The D.I.Y. FX Pedal Building Thread

[kimball492]

Again if you put it in the cable Doc it doesn't matter which effects pedal you use. But it would save you going round all your effects pedals and changing them all. Thanks for the info on fx pedal, when you get time do more Doc. Kimball

[DrNomis_44]

Again if you put it in the cable Doc it doesn't matter which effects pedal you use. But it would save you going round all your effects pedals and changing them all. Thanks for the info on fx pedal, when you get time do more Doc. Kimball

Will do mate, seeing as this thread has generated quite a bit of interest, I think there's a good overdrive floating around in one of my magazines that I could adapt as another DIY project for this thread, might also do a step by step build of a Rangemaster Treble Booster as a later project, might even see if I can come up with an original design too, I reckon that would be cool to do.

[DrNomis_44]

Just as a quick note:


I just found the invoice I got from Jaycar Electronics after paying for all the parts and Aluminium box needed to build the Axis Fuzz pedal, all up the pedal actually cost me Au $51.87 plus my time and labour to make.


Also, I just checked on the internet, a brand new Roger Mayer Axis Fuzz retails for Au $379.00, so there you have it, I saved myself some money by building one.


http://deluxeguitars.com.au/roger-mayer-axis-fuzz.html

[kimball492]

Doc If you've got anything Ts808 Sd1 Ts9 related would be great. But f not will go with what you've got planned.

[DrNomis_44]

Doc If you've got anything Ts808 Sd1 Ts9 related would be great. But f not will go with what you've got planned.

Funnily enough, I have been thinking of making a TS 808, or TS-9 Tube Screamer pedal for some time, the Boss SD1 shouldn't be too hard to make either.


A Big Muff Distortion pedal shouldn't be too hard to make either.

[kimball492]

I remember seeing a build where it combined a Ts 808 and a Ts-9. I was going to do a build at that time but had great trouble finding the correct genuine chips. Maybe an SD-1 may be better option Doc.

[DrNomis_44]

I remember seeing a build where it combined a Ts 808 and a Ts-9. I was going to do a build at that time but had great trouble finding the correct genuine chips. Maybe an SD-1 may be better option Doc.

The TS 808 and the TS 9 both used a chip called the JRC4558D, if my memory serves me right, I used to have a TS 10 which also used a JRC4558D, one day I decided to try swapping out the chip for a TLO72CP chip, and guess what?...it worked, to my ears it seemed to sound smoother and warmer than the stock JRC4558D chip, so that basically means that you don't necessarily have to use the original chip to build a TS Tube Screamer, provided that the substitute chip has the same chip-pin configuration it should work fine.


I think the SD1 also used a JRC4558D chip but I could be wrong, I'll have to google an SD 1 schematic so I can check.


Okay, after a quick google for a Boss SD 1 schematic, it turns out that the Boss SD 1 does indeed use the JRC4558D, as I said, if you can't source any genuine JRC4558D chips you can easily substitute a TLO72CP chip and it will work perfectly in the circuit.


Jaycar Electronics stock the TLO72CP chip, and from memory it costs about $2 to $3 or so, they are relatively inexpensive compared to what you might expect to pay for a genuine JRC4558D chip on eBay, hang on, I just checked eBay and it turns out that one seller from China is selling a lot of 50 JRC4558D chips for about Au$5.91.


http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/50pcs-JRC...sAAOSwkZhWSEOI



http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_f...+ICs+&_sacat=0

[kimball492]

I'll go with you Doc. Look forward to whatever you build.

[DrNomis_44]

I'm also thinking of building a 4 Knob Tube Driver, it's another Distortion pedal that uses a real 12AX7 Tube to create an overdriven Tube amp sound, I have just the thing to house it in, a big Aluminium Diecast box.

[DrNomis_44]

Update:


I'm looking at doing another full pedal build this fortnight, and thought I would do a write-up for it just in case any one else is interested in building one, this time it's going to be an EH Big Muff pedal, these EH Big Muff pedals are a very high-gain distortion pedal, noteworthy for the very fat Fuzz/Distortion tone they generate, supposedly it's one of the pedals used by The Smashing Pumpkins on their 90's albums, also, supposedly Jimi Hendrix used one when he was known as Jimmy James, I'm going to be buying all the needed parts tomorrow from my local Jaycar Electronics store, stay tuned for further updates.