Joben Magooch
Well-known member
Years ago, back when I was in college...I was a pretty average guitarist. Not terrible, not great. On a whim I auditioned for a local band's lead guitar position and by some miracle ended up getting picked for the spot. Spent the next two-ish years touring the country and regularly playing shows...and I can pretty confidently say that that experience was probably responsible for the biggest step forward or "level up" in my playing, more than anything else. I am still not particularly spectacular, but that period really pushed me to be a lot better than I was prior.
Now as it stands I also consider myself to be a pretty average pedal-builder. I've done dozens of PPCB (or other PCB) builds, quite a few veros, a bunch of "utility" boxes (switchers, buffers, splitters, that stuff), and some stuff like minor pedal and amp repairs and/or mods. But by and large this stuff has been relatively "paint-by-numbers" and it starts getting dicey when I try to do something a bit more "independent," if that makes sense. And that's an area that lately I've found myself wanting to grow and learn more in.
So with that all being said: I'm curious as to what some of your biggest "level ups" or "next steps" have been for you personally.
Some areas that immediately came to mind:
I know there are some here who do pedal-building commercially, so their tips might be more from that angle. Of course, that is certainly welcome. I'm not particularly interested in developing a better money-making operation, more just interested in improving things and learning for my own personal development, but I'm curious to hear any and all input all the same. What have been some of your biggest steps forward in growth/development/etc.?
Now as it stands I also consider myself to be a pretty average pedal-builder. I've done dozens of PPCB (or other PCB) builds, quite a few veros, a bunch of "utility" boxes (switchers, buffers, splitters, that stuff), and some stuff like minor pedal and amp repairs and/or mods. But by and large this stuff has been relatively "paint-by-numbers" and it starts getting dicey when I try to do something a bit more "independent," if that makes sense. And that's an area that lately I've found myself wanting to grow and learn more in.
So with that all being said: I'm curious as to what some of your biggest "level ups" or "next steps" have been for you personally.
Some areas that immediately came to mind:
- Learning to better read schematics / a better understanding of what a given component does in a particular circuit (and by extension what changing it would do)
- Becoming more familiar with common topologies and other "building blocks" that you'll frequently encounter
- Various hacks/tricks to improve overall productivity - what's something you've learned/you do that you feel sets you apart from an "average" builder?
- Practically speaking: improving your finished product, both aesthetically and functionally. I struggle a lot with finishing builds and most are just pre-finished enclosures with no labels or quick ones printed on a labelmaker. Waterslide, UV printing, etc?
- Breadboarding and getting more hands-on experience with modding/developing circuits
- Learning more about PCB design/layout and how to move from schematic to PCB
I know there are some here who do pedal-building commercially, so their tips might be more from that angle. Of course, that is certainly welcome. I'm not particularly interested in developing a better money-making operation, more just interested in improving things and learning for my own personal development, but I'm curious to hear any and all input all the same. What have been some of your biggest steps forward in growth/development/etc.?