The Prince

"Popular 80's flanger preferred by Prince"

 

   

 

The GT The Prince flanger rack effect module compares to the Boss BF-2 flanger, one of the more popular flangers of all time.  The BF-2 was not only one of Prince's go-to pedals.  It was also used by Robert Smith of The Cure, David Byrne of The Talking Heads, Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Billy Duffy of The Cult, Ernie Isley, Jeff Beck, and Rory Gallagher among many others.

 

Description

The Boss BF-2 flanger has been so popular over the years that you're probably familiar with its sound even if you don't realize it.  It was in production from 1980 to 2001, and used pedals are still readily available today.  The Prince flanger captures that BF-2 flanger tone.  As a circuit, it is similar to most other flanger and some chorus circuits.  It uses the Panasonic MN3207 BBD to get its delay and analog flanging sound.  Of course we couldn't resist adding some options to tweak the tone, options which may make The Prince of interest even to those that don't like the BF-2.  

The first option is to change out the MN3207 BBD for an MN3007 BBD.  The 3207 runs at 9V, like the BF-2.  But the 3007 runs at up to 15V, giving your signal more headroom, which generally makes for a cleaner sound.  But you won't get completely clean flanging from this circuit.  The circuit design adds soft clipping diodes, a feature common to overdrive and distortion pedals, but not usually seen in a flanger, chorus, or delay pedal where typically "cleanliness is next to godliness".  We also offer the Jet option.  It lets you switch between the normal delay time, and double speed delay time.  This can make the "jet" or "swoosh" a little more pronounced.  The third of the main options is the Style switch.  The feedback path in the BF-2 circuit filters out some of the low end, which can make it a bit metallic or harsh for some.  The Style switch gives you a second cut point which reduces the harshness a bit.

 

Configurations

  • The Prince - compares to Boss BF-2 Flanger

 

Buffers

Input buffer

 

Options

  • MN3007 BBD - Substitute the MN3007 and MN3101 clock for the default MN3207 and MN3102 clock and run the circuit at 15V instead of 9V.  This will give you more headroom, which normally means a cleaner sound.  But since the circuit uses some soft clipping, the sound won't clean up as much as you might expect it to.
  • Jet Option - This switch allows you to switch between the standard delay time and a 50% shorter delay time.  This can make the "jet sound" or "swoosh" effect more pronounced.
  • Style Option - There is a capacitor in the feedback path that filters out some of the lows in the feedback path.  This can make the feedback brighter, "harsher", or "metallic".  The Style switch gives you a different filter frequency which can help reduce the harshess.
  • Noise Gate - The original circuit never had a noise gate, but the GT version does.  It cuts the wet signal, leaving only the dry signal, when the dry signal level falls to an inaudible level.  Since much of the noise comes from the wet path, this can reduce the noise level considerably if your dry signal is relatively noise-free.
  • Noise Gate Threshold Control - This requires the Noise Gate option.  It gives you a knob that allows you to control the signal level at which the gate cuts off the wet path.
  • Original Components - We use metal film resistors and a selection of capacitors that provide good tone and low noise.  By default, we also update the transistors in the circuit to some better, more modern transistors that are a bit quieter.  The original transistors were nothing special.  We also switch to a different silicon clipping diode.  The originals are difficult to find, and were also nothing special.  Finally, there is an op amp in the audio path that we swap out to a better, more available one.  Yes, you guessed it, the original was nothing special.  Boss, like most other pedal companies, tended to use inexpensive parts that were readily available at the time.  Modern transistors, diodes, and op amps work just as well and will reduce noise slightly.  Flangers tend to be noisy to start with, and you can usually hear that noise being flanged in the background.  Reducing the noise reduces that unwanted flanger noise in the background.

 

Front Panel

  • Rate
  • Depth
  • Manual
  • Feedback
  • Style switch (optional)
  • Jet switch (optional)
  • Threshold control (optional)

 

Rear Panel

  • Audio In
  • Audio Out
  • On/Off Footswitch
  • On/Off Override
  • DC Power
  • DC Power LED

 

Module Width

  • 1.5" standard, 2" with options
  • 2" left wing and 1.5" right wing available for standard config 

 

Power Consumption (aprox)

20 - 25mA

 

Base Configurations

Part # Description List Price
MOD-PRINCE The Prince module $219

 

Options

Part # Description List Price
MOPT-PRINCE-BBD 15V MN3007 $0
MOPT-PRINCE-JET Jet Option $19
MOPT-PRINCE-STYLE Style Option $19
MOPT-PRINCE-NG Noise Gate $29
MOPT-PRINCE-THRESH Noise Gate Threshold Control $19
MOPT-PRINCE-ORIG Original Components $15

 

Parts

Part # Description List Price
MPT-PRINCE-CA Replacement pot, switch, jack, LED cable assembly $19
MPT-PRINCE-KNB Replacement control knob $2
MPT-PRINCE-PB Replacement power board $29
MPT-PRINCE-SB Replacement switching board $29