Considering This

[bopplayer]

Hi,

I've been playing for years, have good ears and have owned a lot of pedals, amps, guitars. Interested in learning how to do it. I have no experience like this, never held a soldering iron, never even swapped pickups out of a guitar, i've always played and done retail management. I don't really even consider myself mechanically inclined, don't know how to read a schematic, the only thing I have going is passion for music and guitar tones etc..do I have a chance at learning to build pedals? where is the best place to start for a beginner?

Thanks

[frequencycentral]

Hi and welcome! Yes you can!

Beginner project, loads of support: http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?board=6.0

[budjb]

I just got started with this as well, and while I've had a few physics courses in college that included a little bit of basic electrical theory, I didn't have any relevant experience in what's done here.  I'd never used a soldering iron before either.  So I tried the beginner's project here and failed once and succeeded the second time.  I write the first one off as a bad solder job.  But the beginner's project does work and it's very easy - enough to get you started.  My first real project was the Dr Boogey distortion pedal, which is a lot more complex than the beginner project, and despite some debugging I got that one worked out on my first attempt.

My point is that you can do it.  Here's some tips from someone who's not too far ahead of you:

• Read the resources on this forum and this site.  There's a ton of valuable information to be had.
• Watch a few youtube vids on how to properly solder.  It's not hard but, at least with me, I had some initial misconceptions on how to properly do it.
• Get a decent soldering iron.  I made the mistake of buying a crappy Radio Shack one, and while it worked, it made things harder because I didn't have a thin tip.  The Weller one they sell at Home Depot for like $17 works incredibly for me.
• Buy a solder sucker or desoldering braid.  Trust me.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions here.  So far there have been a lot of helpful people, not only for myself but for plenty of others I've seen.

[8mileshigh]

I did it, so can you !

Buy a kit from Small Bear electronics and dig in with the amazing step by step instructions.  Try the Tweako, it's an invaluable learning experience.

Chris

[jacobyjd]

The soldering thing will be your biggest obstacle. +1 on getting a Weller to start out, as well as watching some youtube videos on soldering.

Other things that tend to be problems for total beginners (it's worth searching for topics already existing on these issues):
-Sourcing/purchasing parts
-Offboard Wiring
-Enclosure Drilling & Finishing

Study up and give it a go--for a lifetime guitar player, it can be really rewarding. Once you get some easier projects under your belt, you can move onto the problems more advanced builders run into:
-How to pay for the parts for the 27 projects on your list
-How to convince your significant other to pay for parts once you figure out the above
-How to fit some guitar playing in between builds
-How to get bandmates to cough up cash for the projects they want you to build for them.

[Mark Hammer]

If it were 25 years ago, I'd say don't bother because the learning curve might not be completed until you were well into retirement.

BUT, the net has made possible oceans of timely, authoritative, on-line support from people who can anticipate your needs, and may be miles beyond you (hence able to look back with perspective) or merely a few steps ahead (hence able to have insight into your current conundrum).  The rate at which people like yourself have progressed from "Which end of the soldering iron do I hold so I don't burn myself?" to "Here's a design I drew up last night" is mind-boggling.

Do yourself a favour, though.  Take snapshots of yourself every couple of months, by saving the URL to a post of yours from that time.  Much like people stepping on the scales every now and then and being motivated by how far they've come, it can be helpful to view the coherence or depth of one's questions over time.

[liquids]

I say give it some thought Bopplayer.   You should understand the implications if possible.  We all love when more people go DIY, and not to rain on the parade, but DIY anything is not for everyone. 

A lot has been said about this topic.  While R.G.'s article is a bit dated, but it's fairly comprehensive and is great.  It addresses many questions along these lines and helped me a lot: http://geofex.com/effxfaq/bldfx.htm 

The answer to "can you do it" may indeed be yes or no, or also 'not right now'.   At least for me, DIY effects was something on my wish list for OVER A DECADE, until I was able to 'count the cost' and concluded that it finally made sense for me to do it.  Man that was a long wait, but I'm actually rather glad I waited it out, and I enjoy it even more now that it's the right time for me.      I had just a book and some interest years ago, and no context other than liking effects.  For many reasons I would have all but certainly failed years ago.  With the resources available now, my life situation, and all I've learned since then given the continued interest (reading schematics, etc), I've had a lot of success and satisfaction in what I think is a very short amount of time since beginning my first project not that long ago.   

