Looking PCBs from USA to UK

[ac30irons]

Hey all, I am starting to venture out from using kits to doing my own thing on boards but I have a bit of an issue, I live in UK.

There is a great supplier here in the UK but I want some Aion and PedalPCB boards. No one in the UK does them. There is Musikding in Germany but he only does full kits.

The shipping rates from the USA to UK are criminal, $20 for a couple of boards, essentially a letter.

Can anyone recommend anything for me ?

Thanks in advance.

 

[szukalski]

Yup, it sucks being in Europe (even more being outside the EU). FWIW, the postage costs are mainly around ensuring that you get the package safely and it's tracked/insured. As a supplier, you don't want to use the cheap option and have to resend or chase up delivery because it's the budget option.

Your best choices are inside UK, Fuzz Dog and Jed's Peds come to mind.

If you want Aion or PPCB, then you gotta swallow the pill. Even when you order a bunch of PCBs, they end up being €15-20 after you pay tax at it arrives in your hands.

Hands down, the sole reason I started doing my own layouts

 

[ac30irons]

Yup, it sucks being in Europe (even more being outside the EU). FWIW, the postage costs are mainly around ensuring that you get the package safely and it's tracked/insured. As a supplier, you don't want to use the cheap option and have to resend or chase up delivery because it's the budget option.

Your best choices are inside UK, Fuzz Dog and Jed's Peds come to mind.

If you want Aion or PPCB, then you gotta swallow the pill. Even when you order a bunch of PCBs, they end up being €15-20 after you pay tax at it arrives in your hands.

Hands down, the sole reason I started doing my own layouts

Thanks dude, I use fuzz dog a lot. It junk living in the uk.

 

[szukalski]

If it's any consolation, it still costs €15 flat if I want to send you something from Germany..

 

[ac30irons]

If it's any consolation, it still costs €15 flat if I want to send you something from Germany..

What’s wrong with the world. I think misikding ship for around €7.

 

[vigilante398]

FWIW, the postage costs are mainly around ensuring that you get the package safely and it's tracked/insured.

Exactly this. I've sent PCBs from the US to the UK and EU in an envelope with an international stamp (~$1.50) and they've made it okay, but it's been hit or miss everywhere else in the world (particularly South America or Asia). I still sell to customers in Europe, and my website charges the actual shipping cost, so it makes me cringe every time I see someone pay $27 in shipping.

 

[ac30irons]

Exactly this. I've sent PCBs from the US to the UK and EU in an envelope with an international stamp (~$1.50) and they've made it okay, but it's been hit or miss everywhere else in the world (particularly South America or Asia). I still sell to customers in Europe, and my website charges the actual shipping cost, so it makes me cringe every time I see someone pay $27 in shipping.

I guess the answer is to order big and make the shipping worth it !!!!

Hey, I have just nearly dropped on your tube rat. Do you think you will do a tube driver ???

 

[vigilante398]

Hey, I have just nearly dropped on your tube rat. Do you think you will do a tube driver ???

I've had a couple people ask, but I doubt it. Tube Driver is a starved-plate design which I tend to avoid on principle. I feel like if you're going through the effort of getting the tube in there, you may as well run it at a couple hundred volts. It's not a bad sounding pedal, but I'm not crazy about it.

 

[ac30irons]

I've had a couple people ask, but I doubt it. Tube Driver is a starved-plate design which I tend to avoid on principle. I feel like if you're going through the effort of getting the tube in there, you may as well run it at a couple hundred volts. It's not a bad sounding pedal, but I'm not crazy about it.

Come on dude, all the kits stink - you owe it to the pedal community to make a 9vdc version.

 

[tegendemuur]

Being from the EU as well, I've learned that pays off to have a chum in the US to forward it to you, especially when it comes down to ehm, creative accounting, so to speak.

 

[ac30irons]

Being from the EU as well, I've learned that pays off to have a chum in the US to forward it to you, especially when it comes down to ehm, creative accounting, so to speak.

Right, need to get a US chum then? Are they expensive ?

 

[Guardians of the analog]

Come on dude, all the kits stink - you owe it to the pedal community to make a 9vdc version.

I don't think he owes anyone anything. He already gave the diy community the nobelium which is way more invaluable and the best tube project currently available. Besides, the tube driver is like the equivalent of a TS with a half assed tube implementation. But being pushy is always the best form, so way to go

 

[vigilante398]

Come on dude, all the kits stink - you owe it to the pedal community to make a 9vdc version.

