Recommendations for a first time build project

[benny_profane]

I would ask is this something you really want to do? To me it implies a responsibility on your part to help all these folks make their pedal work. Peeple these days...... expectations can be hard to meet

Ag

Have you seen the forum (sometimes)?

 

[AgAuthority]

Have you seen the forum (sometimes)?

Had a certain thread in mind while posting this.....

 

[benny_profane]

Had a certain thread in mind while posting this.....

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[peccary]

I think that putting something in the documentation similar to Madbean could help cover that: I'm super busy and can't do individual issues, but go visit the hive-mind of the troubleshooting forum and you'll get some good help. Something like that.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

Honestly I feel like one of the best three-knob circuits for a beginner is a fixed-bias silicon fuzz face with a muff tone stack.

 

[benny_profane]

Honestly I feel like one of the best three-knob circuits for a beginner is a fixed-bias silicon fuzz face with a muff tone stack.

The only issue I have there is that the gain ratio between Q1 and Q2 is not insignificant. That could be addressed by stipulating different part numbers for each, but since the hFE range can be quite large it's not a guarantee.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Jan Ray. I know it has four knobs and I know it's a Timmy but

A - As much as I wanted to hate it it sounds great.
B - It's not a hard build
C - There is a desirability amongst pedal noobs for something super expensive and flash
D - Fuck Vemuram for pretending they spent years in R&D and didn't just give us a Timmy with controls which are the right way round and a reduced EQ range. Oh and a trim pot which is only there to make it look like it's something other than a Timmy.
E - Uh did I say fuck Vemuram? I don't remember

 

[benny_profane]

Why do most people get into building pedals in the first place? I think that should be the starting point. Fuzzes are big for people that are in it, but is that why most people begin in the first place?

I also think that this should be a PPCB original / essentially public domain circuit rather than a newer circuit.

 

[manfesto]

The Ionizer would be a good candidate; low parts count, nothing hard to source, and a unique and useable fuzz likely outside of what most new-to-the-world-of-pedals types are used to seeing.

 

[finebyfine]

I tried to put myself in the mindset of when I first started wanting to build pedals, and I think one of these would have a good draw:
- a muff (a specific version)
- rat
- tube screamer

I'm so wishy-washy on what to think when I hear complaints about documentation here. I don't need it myself, and selfishly want you to just keep tracing at that weirdly insane speed that you do so I can build more stuff. But on the other hand it could draw more beginners in and I think we can all testify to how many pedals we've ended up building vs how many we thought we'd build when getting into it. Genuinely not sure which side I fully land on.

 

[SYLV9ST9R]

Plecostomus Fuzz.
Easy build, low parts count, no rare stuff, sounds great.
I maybe biased (wink wink!) because it was my first build, but it was a breeze and it fired up right away (after I put the transistors in their sockets).

 

[peccary]

I tried to put myself in the mindset of when I first started wanting to build pedals, and I think one of these would have a good draw:
- a muff (a specific version)
- rat
- tube screamer

I'm so wishy-washy on what to think when I hear complaints about documentation here. I don't need it myself, and selfishly want you to just keep tracing at that weirdly insane speed that you do so I can build more stuff. But on the other hand it could draw more beginners in and I think we can all testify to how many pedals we've ended up building vs how many we thought we'd build when getting into it. Genuinely not sure which side I fully land on.

I really like the MB, Aion, and especially Dead End build docs. I've never even bought a Dead End board but I've read the docs to at least half their builds. I really feel that I learn a lot about why certain choices were made, some history, and usually good explanations/reasoning for things being done a particular way.

I don't think that there's anything wrong with the no-nonsense build docs for PedalPCB, but that usually does assume that the person knows what's what and where to get it. Even Tayda is intimidating the first time you look for a capacitor and see 20 different ones that all appear to be exactly the same but then somehow all look totally different and then next thing you know you're wondering how in gods name you're going to fit these sausage sized caps on the board.

 

[blackhatboojum]

As a newbie to the forum and pedal building in general... This is a tough one to answer. Another question was brought up, "Why do most people get into building in the first place?" Speaking for myself, I got into building my own pedals to save money, and to have the effects that I've always wanted for my rig. If I’m not interested in using it, I’m not interested in building it. A big variable in all of this, is the skills that are required. While I'm new to pedal building, I'm not new to soldering, basic electronics, schematic reading, metal work, or even painting. I've been doing that stuff with my job for the last 22 years. Someone without those skills and experience is going to have a lot tougher time

 

[peccary]

Speaking for myself, I got into building my own pedals to save money...

