# What was your first PedalPCB build?



## Chuck D. Bones

How did it go?

Mine was the Ungula.  Worked right out of the chute.  Not all of my builds work first time, but that one did.  That was the only time I used a metal power jack.  It looked more robust than the plastic ones.  I knew I was going to have to insulate it.  Even though I had the right shoulder washers, it was a pain.


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## peccary

First PedalPCB build was also my first using a PCB rather than veroboard. It was the Dirty Sanchez pedal, which I gave to my cousin. I was immediately hooked.

The build went off without a hitch. I thought I was going to have a hard time with the switch, though: this was the older version with the switch on the side of the enclosure, right above a trimpot and a socketed IC. I thought I was going to have to remove the socket, but there *might* be a millimetre of clearance there.


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## Coda

Twin Face, last May. I never had any interest in the FF, but for some reason that was the pedal that called out. The Ge section is AC124, and is the better side. The Silicone side is BC109, and is…a bit noisy. In the summer I have to keep the pedal in the fridge. Still don’t really like the FF, but it’s fun every now and again…


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## zgrav

I think the Chrome Dome Distortion was my entry here.  No issues with the build, and I was intrigued at the build combining a transformer with a a 4049 distortion circuit.  And after that I started browsing the large assortment of boards and reading reviews of the pedals that inspired them.


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## SYLV9ST9R

Mine were the Plecostomus Fuzz and Chop Shop that I did in parallel, with a cheap iron (never again!). Both worked fine (after putting the socketed component in!), but I totally re-did the Chop Shop earlier this year as I destroyed the board trying to repair it for the friend I built it for (as he had trusted me without having any experience). Reading tips and build guide here first really helped.
The Plecostomus I love and it has been a permanent part of my board since, I even rehoused it in a nice UV printed enclosure after the decal lifted.


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## Betty Wont

It was the Duo-Phase that brought me here.


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## cooder

Magnetron Delay and then some FV-1 builds got me here.


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## fig

Sunflower.

Dammit @Betty Wont mine is still 2-D. I should build it.


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## tcpoint

Thermionic Distortion.


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## dmnCrawler

The Circulator that you helped me put an LFO rate indicator in.


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## finebyfine

Can’t remember exactly but I know I must have lifted half the solder pads off because I didnt know what I was doing yet


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## JamieJ

Coda said:


> Twin Face, last May. I never had any interest in the FF, but for some reason that was the pedal that called out. The Ge section is AC124, and is the better side. The Silicone side is BC109, and is…a bit noisy. In the summer I have to keep the pedal in the fridge. Still don’t really like the FF, but it’s fun every now and again…


It was a Twin Face for me too. I combined it with the aft preamp in a 125B. Looking at that build it was so shoddy. My building ability has improved so much from being on this forum. That circuit tempted me in and now I’m hooked and 99% of my PCBs are now from here.


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## AgAuthority

Muroidea​


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## mnemonic

Thermionic distortion here also. That’s a vintage pcb these days.


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## Dali

Squidward/EQD Tentacle/Green Ringer, made in September 2019.





Before that I built 2 Aliexpress "kits" because I didn't want to manage an inventory...

Since then I made about 30 PedalPCB pedals. Still nothing non-PedalPCB except 3 Fuzz Dog's signal splitters.


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## zgrav

I still find that Green Cyclop case very disturbing in a good way.


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## Leftovernoise

Glory hole overdrive! Worked right away and I love it and still use it all the time!


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## Chuck D. Bones

Dali said:


> Squidward/EQD Tentacle/Green Ringer, made in September 2019.


That's a good first pedal because the parts count is low.  Makes it much easier to succeed on the first try.


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## Gordo

Good call Chuck. I followed Bugg over from MB so I'll have to follow the email (or PayPal) trail.


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## ADAOCE

First pedal was the AT+

I still play it quite a bit and I really dig it. I messed up the clipping leds orientation and destroyed the pad removing them (I’ve since improved my desoldering skills) but I was able to figure out how to bodge something together to make it work. I also didn’t messed up the drilling for the dual footswitches so they’re a little close but it’s fine. Eventually I rehoused it in a powder coated enclosure.


