And just for good measure, here's one I finished a while back. This is my workhorse dirt pedal:
2-in-1 Mastodon/T.O.D.D. (I love that OD circuit. Everyone should build one)
My 3rd Mastodon build, 1st T.O.D.D.
This was a build I had in mind for some time. Last time I ordered a mastodon PCB, Barry kindly tossed in a T.O.D.D. PCB as well (clearing out stock ahead of the move to fabbed boards? Not complaining!), so I decided to dig in and get down to it.
I have a 2-amp setup at home. I use a DD3 to split the signal, the direct output goes through overdrive, reverb and EA Tremolo (my first ever build) into my main amp, wet output goes through compressor, octave and fuzz into secondary amp. Which is all fine and good, but there's times when I want to lead with the fuzz and have the OD playing backup, and it's a pain switching out patches on each pedal... enter the Diaz Brothers 2-in-1! (Named after a Mountain Goats song, as are all my pedals /dork)
In the image above, the top row is the controls for the Mastodon, the second row is for the T.O.D.D., with the diode clipping switch between LEDs. The left footswitch controls the secondary input (dry/effect), the middle switch controls the primary input, and the right switch controls which effect goes through which channel.
First of all, I'm glad I decided to build it inside a tall enclosure, as there's a lot going on. Second, I know it looks scrappy in there... I decided to go with shorter/more direct cable routing than cleaner routes that involve longer routes between switches/PCBs. The upside of this is that the PCBs are snug, and with the pot condoms, quite comfortably placed.
Sound wise, it is incredible. It's replacing a ZVez Mastotron (a pedal I thought I'd never be able to live without) and a Boss SD-1. The T.O.D.D. blows the SD-1 out of the water, and the Mastodon does everything I needed from the ZVez, with extra volume. I honestly can't say enough good things about the T.O.D.D. circuit, it's just outstanding. Crisp, transparent (duh), refined and defined. I can flick between fuzzy rhythm/crisp lead with a tap of the switch; Johnny B. Goode (my go-to gear-testing song) settles in like I've been using this thing for years.
As far as lessons learned with this build, cramming 2 circuits into one box is harder than it looks. The lower (secondary) output is a little too close to the footswitch for my liking, though it fits just about OK. There's no audible interference from the power cables, though there's some crossover with signal cables. The biggest thing that bugs me is the fact that I have no way of knowing, in bypass mode, which effect is cued up for each input/output. Because I wanted the effects to be switchable between signal pathways, rather than switching pathways AND outputs between input signals, I needed to use all poles of the 4PDT. A 5PDT would have been perfect, so I could add an extra LED to indicate which signal was going into which effect. But. Life goes on...
My only other complaint is that I screwed up the drilling, so the two top left knobs are a little closer together than the rest, but I can live with that.
