Approximate cost of building a Fuzz Face clone

[skrapasor]

So I built a Tube Screamer clone using a kit from GGG. It's pretty sweet, but I want to now build my own pedal completely to get more experience. I just want to know the approximate price to build a Fuzz Face so I can check to see if it's worth it. BTW I couldn't search for some reason so I apologize if this was already asked. The forum might be incompatible with links.

[hubble]

this all depends on your current stock of supplies/tools.  given that most of the stuff is cheap your cost lies mainly in the enclosure, pots, jacks and knobs.  you could probably get away with $20 if you get cheap everything, it all depends though, if you want a painted enclosure thats another charge, fancy knobs and jacks, if you need to purchase wire or other neccessities.

[Derringer]

yeah, I'd guesstimate $20 - $30

which is really a sick deal for such a cool pedal PLUS !!!!! you get to build it and learn from it!


I need to box up a FF some day. I'd breadboarded them but never boxed one up.

[skrapasor]

Alright I'm definitely doing it now. I do need a better supply of that kind of thing though. Do you think it would be good to just get a bunch of jacks, pots, switches, enclosures, etc. at once to save money now?

[jefe]

Alright I'm definitely doing it now. I do need a better supply of that kind of thing though. Do you think it would be good to just get a bunch of jacks, pots, switches, enclosures, etc. at once to save money now?

heh heh... of course it's better to buy in bulk, it will "save you money" in the long run. But if you really want to save money, stay away from this hobby. lol.... I'm laughing because within two posts, you went from wanting to build a pedal for cheap, to pondering the benefits of stocking your bench, which is not an inexpensive endeavor.

I would recommend pricing a KIT for a Fuzz Face, and use that price as your baseline. See if you can source the parts for cheaper... it's entirely doable. But if you know for sure that you will want to build more than just the Fuzz Face, then you should just go ahead and order parts for your next couple of builds at the same time. It WILL save you money in shipping.

This is how it starts... you have been warned! lol... and welcome! It's a very fun - and addictive - hobby!

[BAARON]

Look at it this way.  If you're ordering parts from smallbearelec.com you will have approximate prices such as:

Enclosure = $8-10
Switch = $8-10
3 jacks = $4
Knobs = $2
Perfboard = $2
Standoffs = $1
LED & Bezel = $1

Right there you're looking at $26-30 for a box and all the trimmings, excluding the cost of the circuit itself.  Personally, I usually count on "$30 plus $2.50 for every control on the pedal and $10-20 for the circuit."  I'm not convinced it's worth cutting corners and cheaping out on parts, especially if they're mechanical parts, i.e. buying a $5 footswitch instead of a $10 footswitch, because you only save a few dollars and you don't end up with as good a product.  Even an excellent design can sound bad if you use bad parts... using good materials is the best way to go, whether you're building a pedal, a guitar, an amp, a a car, a cake, clothes, etc.

[skrapasor]

Well thanks guys... yeah I'm not trying to be "cheap" or whatever I was just wanting to know an estimate to compare with. I'm not building pedals to save money, although you really can get a great quality pedal for a lot less money.

[Curly]

even though you want to do your own, you still might consider the GGG fuzz face kit

if you're doing onesy-twosy builds, it's often the shipping that kills the cost. the advantage of a kit is that you have all the parts in one place, which lowers shipping costs

also, you can get a very good sounding fuzz by doing the build, getting it working, then just adding trannies from Small Bear.