I do a lot of electronics projects and I find that taking regular breaks is essential, not only for the fumes but just to let your brain rest. Working with very small components that require absolute accuracy is tiring, regular breaks help.
I played my Marshall Valvestate for 30 years with same setup: bass and heights maxed out, mids turned all the way down, Gain nearly maxed out. All my girl friends loved the sound, but some neighbors complaint.^^
As a previous soldering expert. If you put a fan near your work pointing away from the work it will draw off the fumes. Combine this with taking a breath before soldering and slowly blowing the fumes away as you solder.
I built one, and there are 2 things I would do against the instructions. 1) Install the ic’s when all of the soldering is done. 2) Keep the footswitch breakout board fastened to mainboard as it comes. The wire jumpers are a lot easier to install. It sounds pretty good.
I learned to solder PCB boards with this pedal kit. Liked it so much I built another one. Currently have the Two Kings Boost sitting here waiting for me to get started. Great pedals and a great learning experience.
I built the ghost drive as well, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, start to finish. I think I even made the same face when I hit the footswitch the first time. It’s a bonus that the pedal sounds great too!!! I’m definitely ‘going to call’ Stewmac again!
Try the EC Expander and the Tape Op Delay too mate , I’ve got the 3 pedals into a 5E3 clone from Stewmac , 75 Strat and it’s killer tone all day long. And I’m a fussy prick too !! 👍
I built this when it first came out. I love mine. Probably because I built it, like you said. I’m working on an entire board of effects that I’ve built myself because it’s so much fun. I have 5 StewMac pedals so far that were so much fun to build. I’ve recently moved to PedalPCB and MadBean Pedals for broader options. Love it as a hobby. Thank you for a thoughtful and insightful video. Glad to be a part of your community. Should you do more build videos, I’ll be there for all of them!
I did the same thing. I thinkk I have 6 pedals from Stewmac. They are the best kit pedals. I have tried some from Ali Express, and lets just say, the instructions are a picture, and a lot of guessing. Same with the ones on Amazon, a lot of which come from China as well with the same poor instructions. Some pedals I could never even get to work. Amplified parts pedal kits seem to be all analog, no digital. I prefer the digital pedals. Great job on the video! Building the Stewmac Fan Tremolo on my bench now!
Yesterday evening i assembled a klone from Wish. cost £20. All the resistors were marked with their values, all the components were there, it was very easy to assemble (not my first rodeo by the way). It was more or less the same circuit as your video. Also had a very nice gold flecked enclosure, predrilled. one downside as opposed to your kit, was the complete lack of instructions. i found a video plus a website on youtube. it sounds just the same as the OG Klon. very happy.
That was very refreshing and honest . In contrast to the far too many people on YT and the Internet in general telling us that hard stuff is easy to make themselves look good.
Who you gonna call? StewMac!!! Its nice that there is a proper manual for the build I hate the current trend of having to go online to find out instructions etc! Manuals win hands down every time for me. Enjoyed the build. More would be cool to see, so its a yes from me!
Great video. I built the pedal several months ago and think it’s a good value. You don’t need to be a tech prodigy to build it. I like the tone. Stew Mac almost never disappoints. Thank you for the nice presentation
I'd love to see you try a musikding kit. They are in Germany and have loads of pedals and smaller amps. Excellent video. Definitely makes me want to build some pedal so please do more. I think it will make a great series.
I had so much fun building mine, I next did the two kings one from stewmac, then I built a Frankie and now I'm building a David Gilmore strat.I love the stuff!
I love building kits. build a klon clone from aion fx Refractor. I find stew macs a tad expensive to be honest. check out aion fx if your interested in other and more options. Just a fan of company and pedal clones.
I did the Screamer kit last winter and it was fun but a) Wow I wish I had done such things when I was 19 and not 39 b) Yeah, the instructions are amazing but wow, I was stressed the entire time and sweating despite winter- c) It's fun, it's on board frequently. Edit: OH and: you ya gonna call.
Hi Andy, i built the same kit about six months ago and your right , great fun and there's something about building your own kit. I've since also built the Stewmac King of Tone kit, a bit trickier but very satisfying . It's much easier with a PCB holder. The only thing i did different was i left the breakout boards attached (much easier to solder the wires). love the channel 🤘🤘
Who ya gonna call? STEWMAC!! Thank you for doing this video. I own a J.Rockett Archer Ikon (Klon Clone) and I thoroughly love it! I know StewMac;s rep so I already bought the kit for the Ghost because I have got to have some backups/alternate versions of this pedal. Watching what you did here, I have high hopes that the Ghost will stand up to that task well. To me, the Klon sounds like pure studio polish. Not overdrive or boost or anything. Just polished, no matter what you run through them or how you use them. They allow for every nuance of your technique and tone to shine through, just in better quality. I can't even really explain it myself I guess. Overdrive sounds like overdrive. This sounds like you already did the mixing and mastering along with that. I can't wait to see how my Ghost sounds with my rig. I may get a couple more for backups if it works out. LOL I have always wanted to build pedals and this will be my first. I've been modding my own pedals and guitars for years and before I go any further, there are things about this particular circuit that I want to understand. So, here goes... Time to pick up a few new tools and get to work.
