Get by with a little DIY…..

How many times have you had a pedal that sounded good but you thought, “it could use a little more bass” or “a little more mids would be nice”. Maybe you think, “I don’t know if I want a fuzz pedal enough to spend the dough”. Maybe you’re just naturally curious and like to tinker. If so, the I’m here to help you get bit by the DIY bug.


I got into DIY pedals about 10 years ago simply because I wanted an octave pedal but didn’t have the cash to buy one. I had a new baby and I couldn’t justify spending the dough on a pedal I didn’t really need. So I thought, “I can build one”. Sure why not. I quickly found out that DIY does not equal cheaper, but it sure is fun.


I surfed the net and found lots of great information and some not so great information. Here are some of my favorite sites to get you immersed in the world of DIY pedals.

Kit Sites

• General Guitar Gadgets
• Build your own clone
• Officially Licensed Circuits

General DIY info

• DIY stompboxes
• R.G. Keen’s site
• AMZ

Required reading

• DIY wiki
• Geofex how to’s
• Geofex debuggin page

Basic Electronics references

• Basic info on Capacitors,resistors, etc..
• Ohms law calculator
• Ohms law chart

Parts

• Small bear electronics
• DIY stompboxes store
• Jameco electronics
• Pedal Parts Plus

These are just a few of the many sites out their devoted to DIY stomp boxes. Look around and you’ll find a whole world of information to get you on the road to building your own pedals.

Scott

T.C. Electronics Flashback Delay

Delay is one of those effects that seems to have two camps. One camp believes delay is a crutch to cover up poor playing and the other camp views delay as a vital tool utilizing multiple delay units for different purposes.

For the former camp, read no further, for the latter camp, the T.C. Electronics Flashback is definitely something you should have in your toolbox.

A wide range of delay sounds as well as the tone print technology allow you to dial in the perfect delay for your needs.

Check out this demo of the Flashback complete with a simple little trick to let you use the Flashback as a chorus pedal.

Mentryville,Historic Oil Town

The Santa Clarita Valley was practically built on Oil.  The rich deposits from Placerita, to Pico,to Elsmere Canyons had oil wells dotting the landscape for years. 

Mentryvville is a famous oil town in the West Santa Clarita Valley which has been preserved over the years. While there are no longer any residents of this town the remnants of this historic oil town are still around and available for the public to see.

The Schoolhouse

When you gotta go, you gotta go….

The foundation of an old building,

Oil drilling equipment.

A marker for Pico #4 the first commercially successful oil well in the western united states


























Up the hill to Odeen #1. 





The marker for Odeen #1.  A less than successful well but a spectacular view.

Why I love Guitar

To most people, the experience of playing guitar, whether for yourself or in front of an audience is a mystery.  For those of us that have this experience we know what we know.

I’ve often said that those of us who have the gift of music should share it with the world. Not everyone has this gift and we should not take it for granted.  This is part of the reason I love playing guitar.

The feeling of creating something out of nothing.  The feeling of hitting that right note that just sings to you.  the feeling that nothing else exists in that moment but you and a chunk of wood and steel.


I also love the visual aspects of the guitar.  The curves of a strat or Les Paul.  the clean lines of an Explorer.  The wild shapes from companies like B.C. Rich or Jackson.  There is something primal about seeing that six string work of art that makes me want to pick it up and play my heart out. 


I wish I could channel this experience and share it with people who have not yet been able to go down the path of guitar bliss. I wish I could share the emotion, joy, angst, and euphoria that goes with playing guitar. 


I also love the feeling when I’ve created something totally new. Yes, I know nothing is totally original in the music world but when I create something new to me, I feel like a proud parent.

With the technology available today I don’t see why more people cant pick up a guitar. YouTube as well as other online outlets and DVD lessons make it easier than ever to learn to play guitar  Guitar Center has offered pretty low prices on entry level guitar packs too.  For around $200 you could get a beginner guitar pack and use the internet to start learning the ways of the six string. 


I’m challenging the internet to go out there and start playing guitar.  Make some noise, jam with some friends, write a song that speaks to you. The world can only be a better place when this happens. Go make some noise!!!!

Plutonium Fuzz….Meltdown in a box

Fuzz pedals have been around for over forty years now. They were among the first pedals us guitarists had to use to create the distorted rock and roll sound we all love. A few years ago while learning the ropes of pedal building I built the Plutonium Fuzz. It was based on Fuzz Central's Axis Face which was a Fuzz Face variant. I did some tweaks based on information found on the various DIY sites and ended up with a really cool pedal.

I've had the schematic and perf board layout on the DIY stompboxes forum for a while but I think it's time I put it here for everyone to see.


The Schematic

The Layout



The Lowdown

This Fuzz is not subtle. It is not completely out of control either. It has lots of gain but with careful tweaking of the controls you can get a great maxed out fuzz sound while still maintaining some clarity and minimizing noise.

When building this there are a few things to be careful of. Make sure your input and output wires are as short as possible. Also don't let the input and outputs cross. Nor should you let any signal carrying wires cross the power supply wires.

 Fuzz circuits are a magnet for noise and you will be faced with some ugly hum, his and oscillation if your are not careful.

Here’s a link to a video demo from my old guitar blog days…..yes I probably talked too much
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbTzIldEY4

Halloween fun

It’s that time of year again.  All the ghouls and goblins come out of hiding to scare all us mortal beings.  As a kid, we all had that fear of the dark, or the monster in your closet.

A few years back I employed my wife and my son to help me record a family Halloween song. It was a great experience and it captured my son at an awesome period in his childhood.  That age where you live for Halloween and Christmas.  My wife is also immortalized as the calming reassuring voice of mom, the person who makes everything OK.


“Monster in my Closet” is a fun, slightly scary, retro Halloween song for all ages.

Enjoy

Danelectro Chicken Salad Vibe pedal

The Original Uni-vibe pedal is one of the  most sought after effects in the world.  It's think swirling modulaiton made famous by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Robin Trower are distinctive and mesmorizing.

For most of us, an original isn't an option.  They are pricey and somewhat noisy and cumbersome. Fortunealy Danelectro has produced a nice compact alternative that will fit nicely on the pedal board and wont break the bank.  While these aren't made any more, you can find these on ebay for around $30.  I myself own three.  :)

Check out this short little video of this awesome modulation pedal.