LPB1 CIRCUIT

ANALYSIS
The LPB1 (Line Power Boost 1) is a boost pedal that was
commercialized in 1968 by Electro Harmonix. It is the first boost
pedal using a silicon transistor. Indeed, previous boosts like the
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster were using germanium
transistors. Another novelty with this pedal was that it was boosting
all frequencies and not only trebles, making it the first clean boost
available!

The circuit is really the most simple one you can imagine for a
boost:

First, there is a 0.1uF coupling capacitor that prevents parasitic DC

current from the guitar to go in the circuit. With the R2 resistance,
it forms a high pass filter : by changing its value, you can modulate
the amount of bass going through the circuit. If you increase C1
value, more bass will go through, and vice versa.
Then, there are two resistors forming a voltage divider (R2 and
R1), to provide a certain voltage to the base of the transistor. Here it
is : R2/(R2+R3)x9V = 43/(43+430)x9=0,81V at the transistor's base.

The silicon transistor is a 2n5088 (originally a 2n5133 - same

transistors that were used in the Big Muff later), wired as a
common emitter. R4 and R3 will define the amount of
amplification. If you increase R4, amplification will be larger. If you
increase R4, there will be less gain.
A second 0.1uF coupling capacitor that prevents DC current from
the battery to go out of the circuit. Finally, a 100k potentiometer
wired as a variable resistor defines the final volume.

If you look carefuly, you can see that the last stage of the Big Muff
circuit is exactly the same! A LPB1 circuit is used to increase the
final volume.

Here is a global schematic for what does what: (click to enlarge)