Post-Lockdown pedal building

rsvmark · November 2020

SteveF said:

rsvmark said:

@SteveF Finally the printers have come back to me.... £68 plus vat for 1 off UV print!!! Errrr no thanks. As a matter of interest, how much did you pay and how did you source them?

Hi @rsvmark - I had mine done at Tayda. I paid around $10 for the powder coated and printed enclosure. I am going to use the drilling service as well next time to save time on the build process as I am building a batch. I think this adds another $2-3 to the cost of the enclosure. I believe they discount if you order more than 5 or 10 too.

They have some really specific instructions and requirements for the artwork, but it's not too difficult to set up.

Thanks... ah well, not suited to this build. Enclosure is already drilled and powder coated. Yellow pages time....

LastMantra · November 2020

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XP4cR4sH2-IzN5mK9jA-cxVnxd-PzO2K/view?usp=drivesdk

Crap!

Edit; Can anyone see that pic?
I've just used a stamp for the lettering but got my dad to bead-blast it which I think looks quite good. I gave it a clear coat too to keep it fresh looking.

It's a RM type germanium boost.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

roberty said:

slowpilgrim said:

Thanks for the tips, my last builds were a lot neater by assembling, cutting wires to length and then removing and soldering outside of the enclosure.

Here's how the letter punch turned out:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50554403342_159bdb8ba4_h.jpg

These are for sale on the classifieds if anyone is interested, along with some builds I did earlier in lockdown, to fund more kits:

https://i.imgur.com/QExTsos.jpg

Kind cool, but for my next build I'd like to try some interesting paint finishes. Has anyone experimented with nitro paint like the early BJFE pedals? Always thought that aesthetic was great.

Love the graphics and colours. I can't draw to save my life. These look fantastic

Thanks, sold the Dunes clone (Crunch) to someone on here but kind of regret it now!

markblack · November 2020

Anyone built a good spluttery, nasty fuzz kit they recommend? Fancy building another fuzz, but not the usual muff clone type thing.

Cheers

Mark

stickyfiddle · November 2020

markblack said:

Anyone built a good spluttery, nasty fuzz kit they recommend? Fancy building another fuzz, but not the usual muff clone type thing.

Cheers

Mark

It’s technically a Rat plus octave, but the FuzzDog Death Drive (Sunn Life clone) does a fantastic spluttery/nasty fuzz “thing”. It’s quite delicious.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

I'd like to try some nice hammered finishes for my next pedals. I remember reading something about these great results Basic Audio have had, where there's great 'veining' and depth to the colour:

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/temp/Blue-boards.jpg

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/Goldie-web.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpAf95d6F4/WaL7EoCySiI/AAAAAAAAEbA/bkVF05oe20oysCI2gdJFtcbDPVBt_qYWwCLcBGAs/s1600/Wildcat.jpg

There's a tutorial that's similar here:

https://pedalprojects.blogspot.com/2013/12/spray-painting-metal-enclosures-hammer.html

But this shows a single flat colour. Does anyone know how to achieve the above results? I'm sure I read a while back that the trick is to spray one hammered colour, then layer it with another over the top. But looking around it seems much more likely to just be these special 'burnished' rust-oleum colours like:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/e8/aa/85e8aa78821b62dd0e414316080a7575.jpg

Not available in the UK

.

EDIT: further resources for cool hammered effects:

Swirling
https://retrofokus.blogspot.com/2014/09/fuzz-and-hammerite-match-made-in-heaven.html

Maybe the key is just spraying it on really thick to get more texture:
https://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/ts-overdrive-new-enclosure-sound-samples/

Going to order some and experiment.

markblack · November 2020

@stickyfiddle cheers i'll check it out

slowpilgrim · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

I'd like to try some nice hammered finishes for my next pedals. I remember reading something about these great results Basic Audio have had, where there's great 'veining' and depth to the colour:

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/temp/Blue-boards.jpg

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/Goldie-web.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpAf95d6F4/WaL7EoCySiI/AAAAAAAAEbA/bkVF05oe20oysCI2gdJFtcbDPVBt_qYWwCLcBGAs/s1600/Wildcat.jpg

There's a tutorial that's similar here:

https://pedalprojects.blogspot.com/2013/12/spray-painting-metal-enclosures-hammer.html

But this shows a single flat colour. Does anyone know how to achieve the above results? I'm sure I read a while back that the trick is to spray one hammered colour, then layer it with another over the top. But looking around it seems much more likely to just be these special 'burnished' rust-oleum colours like:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/e8/aa/85e8aa78821b62dd0e414316080a7575.jpg

Not available in the UK .

EDIT: further resources for cool hammered effects:

Swirling
https://retrofokus.blogspot.com/2014/09/fuzz-and-hammerite-match-made-in-heaven.html

Maybe the key is just spraying it on really thick to get more texture:
https://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/ts-overdrive-new-enclosure-sound-samples/

Going to order some and experiment.

