tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72686390694442753312012-01-28T03:33:19.208ZMel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-58792444291619309302012-01-23T21:02:00.005Z2012-01-23T21:31:21.958Z

Firstly, Happy New year!Secondly, sorry the pictures aren't very good/clear in this post, I should have taken them in the daylight, but I forgot and it's impossible for me to get good close ups with a flash indoors ... but I will try to describe things the best I can.So, anyway after making my LPB-2 'true bypass' I decided later that I would like to add an LED too, I've been asked how I wired

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-91794324934586030692011-12-14T14:39:00.003Z2011-12-14T14:47:36.271Z

Have a nice break, a cool Yule and a great new year... see you next year! It's been fun again..... I'll post pics of my amazing present from Kev at 'Effect Extra' when I return. :)melx

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-78830947174593326512011-11-24T23:34:00.005Z2011-11-24T23:49:08.730Z

Tantalum Jaguar Booster comes with custom D.I.Y box and label, instructions, spare battery and a choice of two knobs.Bobmould+ Distortion comes with custom D.I.Y box and label, instructions, spare battery and rubber knob covers.lol, most fun I've had in ages! :)

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-37923937207187130142011-11-24T09:30:00.005Z2011-11-24T09:56:28.037Z

This 'Tantalum Jaguar Booster' pedal is basically the same as the 'Pink Boost' I made before but with a couple of differences. I used a 10uF NOS vintage tantalum capacitor instead of the electrolytic and I use a linear pot instead of a 'reverse log' ... the tantalum cap does nothing really I just thought it would be fun .. but the pot makes quite a difference to the feel of the pedal, on the

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-90004987795702550712011-11-22T11:57:00.004Z2011-11-22T14:07:31.016Z

Bob Mould Tribute Distortion + is finished. I'll be posting Andy's to him later in the week for his Christmas present and giving mine a damn good blast! .. Look after it Andy it's the only one in the world other than mine!

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-13256234748719280272011-11-22T02:32:00.003Z2011-11-22T02:40:10.698Z

I noticed while reading back over some older posts some of my pictures seem to be missing, I don't know if it's my computer, my browser or blogspot, but sorry if you are reading some of the older articles and are finding the same, unfortunately almost all of the pictures were directly uploaded to the blog and not hosted online elsewhere, so if they are missing they are probably gone for good.melx

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-7292663180790183652011-11-22T01:57:00.005Z2011-11-22T02:25:22.355Z

The first 'component' of the build to get ready is the strip board, we need 8 strips that are 12 holes long, I cut mine with a small hacksaw, but you can also score it a few times with a stanley knife and snap it (or whatever method you find easiest) Once you have it cut to the right size we need to make some cuts in the strips to make the circuit, flip the board over onto it's 'metal strip side'

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-35118368817699494222011-11-19T05:32:00.006Z2011-11-19T06:41:30.844Z

I've decided to do a very detailed starter project for people who haven't built anything before, the only thing I will presume is that you've practised soldering and are confident enough in that area. The project is a silicon transistor Fuzzface and I'll be building one step by step as I write, that way if I make any mistakes I should realise and be able to go back and edit anything.This fuzz

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-17443704213964535182011-11-18T08:10:00.007Z2011-11-22T12:11:20.601Z

Do you own a Mellowtone 'Melxowtone' or a Mellowtone Melx Fuzz 2? Do you live in the UK? Would you like some modifications to your pedal?I can add an status LED to both pedals, this involves changing the footswitch for a 3pdt, drilling a hole for the LED, filling that hole with an LED and bezel and a small amount of rewiring. For the 'Melxowtone' I can also add an external volume control (on the

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-13487215792270356822011-11-16T01:18:00.004Z2011-11-16T01:34:13.406Z

Finished off the first today, came out really nice I think, and the other is half way there. I even made a fairly neat job of the wiring! Just need some MXR knobs now to finish them off. The distortion sounds great, I find it works best to just crank the volume and distortion and use the guitars controls. I'll try and do a small 'demo' at some point to show off it's sugar-y tones.oh, ps. on the

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-80408333072727003412011-11-13T22:59:00.004Z2011-11-15T03:53:21.068Z

I just saw this on ebay so thought I'd stick it here on my blog. Mike (MadeByMike) is auctioning one of his 'dream box' pedals for charity.Ebay Auction click here!!As Mike says in the listing it's"..to fund my decal designer Tim's local playgroup where his kids attend, Rodborough Playgroup .... It's a community playgroup, so relies heavily on fundraising activities to keep running. 100% of this

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-55612313499920153492011-11-13T22:08:00.003Z2011-11-13T22:12:56.709Z

Just a little picture update, the cases are almost finished now, just need to spray a few coats of clear, hopefully we'll have some nice sunny weather... should have them all finished by the end of the week. Oh, I soldered some pots and jacks on the PCB and tried it out... sounded excellent, very happy.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-68597003889977089632011-11-09T01:34:00.007Z2011-11-09T03:05:21.401Z

