DIYstompboxes.com

Just curious how many here actually use their DIY creations on gigs. I tend to once a month or twice a month lately.

Kerry M

Once every two weeks or more.

We've only recently cut it down to 3 weeks on, 1 off.

Regards

RDV

Thank God I've finally just *forced* the time and have a band again... ;)

I wish I had the time to get a band together again.  Work takes up too much of my time.  24 hour call sucks!

For the last 10 years or so there has been a LOT less work for bands here in Australia.  That was when they let pubs and clubs have poker machines, and the band/dance areas of most pubs got converted to rows of gambling machines.  It killed off the small-venue live music scene like you wouldn't believe.

So if you're a gigging muso and your state proposes intoducing gambling to pubs and clubs, I'd suggest that you oppose it as strongly as possible.

In the past year I gigges about 7 or 8 times. BUT, we rehearse twice a week, sometimes 3 times, and I DO use most of my pedals in a 'real-band' situation.

Of course not all of them, but usually if a ckt get boxed, it is either used in my band, or given away to a friend.

In between bands right now, so I build stuff! :)

I'm at perpetual garage status. You wouldn't ever want to pay to hear me play guitar. :lol: As a projection artist I used to gig weekly, but I'm retired from rock-n-roll now (other than making pedals).

Take care,
-Peter

I've had The Curtain Society going steady for fifteen years now....

www.curtainsociety.com

Roger

Got together with the "Gestapo" to reduce the risk of death by D.DuI'ers around here. Yes And it does keep drunks off the road.
 Kills the [low end] party scene big time. What I particularly like about the new laws is how they are used as a way to make money off of the unlucky person who dares leave a bar. [dont go you dont have to leave]
 Whether you're guilty of DUI [by 'their' laws] or not, only money can get you off. The guy I could [purportedly] have paid 3500 buxx to get me off became the judge of the court, while I was in Jail...the law I was charged under stated in the revised code: ".1 or above is legally drunk" / I blew a .08 after haveing TWO BEERS !!!
 TOTAL SCAM, Buncha Crooks, they only hear testimony that leads to conviction if you don't pay. My lawyer wanted the rest of his money...I said: "You didn't ask the 1 relevant and valid question I told you to" which was "DID you [that would be me on the stand} refuse the breath alchahol content test?". He told me about how his company handles the billing....My response: "If you had done your job defending me"...I never recieved any further billing and the 250$ he got in advance was a waste!
Interesting side note: The Sheriff John Stark [I had 'his' jail initiation pamphlet in one hand] was on the front page of the newspaper as I read "Sheriff of Medina ,John Stark, committed suicide" and was under endictment for conspiracy to distribute cocaine...'reportedly' they found 20 Lbs. of blow in his basement, at the time I suspected there could have been a MOB cover up of some kind.
 So basically there are no more hardcore partiers around. Bars can't afford band for the most part.
 Recently there seems to have been an increase demand for entertainment...[war, deception, unemployment, fear etc. I suspect has something to do with that]...the jobs seem to be around for those who stuck out the lean time...however, like the new retro-activ-able tax 'laws', I fear that only the big money will be allowed to flow, anything 'small' [like small business] will be confronted by an authority which says something like 'oh you THOUGHT you had a good thing going", ...any 'breaks' in the seal that promote growth of 'sprouts' [small guys] will simply be 'picked'. Yes that's my synical reality check...of course like any predictions of movement at atomic and subatomic levels..."All Theory"...however accurate predictions can be made within parameters.
 Basically they frown on having any fun anymore...alchahol being the only 'legal' drug to consume while at a bar...that stuff can knock you cold dead too...I've seen ppl smoke illegal stuff like crazy, walk, talk, carry on, etc.  very interesting how they pick a killer like that for the 'legal analgesic'...think it would be legal if you could grow it?[be rather hard to tax then wouldn't it?] Quite an interesting 'contradictory dicotomy' of culture if you ask me...lol...bureaucrats !!! It's quite a Racket "THEY" have going...IIRC...
 What a nice long rant !!!...lol...

