Help a "Newbie" with a custom pedal question

[willie johnson]

I am in need of help with a custom pedal question(s). I don't have any experience building pedals but I would like to build something specific and need some help. I am a guitar player. I use three effects pedals for all of my lead work and if I'm not playing lead, I'm not using any effects. The pedals I use are (in this order) a compressor, an overdrive and a delay. I would like to build a box that contained the guts to all three of these pedals and have them connected to one footswitch, so that I could engage all three pedals, at once, by stepping on one switch. It would also be nice if one power supply could feed all three. Is this a project that would be way over the head of a beginner or something that could be easily done? It would be nice if I could "hard-wire" the pedals together inside of the box but that is probably too complicated for me to handle. I could continue to connect them via 1/4" cables inside the box but would need to know how to connect them all to one footswitch and one power supply. I would mount them in the box so that I still had acess to all of the control knobs for each on top. If I could construct such a pedal, it would certainly make life, on stage, much easier for me. Any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Willie

[GibsonGM]

I would make a loop pedal, willie.  Otherwise you'd have to un-box the effects (probably breaking something in the process).   

This would be basically an "effects loop box" that either sends your guitar signal right thru a stompbox on the floor into your amp when it's bypassed.  But if you engage it, it will route the signal into your 3 pedals, which you'd leave always on, back to the box, and from there to the amp.   Really easy!  It is just a switching issue.

[GibsonGM]

Here you go, man....just need a 3pdt switch and box from Smallbear or other supplier, total cost about $20. 
This design has an LED to show you when the loop is on (you'd need to have a battery in there, of course). But this is the general idea.  The ground is provided by the jacks touching the box in this drawing. the battery must also connect to one of the jacks ("-" terminal).  You can do it by isolating the jacks via non-conductive washer and connecting all the grounds together too, esp. if there was noise issuing from the thing.  But that shouldn't be a problem, it is a passive device.  True bypass, so when you are just playing to the amp there is no connection to anything else. 
Not sure about your DIY background: If you don't know how to do this, just ask ?'s.   

Here you go, man....just need a 3pdt switch and box from Smallbear or other supplier.  This design has an LED to show you when the loop is on (you'd need to have a batter in there, of course). But this is the general idea.  The ground are provided by the jacks touching the box in this drawing.  You can do it by isolating the jacks and connecting all the grounds together too, esp. if there was noise issuing from the thing.  But that shouldn't be a problem, it is a passive device.



Mike

[willie johnson]

Mike,
I was doing something similar to that, using an A/B box but that required using two inputs into the amp. That presented a problem because although the amp I normally use ('59 Fender Bassman) has multiple inputs, I much prefer the #1 normal input and the bright is too bright for me. Also, I sometimes use a Super Champ which only has one input, so the A/B box set up doesn't work with that amp. Your solution makes sense and I would prefer not to destroy the pedals, as they were all cutom made. Unforntunetly (for me) I have no background in DIY and although the diagram you posted is probably simple to you guys, it's all greek to me! I can follow instructions pretty well, I just don't know how to "read" the diagram. Does anyone already make something like this?

Willie

[Joe Hart]

I believe Morley makes one. But it's really easy to wire up. If you can solder a wire, you can do this!
-Joe Hart

[Joe Hart]

You would be looking for a "true bypass box" or something along those lines.

But here's an explanation of how to make one (I did a Google search and out of a lot of hits, this was the first one).

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2007/Nov/The_DIY_True_Bypass_Lesson.aspx

Hope this helps!!
-Joe Hart

[willie johnson]

This looks like it might do the trick and isn't very expensive.

http://www.samedaymusic.com/product--RADBSEFX

[studiostud]

Hi Willie,

I think maybe you're confusing the diagram that GibsonGM posted with an A/B box because they are different beasts.  I understand your dilemma with an A/B box having two outputs, but the diagram show above for an effects looper would not have that problem.  Take a look at it again....  "Input from guitar" goes to guitar (obviously)...  "SEND, to effects" will go to the INPUT of your COMPRESSOR...  "RETURN, to amp" will go to the OUTPUT of your DELAY... "Output to amp" will go to the #1 INPUT on your AMP.  Then the 3PDT stomp switch in the looper will activate all 3 effects at once. (or whichever ones are on.)