A nice mixed selection this time, so without further ado.First up is 'Mojo presents Trojan Explosion 20 Reggae Classics' which was a free CD given away with Mojo Magazine back in 2002, the guys at Mojo did a fantastic job picking the tracks for this CD, Ali Baba, Pressure Drop, Liquidator, Dollar in the Teeth, Tighten Up, 007, Hard Road to Travel ... it has all the classics that I know and love.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-49834026925822506962011-11-08T12:54:00.008Z2011-11-13T22:08:45.664Z

Just a quick update.. My 1N270 germanium diodes arrived today!So I soldered a couple in and the PCB is now finished. I'll get some wires and pots on later on in the week and give it a test run.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-28539115120269748472011-11-05T13:32:00.007Z2011-11-05T19:13:34.603Z

Fancied making up a vero this morning so I decided to build a jangle box compressor (as a change from building dirt pedals!) I've just got to get myself the IC before I can test it out. Layout was found on the excellent Freestompboxes site. So thanks to everyone over there who was involved in the creation of this. I didn't have tants in the right value (again) so I made do with some nice little

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-21744644775799294442011-11-05T01:58:00.009Z2011-11-05T05:36:11.363Z

This title is a bit of a joke really as the albums I'm going talk about aren't really the 'greatest' as such, but rather a collection of albums that I continue to listen to regularly. It's not about how great they are in a musical sense (although some without a doubt contain some brilliant songs) but more about how I never get tired of listening to them, to me they have something special about

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-56542671594870911122011-11-04T12:42:00.007Z2011-11-04T13:22:31.035Z

As some of you know I'm a bit of a Rat pedal fan, I like all versions of this pedal RatII, Dirty Rat, Turbo Rat, Vintage Rat etc. and this pedal, the ProCo Brat, is the younger cheaper brattier (discontinued) version of the Rat.... when I saw it going for an utterly stupid price on ebay I just had to buy it.Now this pedal gets a lot of bad press all over the internet and personally I don't really

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-79198213861025269842011-11-03T14:12:00.008Z2011-11-03T16:41:07.812Z

I decided to return to my MXR 'script' Distortion + project this month, you may have seen the decal I did for it in an earlier blog post. After a lot of thinking I decided rather than mess around with the circuit I would try to track down the information on the original version of the pedal that was handmade in the early 70's and try to recreate that .. thankfully I came across this very useful

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-3196878679917647782011-10-15T04:55:00.004+01:002011-10-16T23:18:08.812+01:00

I had a request for this information so I figured I might as well put it here for everyone.. that is "what size drill bit do I need for......"Obviously some parts will vary a little between different brands and types but this small list covers the most common holes I drill on builds, if in doubt start smaller and work your way up.Footswitch 12mmMini Toggle Switch 6mmJack Sockets 10mmPlastic

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-33603917930424277922011-10-01T16:43:00.009+01:002011-10-02T21:58:09.386+01:00

...Been a while eh? Anyway you might remember a while back me showing you a 'sonic distortion' pcb I bought when I got the Bluesbreaker PCB from 'General Guitar Gadgets' ... I built the PCB up ages ago and it's kind of sat there ever since, so over the last couple of days I decided to get it finished. The case was a painted black first then I gave it a light dusting of the 'pewter' plastikote

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-42937291933912277192011-06-09T23:12:00.002+01:002011-06-09T23:18:06.532+01:00

My mate Aim has recorded some demo stuff with the Z.A. fuzzes I made a while back. He liked it so much he has two!!http://soundcloud.com/aimmarcair-noir/z-a-demo-part-1http://soundcloud.com/aimmarcair-noir/z-a-demo-part-2http://soundcloud.com/aimmarcair-noir/z-a-demo-part-3

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-19355643803460175892011-06-08T01:27:00.010+01:002011-06-08T01:56:32.044+01:00

So after reading about Lacesensor's decal fun, I decided to have a go myself. Now as you may or may not know I'm not a big fan of fancy pictures and things on pedals, and I usually like to keep things plain and classy so I was a little unsure about what to do with this stuff. I've been thinking about breadboarding a MXR distortion+ and having a play around with different IC's and clipping diodes,

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-47576841026497383512011-05-23T15:16:00.003+01:002011-05-23T15:20:35.062+01:00

Here's a video of the pedal (usual melx standard!) terrible mic clipping on my little stills camera but hey, it will give you an idea. :)

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-63616564811438911102011-05-23T13:03:00.003+01:002011-05-23T13:08:52.727+01:00

I finished this off this morning, it sounds really good and I might even go so far as to say it's one of the best overdrives on the lower end of the gain scale that I've ever played through. If I get a second before I send it I might try to do a little video.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-39536201429901246282011-05-19T11:23:00.004+01:002011-05-19T11:33:43.781+01:00

Hi all... back again after a house move and a short period of being off line so I thought I'd post a few pics of Andy's 'General Guitar Gadgets' PCB based Bluesbreaker pedal... it's a little further down the line now, but here's some pics I took while I was drilling the case. Gonna look smart I think, nice knobs. :)