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## eh là bas ma

Arkaim Fuzz. At first, the description on musikding got my attention ("wall of fuzz for bass and guitar"). The original circuit and its reviews convinced me to build it. It was in january 2020, and then, I only knew the Zvex Fuzz Factory, which is very special and raised my interest in fuzz effects.
 I was hesitating between Arkaim and some big muff variant. I chose Arkaim because it seemed more singular and very rare.

It was my 4th diy build, I did some simple mistakes (orientation, jacks wiring...) and it took at least 2 weeks struggling to figure it out. Pedalpcb makes rather spartan instructions.

It sounds amazingly good and I am still very satisfied with the Arkaim, though I don't know if I built it correctly, because D1 3mm Led doesn't light up...


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## Harry Klippton

4 sabbath builds


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## Barry

I built a Sanguine and then a Dirty Sanchez, both fired right up! Really dug the Sanguine and I'm not really a high gain kinda guy, but roll off the drive and it's got some great sounds


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## EGRENIER

My first build was a Delegate compressor - boneyard edition....

It worked straight off the bench, but I thought it didn’t. I was testing outside the box and didn’t realized the LDR had to go dark at some point.  After I tried it in the dark, I realized it was ready to box...


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## JamieJ

thewintersoldier said:


> Mine was the tone bender mk1


What transistors did you go for? I have the PCB waiting to go. Was thinking of using OC71 and OC75.
EDIT: I realise that the leakage and hfe are more important.


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## JamieJ

thewintersoldier said:


> I don't remember what specific transistors they were but for the mk1 I had something like this:
> Q1-70's hfe leakage 150-200
> Q2-90s hfe low leakage
> Q3-120-150 hfe with leakage 200-300
> I also used a trim it adapter on the Q3 collector to fine tune the bias as well.


Awesome, thanks!


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## BuddytheReow

tcpoint said:


> Thermionic Distortion.


Same here


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## Bobbyd67

Mine was a organ donor... That was before pedalpcb offered smd soldering xD so it didn't work... I still got that board, I should really try and troubleshoot it again.... Sometimes all you need is a couple of years break xD


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## Cucurbitam0schata

Captain Bit - little too ambitious for a first pedal. Alas, still got hooked and the pedal still made robot farts out the gate. 🤖💨


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## Chuck D. Bones

justin said:


> It sounds amazingly good and I am still very satisfied with the Arkaim, though I don't know if I built it correctly, because D1 3mm Led doesn't light up...



It isn't supposed to light up, but it's still working.


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## Travis

Paragon here!!


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## Paradox916

My first pedal build was the ADHD, I was always curious about the Fulltone OCD but I just didn’t want to pay full price to check it out. That was also my first lesson In ICs and how they only go in one way..(I know total blatant lack of knowledge and total rookie move)I plunged the pedal in and it worked in bypass. I clicked the switch and was disappointed of the silence it produced🤣. So I pulled the chip ( I at least did enough reading to take the advise to socket the chip) spent the next 30min checking the whole circuit from input to output  And came up with nothing. with the chip out, the circuit was perfect... And suddenly realized where I had gone wrong.  Plugged the opamp back in CORRECTLY this time and it worked perfectly... but in the end it just wasn’t the pedal I was looking for🤣


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## spi

Twin Face.  It went fine.  Prior to trying PedalPCB I had done other builds from other PCBs, veroboard, and protoboard, so I wasn't a rookie.

I've built 25 pedals over all, 9 of which were from PedalPCB. 

Only build I couldn't get working was a ROG Thor I did on veroboard.  Has a high-pitched squeal I can't resolve.


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## caiofilipini

My first PedalPCB build (and second build ever) was a failed Mach 1 (Lightspeed), which I abandoned and followed with a fresh build that worked. Only down(up?)hill from there...


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## uranium_jones

Parentheses Fuzz. Worked first time, despite me having not soldered anything in... I'm gonna say 10 years.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Pritteh!


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## uranium_jones

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Pritteh!


Haha, I thought it was ugly, LOL.
Here's version 2, and the Cattle Driver, my most recent complete build:


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## chongmagic

Mine was the Abyss or Seahorse.


