peterleroux wrote:
If you can solder, pretty much any dirt pedal is buildable for less than R500- R100 for the enclosure, R75 for the switch, R150 for the jacks and R100 -R200 at worst for the parts for the circuit- and it's a lot of fun.
Other types of pedal can get more expensive, but a fuzz pedal is a great place to start if you are interested in DIY
I've got a bit obsessed recently with learning the electronics & putting together some basic pedals.
(perhaps more than just a
bit obsessed. A bit worrying when your bedtime reading is "Art of Electronics". At 2am)
It is enormous fun & so very satisfying to actually hear something that you finally understand.
Then wonder why it previously seemed so hard.
I was very surprised at how few basic patterns existed; especially for distortion.
But having said that - I've also come to appreciate that the trick is in the detail.
Not in the choice of op amps. Despite this being a matter of religious preference, my ears can't pick up all the supposed subtle differences that others can hear.
But in other areas like getting noise down with good grounding techniques; and twisted wires; and shielding and keeping signal paths clean.
I've also realised, as you point out above, that the cost is all in very different places than you'd expect.
The cheapest components are the resistors at a few cents each.
But the next cheapest is often the semiconductors - a TL071 op amp is not much above 5 ront !
A half decent metal enclosure seems to be the part that eats up a lot of the money.
But I definitely concur - it's a LOT of fun !!
And highly recommended
