DIY Pedals?

[jon the art guy]

Re: DIY Pedals?

GuitarPCB and Madbean sell PCBs mainly, and sometimes parts to go with them. They average $10 per pcb with volume discounts. Fuzzes generally go for cheaper and stuff like delays and flangers are more.

I like that idea way better. If you're going to DIY this stuff, best to source most of your own components. Most kit companies consider boxing a bunch of stuff together in one package worthy of 2x the price of the stuff itself. If you buy a GuitarPCB PCB, use Tayda and their cheap $3 shipping for the components, pots, etc, ebay an enclosure for $5 or buy a blem or 3 from Mammoth (already painted and drilled? niiiiice), and buy your germanium transitors/reverb bricks/really big ICs/vactrols/etc from someone like smallbear, you'll see a decent amount of savings on product. Try and consolidate your companies though. Shipping costs from 4 different suppliers will start hurting really quick.

Oh! Don't forget *****eslovemyswitches. no, i'm not kidding, just google it. They may be cheaper than anyone else by a couple pennies. They also have enclosures for a good price too.

[ratherdashing]

Re: DIY Pedals?

Most kit companies consider boxing a bunch of stuff together in one package worthy of 2x the price of the stuff itself.

Parts are just one thing that these businesses have to pay for, and I imagine it's not even the most expensive thing.

[jon the art guy]

Re: DIY Pedals?

Parts are just one thing that these businesses have to pay for, and I imagine it's not even the most expensive thing.

That's true. Business is business. It comes down to how much work someone wants to put into the hunt.

[BloodRose]

Re: DIY Pedals?

BYOC is awesome if you are new to building pedals and want a kit that has everything you need to do a build (aside from a soldering iron and time). Their instructions are the best, and their forum is full of smart guys who can help troubleshoot problems. They do cost more (sometimes as much as the pedal they're cloning) but you do get what you pay for IMO.

A General Guitar Gadgets kit has all the parts you need, but very little in the way of instructions and reference material. Great kits though. I'd recommend them if you're confident with pedal building and don't need lots of hand-holding.

this is great info! Since this is my first go at it, maybe I should go with a BYOC to start with

[ratherdashing]

Re: DIY Pedals?

this is great info! Since this is my first go at it, maybe I should go with a BYOC to start with

Yes, that's exactly what I'd suggest. Plus their pedals are really great. I still use my Optical Compressor

[James Rock]

Re: DIY Pedals?

Not a way to save money, people on eBay sell kit made stuff cheaper then the kits sometimes. Good to learn on I guess though, but the way Jon suggested is probably better on your wallet

[jimijames]

Re: DIY Pedals?

So, from this thread I found like a ton more parts suppliers, for pedals. This is why I <3 this forum.

Mouser also has a good selection of parts, but the cheapest shipping I've ever paid from them was $7 so you need to get enough stuff to make it worthwhile. That works out to 2-4 pedals IME.

I love making DIY pedals, but if you're just someone who wants a pedal on a budget it only makes sense if you're building a copy of a landgraff (which I've heard is a copy of the tubscreamer circuit with 3mm red LEDs for clipping), or the clay jones (which I've heard is very nearly the same thing), or the klon (which IDK what it's based on). Or some other ridiculously expensive pedal. Even then, with light hands and determination you can modify one of the millions of tubescreamer copies (or copies of other circuits) to sound so close to the object of your desire as to not make a difference. Come to think of it, the most important element of any pedal is what it does to the part of you that translates what you're hearing in your head to what's coming out of the speakers. That 'transparency,' for lack of a better word, is what gets you (me? I might be reading a lot of myself in here) high playing music. Or, to borrow a framework...

Sound good, feel good, play good. IMO that's what it's all about.

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: DIY Pedals?

I've been stuck on the DIY stuff for a while now. Etching my own PCBs is pretty easy, if you have the gear for it. Photo paper and a laser printer can make excellent transfers if you do the procedure right. Failing that, go vero board.

I'm curious about the photo paper thing; where did you learn that one from?

[jon the art guy]

Re: DIY Pedals?

I'm curious about the photo paper thing; where did you learn that one from?

I think it's photo paper = ironing the toner off the paper and onto the copper plate. I see a lot of people using regular paper and using mineral spirits to melt the toner off the paper and onto the copper.

I still am at the perfboard/p2p stage. Besides, I love the crazy point to point wiring stuff. This particular one inspired the whole thing for me.

[trevorus]

Re: DIY Pedals?

I'm curious about the photo paper thing; where did you learn that one from?

I don't actually remember. I do know toner is a plastic based thing, so when it is heated, it bonds to what it's placed against. So, if you get a transfer printed on some glossy paper of some sort (glossy texture allows the toner to release easier), scuff the copper clad board with a Brillo type pad, preheat, and apply the toner. Then place the iron on the paper, and let it heat for a minute or so. Then take he iron off, let it cool, and peel as close to parallel to the board surface as you can. I've gotten some really clean transfers this way.

It also helps that I found my laser printer in the garbage. Someone threw it away because it had paper jam. I've had it for near 2 years and haven't even had to get a toner cartridge, and even if I do, they're only $25. So, it's a cheap method to make boards.

[MrTondo]

Re: DIY Pedals?

For the people in europe: www.musikding.de is where I got my first two kits (Zen-drive klone and Fulltone '69 clone) and ordered some parts to build two more (but then I got married, so they still are in a box somewhere right now, but that's another story ). They are really cheap and I have no complaints about the service, they often add some extra parts with their kits as spares.

[Hecubus]

Re: DIY Pedals?

Great experiences with BYOC, General Guitar Gadgets, Madbean, Guitar PCB, and Mammoth here. You will not save money over buying a used pedal or another clone unless it is something that is rare or crazy expensive like a Klon. Sourcing the parts can be more cost effective than buying kits, but after shipping the difference is less of a decision factor. Good sources for the parts are Small Bear, Mouser, and Mammoth. This is a hobby and will take a lot of time and some money to get good at it. I started with BYOC kits and worked my way up buying PCBs and sourcing parts. Now I am getting into building on vero board. Next will be making my own PCBs and eventually designing my own. This is how some of the boutique builders like VFE started out so you can really take this hobby as far as you want. Good luck.

[ratherdashing]

Re: DIY Pedals?

I've been stuck on the DIY stuff for a while now. Etching my own PCBs is pretty easy, if you have the gear for it. Photo paper and a laser printer can make excellent transfers if you do the procedure right. Failing that, go vero board.

I used to laser print onto magazine paper when I was doing etching. It works just as well, and it costs nothing (assuming you have a magazine lying around).

When I took electronics in high school we used electrical tape to mask off our traces. You just cover the whole surface of the board with tape and use an x-acto knife to trim away the parts you want to etch. This is only practical with really simple circuits though.