Apparently adding silicon gives more texture, which is likely what the forged stuff has. I'm going to try spraying the pedal with silicon oil before use the rustoleum.

jonnygreentrees · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

I'd like to try some nice hammered finishes for my next pedals. I remember reading something about these great results Basic Audio have had, where there's great 'veining' and depth to the colour:

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/temp/Blue-boards.jpg

http://www.mrdwab.com/john/Goldie-web.jpg

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZpAf95d6F4/WaL7EoCySiI/AAAAAAAAEbA/bkVF05oe20oysCI2gdJFtcbDPVBt_qYWwCLcBGAs/s1600/Wildcat.jpg

There's a tutorial that's similar here:

https://pedalprojects.blogspot.com/2013/12/spray-painting-metal-enclosures-hammer.html

But this shows a single flat colour. Does anyone know how to achieve the above results? I'm sure I read a while back that the trick is to spray one hammered colour, then layer it with another over the top. But looking around it seems much more likely to just be these special 'burnished' rust-oleum colours like:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/e8/aa/85e8aa78821b62dd0e414316080a7575.jpg

Not available in the UK .

EDIT: further resources for cool hammered effects:

Swirling
https://retrofokus.blogspot.com/2014/09/fuzz-and-hammerite-match-made-in-heaven.html

Maybe the key is just spraying it on really thick to get more texture:
https://hotbottles.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/ts-overdrive-new-enclosure-sound-samples/

Going to order some and experiment.

I've tried with various colours of Hammerite spray and never got them to look like this

jonnygreentrees · November 2020

markblack said:

Anyone built a good spluttery, nasty fuzz kit they recommend? Fancy building another fuzz, but not the usual muff clone type thing.

Cheers

Mark

Fuzzdog Supreme Being (Dwarfcraft Shiva/She Fuzz). Love mine

stickyfiddle · November 2020

I used some of that Rustoleum hammered stuff at the start of this thread. It's fine but doesn't look hammered like that at all. Chipped really easy when I dropped the pedal too...

english_bob · November 2020

jonnygreentrees said:
I've tried with various colours of Hammerite spray and never got them to look like this

I had the same experience. However, when I bought a *tin* of Hammerite and hand painted an enclosure I got closer. I don't know if that meant I was painting it on thicker or thinner than with the spray can. I would guess thicker.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

I did some more trawling and found some info from John Lyons, who painted those basic audio examples. I reckon it’s the Rustoleum Forged (which has a lower silicon content I think, and that produces bigger ‘cells’ with more contrast). He recommends putting the paint in the fridge to get it nice and cold, and spraying thickly onto a cold work surface. Low humidity is best. He also uses an etch primer first.

There were some other great example of two-tone ones, where he layered different hammer colours one immediately after the other, so you get the undercoat showing up in the cells.

english_bob · November 2020

markblack said:

Anyone built a good spluttery, nasty fuzz kit they recommend? Fancy building another fuzz, but not the usual muff clone type thing.

Cheers

Mark

Depends on exactly what flavour of "nasty" you want, but you could try a Shin-ei/Univox Super Fuzz. I built a BYOC one a few years back.... actually, a lot of years now I think about it.

It's horrible. In a good way. One sound is super scooped and buzzy, the other is more middly and has more octave, so it gets very upset if you try to play chords.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

Reposting this from the making/modding section:

Looking to paint my next DIY pedals in a kind of BJFE style. I know for the swirly pedals it's a dremel + candy paint/nitro finish, like this kind of thing:

https://tgt11.com/PICTURE/38040-69-flametop-red.jpg

But I'm curious about stuff like this:

https://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv6/gibson-bluemoon/85809D26-8295-4A48-B3CB-0B265C46023E_zpsf9bgttat.jpg

That gorgeous depth of colour - how do you reckon they did it?

Same question with some of the earlier flat, retro looking colours - nitro?:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8514/8353268973_bb5218cda1_z.jpg

I read that they switched from nitro to oil paints at some point. I'm assuming this would need some thinner? Nail polish seems like a good option too, considering the nice finishes etc.

Would these methods also need primer/clearcoat?

sgosden · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

roberty said

https://i.imgur.com/QExTsos.jpg
Love the graphics and colours. I can't draw to save my life. These look fantastic

Thanks, sold the Dunes clone (Crunch) to someone on here but kind of regret it now!

You did such a good job you're never getting it back

Mrs likes the graphic too.

I'm going the adjust the bandwidth caps to sit inline with my favourite palisades setting. On the whole it's a great clone, really sits with the palisades.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it! The compressor is still up for grabs at a super cheap price in the classifieds if anyone is interested!

slowpilgrim · November 2020

Just about to build a Jan Ray clone from Musikding. I saw the Coda PCB and am wondering -

For DIY pedals, do these things like gold plated PCBs, WIMA caps, Phillips electrolytics, Burr Brown op amps, 1/4 w metal film resistors make any difference to the audio quality or is it just for builders' eye candy?

Benoit recommends all the above in his builds, my Musikding kit has MKT/Elko parts etc.

stickyfiddle · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

Just about to build a Jan Ray clone from Musikding. I saw the Coda PCB and am wondering -

For DIY pedals, do these things like gold plated PCBs, WIMA caps, Phillips electrolytics, Burr Brown op amps, 1/4 w metal film resistors make any difference to the audio quality or is it just for builders' eye candy?

