top 3 noob FX projects

[coffyrock]

Hi all... I consider myself a newbie at this. I'm managed to hobble together a ROG ruby and an LPB booster, after much learning and experimenting.

my question to experienced builders: what are your top 3 stompbox projects you would recommend for new builders?

I'd love to try lots of circuits eventually, but I'd like to develop the mad skillz through successful building before I attempt the complex (ie: expensive) projects.
I know the ROG ruby and LPB boost are nice starters, but how about your suggestions?

[petemoore]

  Bias a Jfet.
  Bias a Ge.
  Any single stage booster will introduce power supply and bias to you, it's the debugging and reading/writing/analysis of DBPage content that 'teaches' most I think, that [and especially applying the DMM/instructions] and a little help here and there on a gain stage can wipe up a good bit of 'the wet behind the ears'.
  You've done an LPB, perhaps a loop box or volume control box.
 

[KerryF]

1. ROG Multiface (Amazing fuzz pedal!  Has a list of settings with different transistors and capacitors to change the tone of the fuzz).
2. MOSfet Boost (I love the sound of MOSfet boosts!  They have a great boost, and a nice thick tone)
3. Bazz Fuss (Very simple fuzz pedal.  Its a nice simple fuzz for bass or guitar).
4. LPB (Nice simple booster.  Great addition to a setup).

And one more:
If you are feeling lucky and want a beginner challenge heres probably one of my all time favorite builds:
Marshall BluesBreaker overdrive.  It was my first build and I pulled it off.  It was pretty hard for a first build, but it worked first time I tried it.  It has a great boost with the gain up and a nice soft/bluesy overdrive to a heavy gain overdrive if you use with another gain pedal or amp overdrive.

[Pushtone]

EA Tremolo, Scambler, Orange Squeezer were my first builds.

With the EA Trem the film caps can be huge so the learning moment was all about ordering parts and fitting it into the box.
There is also a simple mod for a dual speed switch that taught me about adding resistors to pots.
The input section of the EAT also is a very fine amplifier that I played with on the breadboard for a week. Learned a little about lifting circuits blocks from a schematic.

The Scambler taught me how to twist transistor pins around and to look at the data sheet first when it didn't work. 

You hear folks talk about these simple things all the time but when you do it yourself it really sinks in. Useful for the next time when your scratching your head.

Above all your first builds are all about building confidence so your on the right track.

[burnt fingers]

my first was a vox treble booster.

I'd say the following would be a good progression to follow in order to have success and progress.

1) beginner porject, gus npn boost.  nearly fool proof with all the online documentation here.  Also LPB1,any single transistor boost. 

2) jack ormons muffer or joe's easy drive    You feel like progress is being made going from boost to fuzz.  conifdence goes up greatly.

3) Tube reamer, blue clipper.  now we're cookin with op amps. you've graduated from single discreet device circuits to the world of 8 legged little buggers.


Just my .02

[Laus]

I started with etching an Orange Squeezer. I didn't, and still don't get the workings of it. It worked, but wasn't what I expected. Built a few switching boxes which I did understand. After etching a Whisker Biscuit(the outcome of a Bazz Fuzz) and a Flipster I began to understand some thing with reading literature and the schematics. Now, about half a year later, I understand most overdrive/fuzz and boost circuits. Even tone-stacks become clear nowadays.

But filters and tremelo's and LFO's is way beyond my reach. I could build them on a pcb or perfboard, but wouldn't get the idea behind it. Today I breadboarden a FullDrive and I get most of it. Sound is awesome but lacks volume to my ears.

So this would be my top 3:
1. A/B-TB-looperbox.
2. Bazz Fuzz (bang for the buck!)
3. TS-clone/Fuzz/OD

when finished with that....get reading into LFO, LDR, CMOS and all else there is. Still not for me.

[coffyrock]

that settles it. my next project is a multi-face circuit so I can tweak some fuzz and learn the different effects of swapping components!

Cool!

[Barcode80]

is the multiface in the gallery anywhere? i'm having trouble finding it at any other sites...

my first and only successful build has been the Jack Ormon's muffer. It sounds KILLER! I've probably built 6 or 7 other circuits, but i've been using a lot of spare parts pulled from old stuff, which i think is the problem with most of my builds. the muffer parts were all brand new, and since i've checked wiring and soldering until i'm sick of it, that's the only difference i can find between that build and th others. i also built an unsuccessful millenium bypass, the LED of which just stayed on (i built it asan LED driver on a DPDT switched pedal).

so i would like to give the multiface a try. i'm also thinking the colorsound fuzz is a good one, and dragonfly has a good looking layout of the one-knob colorsound fuzz in the layouts gallery. I've built it all but the transistors (gotta run to rat shak).

[ildar]

http://www.runoffgroove.com/multiface.html