# Building pedals,...



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Would this rather lengthy PDF manual for a distortion box be a good place to start???

http://www.premierguitar.com/ext/resources/files/DIY-PDFs/Oct14_PGDistortion_BuildGuide_Final_R2.pdf


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Looks great to me! Lots of good pics and diagrams.

Hopefully, mhammer will comment.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I've heard mhammer mentioning the pedal forum several times, sounds like a good place to start.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Joe Gore, the author, is awright in my books. For a guy who has played with some pretty high profile people, and been writing for guitar mags for years (formerly Guitar Player, now PG), I'm surprised he does as much building as he does. I was deeply honoured when I wrote to him to compliment him on something and he knew me by name. 

The document looks pretty good AFAIC. Brian Wampler sent me a copy of his first book on pedal building, some years back, for review. I made a few suggestions that he subsequently implemented. The book and the article have a lot of the same information in the same depth, although Brian's book has more drawings, plus lots of space for notes. The demonstration circuit, itself, is a standard recommendation for a first circuit. The circuit found here - http://revolutiondeux.blogspot.ca/2012/02/fred-briggs-64-vintage-vox-tones-galore.html - isn't a lot more complicated, but I've been really pleased with it as an overdrive pedal, in terms of what it can push 0ut of an amp (the diodes aren't absolutely critical - any Schottky type can be used).

All of us who have been making pedals for awhile were raised on the Craig Anderton books, as well as Robert Penfold's and John Simonton's articles in Electronics Today and Radio Electronics.

I cannot recommending highly enough becoming a member of the diystompbox forum ( http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?board=2.0 ), and consulting the profusely-illustrated build documents at Small Bear Electronics, the various guidance documents at GEOFEX ( http://www.geofex.com/ ) and AMZ ( http://www.muzique.com/ ) as well as consulting the veroboard layouts at tagboard effects ( http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.ca/ ). Personally, I prefer perfboard or PCB, but enough folks like veroboard that there must be some merit to it.

Get to know Tayda Electronics in Thailand, dipmicro in Niagara Falls, and Small Bear in Brooklyn.

Be patient. Accept that you will have some weeks when everything you touch is gold and other weeks when everything you touch turns to s**t. Accept that dysfunctionality will arise from the absolute dumbest and simplest of things, and that your trouble-shooting should not exclude any of them. And by all means, drop me a post here or a PM if you run into trouble.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

The first thing I've to do inventory what tools I have and what I need.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Would this rather lengthy PDF manual for a distortion box be a good place to start???


Are you going to try a build?

What about getting a kit from https://www.axeandyoushallreceive.com/brands/byoc-kits ??

Sourcing parts can be a pain ...and expensive.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

A simple overdrive, distortion or fuzz to start. I found the kit prices at AXE starting around $84 Cdn to be a bit pricey. I am retired and have the time to look for stuff.



greco said:


> Are you going to try a build?
> 
> What about getting a kit from https://www.axeandyoushallreceive.com/brands/byoc-kits ??
> 
> Sourcing parts can be a pain ...and expensive.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Good for you, keep us posted on your progress.
That's a cool step by step guide, I bookmarked that, thanks for the link.

Not to put him on the spot, but keto may be able to help you out if there's local places to source parts.

Good luck!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Robert I have all the supplies you need and then some just arrange to come to the west side


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> A simple overdrive, distortion or fuzz to start. I found the kit prices at AXE starting around $84 Cdn to be a bit pricey. I am retired and have the time to look for stuff.


Fair enough...especially when you have 'keto' to help with supplies and help you to source more if/when needed

You are a good man, Mr. Keto!


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

keto said:


> Robert I have all the supplies you need and then some just arrange to come to the west side


Boom! Over and above.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

if you want a super simple OD/Fuzz pedal I would try the greer green giant.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

While you were hoping to make stuff for lower cost, I have to say the build docs that BYOC produces are very good. They don't have the imagine-yourself-doing-THIS feel that Joe Gore's document does or that you can find in Small Bear's projects, they're still pretty decent.

PAiA Electronics in Oklahoma were kind of the godfathers of DIY audio electronics. The late John Simonton (PAiA founder) had a great many project articles in all the popular electronics hobbyist magazines, and Craig Anderton's various effects projects in Guitar Player, Contemporary Keyboard, and Modern Recording magazines were generally released through PAiA. Though relying exclusively on line drawings, their build docs set the standard for what BYOC would eventually come to do. They have generously posted pretty much all of their back-catalog in the threads you can find in their in-house forums here: http://www.paia.com/talk/

With the emergence of cheap and efficient methods for designing and fabricating PCBs, we've seen a number of providers emerge whose primary business line is providing professionally-made PCBs for resissues and modded clones of popular vintage effects, as well as entirely new designs. There are plenty more, but a beginner would be very happy with what they can get from Madbean, Tonepad, and General Guitar Gadgets. GGG sells entire kits, like BYOC does, but you can also get just the board, and provide the parts and box yourself. All the technical info is provided free on their sites.