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-24487860342377093842011-04-14T13:47:00.002+01:002011-04-14T13:52:24.811+01:00

I've started a new blog!http://theactweact.blogspot.com/It's a cross between a serialised autobiographical novel thing and a bunch of reviews/thoughts on the work of Bob Mould (Husker Du/Sugar/Solo Artist)I hope you enjoy it.it's looking ok at the moment, but you might see some changes to the design/layout in the near future.Melx

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-56377334261993368782011-04-07T16:29:00.002+01:002011-04-07T16:33:17.814+01:00

Here's a layout based on the Jordan Bosstone, with a few tweaks and changes.... thanks for the help with the design and layout IvIark! I've built a few of these and they sound great.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-21857772220690455952011-03-18T21:42:00.007Z2011-03-19T11:03:22.789Z

I just wanted to say a massive big thank you to 'LaceSensor' who won the auction and just as importantly thanks to everyone who bid on the auction.... you all did your bit, if you lot didn't bid the auction up then we wouldn't have raised as much money.£21 might not seem a lot of money to us, but to some people it is the difference between life and death.well, just... Thanks to you all.........

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-54410122443132977562011-03-11T14:16:00.010Z2011-03-17T22:50:37.115Z

No pedal to auction this time.... circumstances say 'no' .... but I wanted to do something so I'm auctioning copy of Dave Hunter's book 'Guitar Effects Pedals, the practical handbook' (rrp £16.95) and a bunch of cool, vintage and handy DIY parts along with it.you can find the auction here.Will post this worldwide as usual with charity things.happy bidding, auction starts at 1p!!No reserve!Auction

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-65975465175138523282011-02-25T16:36:00.004Z2011-02-25T17:11:23.406Z

I heard about this project via a tweet and after checking the site out I just had to make a blog to help promote it.You can read all the details here but here's the bottom line.A band donates a t-shirt design, the design becomes exclusive to SFAC who sell the shirts and the money goes to Women fighting breast cancer by providing help to underprivileged women who cannot afford expensive medicine

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-5914356216654014252011-02-20T14:00:00.005Z2011-05-19T11:33:23.486+01:00

A mate of mine was after a Marshall Blues Breaker MK1 pedal, so we decided to build one for him using a General Guitar Gadgets PCB and make it the best quality we could (without going totally OTT) .... it still works out cheaper than buying a used one off ebay and he will end up with a very good quality pedal and something that should last a lifetime. I really enjoy building on these PCB's they

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-20956315709212940612011-02-19T17:21:00.005Z2011-02-19T17:44:47.549Z

No, not my latest strip board disaster but the title of a cool new blog by our latest friend and co-conspirator in the world of DIY effects and blogging. I really love this blog so far... much like my humble blog here, How not to make a pedal doesn't take itself too seriously (as you can probably imagine from the title) and it's written in a friendly 'conversational' style which lends itself well

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-5532581279446048852011-02-15T03:49:00.007Z2011-02-17T20:42:43.962Z

Exciting news for Bob Mould/Sugar/Husker Du fans (yup, I'm one of them) ...in fact exciting news for anyone who has any interest in American underground rock/punk and likes a good read .... the long awaited Bob Mould autobiography will be out in June this year!!! The book was co-written with Michael Azerrad who also wrote the fantastic 'Our Band Could Be Your Life' so I don't expect this to

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-48376656697711238492011-02-12T20:42:00.006Z2011-02-12T21:48:07.210Z

To be honest this should be called 'How I' rather than 'how to' because I'm sure everyone does it slightly different and I'm sure there are 'better' and different ways of doing it, but for me this works fine. First I decide which way round to put the case and where I want to have everything, the good thing about using larger cases and small circuits is you can basically put things wherever you

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-29777903361747108302011-02-12T14:03:00.006Z2011-02-12T14:24:38.974Z

Plastikote Satin SuperDiode selectorTransparent Overdrive based on TimmyBig Muff based on Violet Ram's Head (general guitar gadgets)Vintage style Germanium Fuzz Face with bias controlKnobs and switch plate from Banzai MusicViolet Rams Head, Germanium Fuzz Face, Transparent OD

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-69845054236896953822011-02-08T21:30:00.005Z2011-02-08T22:00:00.925Z

I thought I'd write a bit more about pots and pot tapers tonight, it crossed my mind to do so after commenting about being able to wire linear pots 'backwards' without any ill-effect other than (in the case of a fuzz control for example) 'full fuzz' will be in the anti-clockwise position, rather than the full clockwise position. This might be fun to do on tone controls especially, there's no

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-53017549680731148942011-02-07T00:36:00.007Z2011-02-07T01:01:23.568Z

As I've already started talking about F1 on here I figured I couldn't really not post about this. It's being reported on the BBC F1 site that the 26 year old Pole Robert Kubica has been involved in a very serious crash while rallying in Italy today. They are reporting that his right hand was partially severed and he's also suffered arm and leg fractures. This obviously sounds very serious and

