Fifty year build thread

[Perrow]

So this thread marks the start of a few builds for my brother (I know the subforum is build your OWN stompbox, but hey, cut me some slack ).

The thinking was "My brother is turning fifty in about a year, what if I built him a few stomboxes, say four, and a simple pedalboard, that would be a nice present"

That was about eleven months ago   

Time to start building.

A month and ten, no nine, days to go.

My builds have usually taken at least two months.

This is gonna be tight 

First problem, what to build. I was thinking booster (LPB-1), fuzz (Tone Bender MkII), chorus (Little Angel/Zombie/Small Clone), and perhaps a phaser (?). He's gigging a few times a year with a band playing covers and it would be nice if he could actually use the stuff. Would a phase 90 (for example) actually be useful or should I go for something else?

I have layouts for the other suggested pedals and actually an unboxed Zombie and a Small Clone. What I don't have is a (verified) layout for a phaser (and I really would like all of the pedals to have my own layouts, just pride I guess) and that could be a problem with such a complex pedal.

Here's some eye candy. This is what the LPB-1 is gonna look like, I think. Might add a led this time.



I don't think I'll be able to find a worm for him, but that's what you get for having your birthday in december.

[stallik]

What's he using at the moment with the covers band? And are there any pedals he's currently using that he's unhappy with?
if your making him a board, do you intend this to replace what he's got? And finally, I'd like a brother like you - I think I got a T shirt with "old git" on it when I was 50 

[Perrow]

The thing is that I've never been able to go see him play with this band or his last  the times I've known about the gigs I've been occupied and when he's played weddings and such I've not been invited.

The only pedals he had last time I looked at his music equipment was a Boss fuzz/dist/overdrive (can't remember) and a tuner. He used that mostly with his acoustic at the time and I haven't heard about him getting any more pedals lately, though surprisingly we talk very little about music or equipment when we see each other (mostly at family gatherings).

[tommycataus]

I read this, I'm thinking versatility. Some sort of booster/od, some sort of distortion, some sort of reverb. My choices would be a klone, a suhr riot and merlin's equinox reverb. Good luck my friend, I hope you manage the challenge! I'm sure he will love whatever you build as its from the heart.

[duck_arse]

my birthday is in december, and I would have been happy to have gotten a worm for my 50'th. ahh, the good old days ....

[deadastronaut]

DELAY  DELAY DELAY DELAY DELAY

just my 2p...

[composition4]

DELAY  DELAY DELAY DELAY DELAY

just my 2p...

No, that's a terrible idea... he only has nine days left, any more procrastination and he'll miss the birthday

[Perrow]

Delay is a nice idea if I can get it done in time, better make it a short delay.

Any suggestions for a specific delay?

[Perrow]

So, is the Rebote 2.5 "good enough" or are there better.

I'm looking at the layout for Rebote 2.5 on Tonepad and it has a 25kB pot for repeats, is that critical? Haven't looked in my parts drawer, but I don't think I have any of those.

ps. The formatting "joke" of d'Astros delay comment didn't come through in Tapatalk

[teemuk]

My 2 cents: Go simple to meet the deadline. It's the idea what counts.

If my brother ever gave me such a unique and personal birthday present I wouldn't really care if it included a single pedal or hundred of them. Heck, given individual tastes of people you can't even tell if your brother likes the tone of the pedals you build to him, but as a wonderful present we know that he will love them. Just go simple so you don't waste the idea to delay or to made-in-a-hurry "half-ass" solutions, if you get the point.    You can always upgrade this kind of present more on following birthdays. 

[Perrow]

Yeah,  simple is really the motto here, but I already have a chorus built, and come to think of it a Professor Tweed. That leaves a LPB-1 (easy build), and, as we stand at the moment, a delay. That shouldn't be a real problem, the problem would (will) be boxing them.

[boogietone]

Gonna have to put some thought into this. I have the same problem (if you can call a reason to build a pedal a problem).

[bluebunny]

So, is the Rebote 2.5 "good enough" or are there better.

Not sure about "better", but perhaps "different": consider Madbean's Cave Dweller.

[aballen]

hamlet+,  get the board from JMK.  Great delay, tap tempo, great tone, the noise knob is pretty cool and unique IMHO.  It's is a digital delay so it's an easy build. 

You can stuff the board in a day, spend a few days boxing it up. 

Toss in a rub-a-dub reverb behind it to make it a multi build.  The rub-a-dub has to be one of the easiest builds out there.  It's stands well on its own and it also goes great with delays.

[Perrow]

Hamlet+ has two disadvantages, it needs a 1590BB which I don't want, already considering The Professor Tweed and that'll go in a BB, and also requires purchase of two boards not designed by me (jmk board and taptation). Looks interesting but not for me this time.

I think I prefer the Rebote before the Cave Dweller, I think my brother would prefer the better filtering. I'm already working on fitting the Rebote in a 1590B with my style of wiring, it's gonna be a tight fit, but I think it'll work. I'll do a test fit with a printed layout, perhaps tonight and then try to verify my relayouting, at least on paper

This is where I'm at.

[davent]

So, is the Rebote 2.5 "good enough" or are there better.

Not sure about "better", but perhaps "different": consider Madbean's Cave Dweller.

Built both (and an Echo Base) and handsdown the Rebote over the Cave Dweller, different animals, my CD (Dub) has some issues i have yet to sorted.

[Perrow]

Working on the Rebote.



This should slip into a 1590B with room to spare for the footswitch (pots and led mounted on track side as per my standard), jacks will have to go over the board and the power jack will be on the side of the box rather than the top side (power connectors right under the PT2399).

It's a bit crowded around the 7805 but I think it'll be ok. The only real dirty trick used is the short jumper under the resistors (above the led). Credits to Tonepad for the original layout, I just squeezed it a bit and added curves.

[deadastronaut]

Looking good man..

[Perrow]

Looking good man..

Thanks, it always fascinates me how many times you can think you've made all the improvements you can possibly make, just to find another a few moments/minutes/hours later.

After writing that I moved the 1k resistor on the left edge up next to the 12k where it won't interfere with the e-lyte (enough of that going on already, said 12k for example), and adjusted the ground plane at the level pot.

[aballen]

Dude, the hamlet+ has the tap tempo circuit built in... And you can make your own layout if you want.  That said your rebote is looking nice.