Benoit recommends all the above in his builds, my Musikding kit has MKT/Elko parts etc.

I honestly have no idea. I'm confident there's a lot of bollocks spouted by those with a vested interest in selling you more expensive components.

I love the Jan Ray. I hate all the bullshit in its marketing but it's one of my all time favourite pedals - keen to hear your thoughts!

slowpilgrim · November 2020

Yeah it’s sad really, those enclosures are banging but the whole ‘Japanese craftsmanship’ thing is the biggest load of shite I’ve ever heard. Case in point, that gold edition ts9 that Ibanez brought out - retailed at around the same price as the original. Those brass enclosures can’t be that expensive then surely?

stickyfiddle · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

Yeah it’s sad really, those enclosures are banging but the whole ‘Japanese craftsmanship’ thing is the biggest load of shite I’ve ever heard. Case in point, that gold edition ts9 that Ibanez brought out - retailed at around the same price as the original. Those brass enclosures can’t be that expensive then surely?

Yes, exactly. It’s gorgeous but there’s no way it affects tone. I got mine in Japan this time last year. Wasn’t looking for one but theyre cheaper over there (more like £250 than £360) so I couldn’t resist trying, expecting to hate it. But alas I fell in love...

slowpilgrim · November 2020

To be fair, for £250 (maybe minus 20-30% as I’d buy used) I would consider it! Same way I feel about analogman us prices for the sun face. Thankfully we’ve got the likes of Thorpy representing so I know where I’d spend my money.

slowpilgrim · November 2020

Hoping someone can help with this. I'd like to add a Klon buffer circuit to my new Jan Ray build. Kits used are here:

https://www.musikding.de/docs/basics/installationguideV001_en.pdf

http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/KBuffBypass.pdf

The Jan Ray schematic shows the +9V and gnd connections board-mounted and connected directly to the DC power inlet. On The Fuzzdog builds, this would be mounted on the daughterboard. I just want to check how I would need to wire this up if I'm using the Klon buffer daughterboard with the Jan Ray main board. Do I just wire up the daughterboard to the DC inlet, and leave the main board with no connection? Or do I need to wire both the daughterboard and the main board to the DC inlet?

markblack · November 2020

Has anyone built a fuzz factory clone?

Can you recommend one?

Cheers

slowpilgrim · November 2020

I've been rinsing this thread but just want to say how great it is that those of us with less money/more scepticism of these boutique pedals, have so many options for cloning things that are worth sometimes 10x as much money new. Really cool that we can try pedals like the Jan Ray, KoT, Cornish G2, Sun Face etc for less than 50 quid and a few hours with an iron. The DIYers who put the time into figuring out the schematics, putting them up, putting together the PCBs etc are true and thankless legends.

stickyfiddle · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

Hoping someone can help with this. I'd like to add a Klon buffer circuit to my new Jan Ray build. Kits used are here:

https://www.musikding.de/docs/basics/installationguideV001_en.pdf

http://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/KBuffBypass.pdf

The Jan Ray schematic shows the +9V and gnd connections board-mounted and connected directly to the DC power inlet. On The Fuzzdog builds, this would be mounted on the daughterboard. I just want to check how I would need to wire this up if I'm using the Klon buffer daughterboard with the Jan Ray main board. Do I just wire up the daughterboard to the DC inlet, and leave the main board with no connection? Or do I need to wire both the daughterboard and the main board to the DC inlet?

Ok, so the grounds all just need to be linked, and the red 9V lines all need to be linked. It shouldn't matter whether you attach your DC socket to the daughterboard or the main board, as long as the 9V and ground wires between the 2 boards are there. (i.e. the two 9V points on the main circuit board are going to be connected within the circuit board itself, as are the grounds, so the electricity doesn't care where you attach the wires)

slowpilgrim · November 2020

nice one thanks!

roberty · November 2020

markblack said:

Has anyone built a fuzz factory clone?

Can you recommend one?

Cheers

Yep one of Fuzz Dog's germanium kits. It has the fat switch. Sounds great although I am not using mine so I will probably try to sell it

markblack · November 2020

@roberty was it this?

https://shop.pedalparts.co.uk/Filth_Fack_-_Crazy_Germanium_Fuzz__board-mount_version/p847124_8574326.aspx

LastMantra · November 2020

slowpilgrim said:

Just about to build a Jan Ray clone from Musikding. I saw the Coda PCB and am wondering -

For DIY pedals, do these things like gold plated PCBs, WIMA caps, Phillips electrolytics, Burr Brown op amps, 1/4 w metal film resistors make any difference to the audio quality or is it just for builders' eye candy?

Benoit recommends all the above in his builds, my Musikding kit has MKT/Elko parts etc.

It's the component values that make the difference. Better components will be closer to the given value. That can be a good or a bad thing. The cheap component could be closer to the value you want. Some cheap part could be noisier but I've never had any problems with noisy parts.

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Post-Lockdown pedal building

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