To answer the question you are probably asking out loud, you CAN build your own effects boxes. "Is it very difficult?" Probably not as tough as you think it is. The first time might be a little tough, but each project afterwards becomes easier and easier.

"Is it cheaper than buying effects boxes?" Well, let's put it this way, if you want to play through an original Tychobrahe Octavia, you'll need a good $800+. If you have the patience to build a copy yourself you can make a great little box for under $50 (less if you don't need a heavy-duty metal box and a stomp switch, and even cheaper if you buy some parts in bulk if you make more than one device). On the other hand, if you want a DOD FX75B Flanger, you can find a good one used for about $35 while it would cost you more than twice the amount if you were to buy pieces to make your own (that is, if you can even find a distributor for all of the components -- some are tough to find!). Bottom line: sometimes it's cheaper and sometimes it's not, however, building your own devices will most likely lead to a greater understanding of how effects boxes work and will enable you to become more comfortable with repairing commercial effects in the future.

What do they sound like compared to commercial effects? Well, an object is only as good as the sum of its parts (or something like that). If you use quality parts (i.e.: ones close to the parts specified in the schematic) and you put everything together neatly and carefully, you probably won't be able to tell the difference between the two. (Oftentimes, people say that in a blind sound test, they like their home-made pedals better than the originals!). Sometimes manufacturers do "skimp" when it comes to parts selection, and you can build your device with better-sounding parts. Also, when you learn more, you can modify various devices to better suit your own ears.

Finally, aside from just constructing electronic devices to make your guitar sound cool, you are educating yourself in the process. You may learn valuable skills that will help you in the future and may lead you towards a career you might never had thought of before. So read on, and if at any point you find yourself confused or frustrated, send me an e-mail (try to be as specific as possible so that I may give you more direction). I hope you enjoy this wonderful hobby!

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This corner of my web site has been put together for the person who has never made an electrical device before. Hopefully the information here will unlock part of the mystery of electronics and get you started building guitar effects boxes with as little frustration as possible. After reading the following text, you will be given enough direction to be able to go on and begin making a functioning distortion unit, and much more....

You will need to have/purchase a few basic items first in order to start correctly, but keep in mind that all of these things are "one-time" purchases and should last you a very long time. These items listed below are the exact ones that I used to get started and are all found very easily at your local Radio Shack; (I have provided current pricing and catalog numbers for further convenience).

1. First, I must assume that you have access to or plan on purchasing: needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, and a drill.
2. 15 Watt soldering iron (this one has a grounded tip, a good feature to have) (64-2051) $7.99
3. pc board kit (comes with a couple of pc boards, bin, permanent marker, steel wool pad, small drill bit, etching solution good for several pc boards, and instructions on the pc-board-making process) (276-1576) $13.99
4. 60/40 rosin core solder (this cat. # is for a small, but adequate supply--should last awhile) (64-001) $1.19

Additionally, you will need to buy the electrical components for each project that you plan to make. Although I do not recommend buying all of these components at Radio Shack when building multiple projects (only because they are more expensive), for beginners it's a good idea to get everything there (especially if you're not ready to make a financial commitment towards a large mail-order). Here are all of the parts you will need to make a great-sounding distortion box, packaged in a nice, compact, heavy-duty plastic box at R.S. (Later you may want to spend a little more for rugged metal boxes with "stomp" switches)

General Hardware needed for most projects (around $15):

• 2) Stereo 1/4" Phone Jacks (actually only 1 jack must be stereo, the other can be any 1/4", but its cheaper as jacks at Radio Shack come in packs of two) (274-312) $2.79
• 9V battery connector (need 1, but come in packs of 5) (270-325) $1.39
• 9V battery (get 'em almost anywhere, here's the # for R.S.) (23-553) $2.39
• hook-up wire, don't know the cat.#, any wire will do so long as it's: thin, insulated, copper, and "stranded"
• DPDT on/off toggle switch (275-666) $1.99
• Screws (used to attach pc board inside box) a whole pack of little ones (64-3011) $1.49
• Nuts (to go with the screws) (64-3018) $1.49
• Rubber feet (put 4 on bottom of box when finished) (64-2346) pack of 12 for $0.99
• Enclosure (navy plastic boxes) (270-221 or 270-222 - different sizes, pick one) $2.29/$2.59

