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  1. Alan W

    Reverb Preferences

    Only on occasion, and typically the built in tank on my Allen Encore. It has a reverb tone control, which I think helps. I did build a Gravitation, and have used it, on low settings, and it’s okay. My favorite pedal reverb is the Free the Tone Ambisonic, especially “plate” which doesn’t sound...
  2. Alan W

    Working thru my other projects

    If you had “hum cancelling” in the middle position before, then the shielding won’t add much. I still have (and occasionally use) the SX P bass (30 inch) that I got my son when he was 11 and his friends were getting electric guitars. (Since I had electric guitars he wanted to be different, and...
  3. Alan W

    Fat General / LED question

    Try it in the open, but in as dark a room as possible. Chunk some chords, and watch the LEDs.
  4. Alan W

    First build component sourcing

    To put this (exact component selection) in historical perspective, especially early on, some companies were very loose with selection. If they could get a good price on a part that was a bit off spec, then that run used that part. This is one reason why certain era pedals are more desired...
  5. Alan W

    Fat General / LED question

    And you really need it in a case to test it (aurally)—the circuit relies on a photo-resistor that is reacting to the LED that is mounted right next to it, so it needs darkness to have a sense of how much signal there is. Take close up shots of the board, from both sides if possible, and post...
  6. Alan W

    Slide to rotary switch conversion

    that makes sense, but now that it's unmounted, use the continuity tester to confirm it. Those long bars have to be the poles.
  7. Alan W

    Getting my learning on

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQ6XTW0/?coliid=I2RTEPQ6BMN86M&colid=2FOW4E7GBHA7N&psc=0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it
  8. Alan W

    9V protections for projects with a voltage doubler (muzzle, klon...)

    I put colored heat shrink bands on cables for everything that’s not 9 volt. Reverse polarity gets yellow, 12 v blue, 15 green, and 18 red. But I love this idea!
  9. Alan W

    Very high soldering temperatures and components/boards

    A step that I take when populating boards is to pull the leads taut (at an angle) and then trim them to about 1/4 inch long. This serves mainly to reduce the extra wire, which is just a heat sink, and also makes it easier to get the iron tip at the attitude I want it at with less forest in the...
  10. Alan W

    Desoldering Station that actually works???

    That’s what I was going to post. I almost go out of my way not to use it, but when I finally concede, it makes it easy. I ended up getting several of the different sized tips for it; the longer ones are a little less effective, but on a tighter board are a good bit easier to get in place...
  11. Alan W

    Chorus w/ mid boost

    Since you want to keep this as simple as possible (in terms of controls), I think the first decision is which comes first—boost or chorus? I’d experiment with two pedals, and decide that. Potentially, assuming you’re not planning on original circuits, you could also use these, via where you’ve...
  12. Alan W

    Trimpots: single-turn vs multi-turn, drift over time?

    I like to use the multi turn type for transistor biasing, somehow it seems easier to nail it. For tuning LFOs it doesn’t seem to make as much difference. Can’t comment on comparing their drift. But I don’t think the drift would come from the screw slightly turning, so can’t see glue as a viable...
  13. Alan W

    Wire Wars

    Another solid core Teflon user here. I bought big spools of navy surplus in 18, 20, 22, and 24 gauge sometimes in the 80s, and just have small amounts left—a lot of it went into braiding interconnects for stereo and studio stuff. I have a bunch of different cutters for it, but my most used is to...
  14. Alan W

    Very high soldering temperatures and components/boards

    My first thought was a tip that’s not mirror shiny. But a bad thermostat could also be the culprit. I don’t use lead free, basically I wash my hands when I’m done. I also use an exhaust fan for the rosin fumes—lead doesn’t vaporize until well beyond what your soldering iron can heat it to, so...
  15. Alan W

    Chop Shop - No Sound When Effect Engaged

    yes, it should be. that P is the important signifier; I think it originally meant that it was in a plastic, as opposed too metal, housing, but that's by memory, which I truly don't trust... There must be a rational reason why the pinout was reversed.
  16. Alan W

    Chop Shop - No Sound When Effect Engaged

    This has gotten me several times!
  17. Alan W

    Acoustic Preamp Design - Preamp & EQ

    Great work, and I’ll be interested in a board also! Curious as to why you went 15 rather than 18 volt.
  18. Alan W

    NGD! Sorta...

    Wolf notes. Heck, everything I play is a “wolf” note. (That’s what the W stands for) But, you’re right, I do plan on sanding the nut down a good bit. But am waiting until I do the first string change since it would be much harder to do with the strings there. I do have the slots refined enough...
  19. Alan W

    NGD! Sorta...

    I've refined nuts on guitars for years, finally breaking down and buying some of the Japanese nut files. But this ended up being harder than I expected—both because I'm used to much thicker strings (I generally play 11s or 12s, depending on the guitar) and the .010 file I needed to use on three...
  20. Alan W

    NGD! Sorta...

    That was the first one I tried and sent back. I didn’t think the octave mini-saddles were going to adjust without falling apart. Getting an undrilled body would be a perfect solution. Very straightforward.
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