Cheap DIY Distortion and Compressor and Fuzz kits

[JohnH]

I've got all three of those too - had to go to a few second hand stores til I found them, and they're all different editions (though really, who cares). There's a few projects in there that I think my son would really enjoy. Our doorbell recently died so I thought maybe he and I could build the doorbell project one weekend.

I remember going to Dick Smith when I was little and being so intrigued by all those electronic components, but there wasn't anyone in my family who was into electronics so my interest never went anywhere, sadly.

[JohnH]

Slightly different, but there's an amazing second hand store in Goulburn called the Argyle Emporium - run by this great, if somewhat eccentric guy. Anyway, he has a pretty good stash of books on electronics - lots of old service manuals, and resource books (like those transistor comparison tables, etc). One day we got chatting about all the electronics books I'd been buying, and he said 'if you like electronics, you might like these', and showed me this shelf right up on the top of a bookcase which is chockers full of thousands of old amateur radio magazines. It's amazing.

[Marcel]

Yep, Being a licensed Ham (Amateur radio operator) I have my own collection of AR magazines spanning the last 10 or so years from the WIA (Wireless Institute of Australia) which is the worlds oldest amateur radio association. http://www.wia.org.au/

Also have in my shed some ramshackle collections of broadcasting manuals and handbooks, a few ARA (Amateur Radio Action) and Silicon Chip, and Electronics Australia magazines... plus in a bookcase in my office a few neatly bound copies of the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) monthly magazine "Bulletin" dating from July 1959 through to December 1967...

Lots of interesting, factual and historical reading...

It's quite funny and yet odd to read adverts for back then in the '60's.... The RSGB dinner club 1967 new years dinner (possibly attended by the patron of the RSGB - HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, KG) at the Kingsley Hotel Bloomsbury Way London WC1 would cost 30s/-, a BC108 cost 7s/6d, 52ohm coax cost 1s/4d per yard, in the book shop copies of the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) handbook going for 44s/-, and a Shure 275SK microphone would set you back $4/2s/6d (pounds, not Dollars), a new Swan 400W 3.5MHz to 28MHz transceiver going for 250 pounds back then, or a FT100 for 180 pounds... .... and then also there is the detailed explanations on how to build a 7MHz transmitter using a 6BE6, and on how a Yagi antenna works (with slide-rule friendly formulas) and absolute ways to measure SWR and impedance of a Aerial... Sadly, not much in those old RSGB pages about guitar amps...

De- vk4tmh

[JohnH]

What an amazing resource/collection! I've only recently discovered Silicone Chip, and have a few issues kicking around now. I've also subscribed to the much more recent Diyode, which is admittedly a little different in content. Radios are entirely new to me. I have a few books now that I bought from the Goulburn guy, and one in particular is cool - a transistor radio project book, which I keep meaning to actually pull out and attempt some of the projects from.

Hilariously I somehow convinced the Canberra Contemporary Art Space to give me an exhibition later this year which will feature about 50 drawings of electronic components (all at a 1:5 scale) alongside some interactive electronic 'sound devices' (which so far exist only in my head). We shall see how it goes. The drawings I've already started, and am happy with, but the electronics are way outside my normal comfort zone.

[Marcel]

The whole "which so far exist only in my head" thing I can totally relate to....

Lately I've been contemplating the ups/downs good/bad of starting a YouTube channel based purely on the electronics aspect thing... topics like soldering, basic ohms law but put into practice. simple fault finding, the who/what/when/where/why of building a pedal, colour codes and wire colour conventions. There's a bucket load of topics that could be covered to an 'understanding' or very practical level.... I suppose all I've got to do is get off my arse and do it... Though I still need a half decent business entity name to work it ...

[Marcel]

Passing the time in the tropical Summer heat on YouTube sometimes has kickbacks.

Our friend Brian Wampler of Wampler pedals has an amusing channel on YouTube and one of his most recent video's about dissecting a RAT passed out a real gem of information.... check out the link... so much of a edumacational thing for any potential pedal builder hack....lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBGKdnlh4Ws
https://www.electrosmash.com/schematics#pedals

[Marcel]

It's surprising how events cause you to digress...

After seeing Brian's video on the RAT, and building a clone of a Klon, I went and build a pedal board loaded with all my distortions and fuzz's and overdrives, and brought together a few of my favourite axe's, and a comfy stool, and indulged in a voyage of exploration in the various "tones" over far too many nights.

The rig - A PRS SE245, a Gibo LP, a MIM Strat, the ES-1TL build and the denim Tele, patched in some oddball and constantly changing way into a TS9, a RAT, a Big Muff Pi, a Behringer HD200, a NUX HG-6, a clone Klon, and a kit OD then on to my VOX VT40X amp and a set of appropriate headphones... Other identities briefly came and went, their stay isn't worth mentioning.

While I know the clone Klon isn't the real thing it is damn impressive, as is the RAT and the Big Muff. Maybe this rig isn't the best for the TS9 as I found it to be left in bypass more that doing its kind of magic. The HD200 had its moments and the HG-6 really suits special applications. Sadly the kit OD fell into the 'acquired taste' category with a flavour that doesn't suit me all that much.

And then there were the experiments in gain stacking... That was fun, with both stellar and tragic results. I highly recommend it for those who figuratively want to rip heads off in semi uncontrolled steps. Be sure to have a 2nd set of headphones on standby if the first set go up in smoke...

So, I've blown off quite a few nights, learned a lot about what I like and don't like with these pedals on various guitars... and my playing has improved though my repertoire has failed to grow, yet I feel there is a wave of new gain bathed material waiting eagerly to burst out..... I suspect most probably with either the Strat or the LP into the clone Klon...

[FrankenWashie]

Sounds like a great effort! I have picked up a couple of Kink pedals recently, the Charlie Fuzz and the Trem-endous Gain. They both go hard and torture my little practice amp beyond sanity.