just curious: so what's your DIY success percentage?

[Hanglow]

I've had maybe three that I couldn't get to work properly and a few more that I ended up not caring for, so I guess they might count too.

[frank_p]

For me, it's about a 20% success.  But this is no number to give this forum justice.  I came here to have insight into electronics, and since I had a bit of knowledge on the maths and I tought it might be a good path...  It's a good one in my advice, but it won't tell you where to proceed from A to B and to C for having a deep understanding of electronics.  You have to read "in order".  

Your goals is determining your path.  This forum is providing everything but a strategic and methodological way to learn electronics.  Find yourself a table of matters of the subjects in electronics you want to learn and search with keywords on this forum.  Then you'll find applications for A LOT OF THINGS. But make yourself a map.  And this is where you can locate yourself.  Do you want to be a contributor, a teacher, an inventor, a craftsman, a student, an eternal learner, a link, an understanding person, a mad scientist,, a joker, a listener, a producer or an sound engineer...  A lot of places are offered to you here.  Find what you want.  Go ahead, and ask questions.  If there are no response, don't be disturbed and mad.  Just stand.. in the place you wnan to be.

[oliphaunt]

I've only had one circuit beat me so far, the Negistrem.  I'm not done with it yet though...

I would say 60% of my builds require some minor debugging, but usually nothing too major.  Almost everything I build has some mods or is a (somewhat) original design, so I know what's ghoing on with them before I create a circuit board.  I breadboard everything first and test my builds at each point so I never get stuck with an effect in a box that doesn't work.

[Gordo]

Then there is the MXR Envelope Follower. My Arch Nemesis/Great White Whale. Ugh.

Hmmm, the envelope follower is the chip (at least it was on mine).  For me it's been a fuzz face.  I can build an FSH1 in my sleep but a fuzz face...

[head_spaz]

I'm batting a thousand percent! A perfect record.
I was smart enough to start with the Burst Box, even though it's a highly complicated project even for masters like me, and unlike most of you knuckled heads, mine worked flawlessly the first time and without any needs for tweaks.
And since it does everything the Burst Box is noted for, I haven't needed to build any other projects. It does it all! I can sound like Himi Jendrix, SVR, Ejic Rohnson, Beff Jeck, Erip Clacton and Carrot Top... every single tone with the single flip of one switch.
And the best part it that mine is battey-less... it captures and motates stray electricons from the tesla field generated by sun as it rotivates around the earth, and converts them electricons into picomicromillijoules to run the cotton picker. I've been thinnin' 'bout making a larger version of this here doodad to run the house, but I'm afraid the bosen bogies might leak out and collapse the universe, like that hadron colitus doohickey over there in Yuryp.
Burst Box... highly recommended!

[obblitt]

I'm two for two so far 

But those were kits, and soon, I'm going to be tackling an OCD, Ross, and Neovibe 

I suppose the first two aren't exactly big deals, but I'm sourcing all my parts, so it'll be a whole new ball game for me...

[StephenGiles]

All worked except for the Coloursound Sustainer - circuit must be wrong. Having said that, my very first  was the Practical Electronic Tremolo which only worked as a fuzz!