First Build - Persuader Tube Overdrive

[Doth]

The local amp class nearby has a workshop to teach pedal or amp building. Since my current obsession happens to be pedals, I decided to give it a shot. I chose a Persuader Tube Overdrive pedal as my first shot since it gave me a lot of soldering and wiring practice.

Although it is not quite finished, it came together pretty easily. It is not pretty inside, but I learned a great deal on it. The shop owner was very helpful, but allowed me to make mistakes to learn from.

I learned that my colorblindness makes it a challenge to identify resistors. Although the pedal is technically finished, I have two resistors backwards and need to correct them today.

I went ahead and ordered an ESV Fuzz from BYOC for my next project. Today I will stop by an electronics store and get soldering supplies, then to home depot to get a few other supplies.

Here she is, almost finished.

[Jubal81]

Very nice! I wish something like that was offered around here.

[Doth]

Originally Posted by Jubal81

Very nice! I wish something like that was offered around here.

The workshop is held at King Amplification in Los Gatos, CA. Val King builds some really awesome hand-wired, point-to-point amps. He is a great instructor, as I didn't even know how to solder. I am most definitely going to build an amp with him. I really like his approach.

In all fairness, I could have probably followed the directions of the Persuader kit on my own, they are very clear, and there is not much to them. However, it was great to have someone with decades of experience to check my work and audit my process. I am learning a lot more than I would have if I had just put together the kit on my own.

BTW, Here is the link that describes Val's workshop http://kingamplification.com/images/...kshop_0211.pdf

[DOGMA Dunn]

Good job on the build.

[Doth]

Thanks guys. I am very excited, it works! It sounds very good. I don't know if it is the pride I have in accomplishing something, but it sound really, really good. Very rich overdrive, not like the normal pedals.

I have a BYOC Fuzz on the way for the next build (baby steps). I went to the electronics store and got a new soldering iron and a bunch of stuff (pliers, benders, jumpers, solder, tip cleaner, etc). The DMM were very expensive. Val recommended a Fluke 175, but it was pretty pricey. Anybody have a recommendation for one until I am sure I am going to be building a bunch more?

Here she is:


Thanks,
Don

Edit: I forgot to add that I had three errors on my first build. I missed to small jumpers and had mixed up two resistors. I really have trouble seeing the bands as I am colorblind. No worries on future builds though, I will have my wife sort them for me, and then I will label them so I won't get confused again!

[Doth]

Here is a video of how it sounds. Please forgive the lack of talent.

[milocj]

Once you get a DMM you can test each resistor before you put it on the board just to make sure its not way out of spec, and also as a method of sorting them beforehand.

I'm not color blind and sometimes its hard to tell what is orange, red, or brown depending on the resistor size and the body color. It seems much harder on the newer stuff than with the old carbon comp resistors.

I always double check them with my Fluke before putting one on a board. I'm not familiar with the features of that model, but Flukes are good (and expensive). Some of them have a lot of features that you may not use. I'm sure some folks will chime in with some other recommendations for similar meters.

The one main thing I remember about when I was shopping for a DMM was to make sure it is double fused. Some of the cheap ones don't have the second fuse that you WILL blow at one point if you ever need to read amperage inside of an amp. The meters without two fuses will smoke the meter if you are trying to read amperage and slip with the leads and short one. I think a lot of the mid-priced meters sold at Sears have double fuses and the features you'll need.

[Crawfish]

Great advice above ^. You can measure the resistors to make sure you have the right one. It's easy to mix them up.

On the DMMs, I see a new Fluke 187 is about $235 - which I think is a pretty good deal for a meter that will last a lifetime. If you're going to do a fair amount of pedals, a good DMM is a worthwhile investment.

If that's too much money (and it is a chunk of change...), check ebay for used Flukes. You can find them relatively cheap. They're very rugged and a used one is a good buy. I used a Craftsman DMM for many years, but when it developed issues, I decided to spring for a Fluke. I was lucky and got an unused Fluke 87-III for $90 (not on ebay). Had I not snagged my 87, I would have probably picked up a similar Fluke on ebay.

