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I know nobody manufactures them, but with 3D printing so prevalent, I'm sure somebody could make them.
Transparent resin printing
The most practical use for these would be to add LED lighting to vintage pedals without having to drill or modify in any way. The washers could either be for a 1/4" jack or the stomp switch. With how ridiculously bright LEDs are these days, I'm sure the light would bleed out just fine.

Scratchy pot? The solution:
https://caig.com/product/deoxit-fader-f100l-l2c/
Deoxit fader lube is amazing. Works perfectly. Put it right on the carbon track. I resurrected and old wah potentiometer with it and now it functions better than it ever has. Not even the slightest hint of a scratch. Where has this stuff been all this time???

Yay. Exactly what we needed in an already oppressively-crowded pedal market:
https://reverb.com/news/just-in-jhs-relaunches-ross-with-new-effects?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Midweek_Content_V2_20230816_(US)&utm_term=Variant_2&utm_content=general-version_feature-2_effects-and-pedals

I was surprised to stumble on this since there seems to be little to no hype around it at all.
https://sunnamps.com/
I wonder what this is going to mean for the band, and the Earthquaker life pedals, which have been plastering Sunn's registered trademark on their stuff? I wouldn't want to take on Fender's legal team...

The title says it all. This is the circuit that is built into the Kustom 150 tuck and roll heads from the early 70's. It's just a fantastic tremolo! Swampy, greasy, but can also be dialed in with the intensity control to be subtle and musical. And you can blend in Vibrato as well, which makes it really unique. Yes, it is exactly that "Born on a Bayou" sound. It would be awesome if somebody reverse-engineered this into a modern stompbox:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uZWRTByEbNL4LQCZ0LYVIo_NmSh7So8M/preview?pli=1&rm=demo

It's no secret that overdrives rule the guitar pedal scene. The most valuable guitar pedal is an overdrive. The most copied and popular circuit is an overdrive. The most talked about and debated tone-shaping devices...overdrives. With that much hype and scrutiny surrounding overdrives, it amazes me that some big brand offerings pretty much fly under the radar. Enter the Boss OD-2. This particular one is a MIJ model from 1986. It does not suffer from any kind of unity gain problems that I've heard some people complain about with some of these. And the fact this is a MIJ "black label" model in this kind of condition, I can't believe you can still get these in the sub $100 range.
Other than modding the ACA power supply to work off 9V, I haven't done anything else to the pedal, and this thing is spot on for what you would want from an overdrive. The mode 1 setting can go from mild to fairly crunchy. It sounds just like my OD-1 modded SD-1. The mode 2 "turbo" mode can get into straight up stack distortion. And that one trim pot works very much like a variac for the turbo mode. Starving the gain stages to get more distortion at lower volumes...I wonder who started that idea? All this in a pedal that uses no op amps. It's actually a pretty unique circuit design that was partly used in the highly-regarded Blues Driver. To put a caveat on all this, the later Taiwan version and the OD-2r version are not the same as the original MIJ OD-2. So if you can get your hands on the MIJ version, do it. You won't regret it.

I guess they're no longer the iconic British company:
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/marshall-amps-sold-to-swedish-speaker-company 
Maybe they'll come out with a JCM model that has a built-in Boss HM-2?
The Marshall Amplifikurgen. (You have to assemble it yourself)

I recently picked up an original Maxon PT-999, from back when it still mentioned Greco on the label. This is a slightly modified version of the Phase 90, and I have to say that so far it's the best 4-stage phaser I've ever owned. This thing stacks great in front of an overdrive and gives it that classic 70's "chew" that has been on countless recordings. It's a very musical phaser as well that doesn't overpower the mix or add a ton of it's own tone (and no volume drop). It just enhances whatever you've got going on with swirly goodness. I've never tried an original script logo Phase 90, but from what I've read online, this Maxon version is better. I'm impressed with the condition it's in too, considering it's 47 years old. If you like phasers and don't own one of these, it's highly recommended.

Did I miss something? All of the sudden, "8" size reverb tanks with the "A" low-impedance input have sold out worldwide. People seem to have gone nuts trying to gobble them up. Does that particular tank somehow create free beer when you plug them in or something? Just today I watched them sell out on Ebay in the 20 seconds or so that I found one listing for a few. I couldn't click buy it now fast enough, apparently. Other sites all say, "out of stock" or "that page doesn't exist". There aren't any on Reverb.
They're just all of the sudden gone and if one does show up, people frantically buy them before you can even look at the listing.
It's weird.

