Pedal Building

landsleaving

I'm interested in learning how to build guitar pedals, but I don't really know where to start. I was going to buy a Build your own clone kit, but I'd rather just get a schematic and pick up the parts myself, they're quite expensive, especially if I mess something up. So I've a few questions if anyone can answer them.

What would be a good, simple circuit to start with? I was thinking a fuzz, and I found the schematic for a fender blender, but it looks pretty complex, so maybe something with just one control to start with, phase 90 style. Which type of pedal has the simplest circuit?

Where would be best to buy materials, maplin? Ebay? How would I go about making an enclosure, would I need to cut and roll metal to shape, and if so is there a way of doing this easily enough, without spending a lot on tools? Could I use something else, like a metal box and just drill the right sixe holes? What kind of drill bit would I need, size wise, to drill holes for a footswitch and pots in plastic or metal?

Is there a site or book, or something that explains how to do this, and what components do what etc. It's one thing copying a schematic, but I'd like to be able to understand enough to make my own modifications and such. I really don't know very much about electronics other than the absolute basics like changing guitar pickups, so maybe I'd be wise to learn about circuits in general? How do I find out which components shape a sound in a certain way? What's in a delay that's different to a chorus for example, and how do the guts of a pedal alter the guitar signal?

I'm pretty much a beginner at this, but would really like to learn. I was going to try make a battery powered amp, but it's a bridge way too far right now, so I think this would be a good place to start learning about circuitry and sound. So any suggestions, even the most basic would help.

Oh and if I was to look for a book on this kind of thing, would I be looking at electronics? Engineering? As I say, I'm starting at the very basics, I never did this stuff in school even.

Roomic Cube

thanks for posting this, im interested to find out too, looked into it but didnt get very far, there was a good article where a guy built his own loop pedal

68 lost souls

I think starting with kits is a good idea for beggining. Ive got three of these kits almost done, just need to spray the cases and put wire in the jacks.

http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c122_Musikding-Kits.html

The buffer pedals are the easiest build for a first build and then a fuzz pedal probably. Either way from building the kits you do get to figure out a few things about the components and the likes of the buffer pedal they ship has 3 options in terms of components in the set. You can see the difference between FET, Germanium, and silicon parts. After building some kits (which are relitively inexpensive, you can move on to building from schematics and then onto design from there.

landsleaving

Those look great, the price is a lot more appealing than the BYOC kits if nothing else. Cheers, think I'll start there.

Any resource that explains the technical side, how the sounds are affected by the components and such?

zafo

I'd second the musikding kits. I'd recommend the Rangemaster for a fairly easy first build. The fuzz face and Dist+/250 are also pretty straightforward.

Knifey Spoony

I'm currently working on my first pedal, just a simple boost pedal and following the schematic in the link below. In order most of the parts off ebay and got specific capacitor values off maplin. I am also using a socket box to hold the circuit, that I am gonna spray paint once I am finished.

As regards understanding what you are doing, I am an electrical engineering student, so some of this stuff is a bit easier for me to understand than the average person. The circuit below is actually one that we have studied, just with a transistor instead of a tube. But with a small bit of knowledge and by just messing around with a circuit, it wouldn't be hard to modify the circuit yourself.

Good luk with the rest of your build, I'm off to find the cause of a short circuit in mine:(.

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-ValveLiTzer-Low-voltage-Tube-Booster/

villainous

Those kits look great, might give this a go!

landsleaving

Right, gonna order one of these now. But... what the hell does a buffer pedal do? Just cut out some noise by splitting the signal chain somewhere?

Maybe I'll just go for a nice fuzzbox. I love a bit of fuzz

zafo

Here's a good link and some more links from it on what a buffer is, what it does and why you might want one.

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/content/view/75/26/

landsleaving

I think I have a pedal with a buffer already, and going by that I don't need one in theat case, so I might just jump straight to the fuzz.

