GGG or BYOC builders??

fitz420 · #1 01-14-2010, 10:57 AM

alright, i'm thinking of having a couple pedals built, but really don't know of any reputable builders. does anyone have suggestions?

csala · #2 01-14-2010, 11:15 AM

You should contact TB'er Conical Johnsen. He has built me two killer custom pedals in the past (Brassmaster clone w/ starve/gate/exp input as well as a low pass filter with a square wave generator). I've got my third pedal coming from him in about 1 month.

He's really creative, talented, and easy to deal with.

Good luck!

rratajski · #3 01-14-2010, 12:42 PM

I'd scoop you up, but I'm on hella hiatus.

Get @ Jimmy Rocket.

fitz420 · #4 01-14-2010, 01:28 PM

yeah, rratajski, i've been looking for a GGG muff with mid control....sound familiar

Pitbull Growl · #5 01-14-2010, 02:04 PM

Can I be the 1st to suggest try it yourself 1st?

If it proves to be too much, ask for help. Plenty of free resources out there to guide ya, and the kits are pretty much paint by numbers. $40 for a soldering iron, work station, and some rosin core solder is a minimal investment, and it might prove to be an enjoyable hobby for ya.

* Edit to add: BYOC offers a free boost pedal kit w/your 1st kit order to practice on too. Start there and once you get that going, move on to the next project.

bigchiefbc · #6 01-14-2010, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitbull Growl

Can I be the 1st to suggest try it yourself 1st?

If it proves to be too much, ask for help. Plenty of free resources out there to guide ya, and the kits are pretty much paint by numbers. $40 for a soldering iron, work station, and some rosin core solder is a minimal investment, and it might prove to be an enjoyable hobby for ya.

* Edit to add: BYOC offers a free boost pedal kit w/your 1st kit order to practice on too. Start there and once you get that going, move on to the next project.

+1 - I had never soldered a single thing in my life before I bought my first BYOC kit (the DOD 440 envelope filter). They sent me the signal tester and the confidence booster free with it. Soldering those two things got me ready for the real deal, and it worked, first time through, no troubleshooting needed

Pitbull Growl · #7 01-14-2010, 02:43 PM

AWESOME!!!

OP, I Forgot to add: throw in another few bucks for a desoldering wick or solder sucker, in case you accidentally bridge 2 traces or something.

wilmerflax · #8 01-14-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitbull Growl

Can I be the 1st to suggest try it yourself 1st?

If it proves to be too much, ask for help. Plenty of free resources out there to guide ya, and the kits are pretty much paint by numbers. $40 for a soldering iron, work station, and some rosin core solder is a minimal investment, and it might prove to be an enjoyable hobby for ya.

* Edit to add: BYOC offers a free boost pedal kit w/your 1st kit order to practice on too. Start there and once you get that going, move on to the next project.

This is really good advice. Building from a kit is much, much easier than you might imagine. There is some upfront investment and some time commitment, but you'll likely find the soldering and wiring part of it to be fairly easy and quite enjoyable.

fitz420 · #9 01-14-2010, 09:28 PM

now u guys got me thinkin....thanks. i'm fairly good at this kind of stuff. i used to be in the IT field. i've built many pc's, etc. i've just always figured i'd need someone to sit down with me and teach me to solder. i guess i've been a little afraid of trying it without sitting down with someone watching over my work.

i also play a ton of gigs and make decent money doing it, i've been afraid of gigging with a pedal not made by a pro and it crapping out, and in turn making me look bad in front of those who pay me.

i have wanted to try this for myself for a long time. u guys sort of gave me some confidence, and i guess if i'm having problems, someone could fix my not so handy work.

i'll still probably have a pedal built soon and look to when my wife is off for the summer to give it a try.

rcubed · #10 01-14-2010, 09:44 PM

There are plenty of solder tutorials out there. I'm sure there are clips on youtube. Do a bit of research first before you make the investment. But once you've made that investment, there are plenty of circuits to solder up that will save you a bunch of money.

jucas · #11 01-14-2010, 09:53 PM

I say go for it. Soldering really isn't that hard to start(although it can take some practice to get really good), and if there's a bonus booster to practice, you should be able to get it by the end.

