Top Five

comradehoser

Well-known member
It's odd that I can't find any thread like this. Didn't exactly know where to put it, but here was my best guess--please feel free to move it to a more appropriate location. I thought this might spark some discussion and interest in a range of boards and pedals and give direction to folks wondering what else to build. I'm genuinely curious to know what people consider to be their "top five," especially from among the older boards.

The premise:

What are your top 5 must-build pedalpcb boards? No particular order, reason, or justification necessary (unless you want), but it can't be more than 5 so people with attachment/collector issues (i.e.: me and my "they are all my equally beautiful children" complex) have to weigh carefully and can't just post their whole inventory. For example, I really want to include the Tyrian, but it just ain't going to make it. Just keeping in mind everyone's top 5 will be heavily dependent on personal taste and what music they play. They don't even have to be on the same pedalboard, just for whatever reason you think everyone should build these--could easily be 5 compressors, or whatever is important to you.

I can go first

[edit for the rationale, since folks like that]

Okko Diablo/Deofol
--Don't know why, but the clipping is just so sweet-sounding. A very versatile pedal--you really have to hunt for a bad setting, gain goes from very very light to basically fuzz.

Thorpy Heavy Water/Fallout Cloud
--The split of tone control and a heavy heavy yet articulate big muff fuzz makes this a go-to for me on guitar, baritone, or bass. Sounds awesome on its own or with a preamp/frequency pedal. Sounds massive like I like it.

Hydra Delay
--Basic to experimentalish/self-oscillating delay, the Age knob and switch/tape head combos is key for me and what makes it unique. Very very fun and original to play. My opinion and anyone who's played it.

EQD Afterneath/Deflector Reverb
--takes effects really well, has some idiosyncrasies as an instrument, but I still think it's solid and useful in a variety of contexts from straight reverb to pad-ish sounds.

Acorn ADHD/Nutty Fuzz
--a fairly simple build, pushes the envelope of how pedals can hatchet your sound in productive, yet still-useable ways. Much more interesting to work with than other "noise" and PLL pedals I have built, but still really out there!
 
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I'll do categories to make it a little more interesting.

Fuzz: Carcass Fuzz (Super versatile under rated fuzz.)
Boost: Crackle Jack (Simple and easy build. Zvex classic ready to blow up your amp.)
Delay: Cataclysm Delay (A great PT2399 delay with it's own character.)
Modulation: VIIB (Probably my favorite PPCB project and sounds amazing.)
Overdrive: Tommy III (I think everyone should have a Timmy in their arsenal.)

This list will probably change in 5 minutes!
 
I love the idea of this thread, but it also has me questioning my decision making skills. I've only just realized that most of what I've built have been dirt pedals. I should do something about that. In the event that someone decides to look at my build reports, there's a LOT more that I haven't posted, and they're dirt pedals too. Enough self-loathing, back on topic...

First of all, @Robert is a wild man. There are so many projects, over 500 in the OD/Distortion/Fuzz category alone. It's tough to narrow down the massive catalog of projects to five "must build" projects. I may have built 1% of his total catalog, so take my recommendations with a grain of salt, as it's only a very small sampling of all that PedalPCB has to offer.

I second @szukalski's recommendation about General Tso's Compressor, it's a great sounding compressor circuit. If/when PedalPCB releases a Cali76 Compact Deluxe project, my recommendation may change, but you can't really go wrong with the General Tso's Compressor. It's great.

Next, I'd suggest the ProtoBoard or Protoboard Micro (it doesn't have to be an effect, right?). I started learning a lot more about circuits when I started using a breadboard. I should probably breadboard more than I do, but when I want to try something out, it's great to have!

I've really enjoyed the stuff I've tried from Chuck's Boneyard, and a few of them can be made by modifying boards sold by PedalPCB. If we're sticking to projects that follow the included BOM, there are a couple that come to mind. The Bullrush Overdrive and the Comprehensive Drive. These circuits are the brain-children of Yukihiro Hayashi, currently the owner and president of Free the Tone. I feel that he has a very refined ear and while I agree that the ad-copy is a bit ridiculous, the pedals speak for themselves.

Lastly, the Seabed Delay. It's a classic that most people seem to enjoy. No, it doesn't contain all the analog mojo like the vintage circuits do, but it sounds great and it's not nearly as complicated as some of the more full-featured delay circuits.
 
hmmm so this is a very tough choice, but I do have some thoughts after about 40 builds.

-duocast, my favorite pedal. it just sounds awesome, my go-to for a vintage-y tone.
-angry Andy - all around great with no bad sounds. heavy as hell but can has lots of lower gain sounds too.
-circulator - awesome phaser with both classic and wacky sounds. and no matching transistors!
-general Tso's - my favorite Chinese food and my favorite compressor (well, guitar pedal compressor; the bus comp on my SSL big six mixer is my absolute favorite). no reason not to have one.
-caesar - a good chorus that can be used in wacky ways in addition to normal tones. this plus the circulator is awesome for thickening up your tone.

honorable mentions: parenthesis fuzz, Captain Bit, Paragon Mini, kliche Mini, magnetron
 
hmmm so this is a very tough choice, but I do have some thoughts after about 40 builds.

