Ordering Parts

[aaronftnm]

I'm about to make an order for some pedal parts from mouser. Is this a bad decision? Should I get them from another vendor? The only thing I didn't see that I needed was a 3pdt switch. Also does anyone know if there is an option to just buy a bulk grab bag of capacitors, or is it easier to just buy them individually. I'm just trying to see if any of the wiser more experienced parts buyers have any advice.

[milkshape]

I've used mouser for a parts for 2 pedal builds (one not yet started) and an Amp build. Their prices seemed competitive to me even with the shipping. Things I didn't like is that there are too many choices, you have to really know exactly what you want. I was also tipped off by another builder that they will hit you with shipping cost for back ordered items, which could cause you to get hit with double shipping costs. I would be very interested to know of other cheap reliable vendors that people have had direct experience with for amp and pedal parts.

[Ben Harmless]

I had a pretty good experience with Mouser when I placed my first order with them recently. I made sure to only order parts that were indicated as in stock, and I ordered 100 of each resistor value, just because the price break gets real good at that point.

Got everything in under a week. I'll do it again. In fact, I look forward to doing it again, soon.

They've got a lot of great stuff there too. Don't be afraid to find something similar to what you're looking for and then start flipping through the .pdf catalog from that link. The search function is far from perfect.

[wnorcott]

Mouser is one of the best for "one stop shopping" for pedal parts. I have no problem with Mouser.

I do more business with Allied Electronics because their site is a lot better organized and they carry just about everything Mouser has that you would need. Allied has very reasonable shipping prices and a lot of choiced. They are my favorite.


I do not do one stop shopping any longer, I have quite a number of suppliers.

Do not overlook surplus outfits like All Electronics Corp. or Electronics Goldmine either.

IF you are only going to build one pedal, then just buy your parts list one of everything. But if you are going to buy more, bulk pricing is a lot better.

If you get serious you will want to keep a well stocked lab and buying assortments is a good way to do that.


Bill

Originally Posted by aaronftnm

I'm about to make an order for some pedal parts from mouser. Is this a bad decision? Should I get them from another vendor? The only thing I didn't see that I needed was a 3pdt switch. Also does anyone know if there is an option to just buy a bulk grab bag of capacitors, or is it easier to just buy them individually. I'm just trying to see if any of the wiser more experienced parts buyers have any advice.

[aaronftnm]

Well, I just searched using google shopping and found the 3pdt switches for 4.50 each. I ordered 4, and the total shipping was 2.00, so I feel like that was a steal, we will see how it pans out. I also got a grab bag of 200 capacitors .047uf-100uf for 9.00, and a grab bag of 100 transistors for 5.00. We will see what happans with that, but I feel like I got a good deal, the most expensive shipping was 2.00, so thats cool. Ill let you guys know how my experience goes.

[Stevil]

I use mouser for caps, resistors (that I don't have in my collection already), current production transistors, ICs, and diodes. For enclosures, 3pdt switches, vactrols, etc., I use Smallbear or Pedal Parts Plus. Mouser ship very quickly and are very reliable and while the website full of everything seems daunting at first, after you make a few pedals, it's not bad at all. Smallbear was terribly slow at shipping anything until recently; my order a week or so ago was shipped in two days, so it looks like they've fixed that. Pedal Parts Plus has cheaper large enclosures and switches, generally, and that's when I use them. Test those switches with your multimeter before you put them in, btw. I got a batch of the unmarked blue switches recently that were half bad...and found out how much swearing can be accomplished if you don't test them before putting them in and wiring them up.

[surfoverb]

mouser is good...Wait till you get the catalogue, its like the size of 2 phone books!

[11 Gauge]

Mouser is great for bulk orders, high quality componentry, and they're even competitive for smaller orders in many instances. And yes - fast.

I think that their website is about as well organized as it could be, considering that they offer hundreds of thousands of components.

Futurlec is a great alternative for cheap parts, especially their pots, which are like 60 cents a piece, and they have the odd linear 20K Tube Screamer tone pots for this price, as well. The downside to them is that it takes a few weeks for the order to arrive typically, and I've heard that they sometimes get parts of the order wrong, although I've personally ordered probably well over 4000 components from them, without any errors (that I'm aware of).

For enclosures, 3PDT switches, and jacks, I find Pedal Parts Plus hard to beat. The prices are reasonable for small orders, they give lots of options, and the turnaround time IME is fast - typically faster than Mouser.

[11 Gauge]

Originally Posted by Stevil

Test those switches with your multimeter before you put them in, btw. I got a batch of the unmarked blue switches recently that were half bad...and found out how much swearing can be accomplished if you don't test them before putting them in and wiring them up.

Yep - always test them before assembly, as they are the Achilles' heel of your typical pedal build, durability-wise.

An option would be to grab a DPDT and use Millenium Bypass to add an LED, but avoid the "x wing" and similar type switches, IMO. They'll work fine for about 2 to 6 months, and then the contacts fail horribly, IME. Nice and cheap for prototypes (about $2 a piece), but I'd never put one in something that has to be durable. The Carling is a much better switch, IMO.

[ibodog]

+1 for Futurlec. They're the best place I've found for veroboard (stripboard), too. Here's the link to their grab bags:

http://futurlec.com/ValuePacks.shtml

If you plan on making more than 1 pedal you should grab their 1/4 watt resistor pack, ceramic cap pack, electrolytic cap pack, mylar cap pack, and diode pack. Optionally the linear IC pack and transistor pack might be useful, too. All that should keep you pretty busy for a while.

And here's their page for stripboard that you can use for any of the numerous vero layouts on the net: http://www.futurlec.com/ProtoBoards.shtml#STPBRD1

I've had it take 2-6 weeks for shipping but no other problems (they're sending from Asia). If you make an order and don't see shipping notification in a couple of days then email them and see what the holdup is. They held an order because a wire snipper I'd ordered was backordered. Just tell them to cancel the backorder and ship the rest (unless you really need the B.O. part).

[aaronftnm]

Cool guys. Thanks for all of your help...I will be sure to test those switches out before I install them. Being such an amateur with building pedals that would be the last thing for me to check when there is the inevitable problem. Ill be sure to post some pics when I get my pedals all built up!

[maches]

+1 for Pedal Parts Plus, I've had two small orders for various items (switches, knobs, common resistors/capacitors, pots). They have some things not available elsewhere (PCB mounts for GGG pedals) and also offer many parts that are much more expensive elsewhere. They have the cheapest 3PDT i've seen ($4.00). Also, both my orders shipped under $2.00. Hard to beat that.

I've also used SmallBearElec for a couple of pedal builds and have only had one mix up (a resistor w/ wrong value). They offer a wide variety of items, and some things they carry exclusively.

Both sites are quick to respond to any questions and I would recommend either as an alternative to mouser.

[i like guitars]

anyone know any distributors on the west coast? id like to get orders quicker to california. ive ordered from small bear and i love their selection.