I have thought about doing a "tweaked" tube driver, running the tube at 300V or so, adjusting the bias, probably changing the tonestack, redoing the voicing, etc. But by that point it isn't a tube driver anymore, it's a completely different circuit. I'm of the opinion that if you need to do a hundred mods to your big muff to make it sound the way you want, you didn't want a big muff to begin with. So I would basically want to take everything that makes it a tube driver and throw it away and design something else, at which point you'll end up with a new pedal.

If you're looking for a good tube drive in the same territory, look at something like the Ambassador (Matchless Hotbox), or if you want literally the best tube drive ever made, look at the Black Eye (Soldano GTO). I'm obviously biased because I make money when people buy these boards, but as a player I consider both of these to be immensely superior to the tube driver.

EDIT: I will also mention TH Customs in Germany makes a tube driver PCB and they run the tube at 40V, so you're already better off than the original, but I built one years ago and it didn't excite me.

 

[ac30irons]

I don't think he owes anyone anything. He already gave the diy community the nobelium which is way more invaluable and the best tube project currently available. Besides, the tube driver is like the equivalent of a TS with a half assed tube implementation. But being pushy is always the best form, so way to go

Steady me old fruit - not meant to be taken literally !!!! Will take a look at the nobelium though.

I have thought about doing a "tweaked" tube driver, running the tube at 300V or so, adjusting the bias, probably changing the tonestack, redoing the voicing, etc. But by that point it isn't a tube driver anymore, it's a completely different circuit. I'm of the opinion that if you need to do a hundred mods to your big muff to make it sound the way you want, you didn't want a big muff to begin with. So I would basically want to take everything that makes it a tube driver and throw it away and design something else, at which point you'll end up with a new pedal.

If you're looking for a good tube drive in the same territory, look at something like the Ambassador (Matchless Hotbox), or if you want literally the best tube drive ever made, look at the Black Eye (Soldano GTO). I'm obviously biased because I make money when people buy these boards, but as a player I consider both of these to be immensely superior to the tube driver.

EDIT: I will also mention TH Customs in Germany makes a tube driver PCB and they run the tube at 40V, so you're already better off than the original, but I built one years ago and it didn't excite me.

thanks pal, I shall take a look. I’m a bit of a Gilmour nut ….

 

[music6000]

If you're looking for a good tube drive in the same territory, look at something like the Ambassador (Matchless Hotbox), or if you want literally the best tube drive ever made, look at the Black Eye (Soldano GTO). I'm obviously biased because I make money when people buy these boards, but as a player I consider both of these to be immensely superior to the tube driver.

This pedal below is one of my all time favorite underated tube pedals along with the 4 Sushi Box builds I have done that you can see in my Build Reports!
I have 2 - Vox Flat 4 Boost pedals in my collection that I purchased over the years that power from 9v dc & have a 12AX7 that runs @ 200 volts!
It has a Baxandall Bass & Treble Tone stack & a Mid Boost toggle switch, it does Clean Boost, Treble Boost & Overdrive!
& it is a fantastic pedal despite the bland looking enclosure & poor marketing, I spiced it up a bit with a permanent ink pen!
It can run off 6 AA Batteries which seems a a bit corny also!

I have suggested Vigilante398 should check the Vox out but the Prices have been quite high for this Gem!

I paid $75.00 AU slightly used locally 9 years ago so without out a doubt, my finest purchase ever!

 

[kristopher]

I wanted to add my Canadian prospective.
My last order from PedalPCB was $65us, plus $16us shipping. About $120 Canadian, after tax, fees and exchange.
So, 10 boards (on sale) from Pedalpcb is about $12 Canadian each board, including all the fees. Delivery time is about 10 days on average. But has been as long as 3 weeks.
Albany Georgia is 1700 kms (15 hour straight drive) from where I am in southern Ontario Canada.

 

[ac30irons]

I wanted to add my Canadian prospective.
My last order from PedalPCB was $65us, plus $16us shipping. About $120 Canadian, after tax, fees and exchange.
So, 10 boards (on sale) from Pedalpcb is about $12 Canadian each board, including all the fees. Delivery time is about 10 days on average. But has been as long as 3 weeks.
Albany Georgia is 1700 kms (15 hour straight drive) from where I am in southern Ontario Canada.

I think because I want to order so few it seems very expensive to order the boards. If I was ordering big numbers to sell on pedals, it wouldn’t be so bad.

 

[szukalski]

Anything under 7 boards doesn’t really make sense to ship to Europe.

 

[ac30irons]

Anything under 7 boards doesn’t really make sense to ship to Europe.

I agree, maybe I should wait until there are more projects I want to do

 

[LukeFRC]

@ac30irons - so Klaus at Musikding takes a few days to reply to emails but he has given me prices on just buying the PCB before.... so I think you can use them. In many cases, unless you're really buying in bulk I find out that they work out being reasonable for components too as they have 90% of the things you would want...