-duocast, my favorite pedal. it just sounds awesome, my go-to for a vintage-y tone.
-angry Andy - all around great with no bad sounds. heavy as hell but can has lots of lower gain sounds too.
-circulator - awesome phaser with both classic and wacky sounds. and no matching transistors!
-general Tso's - my favorite Chinese food and my favorite compressor (well, guitar pedal compressor; the bus comp on my SSL big six mixer is my absolute favorite). no reason not to have one.
-caesar - a good chorus that can be used in wacky ways in addition to normal tones. this plus the circulator is awesome for thickening up your tone.

honorable mentions: parenthesis fuzz, Captain Bit, Paragon Mini, kliche Mini, magnetron
I've built 9 of these and I would agree they are all top notch. The Caesar is a go to chorus and the Circulator is a solid no fuss phaser. And the Captain Bit... incredibly fun pedal that everyone should build.
 
For the bass players.

VIIB
Low tide
Cordyceps
Ocelot
Frequency Interchange

Curds and Whey would be on here if prunes n custard boards weren't available from other vendors. Trying to keep it to circuits that are unique to ppcb. Boneyard Kliché falls into this category too.
What's the bass interest/connection with Low Tide? Have only tried it with guitar.
 
It's odd that I can't find any thread like this. Didn't exactly know where to put it, but here was my best guess--please feel free to move it to a more appropriate location. I thought this might spark some discussion and interest in a range of boards and pedals and give direction to folks wondering what else to build. I'm genuinely curious to know what people consider to be their "top five," especially from among the older boards.
Okko Diablo/Deofol
Thorpy Heavy Water/Fallout Cloud
Hydra Delay
EQD Afterneath/Deflector Reverb
Acorn ADHD/Nutty Fuzz
It's a a matter of different strokes for different folks, I have no intentions of building any of the above listed.
 
hmmm so this is a very tough choice, but I do have some thoughts after about 40 builds.

-duocast, my favorite pedal. it just sounds awesome, my go-to for a vintage-y tone.
-angry Andy - all around great with no bad sounds. heavy as hell but can has lots of lower gain sounds too.
-circulator - awesome phaser with both classic and wacky sounds. and no matching transistors!
-general Tso's - my favorite Chinese food and my favorite compressor (well, guitar pedal compressor; the bus comp on my SSL big six mixer is my absolute favorite). no reason not to have one.
-caesar - a good chorus that can be used in wacky ways in addition to normal tones. this plus the circulator is awesome for thickening up your tone.

honorable mentions: parenthesis fuzz, Captain Bit, Paragon Mini, kliche Mini, magnetron
I like the Duocast too!
 
it's a good thread for helping people prioritize builds, and maybe to try something that wouldn't have otherwise. I wouldn't have looked at the Nutty fuzz otherwise! I also like hearing why people love the one that they do.
Exactly! You got it. I've already been to go see what this VIIB is all about, flagged a General Tso's build, and plan to revisit my Caesar and Low Tide builds.

I think it'll also be interesting to see if any consensus emerges in the lists if we get more entries.

I also expect the top five might shift with new builds, too. I've got a few in the queue I am pretty excited to try.
 
Pacifier ( DOD punkifier) with the mods we can find in the modification section, and some different transistor for the fuzz section. That's my favorite...

...or maybe the Cream pie Fuzz (Frantone Cream Puff) ?

Tweed Man (Catalinbread 5F6) but the Derailer (TrainWreck amp emulation) is great too...

Captain Crunch Deluxe (Mi audio Crunch Box)

Gravitation reverb (EQD Levitation)

Hydra Delay

I could be wrong but something tells me that you can dial every Tube Screamer's variants tones with the Stockade (EQD Palisades). Probably the ultimate TS style circuit ?

Frequency Interchange is indeed great for bass players.

I guess that's 5, i should stop there... Did i mention the ADHD (OCD) and the Thermionic (BE-OD) ?

Edit : oh ! and Phase II (Mutron Phasor 2), how could we forget this one...

@airbud is cheating ! He mentioned more than 5 circuits ! "honorable mentions" is a nice trick but it won't work anymore... Did you think you could slip 5 extra circuits just like that ? Let's be reasonable...

Edit 2 : i have built around 40 or 50 different PPCB circuits in total so far. And i guess there are +1000 pcb available...
 
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The Neurocyton (Soma 63) is pretty incredible. I think I like it even better than the Broadcast, which is awesome. I'll second the Carcass (Carcosa). One of the best sounding and most versatile fuzzes ever. The Red Herring (Snapper) is cool, too. So many good ones...
 
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