DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

[guitarSQUIRELL]

I want opinions on this. Looking at building my own pedal to see how it goes with a cheap kit. Ever done it? Let me hear your thoughts.

[Hank-]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

If its a kit then it should be easier to get it assembled since you dont need to hunt for parts online. But from a non kit perspective it will depend on the time you are willing to spend on the build by sourcing parts, troubleshooting minor quirks you run into from silly mistakes sometimes(i would know! lol) & if its worth building a clone considering someone else is making one for more or less the same price its gonna cost to build it yourself.

Its a fun experience though, are there any specific pedals you want to build?

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

From a general perspective, quality of components directly influences the quality of the end-result. Quality also costs more money. Cheaper components may not be as reliable, and may require exchange/replacement due to defective manufacture. As well, cheaper components may pass more noise (electrical hum, can't adequately deflect/ignore RF interference, etc) resulting in overall poor performance.

I'd suggest getting some ready-made inexpensive "crappy no-name" or broken pedals from Ebay and pawn shops and trying your luck with repairing them, then see what you can replace to improve them. Your initial cost might be the same as or less than a complete ground-up build, and then the extra expense of replacements/upgrades, so you could come out with the same total cost, with the advantage of having most of the "hard work" done for you.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

This is like any other craft hobby -- you really have to enjoy the craft side of DIY for it to be 'worth it' for you.
I am a writer/player, and HATE tinkering with my pedals, guitars, or amps. I just do not find it pleasurable, though I am envious of those with technical/mechanical skills greater than mine.

I guess you can say I am a self-loathing troglodyte!

You can expect whatever money you save in parts to be paid with time, effort, and the occasional solder burn. If chasing down problems, learning about circuits, and solving puzzles appeals to you then you will probably find it a very rewarding experience.

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I know Page did some tinkering (on-board switching and stuff), and of course Les Paul and Tom Sholz had their ideas, and they were great players to boot. Then you have EVH who admitted he didn't know how to wire up the neck pickup or the switch so he just jammed it into the middle cavity and went on with his life.

But that's comparing grand wizards of guitar and electronics with the ultimate one-pickup, one-knob, straight-in-and-no-bulls*** guitar hero.

There's tons of tinkerers out there who could be phenomenal players if they'd just stop tinkering and start playing, without worrying about how Chewie or Sponge-Bobby or Crispety-Chocolatey Buttery-flavored their tone is.

[Surgeon]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I've built over 60 pedals, all from scratch...then moved to amps. I'm a big DIY fan.

If you're into building stuff, you'll like it. The first few ones can be a bit frustrating but there's a Learning curve to it, like anything else. It's really rewarding and fun but if you're only doing it to save some money, you're better off buying the real thing since you're gonna need some Tools and supplies + theprice of the kit...and the time to learn and debug the first one(s).

If you're doing it to learn then by all means do it.

[Paully]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

Yeah,
I've built a couple of kits.
The thing I've experienced is that it's not really that much cheaper than you could get a preassembled pedal for.
It's more of a hobby in and of itself.
There are some kits where if you built it yourself you could end up with a high end clone at significant savings, but those are pretty complicated builds.

[Demanic]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

Some are players that tinker, others are tinkerers who play. I probably fall more into the latter. But what I do benefits the friends I have that are in the former ( or even more so, those who are players that don't tinker at all), just as their skills benefit me.

[Diego]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I've always been intrigued by the Dr. Boogie pedal that's always around in DIY circles. Never tried one.

[Chickenwings]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

Ive made a bunch of pedals. General GUitar gadgets are cheap and have good clear instructions.
Mammoth Electronics gives you moire choices for sexy looking painted enclosures and a choice of knobs but trying to find the information on the "guitar pcb" website can be difficult.
Ive had good results with both.

Funny tho...over the last 20 years or so I've ended up going from boss, to modding boss pedals, to boutique, to building kits, to making my own recipes, back to boutique and back to boss. lol.

....lets not talk about that phase in the 80s/90s where i thought it was a good idea to use digital rack mount and multi effects gear!


Anyways yeah you can get good results making your own and it can be a fun learning experience.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I've ended up going from boss, to modding boss pedals, to boutique, to building kits, to making my own recipes, back to boutique and back to boss

Your pedal journey sounds a lot like my amp journey!
50W > 100W > dual 100W > 100W > 50W > 30W > 5W > 2W.

[Shooter.556]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I've done several Monte Allums pedals. He's friend of mine and a nice guy. I usually do them in winter because they are a fun inside project.
I've never tried anything else but I have had good luck from his. As I have gotten more successful I can afford more high end gear now and I have stopped doing them.
I need to get back into it. I'd build 2 or 3 and sell em or build em for guys in Nashville I know.

[Surgeon]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

Yeah,
I've built a couple of kits.
The thing I've experienced is that it's not really that much cheaper than you could get a preassembled pedal for.
It's more of a hobby in and of itself.
There are some kits where if you built it yourself you could end up with a high end clone at significant savings, but those are pretty complicated builds.

If you go 100% DIY and not buy kits you end-up paying a lot less than the used market. No pedal in my arsenal cost more than 25$, even the huge circuits or germanium transistors. No way I can get a quality pedal for that little, not counting used joyos though.

I've always been intrigued by the Dr. Boogie pedal that's always around in DIY circles. Never tried one.

It's a very cool pedal (I've built a couple) but, IMHO, while a very worthwhile build, other production pedals have finally surpassed it whenit comes to nice, full, high-gain tones. The triple-wreck and a few others come to mind.

[Progbusters]

Re: DIY pedals. Anyone done any cheap ones and like them? Worth it or not?

I made a Tea Philter by MOD Kits. Its one of those point-to-point with no motherboard. It was fun and simple. The effect is subtle fixed wah. It sounds swanky with clean and ok with distortion. Its like a one sound type of pedal. http://www.modkitsdiy.com/pedal/tea_philter