Members Blakemore Effects Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 BYOC stuff is fine for learning to solder (although TBH, so is making your own leads, and that's much cheaper) but it requires no knowledge of electronics and won't impart any either if you just follow the instructions. Any serious answer to this question is going to have to feature "learn about electronics. A lot" very prominently. This is definitely true. I started with BYOC kits, but my dad is an electrical engineer, so as I went he was teaching me things about he circuit. If you just follow the instructions you won't actually learn anything about pedal design. They're great for learning to solder though, and you feel cool having your own pedals, but I didn't actually learn how to design pedals until I bought a breadboard and asked my dad to teach me some stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 i'd like to eventually get into it part time at some point in my life too. as a hobby of sorts i guess, similar to what maybe Tape or Doug from midfi are doing. not make a living off of it, but maybe sell a few pedals here and there. still got a LONG ways to go though. i'm trying to get into an electrical program though for this year to start learning more about all of this and build up some base knowledge. i've done enough GGG and BYOC kits, and made a existing circuits from scratch on vero, need to start tinkering with component values and stuff to see how it affects toan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 i'd like to eventually get into it part time at some point in my life too. as a hobby of sorts i guess, similar to what maybe Tape or Doug from midfi are doing. not make a living off of it, but maybe sell a few pedals here and there. still got a LONG ways to go though. i'm trying to get into an electrical program though for this year to start learning more about all of this and build up some base knowledge. i've done enough GGG and BYOC kits, and made a existing circuits from scratch on vero, need to start tinkering with component values and stuff to see how it affects toan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nightraven Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 marketing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tape Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 For what it's worth and to inspire others, I don't know {censored} about many of the physics. I don't know much about ohms law, impedence, why rc filters work, why or how opamps work, etc etc etc etc etc. Only that they do, and that they can be "adjusted" and "combined". I didn't go to school for this stuff. I don't even have real books. Just the internet. I don't think you need any of that stuff to make original effects. Just a willingness to breadboard, experiment, bend and observe changes. Cause and effect. Take that as you will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Raskolnikovs axe Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 To really know what you're doing, you need an electrical engineering background. If you don't want to go to school, study and fully understand passive circuit components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes) and their associated frequency characteristics, op-amps, and transistors (BJT and MOSFET mostly.) You also need to weigh the cost of some basic electrical test equipment (power source, multimeter, function generator, and oscilloscope) into any budget you do and these things aren't cheap. edit: tape, I just saw I pretty much directly contradicted you and that's not my intention. I'm sure you can get far by just diving in and being hands-on and inquisitive, but I feel like that's trying to find your way around a dark room just by feeling with your hands. Learning some theory gives you a flashlight and will save a lot of time and frustration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 You need time + capital..,.You're lucky in a sense thay nowadays there is a wealth of resources and info available on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Estephan Rodriguez-Torres Posted August 29, 2012 Members Share Posted August 29, 2012 Awesome pedal builder of the future? Apart from the learning, practice, bending and modifying, i think having truly interesting and unique ideas is extremely important. But it all depends on what you consider to be an "awesome pedal builder". The vast majority of people seem to look for tonal qualities and features/flexibility in pedals. If you're able to do this well then you'll probably generate more interest and sell pedals easier. But then this is what the market is already overcrowded with, so it's highly competitive. I know i'm always going on about the functionality of pedals, but this is something i'd like to see develop more in the future. Altering peoples perception of what an effect can do and how it can be used, but in a way that it is still useable for as wide a range of people as possible. It doesn't always have to be complicated and require skills like Strymon's engineers. Some of the best ideas are really quite simple and can completely change ones idea of an effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ed Zachary Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 +1 to most of what was already offered and I'll add this: google/ask/lurk on sites to find out what people want, then build it. For example, why BOSS doesn't re-release the CE-2 is beyond me, they'd make a fortune on it. Also, keep it simple. A pedal shouldn't need 7 knobs and a 20 page manual to get a workable sound from it. Don't boutique price yourself out of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 I would say that's an incredibly conservative estimate. That might cut it if you want to sell a dozen pedals on HC. It won't come close for any kind of serious