How bad are they really? Talk me out of PCB Guitar Mania

Have built:

DAM Meathead Deluxe clone (opted for a higher gain transistor).

Sunn Beta Lead/Bass v.1 with the funky tweaks and much aggravation, but ended with a lovely pedal.
 
Sunn Beta is available elsewhere with less frustration:
- Effects Layouts Storyboardist
- Aion
and I'm sure there's a few others if you dig.
 
Feral Feline said:
Sunn Beta is available elsewhere with less frustration:
- Effects Layouts Storyboardist
- Aion
and I'm sure there's a few others if you dig.
Click to expand...
Hahaha, I dug, so I also built both variations of the Aion board, with different frustrations. The switch on the PCB Guitar Mania version is quite handy, even if it may or may not encompass all of the actual component differences between Bass and Lead versions.
 
I have a pcb for the sunn beta lead, I bought it ages ago but never got around to building it. I’m sure my doom phase will come back at some point and I’ll make it. I’m not sure which version I have but I assume version 1, as there are traces on the board where the build docs say to cut.

I did build the orange graphic jfet preamp and the sunn life pedal clone, and both work great. Some quirks with the life pedal like the blend knob working backwards, boost knob is above the bypass switch instead of the boost switch, and I think I had to jumper a connection under the board if memory serves.

Their build docs being riddled with spelling and formatting errors should really let you know what you’re in for. Sometimes a challenge is nice.
 
All of the Bajaman preamps have worked for me. The 5150 was strangely substantially noisier than the rest.

If have to dig to see what others I've built with success
 
mnemonic said:
I have a pcb for the sunn beta lead, I bought it ages ago but never got around to building it. I’m sure my doom phase will come back at some point and I’ll make it. I’m not sure which version I have but I assume version 1, as there are traces on the board where the build docs say to cut.

I did build the orange graphic jfet preamp and the sunn life pedal clone, and both work great. Some quirks with the life pedal like the blend knob working backwards, boost knob is above the bypass switch instead of the boost switch, and I think I had to jumper a connection under the board if memory serves.

Their build docs being riddled with spelling and formatting errors should really let you know what you’re in for. Sometimes a challenge is nice.
Click to expand...
Well, the Pedal PCB switch/indicator/control layout for the parentheses is also not extremely intuitive, either, I would have to say.

There are good reasons to build the sunn beta circuit besides the distortion part. I populated my PCBGM board with TL072 instead of RC4558, and the clean part of the gain sweep and the tone controls are worth it alone. They sound really great. The distortion all the way up is nasty nasty fun, although you can also dial in some nice crunch. It's also one of the most powerful of my preamp pedals. I plugged it in direct to my 2x15 bass cab for fun one day and managed to get some sounds out of it without a power amp!
 
I did my first build from one of their boards and it really had me 2nd guessing myself for ages, because of the weirdness and vague documentation. As a n00b I was sure that I was missing something, but the parts list had 2 components for the same place on the PCB.

I get it now, it's just that kind of business. I think I tried to join the facebook group and just got left hanging on 'request pending'. But if I'd known about their reputation before I chose what kit to buy, I think I would've gone elsewhere.
 
I’ve bought two of their pcb’s mostly because I was searching their specific offerings:
-The Red skull (their take on the Goosonique seventh heaven/Bogner Red overdrive ish)
- Bajaman’s take on the Bogner Uberschall preamp and tonestack, the Uberknall Preamp.

While the first one worked, I had issues with powering (pedal went on and of) but I’ve moved some wires and made some soldering again and seemed to work better. Although it sounds nice I’m still not sure a 100% if it’s working as it should. The second one was a dud. It oscillates, doesn’t have enough gain and it turns of and it dies until you unplug the power cable . You plug, works for some seconds and it fails again. I was really disappointed because I’ve see bajaman circuits and really wanted to give those a try. As much as I struggle to find what I want in pcb’s I will stick to pedal pcb from now on.
 
I built the black mystic, but the drill template they had was fucked up and the pcb wouldn’t fit with the power jack. Maybe some day I’ll try again but I’m not trying to waste another 10 bucks and 30 minutes of my life.
 
I've collected build docs from their site over the years and have not seen fit to build any of it. Some of the designs are "ill-conceived."
 
Chuck D. Bones said:
I've collected build docs from their site over the years and have not seen fit to build any of it. Some of the designs are "ill-conceived."
Click to expand...
Whenever they try to make mods, add-ons or "original circuits" themselves, those are usually non-functional or painfully bad/stupid in execution.
 
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