I kinda worry about pedals I build not holding up too, but I figure that if you get it to work once, and really tighten the pots and jacks and stuff on... it should hold up. If they're locked in place there shouldn't be much room for movement and breaking joints, and if its a true bypass effect, odds are pretty good you could turn the pedal off and at least get clean sounds.

rratajski · #12 01-15-2010, 04:39 AM

To be honest, you have almost the same chances of an EHX pedal crapping out on you as you do a handmade/boutique pedal. You'll do just fine man! Try it.

GGG kits include wire and solder.

RCCollins · #13 01-15-2010, 08:49 AM

builders serve a function. I'd rather practice or play music than spend time soldering.

Jayers · #14 01-15-2010, 02:31 PM

Fuzz is the easiest pedal to make. Here's an idea, for about $10 you can buy all the parts you need to make the BazzFuss

and here, for the perfboard layout: http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html

Make it on some perfboard. Don't even put it in a case. As long as you connect all the grounds properly it should work. This will tell you if you are cut out for building a pedal and then you can buy a GGG or BYOC kit.

TheWoodShed · #15 01-15-2010, 02:36 PM

Can't speak for others, but I just don't have the patience. I wish I did, but I am sure when I couldn't figure out why it wasn't working it would be launched through a window into the horse pasture, landing firmly in a fresh steaming pile of meadow muffins.

At least, that is the way I imagine it lol...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitbull Growl

Can I be the 1st to suggest try it yourself 1st?

If it proves to be too much, ask for help. Plenty of free resources out there to guide ya, and the kits are pretty much paint by numbers. $40 for a soldering iron, work station, and some rosin core solder is a minimal investment, and it might prove to be an enjoyable hobby for ya.

* Edit to add: BYOC offers a free boost pedal kit w/your 1st kit order to practice on too. Start there and once you get that going, move on to the next project.

rcubed · #16 01-15-2010, 02:48 PM

Say you wanted one of those $65 kits from GGG, how much more would you pay for a finished build?

Freekmagnet · #17 01-15-2010, 03:07 PM

It's pretty easy to build one of those kits. If you leave the box unfinished, you could probably make one in an afternoon. Everything is pretty much laid out for you. If you run into trouble the guys on the BYOC forums are really helpful. If you really need help, the guys at diystompboxes.com are very knowledgeable, too. I've built a few. I started out making simple kits I've since moved on to some more intermediate pedals and I have the plans for a simple tube pre sitting on my desk right now. Cost about $40 - $50 in parts.

If you really feel you can't do it, you can buy the BYOC endorsed pre-assembled pedals from this guy: http://axeandyoushallreceive.com/

FenderAmpeg · #18 02-02-2010, 03:55 PM

When the OP said he has built computers that solidified my thoughts of do the DIY, well, DIY!
If you can piece together the boards and drives of a PC and do the troubleshooting, learning a little soldering and putting toghther a pedal is not much of jump.
I just built the BYOC ESV Fuzz, lots of fun and quite easy.
BTW BYOC has a confidence building kit as well.
Go for it and have fun!!

vin*tone · #19 02-02-2010, 04:04 PM

Grab a prototyping perf board - You can throw together the circuit without soldering to test it out first. I'd be lost without mine

Taylor Livingston · #20 02-02-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vin*tone

Grab a prototyping perf board - You can throw together the circuit without soldering to test it out first. I'd be lost without mine

That's a breadboard. Perf board is this:

http://www.westfloridacomponents.com...erf-board2.jpg

It's for soldering without having to do a PCB layout or etch a board. But you do have to solder with perf.