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## Crash102

My first build was a corduroy fuzz that went south on me when I soldered some wrong value parts. (4k7 and 47k still make me pause).my attempts at desoldering lifted a bunch of pads and I scrapped it.

My first successful build was Klon mini. Then I eventually circled back to the corduroy with a new pcb. And it worked the first time


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## Pauleo1214

I built these at the same time, so can I post two? I finished these just a little over a year ago; they are my first foray into pedal building. One Carmine Overdrive and a Ionizer Fuzz. I couldn't get my hands on a OC139 and settled for a NTE101.


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## jubal81

Dirty Sanchez for me. Worked right away and easy to build and mod. 
Love the design design work. It's just about exactly how I like to lay out my PCBs for projects. Been a 125B/Top jacks guy for a long time.


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## danfrank

Hi, my name is Daniel and I'm new to this forum...
*My first PedalPCB build was a Duo Phase. I have the Lola but it is so involved I just haven't been in the mood to start it. The Duo Phase has all the important stuff in it and it was quick to put together. The board layout is very nice and the PCB quality is great! I will build more of the PPCB projects.*


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## wintercept

I bought a Defouler Distortion PCB when it was sold for $4 with a silkscreen error; couldn't pass up on that deal! This was also my first time buying a PCB. I had done one or two vero builds before, plus a wah pedal with etched PCBs for a high school project. 

Anyways, its a great pedal. Made some noob mistakes, like melting the big 470uF WIMA cap when soldering the pots. The electrolytic cap hides it perfectly tho . Also, the transistor socket doesn't really hold on to the leads well, so I kept them long and put a little felt furniture foot on the back to push the transistor down. 







Knobs from an old Squier practice amp, really nice Switchcraft jacks from an old mixer. I really love this pedal, but I do wish it had more output. Ripe for modding...

I've since bought three more PPCB's: A Musket, Breakstreet, and Caesar. And I ain't stopping there!


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## Gordo

Aha, I found it.  My first order was on December 4th, 2017 and I got a Wrectifier (blemish), Dirty Sanchez, VHS, an Organ Donor, and (6) 3PDT breakout boards.


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## ADAOCE

caiofilipini said:


> My first PedalPCB build (and second build ever) was a failed Mach 1 (Lightspeed), which I abandoned and followed with a fresh build that worked. Only down(up?)hill from there...


I still have a malfunctioning lightspeed I haven’t had the will you go back and keep troubleshooting. I’m at the “idk wtf is wrong so I’ll just replace everything stage”


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## fig

ADAOCE said:


> I still have a malfunctioning lightspeed I haven’t had the will you go back and keep troubleshooting. I’m at the “idk wtf is wrong so I’ll just replace everything stage”


I burn, then bury them so they wont haunt me in my dreams. _fig......fix me fig.........FIX ME.........._


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## ADAOCE

fig said:


> I burn, then bury them so they wont haunt me in my dreams. _fig......fix me fig.........FIX ME.........._


It’s locked in a cupboard in an unused bedroom.. sometimes I feel it’s negative energy when I’m close by


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## temol

PedalPCB - when and what whas the first pcb available?


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## uranium_jones

temol said:


> PedalPCB - when and what whas the first pcb available?


All I know is that part number PCB001 is the Thermionic Distortion. Not sure if that's actually the first though, of that's when the numbering started.


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## Coda

fig said:


> I burn, then bury them so they wont haunt me in my dreams. _fig......fix me fig.........FIX ME.........._


I have mine boxed and stored in a top secrete storage facility, just like the Arc of the Covenant at the end of Raiders…


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## Cucurbitam0schata

temol said:


> PedalPCB - when and what whas the first pcb available?


I could be wrong, but I _think _it was the Thermionic Distortion only because it's SKU is PCB001. Kinda fun to look up the first twenty or so. You can search for PCBs by their SKU, too. I think we're in the 400s now!


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## Kroars

Chuck D. Bones said:


> How did it go?
> 
> Mine was the Ungula.  Worked right out of the chute.  Not all of my builds work first time, but that one did.  That was the only time I used a metal power jack.  It looked more robust than the plastic ones.  I knew I was going to have to insulate it.  Even though I had the right shoulder washers, it was a pain.


