Good Second Build ? input needed

[criss]

G Day

Whats your thoughts on a good second build . Im not fussed what it is , just want it to be at my noob level and fairly easy to find parts

Ohh and sounds good would also be on the list .

Any and all input would be a big help .

Thanx

[gaussmarkov]

this is a pretty frequently asked question.  try searching "next build" (or similar) in topics only and see what you get.

off the top of my head, popular distortion boxes are the bsiab2 and the blue magic.  good first time fuzzes are the runoffgroove sili face 2 and joe davisson's antiquity fuzz (because they use silicon transistors).  phase45 is often suggested.  or a booster like dragonfly's sparkle drive or the amz-fx mosfet booster.  have fun!

[petemoore]

  What was your first one?
  If you can get 2n2369 transistors to swap/select a Q1 for an Axis Face [or other low gain Si works too, that ^ part # though, is as sure fire as any...
  Tube Amp or Si...recommended mainly for Tube Amps [at my camp].

[ryanscissorhands]

I would suggest figuring out what kind of pedals you need, and choosing one of them that is simple. I say this because if a person just wanted to do some simple builds with no other criteria, that person would inevitably end up with eleventeen boosts--not very practical.

Also, different projects work on different skills. The beginner project on this site is an example of mostly soldering skill development. Projects done on PCB are the same. Making your own layout of a simple circuit is good for developing your layout skills. Breadboarding is an underrated but very effective skill to get good at. Coming up with your own mod to a simple circuit is a good way to get into the creative side, too.

Simple types of circuits include, but are not limited to:

-boosts (beginner project, AMZ MOSFET boost--very cool)
-fuzzes/distortions(MXR Distortion+, Fuzzface, etc.)
-most things on PCB that aren't ridiculously large
-some amp sims (check out runoffgroove.com)
-simple optical compressors (DOD 280 from generalguitargadgets.com, aka GGG)
-FX loop box

The important thing is to identify what skills you want to develop themost,and what kind of pedal you will ACTUALLY use in your setup. For me, I built thebeginner project first, then a dual-boost/loop box (very useful). This weekend is thanksgiving in Canada, so I'm going to be finishing Tim Escobedo's Uglyface next(schem at www.geocities.com/tpe123/folkurban/fuzz/snippets.html ). It's a prettysimple circuit, too, and one that fits on the small Radioshack perfboards.

Let us know what you want to work on, and we'll be able to give you some specific suggestions.

As for me, I really like my loop box. It's a dual AMZ MOSFET booster, and it's on a PCB that I bought from GGG. It's two MOSFET boosts that share a voltage reference section, but have independent in/outputs. I added two switches and 4 jacks for two independent send/return in/outs for the FX loop. I also added a 100K pot to ground for a volume control, as well as the stock boost control. And then I painted it and made it all sexy.

Figure out what you will use, and then we can be of more help.

[criss]

Thanx for all the input people much appreciated !!

My first build was the NPN boost and as i doubled up on parts ( thought i would stuff up my first ) im building a second one with the range control for my brother .

I guess something along the fuzz/distortion line would be nice  .  What is the easy version along these lines ? I dont want to get in over my head so the absolute basic build will be great , be it fuzz or distortion .

Thanx again for your input .

[swal]

It all depends on how big of a step u want to take. Some good options are a "blue clipper", http://www.runoffgroove.com/newclipper.html
it is very simple. Since you have built a pedal with a transistor, now try one with a ompamp.
Or, you can do a miny tube screamer "tube reamer" http://www.runoffgroove.com/tubereamer.html
Good Luck

[criss]

Exellent stuff thanx swal

very nice easy to follow builds too , and the sound clips are makeing it hard to pick something

Thanx again

[jmusser]

I'll second Joe's Antiquity Fuzz, and his equally great Easy Drive. I've built them both, and you can't go wrong with either one.