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Topics - Vice/President

#1
Because none of my friends care to hear me whine about this, I thought I'd vent for a bit to you guys.  I ordered from Tayda for the first time last week.  I'm building a Cerulean Overdrive to the Morning Glory specs, and I ordered all components and hardware from Tayda.   

The positive:  I've only ordered from Mammoth in the past, but found Tayda was significantly cheaper.  I was able to get about 10 times the amount of components from Tayda for the same price I pay at Mammoth. I ordered lots of extra components and also some extra hardware and still only spent $25.  My order arrived in just 6 days, a day earlier than they had projected at checkout.  I was really happy with this.

The negative:  THEY ONLY SENT ME TWO POTENTIOMETERS.  I needed two 100k and a 25k pot, but the package was missing one of the 100k pots.  They gave me a $2 credit to their site to compensate, but still...I was so excited to get the pedal going and now I can't.  Life is just so hard  ;) I know it's not actually a big deal, but it still sucks that I had to order another pot for 60 cents and then pay $5 for shipping. 

I ended up ordering the missing pot from Mammoth last night, as well as some extra cable for making my own patch cables. 

Sob story over.
#2
General Questions / Reverb "Clipping" Sound
December 11, 2013, 08:30:50 PM
Hello my patient friends of the forum.  After completing the rub-a-dub and having some time to really experiment with it, I've started to notice that it has a clipping noise.  I have a clean boost in my chain that when engaged really makes the clipping sound more prominent, though when it's off it's still pretty noticeable. It happens especially if I'm using a pick and a strong attack when I'm playing, though it's noticeable on softer strumming and picking as well, especially in the low end.  I've checked in the enclosure and no wires seem to be touching.  Other than the clipping noise, it is working perfectly.  The noise is comparable to tube rattle, though I'm certain it's not my amp because the sound doesn't happen if the reverb is off. I even turned the reverb on my amp all the way up to see if it would happen then and it doesn't unless the pedal is engaged.  So, I think I'm somehow clipping the circuit, and am wondering if you guys have had any similar experiences to this, and if so, what can I do to increase the circuit's resistance to clipping? Thanks!
#3
Build Reports / Rub a Dub Reverb with volume mod
December 07, 2013, 10:39:53 PM
Hey guys, here's my completed Rub-a-Dub from 1776effects.com.  You can skip the wall of text and look at the pictures, but I'll also share just a bit of what I've learned for any other beginners who may be attempting this same build.  Cheers!

This was my 2nd build and I had a blast putting it together.  I also encountered lots of difficulties that were all completely my fault (funny how that works isn't it? ;) ), but with the help of the lovely people here at the Madbean forum I now have a fully functional Reverb that sounds even better than I was hoping it would.  Personally, I'd compare it to the EHX holy grail with perhaps a more defined "spring" sound, as well as some wilder and spacier tails/modulation when the reverb is maxed.   I also added a volume pot, which when all the way up takes the signal quite a bit past unity.  I used the long Belton brick, and ordered it and all components and hardware from Mammoth Electronics.  I think I'll continue buying from them, their website is incredibly easy to use and they seem to have a pretty solid selection. 

The paint is Rustoleum's "American Accents" smooth gloss, I had it lying around and figured I could attempt using it on this pedal and I was really happy with the way it turned out.  The bicycle and text was drawn using some drawing pens that I have.  It applied really nicely, but be careful if you're writing on gloss because the ink rubs off really easily.  After I drew it on, I clear-coated the entire pedal with three coats of gloss clear coat. 

A few take-aways that I've learned from this that may be helpful to other beginners:

1.  BE PATIENT. Getting frustrated at the problems you encounter will definitely happen, but getting angry at something that you are literally ignorant about does not help. 

2.  Use bits of component leads to solder the ground parts of the switch, it makes it much easier to fit everything that way(thanks to whoever pointed that out to me the other day).  Also, don't overheat your switch. BUT...if you do overheat it, like I did, there is a great video about how to clean the contacts inside and salvage your switch. 

3.  If you use a punch to tap a starting point when drilling enclosures, don't strike it too hard.  That's the reason one of my pots looks bent; the inside is just slightly warped from striking it with the punch. 

4.  ASK QUESTIONS.  It's great to try and figure problems out yourself, but save yourself countless hours and ask the good people of the forums to give you some advice.  I wouldn't have been able to fix my wiring issue without so many people offering advice on how to fix it. 

5.  (Beginners only) Remember that you are in the beginning stages of this hobby.  This was only my second build, but subconsciously I think my brain was telling me that I was a master that should be encountering no problems.  I am a noob in every sense of the word and will definitely be approaching my next build with that attitude in mind instead of just assuming I've got nothing else to learn. 

6.  Show off your completed build to your friends.  They will treat you like you are indeed a genius and will marvel that you are so DIY. They may even begin to worship you.  ;)

Sorry for all of the text, your feedback is most welcome! Thanks again to all who helped me by answering my questions. 









#4
General Questions / Wiring issue?
December 06, 2013, 09:41:46 AM
Hey guys.  I got my Rub a dub reverb working great, I tested it and it was working fine.  I boxed it up last night and it worked fine, and then sat down to play this morning and it's not working.  If I toggle it on and off several times, I'll get sound out of it probably 1/15 tries.  I'm not sure what happened because like I said it was working fine last night.  I'm thinking it could be a bad footswitch but I really have no idea.  The LED comes on every time but usually not the sound. 

Here is a picture of the wiring.

#5
Build Reports / Update: Finished my first build!
November 06, 2013, 10:00:15 PM
A few days ago I posted a question on here to get some help understanding stereo jacks and received great responses very quickly.  Just wanted to let you guys know that I completed the pedal! It's the 10 Minute Dirt and Boost from Paul at diyguitarpedals.au.  I began watching his youtube series (username chromeshpere) a few months ago and was very inspired to try my hand at building.  I ordered the dirt and boost from him and got it in today, so I got to work on it as soon as I could.  It was a really easy build with easy to follow instructions.  I had a bit of  trouble with the offboard wiring, as well as using alligator clips to test it, but it all worked out fine.  (The inside of the enclosure is a complete rat's nest  :P) For the enclosure I used an electric box from Home Depot (I like the way it looks and liked how cheap it was, but I think I'll be using real enclosures in the future).  I'm going to post a sound review video soon because I was honestly blown away by the tone of this pedal.  Not to mention, it doesn't suck any tone from my signal and when it's engaged and there isn't any hum.  This isn't a sales pitch, just a recommendation to anyone else who may be wanting to get started but may be uncertain on where to begin.  A big thank you to all of you forum users at Madbean who I've learned so much from these past few months just by reading the information you share.  Cheers!

#6
Hi guys/gals.  I'm a first time builder getting ready to build a Dirt & Boost pedal I ordered from diyguitarpedals.au.  I ordered all my hardware from Mammoth Electronics, and I noticed when they came in, my stereo jacks had four lugs.  I checked my order and I accidentally ordered an open-framed shorting jack.  Will this still work for a guitar pedal, and if so, what will be different when it comes time for wiring it up? I apologize if this is a big noob question, but I'd appreciate any help! Thanks!