planning to get a BYOC.. but which one?

mantszchun · July 17th, 2008, 06:33 AM

hi i've just become a member a week ago
i got a AVRI '52.

i'm doing a summer job in a mag publisher and apart from pathing out photos and retouching faces all i do is browsing on TDPRI (this is a great forum btw!)

after reading all the posts that praised the Bad Monkey, i went to a local music store two weeks ago initially just wanted to check it out (sound & price) but ended up buying it straight away 'cos its on discount (~US$35). this is the first stomp box i have and i really like it.
but then, i came across BYOC's and had a brief look at their site. the whole idea of building my own stomp box sounds so much fun to me and now i am really tempted to have a try even though i'd never handled a soldering iron until i rewired the switch of my '52 two weeks ago...

(and actually i think my interest in guitar is starting to diverse into two - the guitar playing side and the technical side. i mean i'm not even that good of a player but i just enjoy the process of messing around with the electronics so much.. )

and that's the background

now the question is, which BYOC should i get? like i said before the BM is my first pedal. i am looking at the mighty mouse cos i remember some saying that two OD pedals give really nice tone when used together so i'm just thinking maybe that would apply to a RAT + BM combination as well? or is there any other effects like delay or fuzz that you guys think are must-haves that a guy like me should try out before getting another OD/DS?

surfoverb · July 17th, 2008, 11:29 AM

you've got overdrive so get a fuzz or maybe a delay pedal.

Yoni · July 17th, 2008, 02:44 PM

What do you want the pedal to do? Are you looking to get creative and have a pedal dictate what you play or are you looking for something that will enhance what you're already playing? I have yet to figure out what a delay pedal does to enhance my style so I don't use one. I'm about to build a trem because I think it will enhance what i already do.n Like I said it comes down to what you want to do.

aberrant · July 17th, 2008, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoni

What do you want the pedal to do? Are you looking to get creative and have a pedal dictate what you play or are you looking for something that will enhance what you're already playing? I have yet to figure out what a delay pedal does to enhance my style so I don't use one. I'm about to build a trem because I think it will enhance what i already do.n Like I said it comes down to what you want to do.

Agreed!

I think a delay pedal would be a bit more difficult for a first build project, imo. I would look more at a distortion or fuzz pedal....but as previously stated what kind of music are you playing/wanting to play, and what sounds like it would be fun to mess around with?

TB72 · July 17th, 2008, 06:20 PM

Let them know this is your first build, and they'll send you the "confidence booster" (a little project to get your feet wet).

As for first builds, I'd start with the fuzz-face clone (either the "ultimate" or "esv" version). There aren't a lot of parts involved, and they're spaced out well on the pcb (no tight spots to maneuver your soldering iron into). Plus, fuzz is a different flavor of dirt than your BM.

I must warn you though, once you build one, you'll be back for more in no time. These kits are as addictive as heroin...so I'm told.

Later...

aznrambo481 · July 17th, 2008, 06:29 PM

Let me say that building a pedal that you don't particularly need is just going to start a never-ending cycle of building stuff :-P So justify the need for another effects to yourself before you buy it. and it REALLY depends on what you want. Compressor? wah? phaser? That's like asking what fender instrument you should buy...

Yoni · July 17th, 2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TB72

Let them know this is your first build, and they'll send you the "confidence booster" (a little project to get your feet wet).

As for first builds, I'd start with the fuzz-face clone (either the "ultimate" or "esv" version). There aren't a lot of parts involved, and they're spaced out well on the pcb (no tight spots to maneuver your soldering iron into). Plus, fuzz is a different flavor of dirt than your BM.

I must warn you though, once you build one, you'll be back for more in no time. These kits are as addictive as heroin...so I'm told.

Later...

they're sold out of confidence boosters

JohnnyCrash · July 17th, 2008, 08:32 PM

I guess it depends on a few things...

What do you NOT have?
What do you "need"?
What will help you learn more?
Or what just sounds like fun?

Building your own stuff is fun.

I'm on a kick where I'm trying to learn new stuff, and for that a simple circuit, not from a kit (scratch), has been helping with that. For normal folks with normal brain power, you'll be able to learn from anything BYOC sells.

I love BYOC :)

Stevil · July 17th, 2008, 09:56 PM

I have a "large beaver" BYOC pedal and I love it. It's so versatile I can dial in any sort of fuzz sound I am looking for, from a clean sound with just a pinch of breakup all the way to Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream era stuff. It also works well after a Proco Rat, if you're looking to get an even more splintering tone.

weiner71 · July 17th, 2008, 11:24 PM

I have built a few of the byoc pedals. screamer (TS808 specs), Tremolo, MKII (the old version), Fuzz Face (the old version), octave fuzz, the large beaver. I love all of the pedals. Now i am in the phase where I am not using pedals at all. but if I were to start it again to go for something easy, I'd go for the new fuzz face, it is only like 10 solder joints and the wiring and your done. Plus it is pretty fund to paint the enclosure how you want it.

