I swear, it’s practically worth learning DIY electronics just to build this one insanely simple, insanely great fuzz circuit. What I’m going to call the Bulk Fuzz is a variant on a popular DIY project known as the Bazz Fuss. A really smart guy from Finland named Christian H. figured out how to generate the […] 
Here’s a little video I made yesterday using the looping setup I’ve been using live. Any other looping geeks out there? I didn’t set out to be one—I just wanted to do a duo band with percussionist extraordinaire Dawn Richardson. Looping seemed, well, kind of ten years ago, but I got sucked in, […] 
Warning: It’s fin-ished! Here is the fourth and final part of the Tonefiend DIY Club’s first stompbox project: The Bad-Ass Distortion is a variation on the popular Electra circuit, beloved by many boutique builders. Once you box up the mess project, you too will be a boutique geek. Here’s a sketchy little demo. […] 
Here are the instructions for Part 3 of our first DIY Club project: building a bad-ass distortion pedal. In this installment, we transfer the circuit we customized in Part 2 from the breadboard to its permanent home on a piece of perfboard. Once you get the hang of this technique, you’ll find it easy […] 
"Me am play 'Rain Song' again, okay?" Here are the instructions for Part 2 of our first DIY Club project: building a bad-ass distortion pedal. Not to spoil any surprises, but in this installment, we take the loud, raw sound we arrived at in Project 1, Part 1: Raw Distortion …and refine it […] 
It's not like these pickups NEED a hot tub disco light to be exciting, but hey, a little mood lighting never hurts. I recently upgraded a beat-up old Les Paul with a pair of Seth Lover humbuckers, a journey detailed here and here. While I was in a makeover frame of mind, I […] 
Okay, DIYers—get ready for Part 1 of our first project. Warning: It ends with a bang! Download the step-by-step instructions here. (You might want to print out a copy to use on your workbench.) Post any thoughts, questions, or curses in comments. […] UPDATE, Sunday, October 2nd: We had a nice little online meeting Friday eve. I’ll be posting a PDF with step-by-step instructions for Project 1 on Monday, the 3rd. Check back here! Now that people have had a few days to assemble tools and parts, we’ll be diving into our first project after the weekend. Again, […] 
I hereby call to order the first meeting of the Tonefiend DIY Club! Our mission: To attain tonal mastery over our guitars, amps, and effects with the least possible damage to our gear, bodies, homes, and pets. When the smoke has cleared (and all the smoke alarms have been reset) you’ll be able to install […] 
UPDATE, Friday, September 23th: Attend the first Tonefiend DIY Club meeting here. ____________ Can if I make like a zombie and eat pick your collective brain? One of my key goals for this blog is to promote do-it-yourself experimentation. It’s a topic I approach with the passion of a recent […] |
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