Part of me wants to just go for the fuzz factory clone straight away Think I'll try the silicon fuzzface

Roomic Cube

haha you know you want the fuzz! build the fuzz and let me know how it goes, i'd be interested in how it sounds

68 lost souls

A pedal without true bypass has a biffer basicly. In simple terms in boosts the signal so in a long chain of pedals it doesnt die out. If you have a chain of true bypass pedals it is recomonded that you use a buffer to help the signal. Boss pedals for example have a buffer, it is not exactly the best buffer but it is their. I plan on using a true bypass loop so I built the biffer to put before that.

The fuzzface is a nice simple build to get you started. The schematics and diagrams they give you from musikding is great as well. They give you a picture of the components in place as well as the schematic so if yo uget confused by a simple on the schematic you can compare it to the othe picture.

rcaz

A bypass loop would be a super easy build, and really useful to have around. And add in one extra switch and a pot and you can make it into a switchable feedback loop.

landsleaving

What size/type of drill bits would I need to make the holes in the enclosures?

rcaz

landsleaving wrote: »

What size/type of drill bits would I need to make the holes in the enclosures?

It should say that in the descriptions of the components?

punchdrunk

built this over the weekend,it's an LPB-1 fuzz clone



I'll get the housing done during the week

I buy all my parts from either bitsbox.co.uk and banzai music

Banzai have a tools section where they have cone shaped unibits,these are the best ones for drilling holes

i think mine is like 3mm to 18mm something like that!

68 lost souls

Ive used banzai a few times alright and they are good to deal with too. I bought my bits ini a mixture of places but the step bit I got on halfrods, its pretty good. I preffer step bits do cone bits where I can. Havent managed to find an odd numbered step bit (i.e. 3,5,7,9mm etc.) in a bricks and mortar shop for some reason. I'd like to get a drill press though for drilling chasis.

EDIT: Here is the bit I have http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_187845_langId_-1_categoryId_165557

punchdrunk

I drill a pilot hole with a pin vice and a really tiny bit first,that gives the cone something to grip then depending on the size of the hole i'll use either my retro hand drill,or for bigger holes like the footswitch i'll use my cordless B&D 14volt drill :pac:

landsleaving

El Pr0n wrote: »

It should say that in the descriptions of the components?

Didn't see it there, but I assume they're of some standard size for pots and jacks. A standard size I'm completely unaware of

A unibit sounds like a good idea. I just checked and I only have two drill bits. D'oh. Both too small for the full hole, but too big for a pilot. Off to halfords with me.

As an aside, I'm gonna be drilling a hole for a killswitch in a strat while I have all the tools out, would I need anything particularly special for that to avoid cracking the scratchplate? I assume it'll be fine, but I'd rather be safe since its painted and I don't fancy doing that again.

punchdrunk

landsleaving wrote: »

Didn't see it there, but I assume they're of some standard size for pots and jacks. A standard size I'm completely unaware of

A unibit sounds like a good idea. I just checked and I only have two drill bits. D'oh. Both too small for the full hole, but too big for a pilot. Off to halfords with me.

As an aside, I'm gonna be drilling a hole for a killswitch in a strat while I have all the tools out, would I need anything particularly special for that to avoid cracking the scratchplate? I assume it'll be fine, but I'd rather be safe since its painted and I don't fancy doing that again.

no I think just use a bit of masking tape to protect the surface around it and you should be good to go

Roomic Cube

landsleaving wrote: »

I'm gonna be drilling a hole for a killswitch in a strat while I have all the tools out, would I need anything particularly special for that to avoid cracking the scratchplate? I assume it'll be fine, but I'd rather be safe since its painted and I don't fancy doing that again.

did it today actually, regular bit for wood holes is fine, maybe mask the area, but I did a clean hole today without any masking

landsleaving

Brilliant, projects aplenty so Cheers for all the help, I'll post up some pictures when I get going with them. Going for two, the treble booster and silicon fuzzface.

rcaz

I have a kill switch in an old Squier strat with a one-ply scratchplate, I just poked through the plastic with a hot soldering iron. There are little lips caused by the melted plastic being pushed out, but you can cut them off straight away with a razor blade. Sounds like it'd be really messy, but it's actually totally clean! I'll get a picture up if anyone wants.

zafo

Another vote for the unibit from me, also pilot hole with a 3mm bit. If you want to make sure you drill the exact right spot a punch is pretty handy for making a small indent at your mark.

villainous

I'd like to make a kind of killswitch pedal so when I'm gigging I can kill the sound of my guitar if I'm not playing, has anyone done this?