Electrical Components for the Electra Distortion (About $6)

• 680 ohm resistor(R1) (resistors are 1/4or1/2Watt, 5% Tolerance, carbon-film type) (271-117) 5-pack,$0.49
• 47k resistor (R3 on pcb layout) (271-1342) 5-pack,$0.49
• 2.2M resistor (R2) (271-1135) 5-pack,$0.49
• 0.1uF capacitor (need two, but comes in packs of two) (272-1069) 2-pack,$0.79
• 100k Audio Taper Potentiometer (Pot) (271-1722) $1.49
• NPN 2N3904, RS=(MPS3904) transistor (general purpose small signal NPN transistor) (276-2016) $0.59
• 2) 1N4001 silicon diode (276-1101) 2-pack,$0.49

Once you have all of the necessary pieces and tools, you can begin putting it all together. If you don't know how to read a schematic, however, you will want to look over the next section that clarifies all of the "symbols" used in the schematic of the Electra Distortion as well as most other circuits.

Resistors: (/\/\/\/\) may point upward as shown or horizontally. All should have their values written by them (200 stands for 200 ohms, 200k stands for 200 kilo-ohms or 200,000 ohms. It is important that you realize this difference! 8.2k is 8,200 ohms (8.2 kilo-ohms). You may also see 8.2k written as 8k2. Both mean the same. In just about every guitar effects circuit it is assumed that all resistors are 1/4 Watt carbon-film, of course 1/2 Watt can be substituted, but are less desirable because they're slightly larger.

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Potentiometers (pots): (/\/\/\/\)as you can see they look like normal resistors, but with an arrow in the middle. These devices become "knobs" to turn for effects such as volume, tone, drive, etc. The arrow stands for the middle "prong" of the pot (there are 3 all together). Usually one of the "prongs" have a pointer above it that sticks up and you'll usually have to snap it off with pliers before putting it in a box. This "prong" is quite often the connection that is closest to/or goes directly to "Ground."

Capacitors: ( --| |-- or --| (-- ) capacitors shown with this symbol are not polarized, meaning that like the resistors, it doesn't matter which end touches the particular connection points. Film, mica, and polyester are common types of "regular" capacitors. Other capacitors, however, may look differently (w/ one line straight and the other curved) The "+" sign means that it has a positive AND negative side and in most circuits it is vital to get each side right! In choosing capacitors, you would usually select what's called an "electrolytic" capacitor. (Sometimes you'll see a "tant." by the symbol in which case the capacitor should be a "tantalum" capacitor). When you buy either one, one side should be labeled either "+" or "-" and you should place the piece accordingly. If the "+" sign is ever missing from the schematic, it is assumed that the straight bar is always the positive side. Likewise, if the symbol has two straight bars but still has a "+" symbol on one side, it IS still an electrolytic capacitor

Diodes: ( --|>|-- )These devices look a lot like resistors. They are very different internally, however, and DO have a polarity. The "line" at the tip of the triangle stands for the "Cathode." The cathode on the diode, likewise, is the end with the "line" or painted stripe on it. In this family is also the LED (light emitting diode). These are often red (though they now come in many other colors) and as their name implies, they "emit light." They can be either used to display if an effect is on or off or be put into the signal path like other diodes to perform such things as "diode clipping" (often found in distortion and fuzz circuits). An LED is often noted in a schematic by a couple arrows pointing outward from the "diode" symbol. Also, the cathode of an LED is usually noted by a "flat" portion of an otherwise circular base. If the type of diode is not specified in the schematic, 1N4001's work well as an all-purpose diode. 1N4148 and 1N914 also are good devices. The most widely used Germanium diode is the 1N34A, excellent for fuzz and distortion.