After I did those byoc pedals, I turned to doing the indyguitarist mods. all pretty fun

Josh- · July 18th, 2008, 02:08 AM

I've built 5 BYOC pedals; the octafuzz, 250+, tremolo, shredder and envelope filter. My personal favorite is by far the tremolo. I also like the shredmaster and 250+ alot (built to dod 250 specs with some simple clipping mods). The tremolo is one of their more popular pedals, I think that would be a good choice. My only problem with it was the more distortion you use the less audible the volume modulation is but for cleans it sounds amazing.
The 250 is a good overdrive. Currently it's off my pedal board because I'm trying some different stuff but it's usually a staple. The shredder is another decent distortion/od. It's not a high gain distortion like the name implies. Myself and most people I've talked to who use either the byoc clone or an original shredmaster find it's better suited as an overdrive and not a distortion, but it does both well in my opinion.
Out of the ones I personally own I'd recommend the tremolo first. Out of any of them a fuzz or overdrive may be your best bet. I don't really know what type of music you play or what you're hoping to use the pedal for so beyond that I can't give much more advice. Keep in mind more knobs and switches increase build difficulty exponentially so for your first one you might want to avoid one of the more complex builds (6 knobs in an enclosure that size is a gigantic pain).
I'd like to pick up their slow gear and big muff clones before the end of the summer. Although it looks like they've raised prices since I last bought from there.

mantszchun · July 18th, 2008, 06:34 AM

thanks for all the advice so far.
forgot to mention that i'm rather into british bands especially the indie ones like like arctic monkeys and the futureheads, which i suppose a OD/DS would be enough for their sound? but on the other hand i also like the guitar pop sound of bands like graham coxon from blur (and after he went solo).

i think i am getting pedals partly (i'd say 50/50) for spicing things up when i get bored of scale practise and stuff, and partly for the fun of actually building it myself.

the fuzz one sounds like a good one for me to start with. but is it more of a led zeppelin sound? its just i'm not sure if the sound will go well with the sort of music i like (think the strokes and the like).

i'm interested in the delay as well itd be nice to have something that adds layer to my sound since i practice on my own usually. but is it much more difficult to build than the fuzzbox? will i be better off if i just get the say BOSS DD-3 instead?

cheers

jmclaren · July 18th, 2008, 06:46 AM

I just finished building the "General Guitar Gadgets" Orange Squeezer clone. It's an old school compressor with an internal trim pot that allows you to dial in a little bit of dirt. The orange squeezer was one of the first guitar compressors and was used by many early rockers (Sultans of Swing). The build instructions were very clear and parts quality is excellent. It worked the first time I powered it up. The sound quality is really good and there is absoutely no buzz or hiss.

July 17th, 2008, 06:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
mantszchun TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Hong Kong Age: 20 Posts: 24	planning to get a BYOC.. but which one? hi i've just become a member a week ago i got a AVRI '52. i'm doing a summer job in a mag publisher and apart from pathing out photos and retouching faces all i do is browsing on TDPRI (this is a great forum btw!) after reading all the posts that praised the Bad Monkey, i went to a local music store two weeks ago initially just wanted to check it out (sound & price) but ended up buying it straight away 'cos its on discount (~US$35). this is the first stomp box i have and i really like it. but then, i came across BYOC's and had a brief look at their site. the whole idea of building my own stomp box sounds so much fun to me and now i am really tempted to have a try even though i'd never handled a soldering iron until i rewired the switch of my '52 two weeks ago... (and actually i think my interest in guitar is starting to diverse into two - the guitar playing side and the technical side. i mean i'm not even that good of a player but i just enjoy the process of messing around with the electronics so much.. ) and that's the background now the question is, which BYOC should i get? like i said before the BM is my first pedal. i am looking at the mighty mouse cos i remember some saying that two OD pedals give really nice tone when used together so i'm just thinking maybe that would apply to a RAT + BM combination as well? or is there any other effects like delay or fuzz that you guys think are must-haves that a guy like me should try out before getting another OD/DS?

July 17th, 2008, 11:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
surfoverb Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,889	you've got overdrive so get a fuzz or maybe a delay pedal. __________________ "You released the ****** fury!"*

July 17th, 2008, 02:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Yoni Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Age: 25 Posts: 566	What do you want the pedal to do? Are you looking to get creative and have a pedal dictate what you play or are you looking for something that will enhance what you're already playing? I have yet to figure out what a delay pedal does to enhance my style so I don't use one. I'm about to build a trem because I think it will enhance what i already do.n Like I said it comes down to what you want to do. __________________ Fall in Love it's Fun-EV Check out my band at www.myspace.com/agent355

July 17th, 2008, 06:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
TB72 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ottawa Canada Posts: 483	Let them know this is your first build, and they'll send you the "confidence booster" (a little project to get your feet wet). As for first builds, I'd start with the fuzz-face clone (either the "ultimate" or "esv" version). There aren't a lot of parts involved, and they're spaced out well on the pcb (no tight spots to maneuver your soldering iron into). Plus, fuzz is a different flavor of dirt than your BM. I must warn you though, once you build one, you'll be back for more in no time. These kits are as addictive as heroin...so I'm told. Later... __________________ Why is easy-listening music so hard to listen to?

