Username123
Well-known member
What things make a pedal look more professional, on both the inside and outside?
Things that make a pedal look more professional?
- Thread starter Username123
- Start date
Grubb
Well-known member
Outside: faceplates, UV printing, complementary colour and knob selection, aiming for an integrated overall design.
Inside: clean wiring, remove flux where possible, use heat shrink as appropriate, sensible location of internal hardware (otherwise known as Stick To The Provided Layout, Dummy).
Whenever I mess anything up on a pedal or feel I haven't quite nailed it, it's usually one of those elements above.
The next question is whether or not it needs to look professional. There's a lot of charm to hand-painted, veroboard builds that don't look anything like commercial pedals - and that's a good thing IMO. Variety is the spice of life.
Inside: clean wiring, remove flux where possible, use heat shrink as appropriate, sensible location of internal hardware (otherwise known as Stick To The Provided Layout, Dummy).
Whenever I mess anything up on a pedal or feel I haven't quite nailed it, it's usually one of those elements above.
The next question is whether or not it needs to look professional. There's a lot of charm to hand-painted, veroboard builds that don't look anything like commercial pedals - and that's a good thing IMO. Variety is the spice of life.
Stickman393
Well-known member
Neatness is a big part of it. You don't necessarily need straight to 90 degree wire runs, but a good, gentle arc to the termination point. A pedal should not look like you just winged it with spaghetti everywhere.
Runs with multiple conductors between two points are well served by ribbon cables or tiny zip ties.
The outside of a pedal is entirely up to the aesthetic of the builder. I'm a fan of grungy, weird, industrial, raw looking crap. Look at how Fairfield Circuitry does their enclosures....I love that kind of stuff.
Though that asthetic goes to my guitars as well...gimmie a hardwax oil, transparent, thin finish, and I'm happy.
Runs with multiple conductors between two points are well served by ribbon cables or tiny zip ties.
The outside of a pedal is entirely up to the aesthetic of the builder. I'm a fan of grungy, weird, industrial, raw looking crap. Look at how Fairfield Circuitry does their enclosures....I love that kind of stuff.
Though that asthetic goes to my guitars as well...gimmie a hardwax oil, transparent, thin finish, and I'm happy.
Username123
Well-known member
Thank you for the info! I totally agree about the looking professional thing. I built my first pedal last week, and showed it to my guitar teacher. He is a pro musician, and thought the pedal sounded amazing. He actually wanted me to build him one, that is why I want it to look professional. I don't want a dinky looking pedal on a pros pedalboard. If I really deliver and surprise him, he might spread the word too other guitar players! He said he could commission me in 1 to 2 months, I got plenty of time in 1 to 2 months to step up my game!
Username123
Well-known member
Thanks for the info!
Username123
Well-known member
Will do, thank you!
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Yes! I was just about to post something like that! Good lettering, that's straight and control-labels centred below/above/beside/around their respective knob or switch.
Opposite side of the coin is ... pro pedals that look like they were home-made, like the builder's kids painted the pedal — Fuzzrocious. In some cases, it looks like they let the kids do the soldering, too — DBA, Schumann. Also, there are pro pedal-builders that still use vero or perf — Hudson Electronics, for example. Control-labels that look like they were scribbled with a sharpy — BJFE...
Talk to your guitar teacher, find out what he likes. Maybe he'd rather have a pedal that doesn't look like another generic production-line pedal:
"Hey check out this pedal, it's solid! My student made it, custom, just for me — listen to this thing!"
*hits the strings, glorious sonic eruption ensues...*
Pro-level IMO (in addition to what others have already posted):
- The controls are in a logical order (not a problem if you're building a PPCB board);
- drilling for pots/switches is accurate;
- control-labels aren't partially obscured by knobs/switch-washers etc, as mentioned above fonts should match well with overall theme;
- can still have crazy control names, but labels should still be intuitive and user able to deduce easily which is Vol which is Gain etc;
- graphic, if there is one, should also integrate with where the controls are laid out, ex Bypass LED is the jewel in the hilt of a sword, or eye of a character and the Vol knob doesn't half cover the face of the character (and if it does it should be obvious it was meant to partially cover the face)...
etc.
TLDR: Pro-level is well-planned, every detail considered, space enough for all components, labels, graphics — nothing looks like an afterthought. In other words, not my builds.