As we all know, mid to late 80's DOD pedals are famous for the battery door to disappear into another dimensional void. Nobody ever seems to be able to keep track of them. Well, I ordered a replacement door since there are many sellers making new ones with 3D printers. The guy dropped it off at the post office, and it proceeded to disappear in the mail. Reverb just says, "status unknown". So apparently even the replacement doors suffer from being sucked into the same void! It's a lose, lose situation.

Has anybody else noticed that the asking (and often selling) prices for new or used guitar gear has suddenly taken a massive increase? We're talking 50% or more increases! It was just this last fall (October) I bought a Fender HRD amp for only $200, and it had sat on OfferUp for a while at that price with zero interest. The guy even threw in a nice crybaby wah that I ended up selling for $40, so I really got the amp for $160. Now, I see used Fender HRDs going for $500+, and there's not that many out there for sale. New pedals are being listed for beyond MSRP on Ebay and Reverb.
I tried to sell my mid 80's MIJ Fender Strat at the beginning of 2020 for only $400. I had absolutely zero interest then. Now they're selling on Reverb for $800+. I'm glad it didn't sell back then, my guitar is now worth more than double what it was just a year and a half ago.
It's getting to the point where I have to worry that somebody will want to steal my FX90! (you couldn't hardly give those things away in 2017)

https://tedweber.com/
That's never a good sign. It seems that everywhere that has anything to do with power transformers is taking some kind of hit.

I recently stumbled across a craigslist ad for an odd MIJ pedal from a company I never heard of. It is one of those Fuzz/Wah combos from the 70's that it seems like everybody and their grandma made around 1975. It was cool-looking though, funky, pretty cheap, and didn't work...so I took a chance.
After finding out some information on it, and doing some mods...it is great.
It's a Pax Pedal Number One. It has what amounts to a Univox Super Fuzz in it, (although in stock form they did some weird circuit changes that made it sound god-awful). I modded it back to a proper "orange/blue" Super Fuzz, and now it sounds fantastic.
The wah circuit is basically the best I have ever used...and I've owned/built some great wahs. Nothing comes close to this thing.
Unfortunately, the original tread was gone and had been replaced with duct-tape. Underneath the duct tape was a very old garage sale masking tape label that said:  $10-. I put some replacement grip tape on.
Anyway...this pedal sounds awesome:

It's the only explanation I can find for what happened to my Tayda shipment. It was supposed to be delivered yesterday, and in fact, the USPS site said it was "out for delivery" from my post office. Now, magically, when I put in the tracking number it says my order shipped out of Denver at 7:00 am this morning.
How did my package get from nearly being delivered at my door last night, to suddenly leaving Denver earlier today? Just the logistics of processing it from going from my post office back to the distribution center onto a plane to Denver, getting processed all through there, then back on a plane back to here to go back through the distribution center...that's like a two day process that happened in a just few hours!
Yes, they have transporters and aren't telling us...
Beam me up!

I recently have been doing some mods to my Strat. I thought it would be interesting to combine my volume and tone control into one concentric potentiometer, just like they do on some Tele's and Jazz Bass's. As far as I know, the only concentric potentiometers Fender sells are made by CTS. The one I bought is part #0019268049.
So far, so good. It's a very nice potentiometer.
Now for some genuine Fender-branded concentric knobs. They have upper and lower concentric knobs (sold separately, of course) which are part #'s 0049411049 and 0049412049, respectively. The upper concentric knob fits perfectly and uses the same size allen key as a typical Strat bridge saddle.
Great!
Then all hell breaks loose. For some idiotic reason, the lower concentric knob uses a tiny allen key that is not a standard size on any typical allen key set. And of course, they don't provide the key with the knob. Then in an even greater bout of stupidity, the Fender-branded lower concentric knob does not fit the Fender-branded concentric potentiometer!
I had to drill out the center of the lower knob to get it to fit. On closer examination, the upper and lower knobs aren't even made by the same manufacturer. Yet all three parts are in genuine Fender packaging, supposedly made to work together.
Oy, vey! Obviously nobody in the entire company is actually testing their replacement parts to see if they fit.
What else is being done wrong?

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One item. The same item, exact same picture as first. The same item again, the exact same description. The same item again with the exact same picture and exact same description....ALL OVERPRICED
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Here's a project I've had around for a while, but finally got it together today. It's a Dallas Rangemaster built into an old 70's Fuzzbuster enclosure. I guess this is what the Rangemaster might have looked like if it had first been made in the 70's. The circuit is straight forward without any mods, just the original formula. PNP germanium transistor. Crackly volume control. A loud "pop" when you turn it on. But it boosts like crazy! I've found about half on the volume is the sweet spot. It definitely cleans up any dark pickups or bassy amps. And I'm sure it would get some strange looks when people see it on top of an amp. "What is that thing?"