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-56673882804202610852011-02-06T23:13:00.006Z2011-02-26T12:47:43.843Z

I had a comment on part two about someone having difficulties with their WC build so I thought I'd better wire up some jacks and pots and test mine while I was waiting for the case to arrive.I ended up taking the BC109's out after trying several transistor types. For me 2N5088's sounded the best so that's what I'm going with. I think BC108's and BC109's are so overrated when it comes to fuzz

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-5809348663042484412011-02-01T09:25:00.005Z2011-02-01T10:01:15.882Z

As some of you may or may not know I'm a bit of an Formula One fan and today is the first pre-season test in Valencia... It's the first time we will get an idea of who's on the ball this year.. it's easy to read too much into these first tests but if a car seems quick now chances are it will be quick come the first race (see Brawn GP a couple of years ago) ... BBC have a live text thing here so

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-9503843873785467272011-01-30T18:35:00.003Z2011-01-30T18:42:24.163Z

For Amazon shoppers who like a bit of 'Metal' or some 'Heavy Rock' I saw today that they have a 'Roadrunner' records sampler for free download here. Not really my thing, but hey, it's free right ... so probably worth a listen.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-74000044736801556502011-01-19T14:11:00.007Z2011-01-19T15:22:15.781Z

After feeling exasperated at all the nonsense, arguing and general excitement (over things I have no passion about) on my regular forums this morning, I decided to go in search of something a little more worthwhile to read...... and I found it on Andreas Moller's website 'stinkfoot.se' (apologies to Andreas for not being able to figure out how to get the dots over the 'o' in his surname .. I did

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-15990904481271267372011-01-15T17:42:00.009Z2011-01-16T01:31:13.021Z

After fixing up my LPB-2 in the last post I decided to tackle my old Sovtek Small Stone today... There's a bit of a story to this one, When I bought it off ebay the seller said that it didn't work so well and it always took a while to 'warm up' before you would get any phaser effect but when it arrived it seemed to work fine for me... anyway I thought that maybe the whole 'warming up issue' might

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-41836857287192080832011-01-14T12:06:00.005Z2011-01-14T14:44:01.387Z

My good friend Tom sent me this beauty over from the USA just before christmas, but the 30+ year old carling switch has been playing up and cutting in and out, really spoiling my enjoyment of it... It would have been nice to keep it all original but hey.. this is to use not look at! Lets have a look inside, not much there just some point to point components.... ok first we need to figure out what

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-72240267299611523802011-01-02T14:50:00.004Z2011-01-02T14:52:30.948Z

Happy New Year Everyone! 2011 is going to be a good one, trust me I can tell.Melx 2011

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-91818468158231363142010-12-31T07:31:00.006Z2010-12-31T07:54:29.412Z

Just thought I'd get this one in on the last day of 2010!!...while browsing the web the other day I stumbled upon this very cool 'wall decal' by 'Studio Luka' .. it's also available in several other colours to match your home decor.available for $59.95 here .... not exactly cheap I suppose, but not too bad if you like this kind of thing.. which of course I do!! ;)I love those 'ball' chairs too...

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-83902768604351981612010-12-22T02:04:00.003Z2010-12-22T04:09:01.979Z

This will probably be my last post of the year as I'll be taking a short break over the festive season... as should you!So I thought I'd go through the blog and highlight and link to some useful things that may have got hidden in the depths for anyone who hasn't been reading from the start.First up the 'Getting Started' Series which details the build of a simple fuzz pedal, highlights some things

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-26341857261958011362010-12-19T14:34:00.004Z2010-12-19T18:16:22.368Z

A Quick video to show the 'Soda Meiser Lost Souls Edition' Pedal.. made for Jon of The Lost Souls Club ... Hope you like it Jon.The LED on the left is actually a pinky colour, I'm not really sure why they both look kinda blue in the video...

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-35450868881474724402010-12-17T10:11:00.005Z2010-12-17T10:30:27.109Z

I managed to get the rest of the holes drilled this morning... it's looking more like a pedal now, the circuit board is made already so I just need to wire it all up now... I also seem to have contracted a stinking cold this morning too.... great :/The alpha switches look and feel really great, I'm looking forward to hearing some feedback from Jon on them, I for one cannot put up with that 'clunk

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-64181040734367809672010-12-15T16:58:00.007Z2010-12-15T18:01:04.862Z

I was recently approached by Jon of the band 'Lost Souls Club' about building him a version of the Soda Meiser I built myself a little while ago. I don't normally build 'clones' of currently made pedals for other people, especially when they are made by builders I respect like Devi, but considering the latest version of the SM doesn't have the noise switch and the fact that Jon wanted this

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-35635264142239448922010-12-11T15:05:00.006Z2010-12-15T02:40:00.854Z

I was playing around with some pedals I've made over the year the other day so decided to record it just for a bit of fun and this is the result.Gear usedGuitar: Vintage VS6Amp: VHT special 6 head with Hayden 4x12" cabPedals: Violet Ram's head-ish Big Muff, Germanium AC128 Fuzz Face/vintage style board with bias control mod & a Timmy/Transparent OD-ish overdrive.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-58195467181699203042010-12-09T11:36:00.012Z2010-12-09T21:54:30.113Z

