Help sourcing parts

Z

zachguitar

New member
I recently built my first pedal went through aion ( blues power clone ) and spent way too much on shipping between sites I spent almost 30 dollars shipping on 40 dollars in parts. I'm looking to build a few more from aion ( the gladiator, ascalon, refractor) and im running into the same issues with no one site carrying everything what should I bulk buy and from where currently going through mouser for resistors,caps,ics etc, and tayda for pots and enclosures also having to get some diodes from stomp box parts just another 6 dollars shipping for 2 dollars of parts!
 
Before the tariffs were enacted, Tayda was the place to obtain parts cheaply. Now, I frequently make identical carts in Tayda and Stompboxparts. If the pricing is close, I will go with SBP.

The last issue with Tayda is the shipping time. They are taking weeks to a month to mail even simple orders.
 
Amplified parts is a great source. Just make sure you get the 6.3mm resistors and small box caps with 5mm lead spacing.
They have enclosures, jacks, switches, ICs, transistors, etc.
 
It also helps in shipping costs to order parts for several pedals at a time rather than one by one.

I tend to get passive components, ICs and transistors from Mouser or Digikey when I can and get at least 10 (usually 25 or more resistors) of each value for the price break. It doesn't take long to build up a stock. I use Excel to keep an accurate inventory so it's easy to see what I have vs what I need for a build. Lot of work but it has saved me $$ on shipping in the long run.
 
For me personally I get:
Resistors, Capacitors, general purpose ICs, general purpose Transistors, and jacks from Mouser Electronics. Enclosures from Stompbox Parts, Potentiometers from Love My Switches and Stompbox Parts, Switches from Love My Switches, and specialty parts from Stompbox Parts, Synthcube, Mouser Electronics, and Aion FX. I tend to get a bulk buy on my general purpose parts every once in a while, and then buy my specialty parts a few builds ahead of where I am. And just like GAStan above is saying, plan out your builds batches at a time, that way you get the most bang for tour buck everytime you do an order.
 
I still order from Tayda. I can get almost everything from one place. But the orders are large. I order at least 20 resistors of one value at a time and it it’s a commonly used value then 50. Some of the places me tioned are quite expensive. Tayda orders take less than a week to reach Maryland using DHL. Stomp Box Parts is reasonable. Amplified Parts is very expensive. When ordering a pcb I look to see if it needs any oddball parts then see if them cb maker sells them. Aion does as well as PedalPCB.
 
If your planning on building pedals for the long haul my best advice is to order the following this way...

Minimum Qty: 100 pieces:
1/4W resistors, Diodes, DIP Sockets, ceramic caps, tantalum caps.

minimum Qty: 50 pieces:
electrolytic caps, film caps, 1/4" jacks, led bezels, 9v power jacks, led's in different colors.

Minimum Qty: 25 pieces
Potentiometers, 3pdt stomp switches, spdt switches ,dpdt switches, sip sockets, male headers headers etc etc,

Minimum Qty: 12 pieces
IC Chips, voltage regulators, transistor types, charge pumps, Enclosures in different colors

Most of the other odd ball stuff for specific builds I throw in while I'm ordering..
I stick to this philosophy for the most part..... When I'm low on specific values and it's time to order I rummage through my setup and jot down what's needed... Initially stocking up it gets expensive but once you get built up a little it's more like maintaining... I've likely saved hundreds ins shipping doing it this way... At least that's what my mindset is..lol
 
Strat68 said:
Tayda orders take less than a week to reach Maryland using DHL. Stomp Box Parts is reasonable. Amplified Parts is very expensive. When ordering a pcb I look to see if it needs any oddball parts then see if them cb maker sells them. Aion does as well as PedalPCB.
Click to expand...
DHL is the key with Tayda IME. I live on the west coast and frequently get my (non-enclosure) orders in like 2-3 days. Even with the annoying shipping prices, Tayda is still the closest to a true one-stop-shop in the game.