Great question! Man, I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly but the Rain Coat may have been the first.  The War Scythe came shortly thereafter and Mr. Bones helped me tremendously (and patiently I might add, thank you) with my noob questions on the GE trannies.


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## joelorigo

The Twill Deluxe. I remember being stoked to see the PCB for it because I had always remembered the demos Andy did for it a Pro Guitar Shop and wanting one. I had a problem that turned out to be the footswitch. I have had problems with 3 of about 8-10 of this batch I bought. In the troubleshooting thread I was directed to these and I haven't had a problem since:









						CIC Blue 3PDT PC Mount
					

Small Bear Electronics DIY Parts




					smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com


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## Robert

Yep, the Thermionic Distortion was the first PCB available.

_Technically _the Raincoat and Kliche are the oldest ones, but they were both designed long before PedalPCB existed and weren't made available until later.


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## Diynot

First build was an Informant drive. Had a friend extolling the virtues of the 1981 DRV, but wasn’t about to drop $250+ on trying one. 




I added the standard Rat clipping mod for a few different flavors of grit. First build with on board pots def a game changer.


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## megatrav

Sunflower GE. It worked and sounded pretty awesome. I used low gain transistors which sounded cool. I think one day I will do another with higher gain transistors


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## Feral Feline

I've been stockpiling all my PedalPCB purchases in anticipation of moving, the packaging they come in is perfect for long-term storage. So I haven't built any of the 40+ boards I have accumulated.

However... move is delayed and the Low Tide just came in yesterday so that will be my first PPCB build. All parts are sourced and lined up; I'll start soldering tonight after hanging out with the niece and nephew today.


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## TSReppe

First was a magnetron delay I got as a kit from musikding.de. It went really well, only mistake was reversing the led.
This is a demo I made for friends, I speak norwegian in it so don’t worry about anything I say. Simply sounds like a salesman. Gave it the name Træg, which means slow in Norwegian. Rævhåll (asshole) is an opamp big muff built on vero. As you can see I haven’t gotten the painting on enclosures part down.


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## fig

Jiminy, listening to Norwegian is mesmerizing enough, then you break out the delay 

must....change the page......losing consciou

Great build and demo!


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## giovanni

Conqueror Supreme for me, completed recently, after a bunch of Tonepad and GPCB builds over the past 10 years.


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## Feral Feline

wintercept said:


> I bought a Defouler Distortion PCB when it was sold for $4 with a silkscreen error; couldn't pass up on that deal! This was also my first time buying a PCB. I had done one or two vero builds before, plus a wah pedal with etched PCBs for a high school project.
> 
> Anyways, its a great pedal. Made some noob mistakes, like melting the big 470uF WIMA cap when soldering the pots. The electrolytic cap hides it perfectly tho . Also, the transistor socket doesn't really hold on to the leads well, so I kept them long and put a little felt furniture foot on the back to push the transistor down.
> 
> View attachment 12595View attachment 12596
> 
> Knobs from an old Squier practice amp, really nice Switchcraft jacks from an old mixer. I really love this pedal, but I do wish it had more output. Ripe for modding...
> 
> I've since bought three more PPCB's: A Musket, Breakstreet, and Caesar. And I ain't stopping there!


There's something about this build that I can't get out of my mind...

I just love it ... I'm going to have to sand down a primered enclosure, stick some masking tape labels on it and then I'm going to clear-coat over top that.


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## wintercept

Feral Feline said:


> There's something about this build that I can't get out of my mind...
> 
> I just love it ... I'm going to have to sand down a primered enclosure, stick some masking tape labels on it and then I'm going to clear-coat over top that.


Thank you! It’s my lazy way of doing things that is not as lazy as the usual sharpie... 

I sprayed some primer, then some testers aircraft color paint, then I sanded it pretty hard after other labeling attempts failed. Thus the masking tape. I ended up pretty happy with it. Would recommend for some grungier builds!


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## JetFixxxer

Mine was Octagon MultiFX or could have been the Van Pelt which I ordered/built at the same time (2018).  

During my build on the Octagon I was thought it should have had a rotary switch instead of the pot.   Of course the updated version did, but being lazy I haven't updated my build with the new board.