July 17th, 2008, 06:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
aznrambo481 Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla, California Age: 17 Posts: 2,866 6 Photos	Let me say that building a pedal that you don't particularly need is just going to start a never-ending cycle of building stuff :-P So justify the need for another effects to yourself before you buy it. and it REALLY depends on what you want. Compressor? wah? phaser? That's like asking what fender instrument you should buy... __________________ Check out my bands, and feel free to PM me comments on them! The Eclectics (guitar/vocals) SLIP (bass)

July 17th, 2008, 08:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,128	I guess it depends on a few things... What do you NOT have? What do you "need"? What will help you learn more? Or what just sounds like fun? Building your own stuff is fun. I'm on a kick where I'm trying to learn new stuff, and for that a simple circuit, not from a kit (scratch), has been helping with that. For normal folks with normal brain power, you'll be able to learn from anything BYOC sells. I love BYOC :)

July 17th, 2008, 09:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
Stevil TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Maine Posts: 47	I have a "large beaver" BYOC pedal and I love it. It's so versatile I can dial in any sort of fuzz sound I am looking for, from a clean sound with just a pinch of breakup all the way to Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream era stuff. It also works well after a Proco Rat, if you're looking to get an even more splintering tone.

July 17th, 2008, 11:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
weiner71 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cincy Posts: 104	I have built a few of the byoc pedals. screamer (TS808 specs), Tremolo, MKII (the old version), Fuzz Face (the old version), octave fuzz, the large beaver. I love all of the pedals. Now i am in the phase where I am not using pedals at all. but if I were to start it again to go for something easy, I'd go for the new fuzz face, it is only like 10 solder joints and the wiring and your done. Plus it is pretty fund to paint the enclosure how you want it. After I did those byoc pedals, I turned to doing the indyguitarist mods. all pretty fun

July 18th, 2008, 02:08 AM	#11 (permalink)
Josh- NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A. Posts: 3	I've built 5 BYOC pedals; the octafuzz, 250+, tremolo, shredder and envelope filter. My personal favorite is by far the tremolo. I also like the shredmaster and 250+ alot (built to dod 250 specs with some simple clipping mods). The tremolo is one of their more popular pedals, I think that would be a good choice. My only problem with it was the more distortion you use the less audible the volume modulation is but for cleans it sounds amazing. The 250 is a good overdrive. Currently it's off my pedal board because I'm trying some different stuff but it's usually a staple. The shredder is another decent distortion/od. It's not a high gain distortion like the name implies. Myself and most people I've talked to who use either the byoc clone or an original shredmaster find it's better suited as an overdrive and not a distortion, but it does both well in my opinion. Out of the ones I personally own I'd recommend the tremolo first. Out of any of them a fuzz or overdrive may be your best bet. I don't really know what type of music you play or what you're hoping to use the pedal for so beyond that I can't give much more advice. Keep in mind more knobs and switches increase build difficulty exponentially so for your first one you might want to avoid one of the more complex builds (6 knobs in an enclosure that size is a gigantic pain). I'd like to pick up their slow gear and big muff clones before the end of the summer. Although it looks like they've raised prices since I last bought from there.

July 18th, 2008, 06:34 AM	#12 (permalink)
mantszchun TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Hong Kong Age: 20 Posts: 24	thanks for all the advice so far. forgot to mention that i'm rather into british bands especially the indie ones like like arctic monkeys and the futureheads, which i suppose a OD/DS would be enough for their sound? but on the other hand i also like the guitar pop sound of bands like graham coxon from blur (and after he went solo). i think i am getting pedals partly (i'd say 50/50) for spicing things up when i get bored of scale practise and stuff, and partly for the fun of actually building it myself. the fuzz one sounds like a good one for me to start with. but is it more of a led zeppelin sound? its just i'm not sure if the sound will go well with the sort of music i like (think the strokes and the like). i'm interested in the delay as well itd be nice to have something that adds layer to my sound since i practice on my own usually. but is it much more difficult to build than the fuzzbox? will i be better off if i just get the say BOSS DD-3 instead? cheers

July 18th, 2008, 06:46 AM	#13 (permalink)
jmclaren TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 76	I just finished building the "General Guitar Gadgets" Orange Squeezer clone. It's an old school compressor with an internal trim pot that allows you to dial in a little bit of dirt. The orange squeezer was one of the first guitar compressors and was used by many early rockers (Sultans of Swing). The build instructions were very clear and parts quality is excellent. It worked the first time I powered it up. The sound quality is really good and there is absoutely no buzz or hiss.