KVR Audio

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Fri Jun 12, 2020 3:35 am

Using it to warm a certain EHX pedal will get you thrown in jail.

imrae · Post by **imrae** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 11:49 am

My "staycation" project:

ddm.jpg

Fuzz dog "Death Drive Mini" kit. Original artwork, waterslide inkjet onto sanded aluminium enclosure then lacquered. First time I've done that, bit of a learning experience but happy enough with the outcome.

It's very versatile, from a bright overdrive to Sunn o))) in a box. I had a vague idea it could be swapped for the Green Russian on my board, but they sound so good working together that I'll have rethink it.

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 11:52 am

nice work

excuse me please · Post by **excuse me please** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:48 pm

Very nice design, but some white paint has leaked on the knobs.

imrae · Post by **imrae** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 4:46 pm

excuse me please wrote: Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:48 pm Very nice design, but some white paint has leaked on the knobs.

No white paint involved, unless you mean the lines on the knobs? I picked those ones as a nod to the RAT, which makes up a good chunk of the circuit. They sit a little high, so you can see a flash of the steel washers at the bottom edge.

kvotchin · Post by **kvotchin** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:07 pm

Interesting. How do the total costs typically compare? Kit-made vs. bought, I mean.

imrae · Post by **imrae** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:32 pm

It depends how much you value your time! DIY pedals have little to no resale value, and a kit like this from Fuzz Dog costs in the range £30-50. If you buy PCBs and source parts yourself you could save a bit more, but shipping can be expensive unless you batch projects together. For this one I also had to buy an inkjet cartridge, waterslide paper, clear coat spray and some sandpaper, but they will last me a few more projects. Plus a few hours of labour spread over a few days.

If you bill your hours at overtime rates then it's not good value compared to spending £100 on a production pedal with ~70% resale potential. As an occasional project, I found it a fun break from computer-based activities! In this particular case the equivalent production pedal is quite a bit more expensive than that... but the deal-breaker was really that the production pedal is too large for my board. I also like the optical bypass design.

There's someone on ebay selling their powder-coated Big Muff clones with metal knobs for ~£30 each and I can't understand how they aren't losing money.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 4:47 pm

Definitely only build a kit you're 100% certain will give you what you want. You can spend hours building them and then find that the end product doesn't live up to the promise.

A kit I've been wanting to get is the Build Your Own Clone Harmonic Tremolo. The video demo sounds more like the '63 Fender Deluxe I used to have than any other tremolo I've heard. Unfortunately, I've been burned by BYOC before (their Klon and Fuzz Face pedals are terrible) and am hesitant to take the leap.

The Noodlist · Post by **The Noodlist** » Tue Jun 16, 2020 5:12 pm

imrae wrote: Tue Jun 16, 2020 3:32 pm There's someone on ebay selling their powder-coated Big Muff clones with metal knobs for ~£30 each and I can't understand how they aren't losing money.

Is it https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/websmurfer?
Components are dirt cheap in large quantities and at trade prices, I wouldn't be surprised that a kit at trade cost less than £10/$13.

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:14 pm

Valeton discontinues the Coral and Loft (Boss clones) series. Some still available (Thomann, Ali...)

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Wed Jun 17, 2020 3:45 pm

- Ordered a Cuvave fuzz (bargain velcro fuzz; comes recommended by the Youtube channel I linked above)
- My Mosky D250x Overdrive Preamp pedals arrived, they emulate 2 pedals in one: DOD 250 OD is the one I wanted and like best on synths (Moog Subharmonicon, Behringer Model D) but the mxr Distortion+ emulation is useful too.

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Sat Jun 20, 2020 11:05 am

As most of you prolly know, using one of these:

1.GIF

...is dangerous for your pedals.
I added a tiny pedal to my synth board, even tinier than the previous tiniest-on-the-market. The board being almost full, at first I connected it to an outward pedal using such an adapter. Was a good use of space, and the tinier-than-tiny pedal sat there like it belonged there, with easily adjustable tilt (it's a hands-only board, sitting on a stand 1.5m high). But I felt uncomfortable turning the tiny dials, it felt like it was hard to avoid to put sideways pressure on the neighbouring pedal's input.

tldr; thought I found a use for one of those potential pedalkillers, but it felt unsafe so I quit (also, my tremolo is smaller than yours, HA! HA!)

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:32 pm

Thomann just charged me €3 extra for a b-stock item.
The largest Harley Benton PSU (PowerPlant ISO-12 Pro) went out of stock, was removed from Thomann's database, but will be back - at a higher price (€99 instead of €89).

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:40 pm

cptgone wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:32 pm Thomann just charged me €3 extra for a b-stock item.
The largest Harley Benton PSU (PowerPlant ISO-12 Pro) went out of stock, was removed from Thomann's database, but will be back - at a higher price (€99 instead of €89).

thats to pay for that free kettle lead they sent me

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:14 pm

vurt wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:40 pm
cptgone wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 4:32 pm Thomann just charged me €3 extra for a b-stock item.
The largest Harley Benton PSU (PowerPlant ISO-12 Pro) went out of stock, was removed from Thomann's database, but will be back - at a higher price (€99 instead of €89).
thats to pay for that free kettle lead they sent me

Can you afford tea though, as a resident in the colonials' colonies?

All things pedal related.