Beginner links and direction

[WelshWonder]

Hi Everyone,

Some Background: I'm new to this site and relatively new to electronics in general. I've been playing guitar for over 10 years and I'm keen tinkerer, always modifying my guitars' (US Strat, Kinman pickups | US Les Paul, SD '59 pickups) electrics, changing caps, pots etc. which is now why I want to move on to FX pedals and hence me finding this site.

Goals: I want to understand what components do to change a guitar signal to get a desired effect and hopefully build my own pedals and possibly modify existing ones that I own. Later on, if I become competant, I would like to have a look at amplifiers and do things like bias a valve amp, fix fx loop circuits and maybe the odd mod, but that is later, for now, I want to concentrate on fx pedals.

Problems: I already have tools for the job (soldering irons, digital multi meter, components, wire, cutters etc.) and I also have access to a lot of circuit diagrams but I don't know how to translate them into PCB, I know how to make a PCB but not sure how to translate a schematic into a PCB design. I've done a lot of reading lately on the subject and understand what components are what on schematics but I generally lack a bit of direction on how to start me going in the right direction. Any advice and links to sites you may have is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

[Dragonfly]

Here's a "kick start" for ya !



http://ourworld.cs.com/gknott5413/elect441.htm

AC