-Kevin

[Doth]

Thanks guys. I value your opinions and Val's as well. It makes sense to buy a decent DMM rather than going through cheap ones. I have actually probably spent that much cumulatively on cheap electronic testers through the years.

On the way to buy a Fluke. I never thought about using it to help me sort the resistors. I am really looking forward to my next project. Bring on the BYOC ESV Fuzz!!!!

[GulfportRMG]

Good job on the build!

Question: What was your recording setup for the Youtube video??

Originally Posted by Doth

Here is a video of how it sounds. Please forgive the lack of talent.

[Doth]

Originally Posted by GulfportRMG

Good job on the build!

Question: What was your recording setup for the Youtube video??

Hey Ralph,

I just put my iPhone 4 on a tripod and aimed it in the general direction. It's mic is not great, but it is works.

Don

[Doth]

My buddy Phil asked me to build one of these overdrives for him, so I did. I made a video of the tubes I tried out for him. I settled on 40 year old vintage tubes, if you hang in until after the third minute, you can hear the comparison.



Phil dug the pedal so much, he is used it as his icon on his new SoundCloud tune. I don't think he used it at all on the recording though. I just thought it was cool.

Building Phil's


Original on Left, Phil's on the right


Phil's Final Pedal



The pedal I built for Phil on Soundcloud


If you are interested, here is the link to his song. I think it is pretty good, not just because he is a friend, I like the song.
http://soundcloud.com/philxandthedrills/evil-robot-acoustic

[limbe]

In your first post you wrote that 2 resistors were wired backwards.You must have meant something else since resistors don´t have any polarity.

[Doth]

Originally Posted by limbe

In your first post you wrote that 2 resistors were wired backwards.You must have meant something else since resistors don´t have any polarity.

I should have written more clearly. I had two resistors that were installed in the place of each other. I don't recall exactly but I believe I had a 1M and 1K in place of each other.

You are correct, resistors are non-polar.

[Ripthorn]

I am colorblind as well, and I never bother with color codes, I just keep the multimeter handy. Works well enough. I also keep my parts bins very organized. Welcome to pedal building (a few months late). I have built tons, along with the amps and guitars I build. It's no wonder I suck at playing the guitar, I spend too much time building stuff :)

[TxTeleMan]

Nice build. Sounds better than the Bad Monkey... thicker... richer. Looks good, sounds good.

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a similar tube overdrive.

[hungry_pete]

Nice build. Although a fluke would be a nice piece if kit to have, it does seem really pricey! I've always got by with a cheapo multi meter.

My recommendation would be to make sure you get one with a continuity checker that buzzes.sounds daft, but it does make various tests considerably easier.

Fuses are ready cheap, so make sure you get a couple of spares. I find measuring current ('amperage' - really!? - is that an americanism?) pretty rare, but it is the most likely way to blow a fuse.

Keep getting stuck in!

[Doth]

Originally Posted by Ripthorn

I am colorblind as well, and I never bother with color codes, I just keep the multimeter handy. Works well enough. I also keep my parts bins very organized. Welcome to pedal building (a few months late). I have built tons, along with the amps and guitars I build. It's no wonder I suck at playing the guitar, I spend too much time building stuff :)

Thanks to my Fluke, I rarely have the same mix up any more.

[TommyRocket]

Hey Doth [and forum!]

I just attempted this pedal build [the inducer version] this past weekend and ran into some trouble. It's my first crack at building a pedal so I was looking around to try and find people with some experience with it and found this forum. Maybe you guys could help me troubleshoot?

I followed the instructions as best I could but when I plugged the pedal in I got nothing. The tube doesn't even seem to be getting any power. The Bypass seems to work ok though.

Do you think this could be because of the MOSFET having gotten screwed up? It mentioned you had to be careful with it in the instructions. If that fried would it prevent power from getting to the tube?

Is there any way I can check this stuff out to see where I went wrong? Would a multimeter help?

Thanks for your time everyone, sorry to dig up this old post!

[Doth]

Hey Tommy,

If you can post a clear photo of the guts, maybe I can help you trouble shoot. I am colorblind, so I won't be able to tell you if all of your resistors are in the right location.

Don

PS Welcome to the worlds greatest forum.