Likewise, ponder some of this:

- DIY (anything) costs a considerable amount of time in regards to the learning, tinkering, building, troubleshooting, etc.   Time is the major expense.  You will either need lots of spare time, or be OK with projects taking you weeks and months with limited time.  I think the satisfaction of the process and product is unmatched, but it takes a lot of time to get there.  Having the time is one of those "right now?" factors.

- DIY gear is only fun if you enjoy the process of building as much, if not more, than the completed build. 

- Cost - make sure you have some money.  I looked up my receipts and have spent about $1000 on DIY stuff in less than a year.    I do like to have the right tools for the job, and there are some shortcuts,  But I personally won't start breaking even on how much money I've spent to how many pedals I've built for a very, very long time.  Having the dough is another one of those "right now?" factors.

- Labor - DIY is definitely not a money saver.  It's definitely an expense if you consider labor costs.  Unless your labor value is well below minimum wage, you won't 'save' money on DIY until you get really efficient.  But that's not the primary goal.  To me the money spend is well worth!  As R.G. says--"It is my personal choice of a good time." 

Are you a DIY kind of person?  Do you do anything else 'DIY?'  building models, cooking, fixing cars, etc?   I you are a DIY person, than given your music interest, you're probably going to love it!  But my experience with people is that a DIY ethic is not 'in' everyone, and often a DIY spirit shows up in many areas for people that like DIY.   These can help you evaluate if this is up your alley for the long haul.   Some of my friend can't understand why I cook all the time or make pedals when I can just buy this stuff already made...     

One thing is if you've never looked into schematics before and they've never interested you, maybe you should give it some time to see if the interest in 'learning' about how it works catches, since it hasn't until now.  Without understanding schematics, you're pretty much restricted to DIY kits only, so you'll want to learn that ASAP either way.   This site and the internet can help with that, a lot.  There's no need to rush into building, especially if cost is a concern... so research a bit, ask questions, try a GGG/BYOC kit, and see how much it interests you after that.

All that said, just the fact that you are here asking--if it's not on a whim--it probably a very good sign.   And If/when you do take the plunge, you'll certainly have the greatest 'support' system going, all right here!  We've got a forum full of people addicted to doing this for a reason! 

[bopplayer]

Well thanks for your lengthy reply, it is a lot to consider because i'm the type that when I get into something, I always want to go all the way and get really good at it. I know i'm getting way ahead of myself here so bear with me, I'm really wondering how long it would take to get real advanced knowledge like adding gain stages, using buffered bypass, op-amp stuff like Cornish or Skreddy. Those guys really inspire me but it makes me wonder if DIY kits and forums will get me there or if I would need some type of college education in circuitry. What is involved in getting that good??? thanks

[jacobyjd]

There aren't many college classes that teach stuff applicable to guitar pedals.

To get to the point where you can make really solid gear for yourself, it's going to take some time, and some experience learned from building simpler projects.

I'd say build a Beginner Project as soon as you get your hands on some tools and a soldering iron, and take what you learn there to slightly more advanced projects (like a silicon fuzz), then keep advancing (maybe a tubescreamer), until you can get a little more advanced.

Things like buffered bypass and knowing what to do with what circuit snippets is the kind of thing you'll learn along the way, along with some tips and tricks that are standard for any audio electronics. Once you learn to read schematics better, you'll be able to work through different buffers and switching designs.

As far as Cornish and Skreddy go, the main characteristic of their products are quality. They build solid stuff that will last. Learn how to do that while you're working on the above, take serious care and patience with each project, and you'll do ok.

[Ripthorn]

I remember one time I showed a gain stage to one of my professors and asked him a question about it and he said "why would you do that?  That's going to clip your signal".  I told him it was for guitar and he said "Oooohhh".