Hope this helps!


Jeff

[GibsonGM]

And the bonus, you will always get to use the #1 input on your amp! 
That weird "3PDT" (three pole, double-throw switch) is just 3 switches in 1, available at Smallbear (his site is in the Links section).   If you hold it the 'right' way (lug blades horizontal), all your middle lugs are 'common'.   Then, stepping on the switch throws it to the common/up=out to effects, stepping again = common/down=bypassed.   

You can see how the 'input' and 'output' on the 2 outside common lugs will connect to the bottom row when engaged, which is jumpered through. That shows that when you stomp to that position, the signal just goes directly thru this box to your amp's input.   In the other position, the input signal is fed to your effects chain via the SEND jack, and receives the output from the FX through the RETURN jack back to the switch, which routes the signal to the output jack.   It's like being able to use one output for 2 jobs.   And of course, the LED is only in there to show you when you're routing to the FX, it will be off when bypassed.   
Give it a shot, great way to get into DIY!!!
All ya need is an aluminum enclosure, 4 mono 1/4" jacks, and the stomp switch.

You could do this with a stereo cable, too, but that would be more mind-boggling, LOL.

[MikeH]

Not to mention: If you REALLY just want to house those 3 pedals as a multi-type thing you're going to have a problem if they a switched electronically, like all boss, ibanez, dano, ect..., because you'll have to modify the guts of these pedals to make the effects always on, if you want to use one master switch to turn them all on.

Basically, you'll have to do all of the work to make the loop box, and then some.

[willie johnson]

Thank you guys! I'm going to give this a try and see what happens. I did find out that Radial Engineering makes a True-Bypass Effects Loop Switcher (with two effect loops) which sells for about $75. But, I think I would like to try to start to make these things myself and try to get a better understanding of how things work. Although, now I have several more questions:

1.) If I want to be able to connect a Tuner to this box, what changes do I need to make?

2.) The three effect pedals I'm using are all supossed to be true-bypass (they were all custom made.) Other than using your ears, is there anyway to tell for sure if a pedal is true-bypass?

3.) Once this is complete, I should be able to leave the pedal board next to my amp(with all of the effects turned on) and only have this box in front of me on stage and I won't need a power supply to the box since it is passive?

Willie

[MikeH]

Thank you guys! I'm going to give this a try and see what happens. I did find out that Radial Engineering makes a True-Bypass Effects Loop Switcher (with two effect loops) which sells for about $75. But, I think I would like to try to start to make these things myself and try to get a better understanding of how things work. Although, now I have several more questions:

1.) If I want to be able to connect a Tuner to this box, what changes do I need to make?

2.) The three effect pedals I'm using are all supossed to be true-bypass (they were all custom made.) Other than using your ears, is there anyway to tell for sure if a pedal is true-bypass?

3.) Once this is complete, I should be able to leave the pedal board next to my amp(with all of the effects turned on) and only have this box in front of me on stage and I won't need a power supply to the box since it is passive?

Willie

1- Do you want the tuner out to be switchable?
2- If they are true bypass then they should work in bypass mode even if no power (and no battery) is connected to them.  Sounds like your whole chain is true bypass, right? You might consider some buffering...
3- Yes, but you'll have 3 cables running back to your amp, and one to your guitar.

[oldschoolanalog]

For ~$30 on eb*y...
http://www.bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/psm5.xml
You will need a wart probably.

Worth checking out:
http://www.bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/ls2.xml

And they serve as buffers...

[studiostud]

1.) If I want to be able to connect a Tuner to this box, what changes do I need to make?

What I would do is use a Hammond BB enclosure with two stomp switches.  One stomp switch as the effects bypass and the other as an A/B switcher for a tuner out.  You would just need to add an extra 1/4" jack to the mix for the tuner output but it wouldn't be that much extra work.