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| Project F.A.Q. |
Q: Are your projects exact clones of the circuits you say they are "based upon"?A: Yes, by in large. The info used to create the projects is based upon the best information I've found through the web, various forums and personal tracings. Strictly speaking, they are not clones in the sense that I do not provide the component types used in the stock version of the pedals, and the PCB layouts are my own original work. However, by using quality components and following the build instructions you can expect to get a very reasonable facsimile of the pedal you want to clone. |
Q: Do all these projects work?A: Absolutely. I build, test, and debug every single project before releasing it. This does not mean there are never mistakes, but in practice this rarely happens. Most of these projects have been through several revisions. I constantly update the projects with improved layouts, and document revisions. I attempt to make each one the best it can possibly be in terms of building on the user end and production on my end. |
Q: Is this even legal?A: Yes. Circuits themselves are not copyrighted. Names, logos and artwork (including PCB layouts) can be trademarked and copyrighted. Circuits can be patented, although the vast majority of guitar effects do not utilize patented circuits. In most cases (though not all) you will find that the circuits used in these projects (and most other guitar pedals) are either based upon, or direct recreations of, certain "classic" effects. These include the Fuzz Face, Tube Screamer, Blues Breaker, DM-2, Big Muff, and so on. It is completely legal to build your own versions of any of these circuits for personal use. |
Q: Can I sell my cloned pedals using your PCB's?A: For the most part, yes. However, there are some caveats. The PCB's are intended for personal, non-commercial use. What this means is that there is an assumption that you are interested in DIY and building your own pedals and that the PCB's offered here can be utilized to create your own custom work. The PCB's are not intended, and should not be used, to build cheap knock-offs for mass production in an effort to undermine pedal manufacturers for personal profit. If that is your intention, please look elsewhere. However, it is perfectly okay to sell your pedal if you don't like it, or just don't want it, or give them to your buddy or bandmate. This is part of the fun of DIY: making stuff you like, that is highly personalized, and being able to show it off to the world! |
Q: What about the original projects...ones that are not direct clones. Can I sell pedals made from those?A: Absolutely. The original projects provided here are all fair game. You may not, however, use the PCB artwork to create your own PCB's to sell. |
Q: How long does it take you to ship an order?A: It varies, but for the most part orders are shipped within 5 working days. While I do have a good stock of etched boards, they are not drilled or prepped until I receive an order. So, in this sense, every board is "built to order". In some cases, larger orders may take a little extra time, or delays can happen when there is a large volume. If you have a question about when your order will ship, please email me. It's best to wait 5 business days before doing this. |
Q: Do you provide shipping notification and/or a tracking #?A: All domestic (U.S.) orders are mailed utilizing Paypal's shipping service. This means every shipment will include a tracking #. While Paypal should automatically email you this tracking # when the postage is purchased, I have found this is not always the case. This means it is possible your order will ship without notification. I am currently working on a better system to notify customers of shipped orders. International orders are all shipped by hand at the Post Office. There are no tracking #'s available for international shipping. For the most part, I have found almost all orders are received with 10 days or so from being shipped. |
Q: I've built my board, and it doesn't work. What should I do? Do you provide support?A: Don't worry! There are lots of things that can, and do, go wrong. The best place to start when something goes wrong is to take stock of your build. Check for bad solders, solder bridges between traces, component values, IC and transistor orientation and voltages. If you're stumped, then head on over to the Forum, where you can ask technical questions and receive help with your build. You can email me, however, you will likely get a more timely response from me in the forum. |
Q: Do you accept returns?A: Orders, or parts of orders, can be returned within 7 days of a received shipment. In case of defective, broken or any other defect-related cause resulting in less than your 100% saitsfction, a full refund will be issued or replacement boards will be shipped at no charge. Returns for reasons other than mentioned above may carry a small re-stocking fee to cover shipping and Paypal fees.. If you have concerns over the quality or receipt of your order, please email me at brian@madbeanpedals.com so that we can discuss it. |
Q: Can you make me a "Timmy" PCB?A: No. |