Central Jersey

[dpanse]

I was planning on building my first pedal .. anyone out in Central Jersey who can help me out with this? Im completely new, so if someone can show me how this is done, I thought it may help..
Thanks!

[glops]

If you REALLY want to build pedals you can figure it out by yourself.  There are numerous resources on the internet, especially this forum, with all the
information you need.

You could buy kit but I never did and wanted to build something from scratch from a schematic.

My advise would be to find a simple circuit like a bazz fuss (fuzz) or LPB (booster) and build that.  Small amount of parts and less confusing than more complex circuits.

Figure out how to read schematics for the circuits and switching/wiring.  Print it out for a study aid.

Learn how to solder.  That was the hardest part for me because I wasn't sure if I was making good solder connections. My main problem was using a wet spone to clean the iron's tip instead of a DAMP one.

Look at the beginner's project here.  There's a step by step pictorial showing how to lay out components on perfboard with solder connections.

I never bought a kit.  The first thing I built was a prototyping board for use with a breadboard and built a Dirty Sanchez on that and layed it out like
the schematic. It worked!  Then I made that into my first pedal.  Took a long time to get over the learning curve because I had no previous experience with electronics but have learned a lot in the last year and it has been very rewarding.

Basically, if you really want to build you will figure it out.  It's not that hard. Research is my main advice.  There is so much information here. Endless.  Check out Beavis Audio Research and look at his tech link.  It has some good stuff explaining things to the beginner.

Good luck and have fun!

[tommy.genes]

Hive76, a hacker space in Philadelphia, has a monthly "Guitar Effects Study Group." The next one is Jan 4, 2010. Their description:

We will build a simple musical gizmo and discuss how it works. Even if you have never touched a soldering iron (or a guitar), stop by and learn how to build simple musical electronics. More advanced mad scientists are encouraged to come show off their own guitar effect creations. There may be a small lab fee (less than $10) to cover the cost of parts. RSVPs are appreciated. This Event is Organized by Jack Zylkin of Hive 76

I've not been to one myself so I can not offer a detailed review. Unfortunately, you just missed their full-blown "Guitar Effects 101" class on Dec 7, where you could have built your own Tube Screamer. Maybe they will have one again in the near future. If you are closer to NYC, you might be able to find similar assistance at one of their hacker spaces like NYC Resistor.

-- T. G. --

[Renegadrian]

that's frekin cool, it'd be awesome to have such an event down here in Rome! Or maybe I should start something like that?!
MMM