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Does anyone know of a source (other than Small Bear) for the new Alpha 3PDT? I just used one in a build and I like it a lot but $5.25 is a pretty steep price. I was thinking about a group buy down the road if they can be bought in bulk at a decent price...

I am modifying the layout from the culturejam STM open source eagle files and needed some help/feedback. I would like to have LED (D1) (the one that blinks with rate) turn off when the pedal is bypassed. The schematic has Lug 3 of the depth pot feeding power to D1 which then goes through R7 to ground. My thought was to add a pad on the board that R7 would feed into instead of going to ground. I would hook this pad up to Lug1 on the 3pdt. Is this right or am I missing something? Also, would I change R7 from 1k to 4.7K so I don't hear switch pop? It seems pretty straight forward but I'm learning...

Here is the schematic:

So this isn't really a mod, but I wasn't sure where else to post it. I built a Nautilus recently and decided to put together a 3P4T single-sided layout that can be used to mount two tri-color LED's. The LED's indicate which filter (HP/BP/LP) is being used. You can use one or two LED's; just leave one empty if you wish. The LED's will turn off when the pedal is bypassed if you follow the wiring diagram in the pdf I attached. This board is a tight fit and requires a modified drill layout. I included a layout that should work. If you drill potentiometer and switch holes a bit larger you should not have any problems. The 9VDC jack is also a tight fit so be sure that your jack will fit before drilling. These jacks are my personal favorite and will work perfect for this project:

http://www.newark.com/lumberg/1614-09/dc-power-connector-socket-500ma/dp/13M3783?in_merch=Popular%20Products&in_merch=Popular%20Products&MER=PPSO_N_C_EverywhereElse_None

And here is a pic from my build (PDF for this project can be downloaded below):

Here is my latest build, which I am also submitting to the February contest. I still need to mess around with this thing to fully understand how to use it, but it's pretty dang sweet. Definitely some unique sounds coming out of this thing. I also added a 3P4T board that I made in eagle which made the wiring really clean. I used the board to wire up 2 tri-color LED's that change with filter mode and turn off when pedal is bypassed. If people are interested I will post a copy of the layout with instructions on the forum.

Not much to say about this pedal that hasn't been said or isn't already known. It's simple and it's awesome. It's simply awesome! This is my second CE-2 clone; the first was the BYOC version which also sounds great. I do notice the difference running 15V though. Lots more headroom and thus less breakup. This will definitely replace the former on my board. I etched the charge pump using the madbean road rage single-sided layout and was able to tuck it nicely beneath the main pcb. The image I used for graphics on this one was pulled and modified from a Sin City comic. I loves me some naked ladies!   I wet sanded this one to give a polished look, but I'm starting to get frustrated with the fact that polished pedals are hard to clean and easily pick up oils from skin. I'm really liking the idea of faceplates for etches and will probably lean towards them in the future. My first etched plate is a different metal and it seems easier to clean which is great for us OCD folks (not the pedal - the disorder  )...

Hi everyone, I am trying to wire up tri-color led's to a 3p4t for a project and I think I know how to do it, but I was wondering if anyone knew how I would go about wiring TWO tri-color led's to the 3p4t (I want two leds so the drill layout is symmetrical. Anyway, here is a diagram I created after receiving advice on how to wire up one tri-color led. Any info on how to add a second would be great. Also, let me know if you see any issues with my diagram if possible. Thanks in advance...

Edit: my initial thought was to wire a second led using c,9,10, and 11 the same as I used b,5,7, and ? Is this right?

Cheers,
Jon W

Hey guys, here is my first complete build for 2013.  I started this in December but I finally finished the etched enclosuer and boxed it up. The etch turned out great on this one. Not quite as deep as I hoped but very little pitting and clean overall. I used one of the textured black enclosures from mammoth and taped the sides before etching in order to keep the textured paint on the sides of the enclosure. All I had was scotch tape and it worked great! I tried to stay true to the name with my design on this one with the bullet and moon theme. This is the first time I have done the Zvex style 1590B build and it was a little challenging. I put the jacks on the top side of the enclosure, which I usually don't do, but it worked well for the build (the jacks and 3pdt are holding pcb in place).

I absolutely love this pedal; its really versatile and exactly what I've been looking for out of a Tremolo. It goes from smooth and creamy to tense and choppy and everything in between. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who hasn't built it yet...

Brian's post about his strat inspired me to share a story (and guitar) of my own. When I was in high school I saved up some money for a guitar and as it turns out, a guy in my dads band was selling a 1972 les paul custom for real cheap; and I mean cheap! I ended up buying the thing for $300. Of course there was a catch!   As it turns out, the guitar was stolen and bashed up by the guys girlfriend who went psycho after he cheated on her. Luckily the guy was a cabinet builder and he was able to fix it up. He ended up painting the guitar white, which I always assumed he did to cover up gouges or something. As it turns out, he painted it because he initially thought it was stolen and made an insurance claim on it.

Anyway, the guitar was great for a first guitar. It looked pretty nice and the neck was well worn and comfortable. The only damage I could see was a missing piece of binding on the headstock and evidence of the guitar being smashed on the backside of the guitar. I did replace the pickups after being told they were microphonic, and regrettably, I sold the originals. I got a pair of Seymour Duncan's just like my favorite guitar player from Pearl Jam!

