I see hundreds of stomp boxes here, but which should I choose as a first?

[superferrite]

Good choice!  have fun, and build that Fuzz Face.
  If you DO: PM me if you need some transistors--I'll send you a couple that will sound great for free.

[LucifersTrip]

Alrighty, as soon as the store opens on Friday, Ill be there to order parts for my boost and DOD250.

Thanks for all of the help!

sounds great!

tho, not exactly sure why you decided on a dod25 (a more complicated overdrive) when you initially said you wanted a distortion (which is only 3 parts...see smokey above)

For the Dod250, Radio Shack actually carries the main part:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062547

good luck!

[ask4tristan]

Is there a nicer and simpler one than the DOD250?

Im looking for a Tom Scholz type distortion, LED clipping and all. Maybe Im not going to keep my first few projects, but I wanna at least try.

[artifus]

look for your kind of distortion, with or without leds. a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. go for the dod if that's what you think you need, at this point in time, but i think the knowledge that others are trying to impart to you in this thread is that you should learn to walk, perhaps even swagger, before you attempt to run. there are many valuable lessons to be learned in those first few tentative steps that we all must take, and continue to learn, for ourselves. maybe the dod is yours. you will meet with much disappointment, failure, luck and joy along your path and i think others are trying to guide you away from such disappointments so as not to dampen your spirits/enthusiasm so early in your experience which may cut your journey short if not handled well.

get yourself some breadboard. experiment, play, learn.

a great sound (a very subjective matter) can be had for less than a handful of components.

simple is good.

enjoy.

[Mark Hammer]

Alternatively, build yourself one of the various "engines", such as a TS-9 or Dist+/DOD250, and install some of the machined sockets in place of a few select components.  That will let you experiment with changing them.  So, for example, if you made yourself a DOD250/Dist+ "engine", you would install sockets for the clipping diodes, a socket for the cap in parallel with those diodes, and a socket for the .047uf cap to ground.  Playing around with the two cap values, and the diode types will let you explore a wide array of sounds, and decide on what you like best.

[artifus]

engines - spot the difference

[DavenPaget]

Alrighty, as soon as the store opens on Friday, Ill be there to order parts for my boost and DOD250.

Thanks for all of the help!

sounds great!

tho, not exactly sure why you decided on a dod25 (a more complicated overdrive) when you initially said you wanted a distortion (which is only 3 parts...see smokey above)

For the Dod250, Radio Shack actually carries the main part:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062547

good luck!

LOL! Ratshack's 741 sure is expensive ! 

[ask4tristan]

Yeah, Im dreaming big, sure. Just looking at my options and trying to optimize.

Heres another question, how hard is it to make a tube overdrive? Ive got like 40 good tubes laying around with no homes. Most are 12ax7 & 12au7 so that should be perfect. I know that a tube overdrive is not something I can do now but after I get some base knowledge down, thatll be the first big project.

[LucifersTrip]

Yeah, Im dreaming big, sure. Just looking at my options and trying to optimize.

Heres another question, how hard is it to make a tube overdrive? Ive got like 40 good tubes laying around with no homes. Most are 12ax7 & 12au7 so that should be perfect. I know that a tube overdrive is not something I can do now but after I get some base knowledge down, thatll be the first big project.

probably not that hard, but tubes are a different beast....this may be your first project when you get to that point:
http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/ValveCaster/MatsuminValveCaster.gif
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=63479.0

[newfish]

really hard to go wrong with a fuzzface. make sure it's silicon, trimmable, and get lo gain transistors, and it'll sound great and you can build it in a couple hours and fall in love with the whole project man. it's cool, and to me, the classic cool king of all distortions...i play whole gigs where i never turn it off.

Yep!  Agreed. 

True bypass Looper (passive), followed by a Fuzz Face (Silicon, Negative Ground), followed by a Booster of some sort (beginner's project, for example...)

As previously stated, you'll learn the 'nuts and bolts' that will see you through most future builds - bypass wiring, biasing, and (hopefully) boxing up and enjoying your creations.

You could do an awful lot worse than reading the GEOFEX article (Technology of the Fuzz Face - in this case).  It's well worth bookmarking for the future.

If you are intent on building a 741-based OD/Distortion +, I'd recommend using an 8-pin socket for your IC.  It'll save you from burning out your 741 (unless you're already good at soldering!) - and allows you to swap-out ICs to see what all the fuss is about (all in good time, of course...)

Might be worth taking a scan through the 'Debugging Thread' before you build - again, full of information.

Good luck on your builds...

[DavenPaget]

@newfish :
Fuzz Faces are not what i recommend to build for a first starter .
Good start is a A/B , followed by a stratoblaster , then a simple DOD 250 dist ( that's the beginner project i believe ) , followed by a fuzz face after reading the debugging thread and attempting folkurban's CMOS Boost and CMOS Drive but with a good dose of mods from GGG's Cook your own dist , such as a tone pot

[deadastronaut]

breadboard, breadboard, breadboard....the best way to experiment and get a sound that you like!.........lots of fun, and educational too...

[Tacoboy]

Yeps... I like breadboarding too... It gives you the opportunity to modufi a circuit without restrictions. You'll end up with exactly the sound your ears want before squeezing it into an inclosure. It also is very educational to put everything on vero or etch your own pcb with your own layout.
Aaarrgghhh!!!  It's so addictive... Built another one this weekend, also a very simple one to build: the WHRL (way huge red llama).
Go for it!!! 

[aleister]

breadboard, breadboard, breadboard....the best way to experiment and get a sound that you like!.........lots of fun, and educational too...

Most definitely!!!
The breadboard is a wonderful tool.
I can get lost for hours, even with the simple circuits, messing around and subbing stuff to get new sounds.

[garcho]

If you're a pedal person, you should consider the AMZ MOSFET booster. It's a simple enough project, and if you plan on having multiple pedals in your signal chain, a booster/preamp/etc. is a wise choice. Furthermore, it requires parts that you will use again in other projects, and there's little offboard wiring because there's only one knob and no switches or trimmers. Also, it draws very little current, and a 9V will last a long time; no need to wire up a DC jack. There are many other 'booster' circuits worth building here on the forum, as well as at General Guitar Gadgets, Beavis Audio, Madbean, Tonepad, Small Bear, etc. They're not exciting like an Echo Base, Klone, Dipthonizer or a Scrambler, but a line booster can make your guitar sound like a million bucks; a good place to start.