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## HamishR

Thermionic Distortion was my first I think. I lose track because I have so many bloody pedals! It's funny but I've made a gazillion pedals and only ever play the same (very) few.


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## TSReppe

fig said:


> Jiminy, listening to Norwegian is mesmerizing enough, then you break out the delay
> 
> must....change the page......losing consciou
> 
> Great build and demo!


Haha cheers man! 😅


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## Chuck D. Bones

The only Norwegian I know is a drinking song I learned from a Foreign Exchange student in High School.  It's not very complimentary of the "Svenske Faen."


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## VWBug5000

The Spirit Box was my first pedal from PedalPCB. I modded it with an infinite dwell momentary footswitch as per DanBieranowski’s post which definitely made it more spacey sounding. So I decided it was now known as a “Space Ghost Echo”. This was also my first etching attempt, which turned out far better than I expected.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Nice!


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## VWBug5000

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Nice!


Thanks! The board was populated in a day or two, but the pedal art took a few weeks and several attempts to dial in


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## Chuck D. Bones

I really need to learn how to do that.


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## VWBug5000

Chuck D. Bones said:


> I really need to learn how to do that.


There is definitely a learning curve! Try it on some scrap boxes first if you have any available. I tried going cheap on the toner transfer paper and it failed every time. Use the blue stuff, its worth the extra $. Also, it sticks to the aluminum better when it has been sanded semi smooth and level. Preheating the enclosure is important too


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## VWBug5000

Oh yeah - definitely drill AFTER etching. The one in the pic ended up getting thrown away. I had originally planned to powder coat the enclosures and changed my mind after I drilled. Bad idea.


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## Popnfreshbass

I bought the kliche, paragon mini, pal800 and OC2 clone. Can’t remember which I finished first, but the kliche and paragon had to wait because I mis-ordered some parts. All 4 of those pedals are now sold, which funded another batch. And so on and so on lol.


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## brokenwizard

Picked up the Muroidea and Amentum. Having soldered em yet but pretty excited. They seemed like good starter circuits. Ended up using an LM308 alternative though.


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## ncarmona

Vintage RAT with 4 clipping options. Ricardo from tone.electronix helped me with the enclosure.


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## bitzie

Parentheses Mini was my first. (Not first built pedal though, I had built 2 others previously.) Then a full size Parentheses. Just waiting for another Parentheses board and about 6 or 7 others to arrive so I can dive into those. Even though I'm 100% happy with my board as it stands right now, I can't stop; building pedals is just so much fun!


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## Grubb

AgAuthority said:


> Muroidea​


Yep, I picked this one for its low parts count, but also because they sound so aggressive and gnarly. It's not a permanent resident on my pedalboard but it's definitely fun to play with.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Have you tried the Expandora?  It's basically a Rat with a built-in noise gate.


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## Idlebeach

My first order comes Monday I think... I had to place another order before this birthday deal was over as well! Glad I follow them on Insta. I think my first build will probably end up being the CIrculator. Can't wait to try some nice PCBS. I've been doing pretty much all DIY/stripboard/perf until now.


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## BPFuzz

Arkaim fuzz kit bought through Musikding since I’d never ordered parts before. Not my first build, but still had that beginner tingly feeling when it started back up!

It’s still the heaviest fuzz I’ve built and I’ve built quite a few now. Highly recommend it to anyone who plays heavy music.


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## blackhatboojum

Mine was the Magnetron delay.  I learned quite a few lessons the hard way with it.  “Always socket your IC’s”, “pt2399 chips are not all created equal”, “research the components you’re using in you’re build before diving right in.”  I got a crash course in troubleshooting but, it all worked out in the end.


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## giovanni

Cool graphics!


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## Chuck D. Bones

Nice!.  



blackhatboojum said:


> Mine was the Magnetron delay.  I learned quite a few lessons the hard way with it.  “Always socket your IC’s”, “pt2399 chips are not all created equal”, “research the components you’re using in you’re build before diving right in.”  I got a crash course in troubleshooting but, it all worked out in the end.



That's is how we learn.


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## blackhatboojum

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Nice!.
> 
> 
> 
> That's is how we learn.


Precisely!


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