too much treble and not too 'boosty' enough," with that builder preferring the ZVEX Super Hard On for transparency and treble1.
"I'd definitely put this one in the LPB1 territory. Decent amount of boost, but it breaks up pretty easily once you pull it up past unity gain(even when using single coil pickups)."
The spread of opinion is worth weighing if you are choosing between this and other simple boosts: some builders hear a usable LPB-1-style gain stage, while one found it colored rather than transparent. For other circuits in the same family, see the boost type page, and for gain stages that push harder, overdrive and distortion cover the neighboring territory1.
Building one
The layout exists in two forms, and the choice between them comes down to how you plan to use it1:
- Trimmer version: the original design, intended as a set boost inside another pedal or as a standalone unit with the level set once1.
- Volume pot version: an added-pot layout for players who want the boost level adjustable from the outside1.
This is a DIY circuit layout, not a commercially manufactured pedal. It was verified working by multiple builders on the layout site, but any build depends on your own construction and parts choices1.
Videos
Miskatonic Audio Dept
Alchemy Audio
Questions
Who designed the Nine Volt Nirvana Tape Measure Boost?
The circuit is credited to Joe Gagan. Guitar FX Layouts, which published vero and tagboard layouts for the circuit in September 2017, noted the design with the comment that if Joe Gagan designed it, it was going to sound awesome. The layout was posted in two versions, one with the original volume trimmer and one with an added volume pot.
Can I use a 2N5088 or 2N3904 instead of a 2N2222 in the Tape Measure Boost?
Yes. The layout notes that you can substitute the 2N2222 with any other common NPN silicon transistor, naming the 2N5088, BC108 and 2N3904 among the options. One builder reported that a build with a 2N5088 and a 100k log pot gave tons of gain and sounded great.
Is the Tape Measure Boost similar to the LPB-1?
Builders put it in LPB-1 territory. One described it as a decent amount of boost that breaks up pretty easily once you pull past unity gain, even with single coil pickups. Another suggested it could be a nice substitute for the LPB-1 and that adding a filter cap would be worth considering.
Is the Tape Measure Boost a transparent boost?
Not according to one builder, who found it sucks too much treble and is not boosty enough, preferring the ZVEX Super Hard On for transparency and treble. Treat transparency as a matter of opinion among builders rather than a settled verdict.
Can the Tape Measure Boost go inside another pedal?
That appears to be the intent. The schematic calls for a trimmer for the volume, and the layout's author believed the idea was to have it as a set boost inside another pedal or as a standalone unit. A version with an external volume pot was also laid out for those who want a knob.
Sources (1)
- Guitar FX Layouts: Nine Volt Nirvana Tape Measure Boost, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2024-04-15
