ILF D.I.Y.'er's SOUND OFF

[stanimal]

state your name, favorite build, least favorite build, favorite platform (pcb, vero, etc), guilty DIY pleasure and how many you've built (or list what you've built)... i'll start...


NAME: Stanimal

Favorite Build: Ringstinger (it was a challenging, monster build but started working as soon as i plugged it in)

Least Favorite Build: Fuzz Factory (kicked my ass because it was SO SIMPLE i kept fucking shit up and not realizing it)

Favorite Platform: I love to build on VEROBOARD because it's less messy and it feels more "organic"

Guilty DIY Pleasure: I love how components on a finished board look like a city scape from those old school computer games from the 80's

How Many Have You Built: 25 fuzz boxes, 4 delays, 2 ring mods, 20 overdrives, 1 reverb, 3 compressors, 3 feedback loopers, 1 A/B/Y box, about 45 mods (mostly devi's)

st !!

[Rygot]

NAME: Rygot

Favorite Build: Hmm, Red Llama. First time I ever put an IC on eyelet...

Least Favorite Build: Either the guv'nor or machine. Guvnor just because it was on vero...Machine just likes to fight with me.

Favorite Platform: Eyelet by far.

Guilty DIY Pleasure: The end result of an eyelet board is like looking at a small handwired amp.

How Many Have You Built: Honestly couldn't tell you. Lots of fuzz/OD/Distortion, some delays, two choruses, some rehouses and mods, Bunch of a/b/y switches and momentary stuff for rack effects.
Also, a lot of guitar wiring/refinishing endeavors.

[fuzzmax]

Name: Fuzzmax

Favorite build: big muff and ocd clone

least favorite build: tremolo pulsar

favorite platform: manufactured PCBs, so much easier

guilty pleasure: the smell of solder an checking out the guts of the pedals, how well built they are.

how many have you built: 2 big muff, 2 ocd, 1 trem, 3 boost,2 fuzz face, 1 A/B box, 1 true bypass looper, 1 3 true bypass looper, 5 DS-1 mods and so many that did not work (TGD, wolf computer)

[tuffteef]

Favorite Build: Ringstinger (it was a challenging, monster build but started working as soon as i plugged it in)

you know you wanna help me build one

[stanimal]

you know you wanna help me build one

oh dude, ALWAYS available to help out... PM me with any questions....

guilty pleasure: the smell of solder an checking out the guts of the pedals, how well built they are.

+1 on that... i find i open up a pedal to look inside before i plug it in and play....

[nbabmf]

NAME:
Nick

Favorite Build:
I like building fuzzes. Usually the boards are small, so I can get crazy with using giant Allen-Bradley precision pots, weird knob layout, etc. without worrying about how everything will fit inside.

Least Favorite Build:
Once in a while, someone will commission me and seem really easy going at first... and then they start reading things on the internet, talking their ignorant buddies, and throw in all sorts of completely illogical and contradictory changes after they've put half the money down. That kind of ruins the fun for me.

Favorite Platform:
Populating PCBs is like Zen to me. It's so relaxing. Etching and drilling them... not so much haha. When I'm in the mood for a challenge, I'll do perfboard on the fly. Trying to create a tight layout that looks mojo on one side and like Tron on the other is very rewarding.

Guilty DIY Pleasure:
I love how components on a finished board look like a city scape from those old school computer games from the 80's (THIS! YES!)

How Many Have You Built:
I've probably done about a hundred builds in the last year... mostly dirt, but lately I've been diving into other stuff. I do a lot of repairs and mods, especially locally, so I get to learn a lot about the inner workings of crazy vintage pedals and it gives me a lot of ideas.

[Scruffie]

Name: Scruffie

Favourite Build: Tough One, Changing all the Time... At the Moment it's my EHX Bad Stone Phaser due to the whole process of it, from research to finished fabbed PCBs, got me started on my EHX Project too.

Least Favourite Build: Gotta be the Dr Boogeys on Vero I did... just cause of all the fucking re-biasing to get it sounding nice and offboard wiring for the 6 pots, I HATE offboard wiring... just thankful for that mesa sound at the end.

Favourite Platform: Another Tough One, Vero is awesome as there's none of that etching business and it's just stuff and solder, but there's just something about PCBs that I find Sturdier and I have a thing for fabbed PCBs over home made... don't know what is.

Guilty DIY Pleasure: Where to start... OnBoard Pots, the look of a populated PCB looking like a City Scape from an old school computer game, particularly nice PCB layouts with everything Symmetrical (Like Vintage EHX Layouts) Fabbed PCBs and the guts of things too.

Pedals Built: Not as many as I could have... I usually make sure I want something before I build it, probably 35-45, Everything from Fuzzes & Boosts to Analog Delays, Flangers and getting even more complex now with my EHX Pedal Builds, The Deluxe Octave Multiplexer being part of this... not a tiny pedal by any means and being the first person to clone it that I know if, i'm veroing it first to test the schematic so it's gunna be one biggggg layout.

[smile_man]

god, i would love one of those DOMs.