I typically make my own PCBs; something that has gotten ridiculously easy and cheap since I began this hobby in the late 70's. The pivotal factor has been the development of toner-transfer methods. "Toner-transfer" involves printing the PCB pattern with a laser printer (NO ink jet) onto a particular surface. The surface is some sort of emulsion, coating either a paper or acetate sheet. So this could be photo-paper, glossy magazine paper (save those National Geographics!), or specialized "press-and-peel" (PnP) sheets. The heart of the method is that the toner, when heated, wants to stick to the bare copper surface of the PCB board, more than the emulsion wants to stick to the backing sheet. Most folks will apply the sheet to the board with a clothes iron, but some folks get better results with laminator devices. Once you have an indication that the entire pattern has stuck to the copper, let the board cool down, then peel off the sheet. Done properly, only the pattern sticks to the board, and the peeled sheet has a sort of "negative" of where the pattern was printed onto the sheet. The board now has a layout of traces that will resist the etchant bath. Stick the board in the etchant, and in most instances, 15 minutes later you'll have an etched circuit board for the effect.

You'll still need to drill the holes, tin the resulting board, and trim it to size yourself, which is why many folks prefer to simply buy a pre-made board from the folks listed above. If the board is double-sided (to minimize the size), you're probably better off ordering a board until you have enough etches under your belt. But once you get the hang of it, and have the tools and setup, a person can go from finding a circuit and accompanying layout, to having an etched, drilled and populated circuit board in 90 minutes; a far cry from what we had to do back in the day.

So what's the added value of using PCBs, rather than veroboard or perfboard, and the layouts like the tagboard one for the Greer Green Giant? Memory. I don't know about other folks but keeping track of what has and hasn't been installed and connected/disconnected, when working with perf or vero, is the sort of thing that one should only attempt if blessed with lots of uninterrupted time. The nice thing about PCBs is that they "remember" the connections and missing parts for you. That can make a big difference in trouble-shooting (because only a fraction of what you build will work the first time you fire it up).


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Thanks mhammer. As we have come to almost "expect", a very well-written, lengthy and helpful tutorial.

Cheers

Dave


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I was on tablet, where I hate typing replies, last night. I sent Robert a pm and invitation.

I forgot then, but I also have a fair sized library (on paper) of perf board layouts that I (or he) can copy. Mostly fuzzes and distortions, but some other things in there too. I'll give him a few, like my old favourite and quite simple, the Bosstone....man, I made a lot of those and everyone who got one loved it.

I might not have some of the electrolytics but should have all the box caps and resistors and transistors and diodes he should ever need, as well as other stuff. And can point him to 2 decent local sources.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Wow! Thanks everyone. I need to figure out the tools I need this weekend. Best place to get a multimetre would help. I'm just figuring the difference between a resister, a capacitor, a transistor and diode.

Keto - thanks I will be in touch when I've figured out exactly what I want to.

In that PG manual they use something called a breadboard. I have like the idea of laying out the project on that and seeing that it works right. Saw one at a place called Active123 close to the W.E.M.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I'll also give you a lesson on parts, and probably donate a breadboard (think I have 2). I hate breadboarding it's messy and hard for me to wrap my head around.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Just joined DIYstompboxes.com. Seems good for the absolute NEWB like me.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Just joined DIYstompboxes.com. Seems good for the absolute NEWB like me.


You'll find an exceptionally generous bunch of people there, spread all over the globe. See ya there.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I found the Electra schematic that DIY forum. Keto mentioned the Electra. They say it's a tweed like distortion. I like tweed.










Let me see, two caps, four resisters, two diodes and a transistor. No pots.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Well, a volume pot.

Connect the ground side of the two diodes together, and solder them to one of the lugs on a 10k pot. Now solder a wire from the next lug over on the pot (doesn't matter which) to ground. That will allow you to adjust how much clipping is introduced. As you reduce the clipping, the volume will increase, so be careful with it.

There, a two knob Electra! Actually a number of the Lovetone pedals are essentially this circuit, with a few other mods.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

keto said:


> ....I hate breadboarding it's messy and hard for me to wrap my head around.