68 lost souls

villainous wrote: »

I'd like to make a kind of killswitch pedal so when I'm gigging I can kill the sound of my guitar if I'm not playing, has anyone done this?

A volume pedal or a tuner pedal. The tuner pedal mutes the sigmal whie you tune and a volume pedal can kill the sound too. Specific kill pedals have been done too.

villainous

68 lost souls wrote: »

A volume pedal or a tuner pedal. The tuner pedal mutes the sigmal whie you tune and a volume pedal can kill the sound too. Specific kill pedals have been done too.

ye I was looking at getting a tuner pedal, has anyone used the behringer one on thomann? Its so much cheaper than the others, is there a good reason for this?

Welease

Has anyone built "The Screamer"?
http://www.musikding.de/product_info.php/info/p1618_The-Screamer---Overdrive-kit.html

About to order one.. would it be suitable for a first time build?

landsleaving

villainous wrote: »

ye I was looking at getting a tuner pedal, has anyone used the behringer one on thomann? Its so much cheaper than the others, is there a good reason for this?

I just got one, it works perfectly, tunes fine, is easy to see and its very clear. I can't really complain about it. Its made of plastic though, so if you're heavy on pedals I'd just bite the bullet and get a boss one, but for me its fine. I'm pretty gentle with them, and the plastic is thick and sturdy anyway so it'd take a serious knock before it cracked.

Long term reliability I couldn't tell you about though, try harmony central reviews maybe

Welease

Well, i ordered "The Screamer" kit yesterday along with a soldering station/braid etc.. Total cost 55 Euro incl shipping.

I was thinking of documenting the process if anyone was interested. I have 0 electronic experience, so that has always put me off trying these kits.

Maybe if I can manage (and show how) others will feel less nervous about trying it out.. On the otherhand, if i fail miserably you all get a free laugh

Knifey Spoony

Welease wrote: »

Well, i ordered "The Screamer" kit yesterday along with a soldering station/braid etc.. Total cost 55 Euro incl shipping.

I was thinking of documenting the process if anyone was interested. I have 0 electronic experience, so that has always put me off trying these kits.

Maybe if I can manage (and show how) others will feel less nervous about trying it out.. On the otherhand, if i fail miserably you all get a free laugh

I wouldn't really worry about the lack of electronic experience with these kits. They are just like a jigsaw, just follow the instructions and put the correct value component in the right place and you should have no problems. The hardest part, for a beginer, might be the soldering, but you would be better off practicing that before going near the circuit and tbh it isn't hard to pick it up. Good luck with the build.

shizz

I do a bit of Pedal building. Not as much as I would have liked to.

If you are just starting off I would recommend this little kit from America. I got it and it has been extremely helpfull. http://www.beavisaudio.com/bboard/

I also can't stress how helpfull this website has been for me, http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/ It has every thing you need to know and many experienced people to answer any of your questions.

Hopefully this is some help.

landsleaving

landsleaving wrote: »

I just got one, it works perfectly, tunes fine, is easy to see and its very clear. I can't really complain about it. Its made of plastic though, so if you're heavy on pedals I'd just bite the bullet and get a boss one, but for me its fine. I'm pretty gentle with them, and the plastic is thick and sturdy anyway so it'd take a serious knock before it cracked.

Long term reliability I couldn't tell you about though, try harmony central reviews maybe

After a few more days with the behringer tuner, I've noticed it fails to pick up anything at low volume. Works grand if I put the volume over 5, but lower than that the two E strings and B aren't registering on the pedal at all.

Is this a normal feature on tuner pedals, or is it just because the behringer is cheap?

68 lost souls

shizz wrote: »

I do a bit of Pedal building. Not as much as I would have liked to.

If you are just starting off I would recommend this little kit from America. I got it and it has been extremely helpfull. http://www.beavisaudio.com/bboard/

I also can't stress how helpfull this website has been for me, http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/ It has every thing you need to know and many experienced people to answer any of your questions.

