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Looks and sounds really impressive!  Do you need to adjust the trim pots with room temp or are they pretty stable once you get it right?

I love that guy's demos.  Pretty clear that he loves what he does and he's good at it.  Somehow always makes me feel like I might get there too.

REALLY nice build!  Love the etched faceplate.  I've got one these PCBs as well, haven't started the build though.  Newbie question: how did you keep the black areas on the edge of your etch, partially sand the mask?

Nice box!

Okay, my inner teenager came out too.

Seriously though, nice job in and out.

Hey Anthony.

I strongly recommend Dave Hunter's Guitar Amp Handbook as a starting point (see http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Amplifier-Handbook-Understanding-Amplifiers/dp/087930863X.  He explains amp circuitry in pretty common language.  It REALLY helped me as a newbie non-electronics guy to understand what I wanted out of an amp and how to get it.  It also includes an amp project at the back of the book that I built and definitely recommend.  It's similar to a Weber Maggie DIY kit (see https://taweber.powweb.com/store/kits_weber.htm#Maggie), so I waited for Weber to have a sale, then bought that kit, less pots, switches, jacks, capacitors, resistors, tubes and copper cap.  I later picked the omitted parts up as higher-quality stock elsewhere (except the copper cap, I went with a rectifier tube instead).  I then drilled an extra power tube hole in the chassis to build exactly as spec'd in the book.  LOVE that amp.  More info on it and demos here: http://www.tubeampnetwork.com/host-post/tan-two-stroke.  I'm not affiliated with any of these guys in any way, I just came out of the the whole learning/building process with a really positive outcome (and the confidence/courage to try building an effects pedal!).

Hope that helps, Bruce.

PS.  You might also start lurking on the "Shock Brother's DIY Amps" section of TDPRI to get more info and ideas.

Nice to know I'm not the only one doing that stuff.

You know though, other than a few "doh's", they're REALLY nice enclosures!

I also don't watch a ton of TV (and usually get sucked into any and all late night action movie reruns when I do ... think Matrix, Die Hard, Arnie, Transporter, 007, etc), but some of the better choices I've made:

The Fall (BBC)
Broadchurch (BBC)
Sherlock (BBC)
Game of Thrones
Boardwalk Empire
Walking Dead
The Wire
Homeland
The Bridge (Swedish/Danish)
The Killing (Danish)
Spiral (French)
Wallander (BBC)

... and then there's 24 ... ridiculous, okay, but I just can't shake it!

Can't say enough good things about MB: the projects, the forum and the positive, supportive attitude of the users.  Super helpful.  Still a novice, but I don't think I'd be building pedals ... never mind enjoying them so much ... if it wasn't for the projects and assistance that I've found here.  Much appreciated. Thanks.

I'm novice player (and slightly embarrassed by the amps I've gone through in pursuit of the tone in my head), but here's what I'm running (all "low" wattage, so I can play them at home, mic'ed when I play with friends.):

- '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue with Billm Audio TO20 output transformer: beautiful cleans and edge of breakup pedal platform.
- Vintage47 replica National Supreme: little darker, awesome "blues" tone; really takes pedals well; very nice breakup with a clean boost (see http://youtu.be/HBZUKwF5zKE).
- Weber "Maggie" kit built to Dave Hunter 2 stroke spec's (a tube-swapping 5F2A Princeton): my favorite, super versatile, great with pedals (see http://youtu.be/71tefFV5b-0).

I know matched, properly biased transistors are needed for the Mangler.

There's some interesting reading on matching, biasing and "best" picks here: https://www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/FuzzFaceFAQ/FFFAQ.htm.

After wading through that and the linked R.G Keen website, I cut down the guess work, learning curve, expense and effort by using matched "All American" transistors from Small Bear (see http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Categories?category=Germanium+Transistors).  They come with the resistors required for "proper" biasing.

I was very happy with the results ... after working through some newbie troubles (see http://www.madbeanpedals.com/forum/index.php?topic=14478.msg134912#msg134912).  I ended up jumpering R3 on the Mangler and using a 20K external pot instead of the internal trimmer.

I don't think you need matched transistors for the Retrograde ...

Thanks Ben for the explanation and guidance.  So, just to clarify ... the 1M resistor should go from the PCB "In" pad to ground?   On the Madbean wiring diagram, would the correct ground connection point for the resistor be the sleeve of the input jack or the network of ground connections on the 3PDT switch?

Also, case in point for your caution that pop may not always be the absence of a pull down resistor, I've been re-flowing solder, re-boxing and trying a bunch of grounding strategies to get rid of some horrendous pop in a tremolo build, only to find out tonight that it was a poorly seated transistor!  Solved now though!

Hope this helps the original poster too.

Thanks again.

I'd love to hear more on this point.  I'm a novice, with just enough knowledge to get myself into trouble.  I've been putting a 1M resistor from tip-to-sleeve on my in/out jacks to combat "pop", but I've had mixed results.   I've read that they should be put on the input and output caps instead, but haven't felt confident enough that I could: 1) correctly ID the input and output caps and 2) figure out how to place a resistor on them (e.g. from the cap's cathode to ground or ...?).  a definitive "how-to combat pop" for newbie's would be appreciated, if that's possible.  Sorry if it's already been posted and I missed it.

I don't think it's offensive, but I get where you're coming from.  Maybe you could use a light bulb instead of a brain = ideas/inspiration?

That wiring is an inspiration!  I've picked up a Refractor PCB too.  I'll definitely be re-checking your pic's as a "how to" when I build it up.  Thanks for sharing!

I've been buying them at Small Bear (http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=1274), but they seem to be out of stock more often than not.