I recently decided I wanted to fix this thing up and the paint job was really starting do decay. I sanded it down and to my surprise, the guitar looked beautiful underneath. I got so excited I decided to sell my Les Paul Supreme (a guitar that never really fell in love with) and restore my favorite guitar. I cannot take credit for all of the work. I had the binding repaired by the guys down at 12th Fret in Portland, OR. They were amazing and stuck with their original price quote even after it turned into a nightmare for them! My friends dad is a jack of all trades and he took on the task of finishing the guitar. They wanted $700 at 12th fret and he did it for $40! It looks awesome too. I am in debt to him for sure. I basically did all the prep work and wired it up. Regardless I thought I would throw this up here even if it was a collaborative project.

I am basically done, but I do need to replace the bridge and haven't had the money. I guess I have the money but I keep spending it on pedals.  

Here are some before and after shots:

Me and my guitar in my younger days:



Here is what it looked like after I initially sanded it down. I almost left the remenant sunburst but decided to keep on sanding:



Here is the before shot of the neck with missing binding (as you can see, this thing has been in a smoky bar or two in it's day!):



After sanding:




After replacing binding:



Here is the finished product with all new hardware (I need to replace the bridge and the bridge pickup which I hate; its a Gibson Burstbucker and it's lame):



and a closeup of the body:


and the neck:



You can still see where the guitar was smashed at the bottom right. It looks like she swung it like an axe! Oh well, rock n roll baby!!!



And finally, back to the clubs where it belongs!

Here is a Phase 90 I recently made for my dad using a Tonepad Pez 90 PCB.. He plays in a band called Sixfinger (named after a toy from the 50's/60's), so I used their band logo and called it the Sixphaser. I matched all the fet's in this thing and it sounds great. IMO it is much better than the current production Phase 90. It is much smoother and slightly more subtle, which I like (I'm probably more of a Phase 45 guy myself).

URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/imageutt.jpg/][/URL]

I just purchased a bunch of parts and I ordered two regulators but I'm sure if either of them will work for the road rage. Of course I found the exact one I was looking for the day after I ordered these two. Anyway, does anyone know if either of these will work???

NCP7815TG

Desc: ANA 1A 15V VReg
        ON Semi Linear Regulator - Standard

-or-

BA17815T

Desc: Regulator 15V
         ROHM Linear Regulators - Standard

Here is a Mud Bunny I just built to Civil War specs. This is my first Muff and I must say I like it! I found an old Russian Civil War propaganda poster and used that for my graphics. This is my second etch and I'm very pleased with it. By chance it came out with an aged look which seems to fit the theme perfect.





and here is the propaganda poster:

I just build an MXR Micro Amp using an Aaron Nelson stripboard design which utilizes a JRC 4558D instead of a single op amp. It's pretty simple boost. It does what it's supposed to do, but I'm yet to try it in the clubs so the verdict is still out. This is also my first etched enclosure, which went pretty well for a first go around. Any advice on how to avoid pitting would be appreciated (I think it looks very cool for this design but I need to avoid it for my next etch). Check it out and let me know what you think...

Here is my latest build using a etched PCB made by Haberdasher. PCB was perfect and pedal sounds great. I guess it is, as people say, a stripped down Tube Screamer, but IMO it is much smoother and eliminates all the negatives associated with a stock screamer. I had a small issue with the decal shrinking on the bottom right corner but otherwise build came together very nicely. At this point I am tired of all the negatives that come along with waterslide decals and think I will transition to etched enclosures. Check it out and let me know what you think...

Here is a Fuzz Face I built using positive ground circuit and US PNP germanium transistors. I etched this board myself using pcb design found on Tonepad website. The pedal sounds as expected but is not as loud as my other pedals. I'm pretty sure that is normal for this pedal though. I am very pleased with the graphics on this one. The waterslide decal transferred perfect and there are no blemishes! Check it out...

Hi everyone, here is a smoothie I recently built using the madbean smoothie babyboard. I love this pedal! It is perfet if you are looking for a subtle, smooth phase shift ala lynyrd skynrd. If you want to sound like EHV forget about! Otherwise you should love this pedal. I would not recommend the Bourne tripmpot for this build (or any babyboard build) as they are a little too big to fit into the space. I am also a big fan of the HBO miniseries Eastbound and Down so this pedal is my homage to the show and my man Kenny Powers. Check it out...

Here is a Tonebender Professional MKII that I built using a Tonepad PCB (I wish Madbean made the 2 knob version of the Tonebender). I used NOS U.S. germanium PNP transistors from Smallbear and they sound great! I like the way the MKII looks so I based my graphic design on the original. Check it out and let me know what you think...

Hey everyone, here is a tonepad tube screamer TS-808 I built. It is not as loud as I expected and much quieter than my other builds. I already replaced the suggested transistors with MPSA 18's but it is still quiet. Any help is much appreciated. Also check out the Sin City graphics I used on the pedal...

Hey everyone, here is a Cave Dweller I built last week. This one was a lot of fun to build and it sounds great for a stripped down delay. I really like the slap back delay you can get out of it. A couple things I learned on this build. First make sure to find a small 1mf capacitor as there is not much room for a standard 1mf box cap (I had to bend cap sideways before soldering the leads). I also used an ink jet waterslide decal for the first time (I purchased decal from mammoth electronics) and from my experience the decals made for laser printer are way better, as is the quality of print from a laser printer. I won't be using those decals again. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think...

Here is an OCD I recently built. Using adobe illustrator I was able to do a live trace of a photo of an actual OCD I found on the web. It came out pretty close to the real thing. Check it out... My wiring skills are sill a work in progress...