distribution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 For example, why BOSS doesn't re-release the CE-2 is beyond me, they'd make a fortune on it. lol how cute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deviever Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 marketing ding ding ding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 there's a dead end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 ding ding ding vaporware'd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lou Speed Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Create forum drama and get everyone all worked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShortScaleMike Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 I really wouldn't recommend it as a money making venture - do it because you love it and for no other reason, because sometimes that will be the only reason to keep you going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 For what it's worth and to inspire others,I don't know {censored} about many of the physics. I don't know much about ohms law, impedence, why rc filters work, why or how opamps work, etc etc etc etc etc. Only that they do, and that they can be "adjusted" and "combined". I didn't go to school for this stuff. I don't even have real books. Just the internet. I don't think you need any of that stuff to make original effects. Just a willingness to breadboard, experiment, bend and observe changes. Cause and effect.Take that as you will. that's amazing, I figured you had an EE degree at least Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 I really wouldn't recommend it as a money making venture - do it because you love it and for no other reason, because sometimes that will be the only reason to keep you going. this+1000000 i approach "making pedals" the same way as writing songs...its the desire to design, create, recreate... or covering/interepreting a song...imitatating and/or putting your own spin on things... personally...the thing that brings a massive smile to my face is hearing something ive built being used by someone else...ive had a few insanely good bands aroudn my traps seek out my pedals ... and finding out that theyre being used on their recordings/live ...just makes all the time and effort worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members A.P. Ryder Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 i need a career change, and pedal building seems to be a decent business to get into.. so where do i start? books, equipment, tutorials, any parttime courses particularly useful for a complete novice? I would contact Zachary Vex and ask him. He has written a few things over the Internet here and there about his trials and tribulations as a builder starting out. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top kept him financially afloat when a box of early Fuzz Factories arrived at Makin' Music (?)while he was shopping there, and Gibbons bought 10 of them on the spot as Christmas presents for friends. I think an early interest in "Popular Mechanics" also helped. Anyway, ask him. www.zvex.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bieke Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2xyRObL0Xw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deeohgee Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Red Dots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WeStartToDrift Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Lets see... the HCFX pedal costs about 8 grand to produce 150ish and the only reason why we were able to afford that was because we cheated and used Kickstarter. You need investors.... and at this point in time a strong knowledge of microprocessors as everyone is getting tired of the same old fuzz derivatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tape Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Also, keep it simple. A pedal shouldn't need 7 knobs and a 20 page manual to get a workable sound from it. If the nature of the effect begs for tweakability and versatility, then I'd rather have many knobs than have it artificially limited. It sucks to buy a really interesting pedal that has only half the controls you imagine it could have.If a pedal I'm building requires 7 knobs, a little display and a manual becasue it's incredibly unique, then I'd rather it stay unique with 7 knobs than make it less unique with only 5. I would have to remove features that people would love to have. It just doesn't make sense to me to artificially limit a pedal's capabilities if it's begging for it, just because it has "too many knobs".Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tape Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 that's amazing, I figured you had an EE degree at least None whatsoever. I'm not saying an EE degree is useless. It will be nearly essential to understand the fundamentals on how something works. But to invent a creative effect or an idea? I don't think it's needed. EE is for the implementation, not the idea. Get the idea, then do focused research on what pertains to your idea. That, and also just trying things. Like I don't know the forula at all on how to calculate the frequency response of a 1 cap 1 resistor rc filter. But I know where the cap goes, and I know where the resistor goes, and then I plug it into a small amp and try a bunch of caps and a trimpot untill I get it right! This is probably sacrilegious for a lot of engineers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted August 30, 2012 Members Share Posted August 30, 2012 Maybe you fill the niche of making pedals focused on sounds of guitarists who have actually been relevant in the past 20 years or so?That'd be a great idea if there actually were any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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