[Scruffie]

god, i would love one of those DOMs.

If I get the Cash & Time to verify the schematic, i'll do my best to make it a DIYable project, or you could buy the proto off me (At Parts Cost)

I also know of an original going for $200 if you want it.

[smallsnd/bigsnd]

hopefully i can join in here!

NAME: brian

Favorite Build: this changes pretty often, but i think overall rangemasters, analog delays and anything with banana jacks.

Least Favorite Build: ones that i don't finish.

Favorite Platform: fabricated PCBs for the ease of building/looks and perf board for the pleasure of improvising a layout each time.

Guilty DIY Pleasure: i really enjoy PCB layout - it's like a weird puzzle. also, the moment you first switch a new build on, of course!

How Many Have You Built: a lot. it's been around 6 years... a handful that i've probably given to friends, at least 30-40 for myself and a ton that i've sold. i still need to build myself a modular synth, though...

[culturejam]

Man, I've built so much shit that I can't even keep track of it.

I think overall I like building Muffs the best. I just totally "get" the Muff, so building them is always easy. And even though a Muff always sounds like a Muff, there are definitely nuances between the most well-known versions (some of them), and you can tweak them to your gear without a lot of effort.

I really like proper PCBs the most, even though I went through phases were I loved perf, vero, or eyelet boards. I find that the best build process is to breadboard a circuit, tweak to desire, create a PCB layout, and then go from there. It's a very rewarding, if not somewhat difficult to get to, total process. Once you get all the skills together, it's a pretty smooth process.

Prior to building my first BYOC kit, I had ZERO electronics experience. And now I do my own circuit design and PCB layouts, so if I, and English major who fears math, can do it, then any of you can do it. Trust me.

I really dislike building pedals for other people (for money), because I'm so easily sidetracked and I'm a huge procrastinator. Just ask poor Hazelwould (serious bro, it's getting really close to being done!). I like the idea of it, but I'm bad at delivering things in a reasonable time. I just want everything to be too perfect.

[fuzzmax]

I have no knowledge about electronic, it's more like building small scale cars, you get all the parts and assemble the kit. But I still do get satisfaction when I'm closing the backplate and plug it in. Its so relaxing to solder all the parts. I'm very impress by you professionnal builders....I looked into Dr. Scientist and smallsound/bigsound and WOW, it is so pretty and neat!!! to get your own design on a pro pcb....I feel like I'm a zillion years from that!!!!

[hazelwould]

Man, I've built so much shit that I can't even keep track of it.

I think overall I like building Muffs the best. I just totally "get" the Muff, so building them is always easy. And even though a Muff always sounds like a Muff, there are definitely nuances between the most well-known versions (some of them), and you can tweak them to your gear without a lot of effort.

I really like proper PCBs the most, even though I went through phases were I loved perf, vero, or eyelet boards. I find that the best build process is to breadboard a circuit, tweak to desire, create a PCB layout, and then go from there. It's a very rewarding, if not somewhat difficult to get to, total process. Once you get all the skills together, it's a pretty smooth process.

Prior to building my first BYOC kit, I had ZERO electronics experience. And now I do my own circuit design and PCB layouts, so if I, and English major who fears math, can do it, then any of you can do it. Trust me.

I really dislike building pedals for other people (for money), because I'm so easily sidetracked and I'm a huge procrastinator. Just ask poor Hazelwould (serious bro, it's getting really close to being done!). I like the idea of it, but I'm bad at delivering things in a reasonable time. I just want everything to be too perfect.

No worries at all man! I know how things go, and Im in the same boat as you at the moment... Ive got another project that in working on, but is dragging on SO long! I just wanna be done with it! BTW thanks for the inspiring words about building. One of these days I'll get over my fear of failure and make some stuff!

[tuffteef]

NAME: richard

Favorite Build: ummmm im gonna have to say the silvercrank with different values super easy super fun!

Least Favorite Build: klon it didnt work i dont know why it doesnt work i gave up and biffed it and dont care anymore

Favorite Platform: vero and silkscreened pcbs its like paint by numbers

Guilty DIY Pleasure: im a failed graphics designer and arteeest so im guilty of drafting hours and hours of graphics on photoshop and illustrator for pedals ill never build, i think it has to look cool to sound COOL right? even i get turned off by bad contemp design and art no matter how good it sounds.

How Many Have You Built: im not sure now, but enough to see my own progress with a soldering iron going from beyond crap to shiny tight layouts

[culturejam]

BTW thanks for the inspiring words about building. One of these days I'll get over my fear of failure and make some stuff!

You'll get there. If you haven't built a pedal at all yet, I'd highly recommend a BYOC kit. They are pricier than GGG, but the projects are far better thought out (in my opinion) and the documentation is far superior (in almost everyone's opinion).

Guilty DIY Pleasure: im a failed graphics designer and arteeest so im guilty of drafting hours and hours of graphics on photoshop and illustrator for pedals ill never build, i think it has to look cool to sound COOL right?

Don't laugh. Death By Audio got off the ground through outside artwork alone.