Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
I was boxing up a circuit recently and the heights of my spacers weren’t working out – then I had a minor brainwave. Well I thought it was anyway, you may disagree. You can thread the little hexagonal metal spacers on top of the nylon ones. It’s a very tight fit and feels secure. … Read more
Ok – next level nerd alert. Apart from being distracted by valve amp related things, I’ve recently started to use cable lacing to keep the wires looking tidy. Cable lacing was how it was done before cable ties appeared, and I believe it’s still used in some areas of aeronautics and space programmes. Sure you … Read more
I have a couple of dual pedals planned, so time to jot down some off-board wiring plans. SWITCHED JACKS First off, I probably should touch on switched jacks – I’ll stick to the Cliff style, as these are the most common type used for guitar pedals. Switched jacks are great, as much as I … Read more
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
Just a reference for me – this is specifically for this layout mounted above the pots. MKI TONE BENDER OFF-BOARD WIRING PLAN The final soldering of the board to the pots has not been done yet – that will be done when it is mounted on the actual enclosure lid, as opposed to the dodgy piece … 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
I’m sure others have done it; however, this is commonly known as the Voodoo Labs bypass. It’s an interesting way of bypassing a pedal using a DPDT switch while including an LED indicator. Before 3PDT switches became available, designers had to choose between not true bypass with a LED or true-bypass without an LED (until the millennium bypass appeared, … Read more
Off-board wiring for any Tone Bender MKIII or MKIV – this is just how I do it; it’s not exactly vintage correct. The cable with a grey offshoot is shielded. Note where shields are not connected. I’ve grounded the enclosure via a pot; this is only sometimes necessary or recommended, depending on the style … Read more
A 3DPT or a 2DPT switch can be used for this. Pete Cornish uses a 3DPT, perhaps because he solders the LED circuit to the switch pins – who knows… I added secondary power filtering on the buffer, which of course, can be easily removed if you already have it on the effect circuit. Stating … 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