Another year almost passed but it's been a good one, my new passion for electronics has been good and I feel like I learn something new every week. I don't think I've felt like that since I graduated back in 1999 and for once I'm quite looking forward to Christmas.... I think this is because I'm really looking forward to what next year will bring in terms of knowledge and excitement.I've really

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-75959667058277357772010-12-03T15:43:00.008Z2010-12-03T17:51:16.783Z

Firstly.. thanks to everyone who got involved in this, from the people who donated parts to make it happen to all the people who made a bid on the ebay auction and helped get the word out around the world, you know who you are, so many thanks to you all. The auction was won buy Stuart aka 'Stubacca' who you might come across on various guitar effects forums..... the pedal is now on it's way to

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-36653223136198828582010-12-03T15:31:00.004Z2010-12-03T15:39:12.421Z

Just a small update, I soldered the wires on and put some BC109c transistors in the sockets. I have most of the other stuff to finish this off, just need to get a nice case for it.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-90640166108072836952010-12-02T20:50:00.007Z2011-02-12T23:39:07.945Z

After enjoying the manic fuzz tones of the Soda Meiser, I thought I'd have a go at another crazy fuzz... The old style 4 knob Mellowtone 'Wolf Computer' ... this pedal is similar to the Zvex Fuzz Factory in some ways, but it's an all silicon transistor pedal. The Layout I'm using is IvIark's and can be found here.OK, so resistors first.. I chose a suitably random selection, 'Mojo' or 'Mess' ...

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-59170018027078098332010-11-24T17:41:00.005Z2010-11-30T02:01:36.791Z

I made a bit more of an effort this time.... with the editing that is..... not with the sloppy playing.Guitar: 1995 Japanese Fender MustangAmp: VHT special6 headCab: Hayden 4x12"

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-33733796722875881742010-11-24T11:06:00.009Z2010-12-06T14:52:29.147Z

I built this vero circuit ages ago after Devi posted the schematic on the Devi Ever Forums... after being disappointed with the sound of the Devi Ever pedals I've owned before (Never Drive and... um, something else) I was eager to try this one as it's regarded as one of best fuzzes she makes by a lot of people. ... I've also had this blue case hanging around for a while that I got in a parts

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-71547914919884298652010-11-22T17:27:00.003Z2010-11-22T18:22:15.777Z

Here's a (slightly) better video of the finished pedal. ebay auction here! thanks to everyone who's bid so far...It's been fun ...... I'll try and give myself a bit more time next charity event!!!

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-76522404856372298372010-11-21T20:02:00.004Z2010-11-21T20:32:04.154Z

Which Will You Choose?Circuit: Redesigned BosstoneControls: Volume and FuzztonePrice: Special 'Opening Day' Price (TBA)Availabilty: Coming Soon from Zen Arcade MusicDetails: NPN/PNP 2x silicon Transisor Fuzz MachineFeatures: One off Paintwork, Water Clear led, True BypassQuality: Neutrik Sockets, Alpha Switch & Pots, Quality Capacitors & ComponentsPower: Carbon Zinc Battery with Pedal Board

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-4591677192627342732010-11-20T15:38:00.004Z2010-11-20T18:51:43.775Z

Two done, two almost done, more details to follow.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-69723592683474247552010-11-20T14:20:00.006Z2010-11-20T15:04:06.379Z

Ebay Listing is Here!Thanks everyone!Look out for a better demo of the finished pedal soon........ now if I had a street team, I'd say "get out there and spread the word!" ;)

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-2137525563154174262010-11-19T23:56:00.008Z2010-11-20T01:53:29.258Z

It's far from a perfect finish due to time (and weather) constraints, but hey... it's more fun than a bare case!! exclusive 'blue lilac green purple glitter pudsey spots more purple glitter finish' never to be repeated!!...you can see:Case Donated by IvIark of Guitar Effects Layouts BlogFootswitch Donated by Kev of Effect Extra BlogPaint Donated by Melx of Adventures in Effectors BlogKnobs

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-79062659145358361322010-11-19T16:50:00.006Z2010-11-19T17:25:04.194Z

I just had a thought... everyone in the UK knows about 'Children in Need' but friends around the world may not be familiar with it.If you want to learn more please visithttp://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/Today is the official Children in Need Day and here in the UK and tonight the BBC1 will be dedicated to the 'Children in Need Appeal Show'Every penny donated will stay in the UK and go directly to

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-91096624146194418732010-11-19T15:29:00.003Z2010-11-19T15:33:35.675Z

Purple glitter fest in need of some sun.

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-27192914514014135282010-11-19T13:21:00.006Z2010-11-19T13:40:19.101Z

The case arrived from IvIark today, so I got to work......