My band hasn't gigged yet, we've only been together a couple months, and since my singer is also my store manager and i am the assistant manager... its rather hard to have time off together. Im actually considering quitting and finding another job just so we can put some more time into what we love. We both don't make much money, even for out titles, and its sad that we can't even have time to do the things we love...  its a job we have... not a lifestyle.

before out store opened, we worked at another store together... and we used to practice as much as 3 times a week for the first two months...


Im dying not getting to play... its just not the same anymore sitting in my room playing my lame crap :(

5 Second Rule (http://5secondrule.net)

Thanks for letting me rant :)

:twisted:

Last couple of years, it went from once or more a week to barely once a month. Jams and rehersals, that's a different story. All the time. Still jam with most all the dudes I have since day one. My original teacher, ES-175 and still does Steve Howe better than Steve does, an old work bud with an ES-335 doing a mean Fogerty,  buddy with a Gibson melody maker doing his Iommi thing very well, another with the Ibenez Flying V still keeping the Schenker thing alive. And a few posts ago I mentioned a bud who cops perfect Skynyrd with a Peavey SS. He's still around, but now he has real LP's, a Rivera, and a Twin Reverb and stills nails Skynyrd perferctly. Unfortunately, still drinks Pabst! To stay honest, I go to one of my freinds where it's a Epi acoustic and a 3/4" socket. Me, still mostly Strats on the never ending Blackmore, Hendrix, and Trower trip!

That's right...after all this time, I actually get amusment from telling drummer's  that I'm only hiring them because they own the PA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote from: Fret Wirestill drinks Pabst!

Mad respect on the PBR.  I'm trying to get my first stompbox up and running, but I will defintely use it once it works.

My band tends to take a month off then gig a few times a month for a few.  Check us out at http://www.nationgaddy.com.  We just recorded an album and its up for download at the site.

Last time playing with *anyone* in any capacity, August 1993.  Last "gig" with a band I was in, June 1980.   :(

I only play at (Blues) Jams, but only in bars...

And I never get paid, except for free beer.  :P

Would you call that "jam with friends" or "gig in bars"  :?:   :?:

Sometimes, it's once a week, sometimes twice.

Sometimes once a month, etc...

At least once a month.

My pedal board of all unlabeled black Hammond boxes (the only manufacturer pedal on it is a Ibanez Classic Phase) is always a conversation starter, ie "what kind of pedals are those, dude?".

Always a FF (face, not factory), a earlier version of the AD3208, top secret chorus and overdrive pedals, my isolated power supplies, an opamp booster, sometimes a PT-80, sometimes an octave screamer.

I gig out as a drummer twice a week and I am very lucky to haven't been popped for a DUI on the way home. :roll:  I'm not in a band as a guitarist (but I do play guitar religiously), but the electric string guys love my stompboxes.  I eventually want to make a phaser for  my overhead mikes to get the cool Led Zeppelin "Kashmir" cymbal sound.  Maybe a flanger for the snare drum.  I is a really cool way to get your work noticed when somebody comes up and asks one of the guitarists-"Where did you get that cool fuzztone?"  then they point at me, and my ego is temporarily stroked.  I've even had folks from other bands want me to make them stuff, but they are usually kind of inarticulate about the sound that they are going for.

usually twice a month or so~
try not to play local more than twice a month at least.. we are shifting gears to a new drummer... so we have had this month off, which has been good for our creativity...

i use alot of DIY effects.. i use 3knob tonebender, i booster that i designed(it uses a dralingon tranny, gets you into overdrive territory, might be an amp killer tho..) a green ringer clone... a vintage memory man, and an ep3 echoplex...

our lead guitar uses a ts808 clone, bmp clone...

our base player plays a deluxe bazzfuss built into a giant old 1st aid box... he loves it!

i don't mind building effects for my friends...

damn, i probably do about 300 gigs a year. i played 7 gigs this weekend...3 on thursday, 2 on friday, 2 on saturday for sxsw. i play with several singer-songwriters in the austin area, occasionally with a country rock band or two, and have my own original band called "the summer wardrobe" (sounds like a C&W my-bloody-valentine). on most all of these gigs i use a colorsound overdriver that i built.
i'm pretty wiped-out today! thanks for all the help and effort you guys put into this site.   jonny

I play praise and worship in church every fortnight or so - the closest equivalent that I could see was "gig once a month"

Whilst not exactly gigging in the sense of playing 4 hours a night and having beer spilt over you, it is playing for and with people. Also I get to play a range of styles including blues and rock (Christian music has come a long way from kumbaya, thank heavens!)

