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Not necessarily a pedal project, but I have a kalimba that I want to mod and put a delay/reverb/crazy shit in...trouble is I’ve never done anything like that and don’t really know where to start. Where does one buy diy parts? Any advice in general for me?

It might be easier to put a kalimba into a delay than a delay into a kalimba

I love both ideas though

Is the Kalimba electrified? Does it have some kind of pickup? That's all you need to start with I think. Then it might be necessary to use a preamp of some kind to get your signal to a usable level (and impedance?) then it's ready for sending through your effects.

Buying parts is probably not the best place to start! But I buy mine mostly on Ebay in the UK.

If you want to start DIYing, then probably the best way to begin is a kit with full instructions, all the parts you need, some troubleshooting if it doesn't work. Before you put it together you'll need a soldering iron etc. and some practice soldering which you can learn on Youtube. Also if you're using lead solder you'll want to make sure you take the usual precautions so you don't accidentally eat it etc., and have decent ventilation so you don't breathe in too much smoke and fumes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etJq5fa0Hy0[/youtube]

Not totally a follow along kind of thing, but I think this is the best way to go

Ben79 wrote:Is the Kalimba electrified? Does it have some kind of pickup? That's all you need to start with I think. Then it might be necessary to use a preamp of some kind to get your signal to a usable level (and impedance?) then it's ready for sending through your effects.

Buying parts is probably not the best place to start! But I buy mine mostly on Ebay in the UK.

If you want to start DIYing, then probably the best way to begin is a kit with full instructions, all the parts you need, some troubleshooting if it doesn't work. Before you put it together you'll need a soldering iron etc. and some practice soldering which you can learn on Youtube. Also if you're using lead solder you'll want to make sure you take the usual precautions so you don't accidentally eat it etc., and have decent ventilation so you don't breathe in too much smoke and fumes.

Thanks for the feedback!

It's not electrified, I was thinking there might be some kind of piezo delay circuit I'd be able to build and put into the kalimba. I found this lo-fi delay unit - http://getlofi.com/shop/pt2399-lofi-delay-unit/ - would that work? I've contacted them, but not heard back yet and the site hasn't been updated in a while so I'm not holding my breath. I have a soldering iron and am starting to learn how to do that. Thoughts?

There's this dude as well:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSftdCZ1vs[/youtube]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSftdCZ1vs

Chankgeez wrote:There's this dude as well:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSftdCZ1vs[/youtube]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSftdCZ1vs

So funny, I was just about to post that as an example of what I'd like to accomplish. I'd like to have the effects on board rather than just having a piezo output into a separate effects pedal.

UglyCasanova modded his black fly to have a delay in it, and that device is simply a "non-tuned" kalimba with other shit on it for noises. Might be worth checking out his build.

BetterOffShred wrote:UglyCasanova modded his black fly to have a delay in it, and that device is simply a "non-tuned" kalimba with other shit on it for noises. Might be worth checking out his build.

Sweet, I'll check it out! Thanks!