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-71466204734940445112010-11-15T21:44:00.007Z2010-11-19T17:33:06.446Z

Just a small update this evening.. firstly the youtube version is now working!Secondly, a case will be on the way from IvIark tomorrow, I was also offered help in the way of a case by Kev, but unfortunately it wouldn't have been big enough to fit the PCB in. I am however using a footswitch and jacks given to me by Kev so title has been re-titled because this is turning into a real IMBC team

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-71580651779015520332010-11-15T13:45:00.006Z2010-11-15T21:44:36.235Z

Progress.... with video (very quick, very bad edition)Wired it up sans switch to test the circuit (don't worry it won't look this messy when it's wired into a case!!)....at first I was worried because it made no sound but thanks to my replacement Dad (IvIark) I realised that using PNP transistors and with the cap orientation as it is the circuit is a positive ground circuit so where the layout

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-58918929482880885722010-11-15T02:39:00.007Z2010-11-15T02:56:22.062Z

... AC128's in and soldered some wires tonight!I'll solder a couple of jack on in the morning and try it out.. if all is well I'll start thinking about a case because I don't have one..2 choices... I can either buy a Eddystone 120x95x34 from bitsbox tomorrow, or if someone out there would like to donate me something suitable and they can get it to me asap, let me know! Ideally I'd need it within

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-64893151844305833902010-11-14T11:28:00.005Z2010-11-14T22:12:57.092Z

.. Soldered the caps in this morning! :)...no problems, simple enough job. If your building one yourself and aren't sure about the polarity of the blue philips caps just remember the 'dimple' 'indent' 'ridge' or whatever you want to call it is at the positive end. so in this case all the positives go towards the top. see you soon for part three!...i'm now off to watch the last Formula 1 race of

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-29187049731036017492010-11-13T20:57:00.020Z2010-11-13T22:49:14.405Z

Once again it's time for another charity blog build. Last time I auctioned one of the first things I ever built (a bazz fuzz) for 'Sport Relief' and raised £17.78 which I was amazed by, this time I'm hoping to do even better by auctioning a Built up Pigeon FX supa fuzz replica kit, that they kindly donated. So without further ado here's part one of the build! (less talk more rock version!)Look

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-91434443166626642872010-11-13T00:19:00.009Z2010-11-13T23:54:05.403Z

....no not that one, I'm talking about the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone.. is it better than the other 'simple chorus classic' the Boss CE-2? ... I will start by saying I love both pedals, in my opinion they are two of the finest sounding modulation pedals ever made, I haven't owned either for a while but when I saw this wooden boxed Small Clone come up on ebay for a reasonable price I couldn't

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-41636482730964004622010-11-09T18:53:00.007Z2010-11-09T20:00:26.909Z

This just arrived today, I picked it up because it looked cool and it wasn't expensive... and for an A/B box it's pretty interesting. It's design allows both A&B to operate independently or together. I tried it out using it as a simple tuner router. I connected Channel A output to my amp and Channel B output to my Boss tuner. Usually with the Boss TU-2 you can either have you signal muted when

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-16447142104821886322010-11-08T14:47:00.012Z2010-11-08T16:44:51.595Z

Love Battery are one of my favourite bands ever, and possibly my favourite of all time that isn't Bob Mould related in some way. I was introduced to the band when a friend of mine bought "sub/pop video network program II' on VHS back around 1993, which has the brilliant 'out of focus' on it. This video was a massive influence on what I would listen to as not only did it introduce me to Love

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-80555241218827558432010-11-04T17:41:00.011Z2010-11-05T01:23:42.562Z

(melx) Hi Mate, Firstly thanks for doing this and secondly congratulations on your website, I can’t imagine how much traffic you get a week but it must be a lot, do you have any idea?(Bart) 3000-3600 unique visitors a day (sometimes more, sometimes less), you can see it when you click on the tracking icon near the bottom of every page. (melx) wow, I never imagined it was that many!It should be

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-67809238505524246632010-11-03T11:57:00.003Z2010-11-05T00:59:36.417Z

.... next ....... then

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-48560562506218452622010-11-01T00:15:00.020Z2010-11-02T02:35:01.636Z

As some of you know I'm currently setting up a small online shop which will hopefully be live by the end of the month, I'm going to be selling second hand and DIY effects, CDs, vinyl, vintage T-shirts, badges, Books, Parts, Spares and all manner of musical related delights .... It's going to be an aladdin's cave of goodies! ;)One of the exciting things I've just taken delivery of is a selection

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-9446922616089178102010-10-29T21:33:00.009+01:002010-10-29T22:00:35.597+01:00

Ginger (singer, songwiter, and front man of The Wildhearts) recently released an album called '10' which was made up of his favorite songs he's recorded as a solo artist but clearly he decided there was just too much good stuff in his back catalogue, so he's made available another 10 track album called '10 (two)' and being the kind of guy he is he's made it available for everyone to download for

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-4750604070379376602010-10-26T22:56:00.006+01:002010-10-27T00:11:57.650+01:00

