Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
A short guide to off-board wiring for positive ground effects. It’s not as complicated as it’s sometimes made out, but I do get that it’s confusing. If you want all the details, head over to the tech section of Amplified Parts – it may hurt your brain by the end, as it’s very detailed. Note #1: … Read more
I’ve had a few questions lately via Instagram about some basics on my vero layouts – while this doesn’t cover everything, I hope it helps clarify a few things for people just starting out. Essentially, my vero layouts are functionally the same as many others, the key differences being the use of colour coding, and … Read more
22AWG and 24AWG are what most pedal builders use, but depending on where you live, these values may not be readily available from your local store. Of course, online is always an option, but shipping a bunch of heavy copper reels can be expensive. 22AWG and 24AWG are not available in the most common electronics … Read more
THE PROBLEM WITH VERO / STRIPBOARD LAYOUTS As much as I like a bit of vero (clearly), vero is not meant for commercial-scale production, at least in the modern sense. Unlike PCBs, where pots and switches can all be mounted on the board, thus providing a convenient way to hold the board in the enclosure, vero … Read more
REDUCING NOISE ON DC POWER FOR FX PEDALS When looking at a guitar pedal schematic, you’re really looking at two circuits that overlay each other, sharing resources, and working together. There’s one for the AC signal and one for DC power. We use capacitors to block DC, and let AC signals pass – this is … Read more
POLARITY PROTECTION FOR GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALS Guitar pedals are full of components, some of which are so sensitive to voltages of the wrong polarity that they will explode – electrolytic capacitors in particular. Exploding caps is not good. And to really start at the beginning, the wrong polarity means V+ and ground (or V-) have … Read more
Capacitors can be pretty complex things, given that they are passive components. There are plenty of in-depth discussions and explanations out there, but this is not one of them. This is intended as a primer for anyone just starting out building, who wants to know a little more about capacitors, but doesn’t like looking at equations … Read more
Everything listed below is about guitar pedal builds and is not intended cover all possible uses of resistors. It’s an incomplete and general reference intended for someone just starting out building pedals. So if I have missed particular properties or information, it’s because I either don’t understand them or it’s irrelevant for this purpose. … Read more
After a couple of posts about workbench tools etc, I thought perhaps it’s time for a guide on where to start, as the internet is a big place full of opinions (now including mine). Sometimes it’s hard to work out what one actually needs and why they are needed. The idea of saving money by … Read more
OFF-BOARD SWITCH WIRING FOR GUITAR FX Here’s some common options for stomp switch wiring. If you are new to pedal building, you need to make an effort to understand switching, as it’s one of the fundamentals. 3PDT TRUE BYPASS SWITCHING Make sure you have latching 3PDT switches, or prepare for disappointment. The alternative to latching … Read more