Second Time Builds?

[Connoisseur of Distortion]

I am unhappy with the quality of work i did on some of my builds. Cheap parts, bad boards, poor soldering, and other factors are bothering me about some of my finished products.

I am currently building a new Dr. Boogey, because my first one runs poorly and has oscillation and hiss issues. My new boogey has a tinned, perfect PCB, metal film resistors, mylar caps, new, uniform pots, and taiwan blue 3pdt with bypass led. No messing around this time.

Anyone else regretting the dismal work of early builds?

[RaceDriver205]

Not really. Ive used a very standardised system for my effects.
All have a:

• Homemade (and thoroughly checked) PCB
• PCB stakes for all of board connections - and each clearly labelled (etch-resist pen labels boards the best)
• Perfect soldering (ive been doing it for a while   )

All ways do it that way cos otherwise it doesnt work. However, they often still refuse to work!
My Dr Boogie has VERY severe hiss (but otherwise works fine). I think perhaps the shear magnitude of its gain is the problem, but I want it to have massive gain, so ill just have to sheild it like a nuclear reactor.
Never use vero/perf , anyone!

[choklitlove]

i haven't really been doing this long enough for that yet.

i am considering giving up and starting totally over with a couple, however.  does that count?

[brett]

Oh yeah!!
A while back I built a germanium fuzzface.  It worked fantastically well.  All of a sudden I understood the fame and mysticism surrounding Ge fuzzfaces.
But I remembered another germanium fuzzface that I built about 2 or 3 years ago that sounded like garbage.  And the transistors were from the same batch.  What the ?
Anyway, the original circuit was there, buried under a heap of junk, and covered in dust.  It took about 0.01 second to see that Q2 was inserted the wrong way around.  Doh! 

[dave_neal_59]

The short answer is yes.

I've still only built about 10 pedals, but this week I just reworked the 3rd pedal I built.   At the time I built the pedal, it was way past my skill level - two complete pedals in one box, a Rat clone and a son of screamer.  I  resoldered some of the sloppily done components on the board (did I mention this was on perfboard) and completely rewired the box (this time using the #24 wire from smallbear).   

I fell like I'm just now beginning to master the entire process.   I don't believe this is the last time I will rework a pedal and I will certainly  rebuild some of the circuits I've already built.

[bancika]

Yeah, few days ago I disassebled my first pedal project (made totally 3), Tubescreamer clone. I mean it worked, but knowing poor PCB quality (it was my fist ever) and bad soldering I had to make one more

[Mark Hammer]

Of course.  It is extremely rare that a first time build has everything laid out the way you'd want it.  That is most especially true of perfed builds in my case.

[hank reynolds 3rd]

The MXR EF eas one of my first...It's way too big,so I'm gonna rebuild it into a 1590b...aprt from that I've done ok,although i tinned,rather crappily my Bluebox clone,and I always wonder if it'd sound different with a rebuild (although if i did,it would be super modified,hammer style!! )

[burnt fingers]

I have rebuilt my modded tube reamer three times now.  Each time it got a little better.  I am also scrapping my first build, a modified vox treble booster because it is a wreck.  I was new and was just happy that it worked.  I have now built several projects and each one gets better. 

Scott

[$uperpuma]

I have built the mxr distortion plus twice just to get down my soldering and wiring skills... oine of them I still play... the other never really worked... the tremulus lune I just built is working...and I am actually starting to get a system down... I'm glad I etch my own boards, perf and vero are just a big PITA for me...

[Paul Marossy]

I have rebuilt a few circuits, for various reasons. One was just possessed or something so I had to rebuild it and the others were me wanting to make the build neater. 

[RaceDriver205]

I have built the mxr distortion plus twice just to get down my soldering and wiring skills...

Yeah, that MXR is a very good sounding pedal (esp. with Ge diodes), and I would recommend it as a first project for all beginners.

[Melanhead]

I get better with every build ... Soldering was never an issue as I've been doing it for over 20 years but layout, painting, design etc, etc ..... gets better all the time. I used to rush through builds just to see what it sounded like. Unfortunatly does this leads to sloppy work. I've learned to take my time and do it properly. It's no fun when a pedal dies on a gig!

I just lent a friend of mine my BSIAB II, I think my 3rd build, and it didn't work at all, lights up but no sound. It was on my pedal board with no issues for months ... I guess something's a bit loose ...

[mojotron]

I try to make improvements with every building session. I don't think quality was as much of an issue (although those first few projects are a little scary to open up and look at) on most pedals as component choice. For instance, I rebuilt a Fuzz Face because I used metal film resistors and I wanted carbon comp resistors, then I build a Tube Screemer with carbon comp resistors and I ended up wanting metal film resistors.... I rebuilt the Tube Screemer 5 times to get all of my mods in...

It really pays to use the right/best components as well as being good with an iron to avoid rebuilds - but all of my rebuilds have turned out to be much better then the previous build. I recommend rebuilds.

[AzzR]

I built a Parallel Universe on perf which worked until I put it in a box and rewired it wrong. Wires also came of the board of alot of my old projects beacuse i left about a mm gap between the PCB and the plastic wire covering, just enough room for it to bend, weaken and snap.

Since then I have far less problems and i am etching a PCB for my Parallel Universe so i can finally take to band practice and watch the other band members faces when halfway through a serious song practice I switch it from high gain distorion to self osscilating mode. Also i really wanna use the starve function in some of my songs.

Dream

[Mark Hammer]

I find the wires connecting pots and switches to the board to be one of the primary reasons for rebuilding a circuit.  They just never seem to be the right length (don't you hat bunching up all that stuff  while you try to force fit the cover to the chassis?) or in the right place. It often takes a second build, or a partial rebuild, to get all those wires the shortest reasonable length.

[mojotron]

I find the wires connecting pots and switches to the board to be one of the primary reasons for rebuilding a circuit.  They just never seem to be the right length (don't you hat bunching up all that stuff  while you try to force fit the cover to the chassis?) or in the right place. It often takes a second build, or a partial rebuild, to get all those wires the shortest reasonable length.

Yep, I've been there too. A few times I have found that using a cable tie or 2, if I run it under the wires and around the board then cinch it up a little - manipulate it a little - cinch some more - repeat... I can get a tight fit of the board to the pots/wires and even get enough clearance from the back plate that I don't have to insulate it. And, once I get it fully cinched down - not too much pressure on board/wires/components smashed together - there is very little movement and seems to be pretty rugged. But, sometimes the only thing I could do was to rewire  , or rebuild  ... usually with a new/modified layout