Home Made Vintage Effects

[kaicho8888]

Just for nostagia, I found my old effects that I made in 1964 when I was 17.

Surprisingly, it still works. It's basically a compressor and negative feedback amp. I bought parts at some electronic store and looking at it...I have no idea how the circuit works anymore. LOL.

[Cygnus X1]

Yeah, I used to have to use masking tape also.
Was too poor to buy my own electrical tape and Dad always locked it up because us boys would always lose it!

Cool work.
:thumbsup:

[elicross]

Nice! Very funky looking, in a good way.

I think I might've been 17 when I built my first stomp box, too. But I built it from a kit. An envelope filter from a company called PAIA. They mostly did analog synths and stuff, but they had a few guitar effects kits. I wasn't in great need of an envelope filter, but I'd just finished building a Heathkit LED alarm clock, and I was looking for something else to build. If PAIA had offered a flanger or a dirt box, I'd have built that instead.

[cdw2000]

My first fuzzbox was from a DIY article from Popular Electronics. It actually souned pretty good and I wish I hadn't raided it for other projects.

My second effects project was a Reverb/Flanger based on a circuit board that Radio Shack sold. Radio Shack used to have these projects where you bought the pre-etched circuit board and instructions, then had to by the individual parts. It came out OK but was very noisy. Without really knowing what I was doing at the time, I made a lot of part substitutions based on what I had on hand or could pull from old electronics. I didn't have the money to buy the new components from RS. I don't know whatever happened to that. I wish I had it now so I could refurb it and maybe improve on it.


I also built a complete sound effects synthesizer in 10th grade based on a Texas Instruments sound effects chip that Radio Shack once sold.

[Kap'n]

If PAIA had offered a flanger or a dirt box, I'd have built that instead.

They eventually did, right before they went under. The had a whole series of stopboxes, as well as the aforementioned patchcord synths and the OZ micro organ. Craig Anderton was associated with them.

Another similar company was SouthWest Technical Products.

[elicross]

PAIA seems to be back now, but it looks like they have even less focus on guitar FX than they had back when I bought my kit.

[chuckocaster]

that is awesome. i have the same V knobs at the house here, but i have a V and T! none of my homemade stuff is vintage, but give it 30 years and we should be good.

thanks for sharing man.

[kaicho8888]

LOL... Back in the sixties, there use to be lots of surplus electronic/military stores that sold lots of parts unknown. I just got some pots and knobs from one surplus store...that's why I've got only "V" knobs. Like everybody else, it's trial and error (solder/unsolder) with all the components. I had a lot of revisions, and ended up not paying much attention to a clean neat layout, vintage masking tapes, etc... this has got to be the worst solder job I've ever seen....yah; but it works!


I feel like an "old fart" talking about "war stories".

[Cygnus X1]

What's the 1.5V battery for?

[kaicho8888]

It has two separate components. One component used a 9v for the negative feedback and the other used a 1.5v for the basic "fuzz". I installed a selector switch to daisy chain or use them separately.

I don't remember where I got the schematics for each one; but it sounded good when I put them in series.

[Cygnus X1]

Cool.
Sweet Wife had the idea it was to run a power light.

Gotta give that gal some credit.

[cdw2000]

I seem to recall a simple fuzz circuit that used a 1.5V battery published many years ago in one of the now-defunct electronic hobby magazines. You are jogging my long-term memory!

[kaicho8888]

yeah...I got it from some electronic mag... don't remember the name of the mag nor the kit..