Transistors: as you'll notice the transistor has three connections to it. All are different. One connection will be labeled with an arrow; it's called the "Emitter"(E). If this arrow points out, as it does in this picture, it is an NPN (a common NPN substitution is the 2N3904). If the arrow points inwards, it's a PNP (a common PNP substitution is the 2N3906). The "middle" connection is called the "Base" (B). The other connection is the collector (C). When you purchase a transistor, there should be a key for finding out which lead is which either on the packaging or the transistor itself. Often, the base is in the middle, but this is NOT always the case. Make sure you are careful, as an incorrectly placed transistor is probably the greatest cause of most non-successful circuits (at least for me it has been!). Also, make sure the transistors are the LAST components to be soldered, as they are rather heat-sensitive; they are static-sensitive as well, so keep them in a static-free environment until you are ready to solder.

Integrated Circuits (ICs): are rather simple. Make sure you use IC sockets so you never solder the ICs to the pc board. The upper left corner is pin#1 when looking at it "leads-down/top of black plastic." There is usually a dot to denote this as well. Then just count downward, going counter-clockwise from the view mentioned above, to find the other pin #'s (2,3,4,5,etc -anywhere to either 8,14, 16 or more.) The pin numbers of the IC should be labeled on the schematic -- if not, you'll have to either consult a book or ask me or some other knowledgeable person.

Battery connections: very basic. Most guitar effects are supplied by a regular 9V battery. Only thing to keep in mind here is that, if unlabeled, the "+" side in a schematic is always the "LONGEST line" side and the "-" is the "short line" end. To connect the battery connector terminals to the pc board, the "+" side is red and "-" side is black. Also, for easier use, connect the terminal that is supposed to join the circuit to the pc board (usually the "+" end) and connect the end that should join "ground" to one of the "prongs" on the input jack (Look at the "Layout Picture" to do this). This will enable you to turn the battery on and off by inserting the guitar cord into the "input" jack (That way you won't use up the battery when the effect is not in use -- just unplug the effect).

Once you have a good understanding of these components and you have purchased all of the necessary components and tools you may begin....

3. Draw a "practice" layout on paper using circles for the placement of components and wires and draw lines to

9. Now, you can drill the holes for the components, using a small drill bit. Drill wherever there is a "circle"

Finally, a new addition to this beginner's site! Here's a short "trouble-shooting" list for first-timers who just can't get the thing working! (believe me, I know how it feels!!!). If you experience problems when finally plugging the distortion in, do the following before emailing. Hopefully your problems will be solved!

1) lose the switch completely (put it away to the side unattatched) and wire it up connecting the in and out jacks directly to the in and out on the pcb/circuit (two wires to each jack).

2)wire the negative battery lead (black) directly to all the ground points (labeled with arrows pointing down in the schematic). Later you can use the stereo jack or add an extra battery switch.

3)be sure that each jack has two wires connected to it. one is "hot" which connects to the in and out of the circuit (and joins the longest "prong" on the jack), and the other is the ground wire (which joins the "inner metal circle" of each jack).

ask your local radio shack guy if he can show you which connections are which on the jacks if you're unsure (it is VERY important that the correct "lugs" on the jack are connected to the correct wires).

4)re-check polarity on the transistor and diodes (just be sure the diodes are turned opposite directions); be sure you know which E, B, C connections are which.

hopefully this info will help you figure it out! : )

let me know if you have any further questions!

good luck.

If all of this information has been helpful for you, please feel free toEmail Me! I like to hear what works and what I should change to make the process easier. Thanks for visiting. When you think you are ready "for the big times" go to the main page and try some of the schematics there. If you think you still may need some assistance for "bigger" projects, try R.G. Keen's "toner transfer sheets" packages. He has packages of many great effects, and each one contains an "iron-on" pc board tracing (so you won't have to draw it yourself) w/ instructions, a parts list (often w/ part #'s for ordering from Mouser Electronics), "parts placement" diagram, and a full description on how to go about putting it all together.

Electra Schematic * Electra PC Board

Swell Schematic * Swell PC Board