Hopefully this is some help.

Really interested in the beavisaudio kit. Might end up ordering it.

Just printed out some decals fo rmy pedals there. Should get some work done on them tomorow.

shizz

68 lost souls wrote: »

Really interested in the beavisaudio kit. Might end up ordering it.

Just printed out some decals fo rmy pedals there. Should get some work done on them tomorow.

If you are a fully fledged beginner it is ideal IMO. Or even intermediate, as it gives you so many things to work with.

I dont think you would regret it.

Welease

shizz wrote: »

If you are a fully fledged beginner it is ideal IMO. Or even intermediate, as it gives you so many things to work with.

I dont think you would regret it.

I assume it's more for someone who want to experiment with building multiple variations of pedals etc?

Would it be worth it for someone who just wants to build 1-2 specific pedals? (from kits using instructions)...

It does look interesting. Might be worth me talking to Santa

68 lost souls

I wouldnt say Im a fully fledged beginner but Im not an expert. I do want to develop some pedals myself and that so I think it would be a worth while investment for that. Trying to teach yourself from just reading online is ok at the start but to really understand things I think you need to have something like this to mess about on. That way you can really understand easily what difference variuos components make by doing quick swaps instead of having to mod pedals. Seems good.

shizz

Welease wrote: »

I assume it's more for someone who want to experiment with building multiple variations of pedals etc?

Would it be worth it for someone who just wants to build 1-2 specific pedals? (from kits using instructions)...

It does look interesting. Might be worth me talking to Santa

Well if all you wanna do is build pedals from kits and not build that pedal seperately with parts you gathered and such, well then no don't bother with it. But I guarantee you that you will eventually want to move on from kits

68 lost souls wrote: »

I wouldnt say Im a fully fledged beginner but Im not an expert. I do want to develop some pedals myself and that so I think it would be a worth while investment for that. Trying to teach yourself from just reading online is ok at the start but to really understand things I think you need to have something like this to mess about on. That way you can really understand easily what difference variuos components make by doing quick swaps instead of having to mod pedals. Seems good.

Yeah this would be ideal for you in my opinion. You can get everything this beavis board gives you seperatly, but it gives all you need to get started in one.

Bipolar Joe

I've been building for a while now, and if you're not keen on getting a kit, get yourself a breadboard (Like the one at Beavis Audio, or just a crappy cheap one), and build yourself a simple fuzz or distortion, even just a simple boost. I started off making a volume pedal, just a couple of parts, so if you can't solder, I'd recommend doing that first, just to practice. Here's a crappy picture of how I built it:

http://i47.tinypic.com/301ptli.jpg

Simple enough, and gives you a decent control of your sound. You can put that on a breadboard first, play with the size of the two parts there. Mine has a 100K audio potentiometer, and a 100pf ceramic capacitor. This simple little thing can be used for other stuff, too. Change it a little to make a mix knob, all sorts of junk.

Distortions generally just amplify the crap out of your signal, so keep that in mind when thinking about a distortion. Any parts that'll make your signal LOUDER are what you want to go for, like a diode or a little IC (The black rectangles on a CB). Even LEDs will make your signal sound different.

zafo

I've built a few of the screamer kits so if you've any questions just ask on here and one of us should be able to help.

www.freestompboxes.org is also a great resource.

shizz

Bipolar Joe wrote: »

Distortions generally just amplify the crap out of your signal, so keep that in mind when thinking about a distortion. Any parts that'll make your signal LOUDER are what you want to go for, like a diode or a little IC (The black rectangles on a CB). Even LEDs will make your signal sound different.

Well diode's and LED's arent making the signal louder. They are clipping them at a "certain signal strength" ( Normal diode .7v, LED around 1.2v or so) so the type you choose would depend on the amount of volume before clipping really. Try them all out, they all give different types of "distortion".

ham_n_mustard

heres a sound clip of a tubescreamer clone kit i got from general guitar gadgets. big enough build, lots of bits, plus i broke the tone pot, had to substitute another one i had lying around of nearly same value...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Hpcds1D_Y