I've started getting most of my normie transistors, ICs, etc, from Mouser. At the 10pc price break I can put together some decent size orders at decent prices. Plus it just feels cool to get your ICs in those extruded plastic tube things. When checking out, just make sure to expand the list of options to find the cheaper ones. Slow but worth it to me.

PPCB and Aion are both great for weird stuff and I find their shipping to be very fair.

SBP for other weirdo components, jacks, pots, knobs, enclosures, and some passives. They have lots of common and some harder to find values of C0G/NP0 caps as well.
 
LCSC is also pretty good for IC's, at least in Europe - not sure how the tariffs add up. I figured I'd order enough TI TL072's to last me hopefully forever - 50 pieces were ~15€ with taxes.
 
DHeLL is NOT the way to go for me here in the GWN; oUPS is the worst offensive offender and FudEXcrement is somewhere between the former two.

What does that leave?


GOING POSTAL in a good way 600x600.jpg
 
swelchy said:
If your planning on building pedals for the long haul my best advice is to order the following this way...

Minimum Qty: 100 pieces:
1/4W resistors, Diodes, DIP Sockets, ceramic caps, tantalum caps.

minimum Qty: 50 pieces:
electrolytic caps, film caps, 1/4" jacks, led bezels, 9v power jacks, led's in different colors.

Minimum Qty: 25 pieces
Potentiometers, 3pdt stomp switches, spdt switches ,dpdt switches, sip sockets, male headers headers etc etc,

Minimum Qty: 12 pieces
IC Chips, voltage regulators, transistor types, charge pumps, Enclosures in different colors

Most of the other odd ball stuff for specific builds I throw in while I'm ordering..
I stick to this philosophy for the most part..... When I'm low on specific values and it's time to order I rummage through my setup and jot down what's needed... Initially stocking up it gets expensive but once you get built up a little it's more like maintaining... I've likely saved hundreds ins shipping doing it this way... At least that's what my mindset is..lol
Click to expand...
What values of pots should I buy in bulk
 
zachguitar said:
What values of pots should I buy in bulk
Click to expand...

Helpful guide, but ignore the Amazon links: Common Components

My buying tendencies for stocking up:

Passives and common semiconductors: Mouser
Pots and jacks: Stompbox Parts
Enclosures and switches: Love My Switches

PedalPCB has more components than you might think, plus Robert doesn't gouge you on the shipping. As a bonus, you get the satisfaction of seeing how he's meticulously packed your order. For other odds and ends, Smallbear and Amplified Parts are reliable.
 
Yeah it's annoying that there isn't a one stop shop place for parts. Add to that the likelihood to forget certain parts or accidentally order the wrong spec and you'll be paying for shipping again. What I do is build up the board with what I have in stock and then make a list of what I need to complete the project.

For your stuff, mouser is good for caps, resistors, and IC's. I would then make carts at both Tayda and SBP for your pots and enclosures and compare the price breakdown. Due to Tayda's post tariff shipping increases, it's usually cheaper to order from SBP now.
 
I also check the build documents before buying a PCB to see how difficult it may be to source some of the parts. If it’s unoptanium or expensive I’ll pass.
 
Ouch.. Just finished up an order from Tayda. I looked at my order history and had not made an order from Tayda since 10/25..lol
I was getting super low on enclosures, resistors, film caps and electros.... went ahead and ordered a little bit of everything to fend me off at least 6-8 months. This one hurt $60 for DHL and tariff fees.
 
swelchy said:
Ouch.. Just finished up an order from Tayda. I looked at my order history and had not made an order from Tayda since 10/25..lol
I was getting super low on enclosures, resistors, film caps and electros.... went ahead and ordered a little bit of everything to fend me off at least 6-8 months. This one hurt $60 for DHL and tariff fees.
Click to expand...
I just finished my orders I spent way more than I initially thought I would all in I spent about $400 across 4 sites and almost $80 is in shipping. From tayda only bought 4 enclosures but stocked up on like 700 small things it was $70 in parts but paid $30 in shipping. Mouser actually hurt the most it was $10 shipping but $20 in tarrifs and another $10 tax but all this should keep me busy for months or even years
 
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