DIY Pedals where to begin?

[mikeshaug]

Hi there. Im new to the forum here. I have recently developed an interest in pedal building. I want to know where I should begin. My understanding of this stuff is pretty limited, so any input from you guys would be appreciated. I was told that a tube screamer would probably be the best starting point for pedal building.

As far as tools I have some stuff but should probably buy more. What kit to you guys is a good starting point, and what tools should I have. Thanks

[Dmoney]

A good soldering Iron will be really helpful.
you can get some decent budget soldering stations.

also, helping hands (croc clips on a stand with a magnifying glass) might help.
some stuff for cleaning your soldering iron. there are different products.
it worth getting some good wire cutters.
maybe a small wire stripper.

check out BYOC
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/index1.html
they have some good kits, even for starters. They sound good and they have good instructions.

I find this site helpful too
http://www.beavisaudio.com/
It has a 'soldering 101' and in the tech pages some useful notes on various things like switches and so on. good once you're started and thinking about modding what you've built already i guess.

A fuzz might be easier than a screamer.

[gingataff]

If it's your first time start with something simple like a fuzz.
A TS is much more hassle and realistically you'll need a PCB whereas you can make a fuzz on perfboard.

I've made about half a dozen pedals (several more yet to be finished) and didn't use a kit for any of them, I just used DIY books (admittedly not a huge choice available) and websites such as freestompboxes.org, beavisaudio.com,  Fuzzcentral, etc.
 
Quite a few members of this forum have used kits though so I'm sure they can give you some good advice.

As for tools I'd say a couple of good soldering irons (I like the ones with changeable tips so you can use a big one for soldering jacks and a small one for PCBs), good solder (I use Kester 44), a drill, reamer and goggles (for making cases which is the least fun part of it), wire strippers/cutters, helping hands, heatsinks, desoldering braid, shrinktubing and of course... a multimeter!

[Deadstar]

Yeah a screamer is maybe a little complicated for a first build but fuzz is fairly simple.

Got a link here for a ZVex SHO boost though which is also quite easy to do:

http://thepedalbuilder.com/?paged=2

[tekbow]

And good luck as well with the builds  :D i'm way to intimidated by electronics to even try, so fair play to you

[marauder]

This page has all the pedals that Juansolo and I have built in order of construction.  
He does the wiring, and I do the painting (and debugging when they dont work - he really hates that).
It was perhaps a little adventurous of him to get a BYOC OD-2 as the first kit, but it does work fine.  They tend to get neater and more complex as time goes on.

http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/geetah/stompage.html

[Ratrod]

I'm thinking about building a fuzzrite clone for those spaghetti western tones.

Anyone have a 'buildsheet for dummies'?

[sjwebb90]

Another couple of sites to consider are:

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com/

http://www.tonepad.com/

Hard to find pedal parts plus the usual stuff can be found at Smallbear and they ship to the UK.
http://www.smallbearelec.com/home.html

[marauder]

I'm thinking about building a fuzzrite clone for those spaghetti western tones.

Anyone have a 'buildsheet for dummies'?

[mikeshaug]

ok i am on BYOC what fuzz should I buy? thanks guys

[Ratrod]

Thanks Marauder!

[marauder]

ok i am on BYOC what fuzz should I buy? thanks guys

Sign up to the BYOC forum, there's load of good advice there.

[mikeshaug]

I am thinking maybe the leeds

[marauder]

I am thinking maybe the leeds

Possibly the most complex fuzz ever, more than 10 components in that one.  Just dont rush it as its your first build.

[mikeshaug]

bought tne octavia fuzz