[bopplayer]

I don't care who you are that's funny right there!! what kind of course?

I remember one time I showed a gain stage to one of my professors and asked him a question about it and he said "why would you do that?  That's going to clip your signal".  I told him it was for guitar and he said "Oooohhh".

[MoltenVoltage]

Get clear safety glasses first thing.

Also some desoldering braid.  Lots of desoldering braid.

Its the most fun you can have in a room by yourself...

[Ripthorn]

I don't care who you are that's funny right there!! what kind of course?

I remember one time I showed a gain stage to one of my professors and asked him a question about it and he said "why would you do that?  That's going to clip your signal".  I told him it was for guitar and he said "Oooohhh".

It was an analog filter design course.  The teacher is like 60-something, but totally awesome.  Before I told him it was for guitar, he told me I needed to adjust the voltage so that I wouldn't get distortion.  That's when I told him it was for guitar.

[trixdropd]

I did it, so can you !

Buy a kit from Small Bear electronics and dig in with the amazing step by step instructions.  Try the Tweako, it's an invaluable learning experience.

Chris

+1 It's A lot to learn, but I'm doing it, and learning a ton along the way.

[JasonG]

 If I were you I would go to the public library get a few electronics books take them home. Read the first chapter or two of each and then commit yourself to the one book that speaks your language. Get a good overview of basic electronics then you can weed through the information on the net.
 Then I would hunt down a local electronic parts store and get a feel for  what they have to offer.
Then work through the biginner projects here.

[bopplayer]

Starting to think this isn't for me. Sounds like a long learning curve with a lot of frustration for a complete newbie. And also by the time I would get skilled at it, hasn't everything been done already anyway? isn't it really difficult to get some transistors? like germanium? it isn't so much the monetary investment but it seems like doing this will be a huge sponge of my time? tell me why I should or shouldn't.

[Ripthorn]

If you are a DIY'er like most all of us here, then the time spent learning and practicing is a form of enjoyment, not just an obstacle that gets in the way of the fun stuff.

[frequencycentral]

DO IT! DO IT!



You'll love it.

[Top Top]

Honestly, I have been building stuff on and off for years, but  in terms of actually understanding how the circuits work, I have learned more in the past few weeks building stuff I have found here and on sites related to this board than I did in all those years.

I don't see why anyone couldn't pick this up at any point and just start building some simple stuff and go from there.

[liquids]

Sounds like a long learning curve with a lot of frustration for a complete newbie.

....tempered by jubilation when you, for example, get a build to fuction for the first time!

And also by the time I would get skilled at it, hasn't everything been done already anyway?

...To some.  I continually find that the tweaks and mods my ears like is often not only noticeably different than the stuff that even the saturated boutique market is offering, but likewise is not what much of the DIY crowd is doing...

The wheel has been invented and re-invented, etc, yes.  But no, tweaking and modding with your ears--which it sounds like you're ambitious enough to do--hasn't been done already.

isn't it really difficult to get some transistors? like germanium?

...Nope, not if you don't want to get exact specs on a multitude so you can sell them.  A great pair of (or set of 10/30) germanium transistors is just a "www.smallbearelec.com" away.

It isn't so much the monetary investment but it seems like doing this will be a huge sponge of my time? tell me why I should or shouldn't.

I didn't intend to dissuade you, only to make you count the cost.  It's good to weight it.  But I say, this is the benefit of the abundance of stuff out there, like kits, mentioned above.  They're a way to get your feet wet without commiting to the plunge.   

The easily 'solution' then, is get a good soldering iron and some solder, and a kit that interests you from GeneralGuitarGadgets.com or BYOC, and 'try it' on the most basic level with the help of guys here/there.  GGG is great, but BYOC has a great 'beginner' deal, I must say.  After that, I'd wager you'll know very clearly if you're hooked or not, and more impiortantly if it's worth your time.  But I'll bet you'll be hooked. 

My suggestion is similar to frequencycentral's....TRY it!  TRY IT!