simple homebrew pedal question

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i'm thinking of trying to build a pedal that just contains a spdt switch, with one position just letting the guitar signal go straight through, and the other position having a resistor to cut down on the guitar volume. i really like using the distortion channel on my amp and switching between the guitar's volume being full and then cutting it down until it's almost clean, but with just the slightest bit of crunch. however, this is difficult to pull off in live situations, as the volume has to be adjusted too precisely for me to just roll the knob into the right place immediately. i was thinking it would be like a passive volume pedal, but with only two settings...would that be possible?
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

I've seen simple pedals like that done before, but with a pot instead of a resistor. Seemed to work ok :)
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

would i have to worry about noise at all? because it's going from being coaxial to having the wires separated like in a speaker cable? or would the stretch be too short to worry about that?
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

joelap said:
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking here. Do you mean, would it be an issue to have unsheilded wires inside the pedal enclosure? If thats the question,nah it'll be fine.
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i mean how speaker cables are always really noisy if you plug them from the guitar to the amp, because they have the 2 conductors running side by side instead of one inside the other (coaxial), so it picks up interference from other electronic devices. i'm worried that that might happen in my case, although i doubt it will considering every other pedal in the world has the same thing happening inside it...
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

Just build it into a small metal box, and ground the box.

P.S. You'll probably want to use an L-pad rather than a resistor. Don't let that scare you . . . its just two resistors. I'll post tomorrow on how to select them. (Getting ready to go to bed.)
Or, you can always substitute a potentiometer, as others have said. An L-pad has a slight advantage in the guitar "loading" aspect.
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

yeah, i tried doing it just now in a small plastic box and had a lot of buzz, but maybe a metal box would get rid of that? i had to use a 10-meg resistor to get it to the level i'd want it at, and that seemed really high to me. however, it does do what i expected it to do.
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

If you want to use a plastic/wood enclosure, just line the insides with metal foil... or just use a metal box for best results.
 
Re: simple homebrew pedal question

i think using a pot would be better since it will give you flexabillity in adjusting the vol drop needed for different guitars.
 
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