Another question that comes up a fair bit... in fact I've just answered it on the EHX forum where I'm a volunteer administrator, so I figured I'd post about it here for everyone else.This information is around on the internet already and it's where I found out myself, but I guess it doesn't hurt to spread it around.It's a very useful way of getting an approx date of some vintage pedals like

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-29004729753311736622010-10-22T22:49:00.007+01:002010-10-23T00:12:41.080+01:00

It's been a while since I did one of these, in part one I touched on a couple of albums from my past and this time I'm gonna go for a different twist and tell you about a series of albums that contain tracks from a bands past who I've admired since I was a teenager.... The Cramps. The series in question is the 'Songs the Cramps Taught us' albums that contain the songs The Cramps either covered

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-71752537557961056252010-10-21T17:51:00.007+01:002010-10-27T17:53:00.526+01:00

(Melx) Your 'Effect Extra' blog is a favorite of mine. Most pedal review blogs seem to just harp on about whatever is new on the market that month and read more like a very long advertisement, but you take a different approach. Can you tell me the idea behind the blog and what inspired you to do it?(Kev) Firstly, thanks! Yes, I know what you mean about other reviews though. They tend to be

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-25971677232034943822010-10-21T14:52:00.007+01:002010-10-31T23:02:31.953Z

I heard the sad news today that Arianna of The Slits (aka Ari Up) has passed away at 48 years old after 'a serious illness'. The Slits were such an wonderfully shambolic band and 'Cut' is probably one of the greatest Punk/Reggae albums of all time, go and buy it if you don't own it, it's worth every penny for 'shoplifting' alone! I'm off to listen to it right now..... Rest in Punk, Ari! XXX....do

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-66032004391164294412010-10-13T22:11:00.005+01:002010-10-31T18:51:21.377Z

I thought I'd do a 'Part Two' as I've had a good experience lately with a different supplier called Futurlec, they were recommended to me by IvIark.www.futurlec.comFuturlec ... I was a bit confused with this place at first, as they seem to have addresses in the UK, USA and all over, the site is in US dollars and I wasn't really sure where I was getting my order shipped from... as it turned out my

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-65526556799640183362010-10-13T12:11:00.014+01:002010-10-31T23:02:01.508Z

I finished this feedback loop this morning, it's based on a Beavis Audio design, So firstly I must thank Beavis Audio for that.. if you've never looked at the site I suggest you nip over there later and have a look, it's a fountain of information.I had some problems because I used a multi-coloured flashing led (I figured it would go well with the audio mayhem the pedal creates) and noise from the

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-3540391905248649152010-10-12T22:45:00.009+01:002010-10-13T00:39:50.819+01:00

The most important thing about choosing the right capacitors for your tone circuit in your guitar is choosing the correct value cap. (not what colour it is or what it's made from).... although that might be of secondary interest. If the cap value is 'right' for your sound, then any cap will basically do the job, you don't need to worry too much about the type, brand etc unless you really want to

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-63959713059956820852010-10-12T15:53:00.010+01:002010-10-12T17:01:19.985+01:00

A slight change of direction for this series, but these questions seem to come up a lot... "what type and value pots and caps do I want for my guitar" and it isn't always easy to answer, so I'll run through some common choices and leave you to decide for yourself. ....This time 'Pots'... next time I'll cover 'Caps'Potentiometers, or 'pots' for short, come in a lot of different types and values as

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-43794826500659401382010-10-07T15:23:00.009+01:002010-10-31T23:01:32.819Z

He's a little review of the gig I went to last night, it was probably the best one I've been to in the last 10 years, thanks in no small part to Mudhoney's amazing support band The Unnatural Helpers.Unnatural Helpers are great, they have a singer who also plays drums and they sound like a cross between John Spencer Blues Explosion and The Jesus Lizard, but significantly more interesting and fun

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-83934412603059034252010-09-13T21:46:00.012+01:002010-09-13T23:18:23.717+01:00

I've just bought tickets to see Sub/Pop legends Mudhoney at the Electric Ballroom in London next month.. I'm really looking forward it, I've seen them a few times and they've never disappointed, first time was 1991 and the last time was 2002 and they were still as good as ever. Anyway this has given me an excuse to post #3 in my 'band t-shirt of the week' series ....... the classic Mudhoney 'Big

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-48411062175221580152010-09-04T18:56:00.006+01:002010-10-21T18:37:22.284+01:00

This is Kev's BYOC tremolo I painted for him... it looks pretty cool I think, Jack White would be proud!....and while I'm on the subject I saw this amazing looking Marshall for sale on ebay a while back. I honestly would have bought it just for the way it looks if I had more money and more space!!