Opposite side of the coin is ... pro pedals that look like they were home-made, like the builder's kids painted the pedal — Fuzzrocious. In some cases, it looks like they let the kids do the soldering, too — DBA, Schumann. Also, there are pro pedal-builders that still use vero or perf — Hudson Electronics, for example. Control-labels that look like they were scribbled with a sharpy — BJFE...
Talk to your guitar teacher, find out what he likes. Maybe he'd rather have a pedal that doesn't look like another generic production-line pedal:
"Hey check out this pedal, it's solid! My student made it, custom, just for me — listen to this thing!"
*hits the strings, glorious sonic eruption ensues...*
Pro-level IMO (in addition to what others have already posted):
- The controls are in a logical order (not a problem if you're building a PPCB board);
- drilling for pots/switches is accurate;
- control-labels aren't partially obscured by knobs/switch-washers etc, as mentioned above fonts should match well with overall theme;
- can still have crazy control names, but labels should still be intuitive and user able to deduce easily which is Vol which is Gain etc;
- graphic, if there is one, should also integrate with where the controls are laid out, ex Bypass LED is the jewel in the hilt of a sword, or eye of a character and the Vol knob doesn't half cover the face of the character (and if it does it should be obvious it was meant to partially cover the face)...
etc.
TLDR: Pro-level is well-planned, every detail considered, space enough for all components, labels, graphics — nothing looks like an afterthought. In other words, not my builds.
temol
Well-known member
You are focusing on a professional look. That's good direction. But... First of all make sure it's reliable, build like a tank, noise free, etc. Test the pedal as much as possible under different conditions, different cables, power supplies. Who needs a pro looking pedal that refuses to work from time to time 
Remember, there are many decent looking pedals, with very minimal finish. What matters here - good taste, an idea. Dig, observe, get inspired. Do not overdo with typefaces, colors, graphics.
Remember, there are many decent looking pedals, with very minimal finish. What matters here - good taste, an idea. Dig, observe, get inspired. Do not overdo with typefaces, colors, graphics.
And may I add - less is more. You really don't need much in the way of graphics, and fancy fonts don't make a pedal look fancier.
I tell myself this all the time when I can't be bothered adding any graphics at all.
Actually my thing is to make the knobs the same on every drive pedal as far as possible. For example I make the top right knob gain, top left is volume. Bass is always below Volume and Treble is always below Gain. To look professional it's best if the knobs line up properly.
I tell myself this all the time when I can't be bothered adding any graphics at all.
Actually my thing is to make the knobs the same on every drive pedal as far as possible. For example I make the top right knob gain, top left is volume. Bass is always below Volume and Treble is always below Gain. To look professional it's best if the knobs line up properly.
Grubb
Well-known member
Fear not, when it comes to the quantity of pedals you've built, more is more
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
*throws away laser*
SillyOctpuss
Well-known member
No don't @Nostradoomus. There's ALWAYS room for more lasers. With lasers more is always more.
SYLV9ST9R
Well-known member
my 2¢: I think there is room for both minimalist and maximalist design.
But starting, less is more is a good advice. Try making the most of a limited number of elements. Don't try to have flashy fonts, look for legible, well spaced fonts and lay them out well. Don't use more than 2 fonts (1 for the name/1 for the labels is a good rule), and try many pairing/options. For exterior design, mock-ups are great, and you can always re-use the ones you don't use straight away.
But I'll echo what's been said above. Carefully plan, be sure your soldering and wiring work is good, try to have a tidy interior. Not everybody wants to looks at gunshots, but if you can show that you work with care, it reflects on how people will perceive your builds.
And when you're building for yourself, you can throw out the book and experiment with more crazy stuff.
But starting, less is more is a good advice. Try making the most of a limited number of elements. Don't try to have flashy fonts, look for legible, well spaced fonts and lay them out well. Don't use more than 2 fonts (1 for the name/1 for the labels is a good rule), and try many pairing/options. For exterior design, mock-ups are great, and you can always re-use the ones you don't use straight away.
But I'll echo what's been said above. Carefully plan, be sure your soldering and wiring work is good, try to have a tidy interior. Not everybody wants to looks at gunshots, but if you can show that you work with care, it reflects on how people will perceive your builds.
And when you're building for yourself, you can throw out the book and experiment with more crazy stuff.
