Home › Forums › Vintage EHX › Soul Preacher (vintage) 80’s? Polarity?

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  • May 10, 2010 at 10:23 pm #80205
    T Bone
    Member

    Recently started playing again after a dozen or more years. Going through my storage unit, I discovered some treasures from the past, including an old Soul Preacher (I think this is the original style) I’d forgotten I even had. Picked it up used in the early/mid 90’s (store sticker dated Oct. ’93, I assume that’s when they got it in).
    It is much larger than the current Soul Preacher, has a black slider switch upper left (Treble Boost), and Volume knob on top, Threshold knob under that, then the foot switch. Any way to nail down the year or era of this (would there be pot codes, will that help?).

    It’s intact (missing the feet is all) and has been well preserved in a plastic bag, so it fared much better than a lot of stuff in storage. Works great, still looks hardly used, now I want to power it with a power supply on a board. Has a 1/8 inch plug, just got a DC Brick that comes with two 1/8 inch plugs, they are tip positive. Is this the correct polarity for this classic pedal?

    TIA, great site with lots of info!

    May 11, 2010 at 12:37 am #104160
    ranjam
    Member

    I have one as well, and I believe you are correct with the polarity. It’s actually a nice compressor; very Dyna Comp-ish. Any well seem to like the Dyna Comp, so what’s not to like about the Soul Preacher?

    May 11, 2010 at 2:24 am #104158
    The EH Man
    Moderator

    There should be a pot code starting w/ 137. The next 2 numbers are the year and the last 2 numbers is the week. That’ll give a good approximate date.

    Power supply is 9v, tip positive, 1/8″ plug.

    May 11, 2010 at 5:31 pm #104058
    T Bone
    Member
    Quote:
    There should be a pot code starting w/ 137. The next 2 numbers are the week and the last 2 numbers is the year. That’ll give a good approximate date.

    Power supply is 9v, tip positive, 1/8″ plug.

    Thanks! I’m guessing the year and week are reversed in this case though (don’t think they were making these as early as 1944 ;) ). The code on the volume pot is 1378044. So Oct/Nov 1980 for that pot (Threshold pot would require too much disassembly that’s not need IMO). I figure it was likely built in 1981 then (not sure how long they’d have parts around, but it seems unlikely it wold be much more than the year back then, they were a fairly young company (but very hot!) at that point I think).

    This means it was basically a “vintage” pedal even when I bought it used in about ’93. Also a good match for my vintage Rat (circa 1982, bought new) and my ’83 Tube Screamer (bought around ’93). Way cool!

    May 11, 2010 at 5:34 pm #104007
    The EH Man
    Moderator

    Yep, I had the week and year numbers swapped. Fixed the post in case someone else sees it.

    May 14, 2010 at 12:41 pm #102877
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator
    Quote:
    I have one as well, and I believe you are correct with the polarity. It’s actually a nice compressor; very Dyna Comp-ish. Any well seem to like the Dyna Comp, so what’s not to like about the Soul Preacher?

    Do you find that it sounds better with a battery than with a power supply? Not sure why mine does, but it seems very glitchy when I use a 9V 500mA adaptor. Sounds great with a battery.

    May 14, 2010 at 6:30 pm #105574
    T Bone
    Member
    Quote:
    Quote:
    I have one as well, and I believe you are correct with the polarity. It’s actually a nice compressor; very Dyna Comp-ish. Any well seem to like the Dyna Comp, so what’s not to like about the Soul Preacher?

    Do you find that it sounds better with a battery than with a power supply? Not sure why mine does, but it seems very glitchy when I use a 9V 500mA adaptor. Sounds great with a battery.

    I know you were asking Ranjam, but to mention I’ve not tried mine with a power supply yet (not sure if something is wrong with my pedal, but I find it to be a very subtle effect, not at all like the Dunlop Dyna Comp demo on their site). I’ll be trying mine out next week as I test order of pedals for my pedal board (it’s due in any time). At that time, I’ll also check mine for powered vs. battery.

    May 14, 2010 at 10:36 pm #103497
    ranjam
    Member

    It just may be that the adaptor you are using isn’t filtered as well as needed by the Soul Preacher. I am just as guilty of using cheap calculator adaptors just because they are handy, but you don’t listen to a calculator, so I know they aren’t filtered well. You can add filtering, or use a really good ‘guitar pedal’ power supply. The filter would just be say a 47-ohm or a 100-ohm resistor replacing the wire from the adaptor jack ‘hot’ lead. Then add a 100uF or a 220uF capacitor from where that wire went to over to circuit ground (observing polarity).
    I have a older DOD adaptor, and they seem to work well. Or my board with a DC Brick has 1/8″ converter plugs, so I am covered no matter what. But with a fresh battery or a good adaptor, the SP does squash, you just have to crank it up. The treble boost switch is just too much.

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