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-83311624896970907102010-09-02T00:06:00.008+01:002010-09-02T11:59:11.525+01:00

As some of you know I bought a VHT special 6 head with some of the money I got when I sold my Gordon Smith 'V' ... I'm really impressed with this little amp and I'll be doing some video stuff of it soon, I'll do my Rat and Muff pedal builds at the same time too, so it will kill a few birds with one stone.. as they say. I've taken a bit of a break from building pedals during August for many

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-69587349009078719392010-08-30T15:02:00.004+01:002010-08-31T01:13:43.177+01:00

Woman charged after dogs maul girl in Dundee streethow many more times do I have to read another of these stories before something is done about it?Get them off the streets and give these people a rabbit if they want to have a pet.The rights of children to be in a public place without being mauled or attacked by your 'pet' far outweighs any 'right' you think you might have to 'own' a dog.... and

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-79163013742203558292010-08-29T00:48:00.003+01:002010-08-29T00:51:27.725+01:00

Here's a video of me playing my mustang, for no other reason than I felt like it...

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-17775085253490903112010-08-28T14:43:00.008+01:002010-08-28T15:32:41.964+01:00

I picked this up on ebay for a tenner a the other week. But was pretty disappointed with the sound of it, it was a bit too gritty for my taste with a rather nasty crackle on the decay ... it does however have a really nice case, so I opened it up to see what we were dealing with and see if I could change the sound more to my liking. It uses an TLO72 IC in combination with a pair of 3mm led's, so

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-83744739548182147022010-08-20T15:48:00.008+01:002010-10-31T23:00:47.769Z

I've loved this guitar ever since I first took it out of it's case down my local guitar shop. It's battered and bruised but it plays and sounds fantastic, the only thing that's always bothered me is it's blackness but when you are buying second hand you have to deal with what you get... So today I set about changing that.I bought the parts from Axesrus which is a great place to get cheaper guitar

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-2827707395176967832010-08-16T00:46:00.009+01:002010-08-16T01:28:16.917+01:00

Last time we covered Jack sockets, so this time we'll cover footswitches.The two most common footswitches used in DIY pedal building are the Double pole/double throw and the Triple Pole/double throw latching type. (Dpdp/2pdt and 3pdt)This is what the common ones look like... as you can see one has 9 solder lugs/pins, the other has 6.The 3pdt is often used because this type of switch allows you to

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-61736522561202178212010-08-11T01:05:00.007+01:002010-08-11T01:36:18.415+01:00

I love Pixies, you should too.Thank you CharlesThank You KimThank you JoeyThank you DavidYou buy me a sodaYou buy me a soda You buy me a soda and you try to molest me in the parking lotYep, yep yep YEP!

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-16294717978062422222010-08-07T15:22:00.012+01:002010-08-08T16:40:41.178+01:00

I bought some more enamel paints this morning. 'Antique Gold' 'Pewter' 'Gloss White' and 'Insignia Red' I'm Painting one of Kev's BYOC pedals in Red and White stripes and I'm going to do my StrangeMaster in one of the metallic paints. I'll be doing Case Painting in an up coming 'How To' too.... now I just need the weather to get a bit better so I can get outside and get on with it!The 'Pewter'

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-14046719120215678762010-07-28T23:57:00.012+01:002010-07-29T13:39:24.562+01:00

Following on from the popular "Getting Started" series I've decided to start a similar new series called 'How To' which will cover all the little small things I may not have covered properly before, didn't cover in much detail or was unsure myself at the time I wrote those earlier blog posts. When building FX projects for the first time it's often the small things that will leave you stumped or

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-80234872675388439202010-07-28T13:02:00.016+01:002010-11-07T21:40:05.243Z

As promised here's the vero board layout for this project... (click to see full size)and I use this method of wiring up the 3pdt switch (thanks to Skreddy Pedals for this diagram)or alternatively you could use the 2pdt with LED as described here .... or if you don't want an LED you can wire your 2pdt like this. :)Points to note, the negative side of C2 is at the bottom (marked by the lighter blue

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-33883084833551973912010-07-27T01:11:00.014+01:002010-11-07T21:40:38.021Z

So you want to put an LED in your pedal but you only have a 2pdt switch in your box or are you sick of paying for overpriced clunky 3pdt switches and want to use sexy alpha switches with the softer touch? Try this out... you can either solder the LED to the board or run wires to wherever the led is. This is layout is suitable for a regular LED. You can lower the resistance of the resistor if you

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-59002896493277846562010-07-26T21:06:00.011+01:002010-07-28T13:02:43.953+01:00

I finished this off tonight, it's based on a well known clean boost. It has duel outputs like the original and I added a 3mm pink ultra bright led. It sounds really great blasting the drive channels on my amp especially. I'll add some pictures of the guts later, it's quite a challenge to get 3 jack sockets, a pot, a footswitch, led and bezel, and a battery in there. The back of the pot is very

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7268639069444275331.post-57919572886384642902010-07-22T16:40:00.005+01:002010-07-22T17:01:51.512+01:00

After the comment from RNFR (of Apocalypse Audio) on that strange red capacitor in my Rangermaster I thought I'd do some digging to see what I could find out about these capacitors, I couldn't find much but I now know they are called "Ceramic Rod" Capacitors, and I'm presuming, from the values I've seen, they were a high voltage low capacitance type that were around until sometime the 1970's. It

Mel xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10495407373846331336noreply@blogger.com3