I've been noticing weird behavior with Ebay over the last month or so. I have a browser with Ad blockers and my cache gets cleared automatically, etc, etc, so I know it's not something with my browser/computer (and no, I do not use Winblows either so it's not a virus).
Every time I go to log in, it challenges my credentials. But a lot of times it briefly flashes to a "redirection" address and screen. I was never able to catch what it actually says since it's so fast, but today it froze on the redirection screen long enough to capture the address and the "website" that flashes up...and it's very alarming.
Here's the web address:
https://goodsbuy.by/redirect/cpa/o/qcqnfpb2u8wv5lo01rdsacrcx0qjkchs/ (doesn't seem legit at all)
And here's the brief message on the webpage:
К сожалению данный материал обрабатывается, попробуйте позднее.
WHAT!
Loosely translated that says:  "Unfortunately, this material is being processed, please try later"
Did Ebay get hacked or did they sell controlling interest in the company to Russia? Either way, I don't feel comfortable having any information on their site anymore.
Just for further weirdness, "goodsbuy.by" is a legit website, but if you go there it's that typical sketchy-looking Chinese market type of site that redirects you a bunch of times as it loads and eventually opens "Backit.me", which is part of AliExpress.

First off, I'm shocked I was able to get working RD5106's for a cheap price off Ebay (both of them I ordered worked, so that's a pretty good percentage!). Modifying a Current Lover pcb to accept an RD5106 is not the easiest thing...but it is worth it. All those sounds I recall from Gish and early Smashing Pumpkins recordings are here. There simply is no substitute for Reticon chips, IMHO. They have a special sound all their own, and the RD5106 has that same mojo as the SAD1024.
To be able to shoehorn this thing in, I used the schematic for the 1999 Deluxe Electric Mistress as a guide. The PCB looks a bit a mess (I've used it for lots of experimenting), but it works and sounds great. This is the Electric Mistress sound I always wanted:


I was surprised that EHX didn't add any kind of volume booster on the '99 Deluxe reissue. I tried sound directly off R15 and it had the usual volume drop. I think I could benefit from running this thing at 12v instead of 9v (as per the Deluxe Mistress reissue), so a charge pump may be in the future.

I recently was able to get a 1978-79 Morley PFL flanger, and I can tell you, these things may be the best modulation pedal ever made...once you get them adjusted correctly.
I figure to lead off with the good stuff, an inside shot:

Thankfully, the SAD1024 was intact and working perfectly. Huge sigh of relief when I opened it up!
Here's the outside. It doesn't look too bad for being 40+ years old:

Now the part that can be scary at first. When I first powered it up, it worked, but it didn't sound good at all. It was nothing like the one Andy Martin demos in his youtube video. Mine didn't do any kind of oscillation. The flanging was shallow and lifeless.
I'm sure you noticed all the trimpots all over this thing. That's the key. Somebody had really messed this thing up at some point. The 100k and 25k pots in the upper left control the low and high limits respectively. The 100k pot was adjusted so there was no bottom end in the sound. Once I adjusted that...boom, there was that thick/syrupy/watery flange that really only an SAD1024 can produce. I've never owned an SAD1024-based pedal, but there is definitely some special mojo in that chip. The 25k "high limit" pot can be adjusted to taste, but that 100k "low limit" pot is critical to the overall sound. The other thing to mention here:  this thing is quiet! How is that possible? The SAD1024 is supposed to be a noisy beast. Credit Ray Lubow for designing an excellent circuit here. It's more quiet than any BBD-based effect I've ever used. Very, very minimal hiss and absolutely zero clock noise of any kind even at the most extreme settings. And no 60-cycle hum despite the fact there are TWO AC transformers in there. Amazing design.
Next was the 25k pot located pretty much dead center in the board. That controls the harmonic emphasis (feedback). It was adjusted way too low, so no oscillation was possible even at the max setting on the outside control. A bit of clockwise turning and I was right in that crazy oscillation territory that can then be controlled with the foot control. It's great.
Some of the sounds these can create are not for everyone. The physical size of this beast certainly does you no favors on pedalboard space either. But if you like being able to push modulation to it's limits with that classic 70's flanger sound, there is hardly another pedal-format flanger that can beat these.