Thanks for this Keto....I have always been too "embarrassed" to admit this to anyone..let alone in writing...LOL


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## danielSunn0))) (Dec 28, 2015)

Seems like you already have all the information and help you'd need, but I figure I will throw in an idea or two, being as I'm basically in the same boat as you, Richard. I found myself on Tonepad through internet searching and at some point it mentions on the site that they work with Smallbear in a way where if you buy a PCB layout from them and message Smallbear they'll basically make you a shopping list of all the parts you need for said PCB. I saw that Tonepad has an Ampeg Scrambler clone PCB there so I decided I want to do that one, as they sound killer! 
I messaged Smallbear asking about helping with a list and mentioned that it would be my very first build ever and within a short period I received an email back. A nice fellow named Steven did send me a list of all the parts and their SKU numbers for the Scrambler, however he mentioned that as a first build the Scarmbler may prove difficult and suggested I read this... 
http://diy.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/BeginnerArticle/BeginnerDos.htm
I was also encouraged to try this breadboard as a first "build" because of it's ease and in the description there's a guide to breadboarding the thing with pictures and everything.. 
http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/breadboard-the-ursa-minor/
Hope this helps, even if a little!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

"Steven" is likely Steve Daniels, the owner. I think Small Bear is about a 7 or 8-person operation now. Steve will answer some of the e-mails but is occupied much of the time dealing with business matters, like locating stashes of the various hard-to-find NOS components around the globe, or arranging with folks in the mysterious Orient to produce custom products for him. While ever faithful to the DIY market, he also sells to a number of commercial clients, including many boutique pedal-makers we're all familiar with, and those clients also occupy much of his time. The result is that Steve might get to some e-mail but one of the other very capable folks there will handle the rest.

Small Bear started out as a guy on the DIY Stompbox forum (Steve) learning that he could get a really good deal on something that many of us seemed to want. He would ask who was "in" and how many they might want, and he'd wangle the best deal for the gang on the forum. Bit by bit, the "deals" began to fill up the spare bedroom, until finally Steve's late father convinced him that he had a "business" and could safely give up his main employment as technical writer. (Keep in mind that giving up the health insurance provided by an employer and going out on your own is a BIG step, stateside). Having slept in that very bedroom, it is a DIY-ers wet dream. The business is located in another part of Brooklyn, but Steve does his R&D in that bedroom, and there are shelves and closets full of stuff for indulging any oddball idea one might have. He has a number of vintage pedals to compare against, and projects are generally tested out with a Peavey Classic 30 and a nice old Guild semi-hollow. My wife and I were visiting New York and staying with Steve and his wife. It was all my wife could do to drag me out of that bedroom each day to see Manhattan. Chacun a son maladie.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

aside from a few things ive found for a great price on ebay,
anything ive needed to order online relating to my pedal builds has come through small bear.
easy to navigate the website, he has everything you need, and the prices are great considering the small volumes i buy in.
never had an issue with anything.
fast shipping too.

another tip for robert-
whenever you place an order, always get more components than you will need.
and add a couple extra things you wont need immediately like jacks, pots, switches etc.
having a stockpile of stuff really comes in handy.
(says the guy who is out of footswitches)


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## splice (Nov 9, 2015)

Robert1950 said:


> Best place to get a multimetre would help.


It's not a common choice, but stop by Canadian Tire and pick up a Mastercraft #52-0052-2 multimeter (the one with transistor testing). It's $60 but if you wait for a sale you can pick it up for $30 or so. It outdoes my previous one, picked up for some $150 at a specialty electronics store. Never use that one anymore. Transistor testing is useful for some pedal builds (although you can also breadboard a circuit for testing them).


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

yeah i have a mastercraft meter thats worked fine for maybe 10 years.
still going strong.

i bought one of these for work about 4 years ago-
http://www.amazon.com/AideTek-VC97-Multimeter-Capacitor-Frequency/dp/B008GTEZPI

its identical in every way to a fluke that a workmate had-he paid a couple hundred bucks for his.
mine served me in the wind and rain and oil and filth for a couple years-
when i left work i cleaned it up and now use it at home- never had a problem with it and it does everything i need.


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

Building from scratch is very rewarding but can be incredibly frustrating. You have an ideal situation with a close by friend to help you out . But I would suggest a kit for a beginner and BYOC makes the best beginner kits. 
I've built dozens of pedals and lots from perf, but building from a nice PCB kit is a luxury I still appreciate every time I build one.
As far as the cost of the kits. If you were to buy the parts individually it would cost more then the kit price. Knowing a guy who can set you up is a huge hurdle avoided.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Daughter and grand-daughter got sick. Had to provide parent relief. Now I'm getting it. So much for my tool search this week.


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