UK Supplier

[newfish]

Hi All,

I thought I'd post a quick 'heads-up' for UK Forum members - which may be of use to EU / wider world members.

A short while ago, I was after some rev log (C) pots - and the fabled PT23..... for some playtime.

I found them at a very reasonable cost on Doctor Tweek's online shop (an easy google search).

The PTs were £2 or so, with the rev log pots weighing in at £0.79 or so.

A couple of orders later and I've re-stocked my depleted resistor / cap drawers too.

Sturdy DPDT switches are also in stock for less than M*plins, as are the super-bright clear LEDs.

Yes, delivery is a couple of quid, but everything turns up, and Steve's comms are good when things have to be placed on back order.

I realise there's an unwritten rule about posting advertisements and the like, so admins / mods feel free to remove this if I've overstepped a line here.

Cheers.

Ian.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Steve is a really decent guy. Very helpful to me once when I was in a bind.

[Chugs]

I have ordered several times from Doctor Tweek and the service has been great.

[cuthbertg]

Steve is very helpful, there is not much he sells that I havent bought. Also, some great tips on his site for beginners which help you to pull the info you need from sites like this without annoying the regulars! 

In the last month or two I have built 6 or 7 boxes with increasing complexity on vero and not had to bother anyone!

Mind you, is it just me, or on the vero layouts that you see knocking about is there a community conspiracy to bung in the odd schoolboy error?? Like mixing up the TRS connections, or having two +9v.....

[skrunk]

Tweeks pots are 69p (lin/log) and 79p (rev log).
They're the same ones as Tayda stock for 25p (lin/log and rev log).
That's quite a difference, more than double for lin/log and triple for rev log!
even with the shipping from Tayda which is reasonable.

20 rev log pots from Tayda inc shipping --- £10.50 (€12.40)
20 rev log pots from Tweek inc shipping --- £18.00 (€21.25)

20 lin/log pots from Tayda inc shipping --- £10.50
20 lin/log pots from Tweek inc shipping --- £15.60 (€18.40)

FWIW I hate those pots and never use them, they have those 6mm split shafts for push on knobs, trying to put 1/4 inch knob on them with a set screw ends up with crooked looking knobs or bent shafts, unless you use the 6mm push on knobs which I find impossible to get off again.

I found his switches to be very bad quality too and melt if you look sideways at them, giving you loose lugs, not worth the grief IMHO, smallbears are much better quality and decent value.
ditto the 1/4 inch jacks, not great quality.

His AC128/AC125 (untested, Tungsram) are decent value if you have the time to test them and don't mind ending up with loads of low gain leaky germs.
if you buy a tenners worth of AC125 (5 'sets' of 3) you should get a tonebender set and maybe a fuzz face pair.
I'd like to know what those OC602 Spez are like if anyone's tried them?

Tweeks customer service is good to be fair, but I'd rather use decent quality parts if I'm going to take the time and effort to make a pedal.
just my 2cents.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I think everyone knows about Tayda, but saying "tayda pots are 25p" is dishonest since the postage goes up about 25p for every pot you add; and if you just buy correct sized grub screw 6mm pots they're fine (if you want 6.35s, use musikding!)

If I can't wait a fortnight for bits, I order from within the UK. I think most people know about tayda or futurlec or Rapid or all kinds of places, but expecially if you need pedal specific things like 3PDTs or vero or the like, sometimes it doesn't work out cheaper to split your orders between a bunch of people.

[deadastronaut]

yep dr tweeks good...no prblems..good comms..

bitsbox is good too..rapid delivery....

[Manny]

yep dr tweeks good...no prblems..good comms..

bitsbox is good too..rapid delivery....

I can second this, nothing but good experiences with both. 

[skrunk]

I think everyone knows about Tayda, but saying "tayda pots are 25p" is dishonest since the postage goes up about 25p for every pot you add; and if you just buy correct sized grub screw 6mm pots they're fine (if you want 6.35s, use musikding!)

If I can't wait a fortnight for bits, I order from within the UK. I think most people know about tayda or futurlec or Rapid or all kinds of places, but expecially if you need pedal specific things like 3PDTs or vero or the like, sometimes it doesn't work out cheaper to split your orders between a bunch of people.

what do you mean its 'dishonest'?
that's what they are before shipping.
I then listed the prices, including shipping, as a comparison and even with shipping they are way cheaper, as you can see.
I've nothing to do with Tayda or any other supplier, just trying to be helpful.
fwiw I normally do get parts from musikding, or banzai, or smallbear, depending on what else I'm after, and I've ordered from Tweek several times too.
happy now?

[Hides-His-Eyes]

what do you mean its 'dishonest'?
that's what they are before shipping.
I then listed the prices, including shipping, as a comparison and even with shipping they are way cheaper, as you can see.
I've nothing to do with Tayda or any other supplier, just trying to be helpful.
fwiw I normally do get parts from musikding, or banzai, or smallbear, depending on what else I'm after, and I've ordered from Tweek several times too.
happy now?

I appreciated you giving a full order cost for things; I just don't think "pots cost 25p" is a particularly useful statement given how tayda postal charges work. Don't get me wrong, all my big orders come from tayda.

[skrunk]

I get what you're saying about Tayda's shipping, but that's why I listed the prices WITH shipping as a more direct (and useful) comparison, so I'm not sure what your point was.
And what makes you think the OP had heard of Tayda, maybe he hadn't. Or that I hadn't heard of 6.35mm pots, or musikding for that matter?
Anyway, its christmas, lets just drink and be merry and all that.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Yeah man, bah @#$%ing humbug Go get drunk, I did.

(last point; all submini switches melt under heat, especially if you're using leadfree solder like me. It's a choice; bigger switches or fast soldering. I don't know of any switches of that size not made in that heat sensitive manner)

[cuthbertg]

I have had no problems whatsoever with the switches from Dr. Tweek, I have used each of mine in at least a couple of builds and not melted one yet - tinned wires and a bit of flux applied to the terminals and your cooking (but not the switch!) 

[skrunk]

well not all switches are equal, the ones with the red (or white) epoxy around the base of the lugs can take considerably more heat.
that's why they're dearer I presume.
handy if you have to de-solder if you make a mistake.

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=792

http://www.banzaimusic.com/Miyama-SPDT-on-on-Toggle.html

etc.

[Maudibe]

http://doctortweek.wordpress.com/2010/12/22/the-importance-of-correct-soldering/

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Lead free solder is nowhere near as bad as people make out, and everybody should have an iron with some description of temperature control Just forget this idea that a join needs to be shiny to be solid for leadfree solder.

The only time I use leaded solder is inside guitars, because it's generally hard enough to get the back of a pot hot enough without having to get an extra 20 celsius on your solder.