GCI HM-1

[Erik S]

From the GCI site:

DS-1 with HM-2 EQ

Inspired by the pedal stacking of early Swedish death metal pioneers, the GCI HM-1 combines the distortion and tone stack of a DS-1 with a boost-only version of the HM-2 tone stack.

My brother in law requested a Metal Zone last year, so I ordered some MT-2 PCBs from GCI and I threw in a couple of these to try while I was at it.

I don't know anything about Swedish death metal and I don't have a lot of experience with really high gain distortion pedals, but I’m having fun with it. Definitely gets me to play some different stuff, and that’s worth something.

 

[Hal Harvey]

Love it! This is near the top of my queue. Your lead dress is unf unf unf.

Solid core right? have you picked up any bending tools? Your right angles look great. I’ve found I like a very small diameter corner rather than sharp using needle nose or whatever. But that’s with straight bus wire, no insulator.

 

[Erik S]

Love it! This is near the top of my queue. Your lead dress is unf unf unf.

Solid core right? have you picked up any bending tools? Your right angles look great. I’ve found I like a very small diameter corner rather than sharp using needle nose or whatever. But that’s with straight bus wire, no insulator.

Thanks!

I’m definitely a solid core fan for ease of installation. The first couple pedal kits I built came with stranded wire, and struggled a bit with unruly strands. Finding solid core made the wiring much more pleasant.

I’ve heard the argument that stranded is more robust over time and less likely to break or crack solder joints, and I believe it, but I since I’m wiring in the box, there shouldn’t be too much stress on the joints.

I’m a pretty serious tool collector, and I’ve got a few sets of pliers that are designed for bending small radii (I assume for jewelry making), but I’ve never used those for pedal wiring. I do all of my bending with a lovely set of Swiss needle nose. They’ve got the hard edges ground just enough that they make a nice 90 bend without damaging the insulation.

Mine were a lucky yard sale find. Turns out they’re quite expensive! Mine are an older version of these:

https://www.amazon.com/2411P-Needle-Pliers-Ergonomic-Handles/dp/B001T4O2DW

 

[GAStan]

few sets of pliers that are designed for bending small radii (I assume for jewelry making)

When I learned to solder in the military we were taught to bend component leads and wire with this type of pliers. They can be found at Hobby Lobby type stores in the jewelry section or online fairly inexpensive. Round nose pliers.

 

[Erik S]

When I learned to solder in the military we were taught to bend component leads and wire with this type of pliers. They can be found at Hobby Lobby type stores in the jewelry section or online fairly inexpensive. Round nose pliers.

Maybe I’ll give em a try on the next pedal.
Here are a few from the collection.

 

[GAStan]

Nice find!!

Other places for unique tools is search ebay for both Watchmaker/Clockmaker tools and Dental pliers.

Yes, they can get expensive for really good sets but for just bending wire the inexpensive ones work fine. I've got both, the inexpensive set was bought to modify. The tip of one side was filed down to almost a needle point for very tight bends. That set was less than $10 on Amazon.