So did we all, friend. So did we all.

https://imgur.com/Jpi9CvA

 

[Popnfreshbass]

Everybody needs a RAT in there life

Ag

A rat clone from byoc was my first build so I would recommend this as well. Not too complicated and a classic sounding pedal as a reward. I guess the only bump in the road would be the lm308,but you could just include the OP07.

 

[Feral Feline]

Utility.

Everybody needs it, even if it isn't as sexy as a Freq'y Fuzz. Alas, anything deemed not sexy is not going to sell well. Yet, not everybody's into fuzz, and I've even come across people who proclaim to find overdrives to be boring.

A simple EQ, BMT... the "UnderDrive" .

Boost. Who doesn't need a boost once in a while?

An EQ Boost...


...


I fell asleep before being able to post the above, Cat woke me up for her breakfast and now there are all sorts of great suggestions!

While Fig has a point to limit options, I really liked Benny_Profane's Dist+/250 suggestion, 'cause the same board could also be used to build a MicroAmp. As JamieJ said.

VOL GAIN and a SWTC.

Lamma is another good'n, and again could add the SWTC, or an input cap blend as a "Tone" control. I think keeping tone simpler than a Muff's is a good idea — not that the Muff tone-stack is terribly complex, but just thinking parts count.



As much as I love fuzz, I don't think it's got enough broad appeal. I've got a friend who's been playing guitar for half a century and just this past year he finally asked me what fuzz he should get — he's NOT an anomaly; lotsa people just aren't into fuzz.
Mind, some people find ODs to be too bland.

RAT — been building for a few years (still a noob), but only recently built my first Rat. Again, not enough broad appeal, IMO.

Good points have been raised about the Vemuram Jan Ray and other expensive bootiki types that would draw in a noob.


Also suggested was a one-off exclusive to PedalPCB type circuit mashup — this would be great, but it still needs to have some connection to a famous hard-to-find expensive drawing card, ehr PCB... BJFE? Most of Björn's stuff is on a medium to high complexity level. ZVex Channel 2 w/ input blend-cap?


Rambly post, nuttin' new — 7am, Need coffee...

 

[blackhatboojum]

How about the Guvernator? it’s not a crazy number of parts. All can be sourced from Tayda.. (not sure if that 9n6 cap is a deal breaker for requirement, just put a 10nf in there). It was one of my first builds and by far the easiest one to date... great sounding pedal that’s pretty versatile.... I’m not sure if it gets much more straightforward than that... just my two cents. Hope that helps.

​

I would agree with this one. This was an easy build for me and the Marshall in a box pedals are pretty popular. Maybe some more detailed and explanatory documentation would also help.

 

[jjjimi84]

@jjjimi84 is all set up for video demo's

This was my reasoning behind two or three knobs over one.

There would definitely need to be more detailed documentation than usual, this would be the one time I would cover the whole "This is how you snap the tab off a potentiometer" sort of topics.

I would possibly want to commission someone to do a step-by-step video build as well.

I would do that shit for free and was already planning on it with the sandspur fuzz. I thought it was a good choice because it is an expensive, desirable pedal with low parts count that can all be purchased from tayda and deals with using a multimeter to bias the transistors. You can also get a predrilled enclosure but i was going to cover drilling.

As a side note there are two things you will never see or hear on my channel.

1. Paid promotional or whatever that is. I only do what I want to do and I pay for it. If Robert (ppcb) or Kevin (aion) or Brian (mbp) asked me to do a video it would be because I truly respect these gentlemen and want nothing but good fortune for them. Plus they don’t need more dick jokes associated with their companies.

2. Please like and subscribe and hit that bell, never doing that. Not ever. If you like it watch it, if you don’t like it don’t watch it. I am going to be making videos until I run out of pedals and/or dick jokes and trust me, I have a ton of both.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

I recommend Timmy.

Now what's this about Dick Jokes?

 

[jjjimi84]

Timmy was my second choice but love the idea of the jan ray as stated above.