I use a (modified) Shaka Tube (really good for bluesy numbers), a FF sometimes, a Tonepad Small Clone (just beautiful, I like it as much if not more than my CE-1 and CE-2), EAN Tremolo (aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi) and occasionally an EasyVibe.

It is however a fairly "protected" environment ie you don't get drunks stumbling all over your equipment, angry singers smashing mike stands around etc so I can't comment on how my pedals would go in a "real" gig situation - I'd have to "road toughen" them a bit first I think ...

But they all sound good (heavenly in fact :-)) ...

Quote from: george
It is however a fairly "protected" environment ie you don't get drunks stumbling all over your equipment, angry singers smashing mike stands around etc so I can't comment on how my pedals would go in a "real" gig situation - I'd have to "road toughen" them a bit first I think.

I was more curious about gig conditions in terms of stage volumes and playing with drums and other musicians, not vomit proofing! I certainly call playing in church a *gig*.

Kerry M

Quote from: cajununicorn....and have my own original band called "the summer wardrobe" (sounds like a C&W my-bloody-valentine). ....   jonny

:shock: Whoa! I'm not generally into C&W (although I love quite a bit of country rock), but that is a combination that I would LOVE to hear! 8) Have you cut a disc yet or released anything on-line?

Thanks!

Take care,
-Peter

thanks, peter! no, nothing yet...we have a live demo to get gigs....that's it for now. you like slowdive/mojave3/spiritualized.ect...?  i love that sound!

most of the time ig et invited to shows that i do sound for for the people i konw and we usually start jaming and i get called up to do some guitar pyrotechnics

that or someone sees my buddy with one of my pedals and he imeadiatley hands me the guitar to go thru the full range of sounds that it will do, one wayi get buisines


but as far as in my own band its been years

its fun though to see the look on peoples faces when you are the gutiar tech/band roadie and u hook up all the stuff and test it out, and they keep coming up to you and wanting to know what band you are in..

lol
oh well i would love to be in a band, but i tend to piss people off, i guess cause well i tend to over harmonize parts and stuff, and i love playing synth type lines while the other guitar player plays the main parts. and most people dont' understand how to deal with that,

for me i am like u play me the song, and i will play around it, and add all the little things that make it a piece to remember

so iguess i need a rock solid player who can just tune me out, lol

i guess thats what happens when you play so many insturments u are like ohh i can put some bass in here, and some keys in here and some synth here and some trumpet here lol  
black star on a trumpet  

sorry for the rant

ansil

Quote from: bwanasonic

Quote from: george
It is however a fairly "protected" environment ie you don't get drunks stumbling all over your equipment, angry singers smashing mike stands around etc so I can't comment on how my pedals would go in a "real" gig situation - I'd have to "road toughen" them a bit first I think.

I was more curious about gig conditions in terms of stage volumes and playing with drums and other musicians
Kerry M

From that point of view it's a great test environment (eg after about a year tweaking my shaka tube I'm *finally* happy with the sound of it), I've had things sounding good at home, but the real test for me is playing at church. So in answer to your question: yes IMO you CAN make DIY pedals that sound as good or better than commercial ones!

Thanks everyone on this forum for making this possible.

Like George said, I don't know if it counts as a gig.

I play bass and guitar in our praise band, and frequently I'll use both in one service.  I'm generally "on" four weeks out of every 5 or 6 and I play at 2 of the 3 services.

It's a pretty good test bed for equipment because I find out real fast if a box has any issues with my pedalboard, amp or the PA system!  Also, I could probably find a place for just about any kind of effect.