2:41 I’ve built a few pedal kits, and I strongly agree with your recommendation to test the resistors with a multimeter. As someone with red/green colorblindness, it can be very difficult to distinguish the difference between some of the color markings on the resistors.
I can't read 5 band resistors. On top of it not every part is actually it's printed value. So I like to test everything before I solder it into a board. They make these gadgets called "transistor testers" that are great. They're based on a German project called AVR transistortester. They test just about everything. Resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors. You hook whatever up to the leads and it tells you what it is after you press the test button. Any clip can go to any lead. The device figures it all out. If you're into kitting they're worthwhile to get. I like the graphical ones the best with a rotary encoder. You also want one with a TL431 precision reference IC on it as opposed to just a zener diode. The reference is more accurate. Also find out how to calibrate your unit. It's a mode you put it in. Usually if you connect all 3 leads together and hit test it'll go into cal mode.
Who you gonna call? StewMac ! Recently purchased the Ghost Drive kit, but have not yet assembled it. Just found your channel around the same time. Good stuff...and encouragement to get building.
Sounds great! Who is Stew Mac? That beautiful manual is impressive. Measuring and labeling the resistors is a great tip for saving time and avoiding the frustration of reworking the board later. The magnifying head gear is useful for a variety of projects.
Thanks for giving chapters in the description. I'm an electronics R&D engineer so I know how to build stuff. I skipped straight to *9:27** "Does it work?"*
I've analyzed the Mosky Silver & Tumnus & the frequencies are really similar. If you want to improve your soldering skills use flux & tin your tip. When you start building pedals you can start saving money & cut the high prices out. Build your Fuzzface, Rangemaster, & The Shin-ei FY-2. Not hard builds & you can tailor to your liking.
Built one of these , great unit. Built a Tape Op Delay and an EC expander. Also 2 x 5E3 Tweed Deluxe amps. All from Stewmac. The lighted magnified visor is a REQUIREMENT !! Lol. I stuffed up some resistors in my first build without one. Stewmac were great to deal with and helped me out when stuck. Great service and I’m in Australia🇦🇺👍🍻 Who you gonna call ?!! Stewmac rock
@@TheGuitarGeek When i use it with the Tweed just on breakup it’s an accurate Clapton ish tone , really nice mid boost, smooth and adjustable. I use the Ghost Drive basically as a nice clean boost. Separate from the EC. If your amp is pushed a bit the EC tips it over the edge into some really nice tones. The Tape op Delay rounds things out for some ambience. It’s a really nice boost. I normally use the vol knob to boost solos but this one does it better.
Who you gonna call? StewMac. Nice run-down on the "what" and "why" of the the GhostDrive. I haven't built a pedal kit in years, but I did recently re-wire a Les Paul Kit. Same joy and satisfaction upon completion. Looking forward to the next video.
Andy, I just built the "two kings boost" pedal, a bit more involved as it's two pedals in one, but not bad. Easy and thorough instructions, also fun to build. Sounds incrediable on my Fuchs ODS 30 with an Ibanez MM1. The best part about the pedal was that I didn't have to wait four years to get it... 😁 Cheers!
The GM Arts OD is 3 ODs in one. Unfortunately today the original website it came from is shut down. When I made one I documented the build on the instructables website and that's still up today. So at least the schematic is still there. Just not the circuit description. I linked to the original page. But it's gone. If you're into building from scratch though it's worth it.
I bought this kit a few months ago but haven't yet built it. Thanks for saying how long it took, that greatly reduces some of the "when am I possibly going to be able to do this?!" stress. Oh, and, who you gonna call? Ghost---wait, Stewmac! 😆🤓
You can build a kit on a TV tray table. That's all the space you really need. Do what they did and put all the parts on a piece of paper and write what each one is. That really does help. I just don't tape the leads down. Glue tape can be funky on PCBs and leads. I poke holes in the paper and put the parts in the holes. The one other thing I'd do that they didn't is I use blue tacky a lot building PCBs. A pack of blue tack is all you need. I even use blue tack as a board holder. I just have some blocks of scrap wood that I put blue tack on and stick the board to them.
Nice build. I run my klones with a healthy dose of gain and boost into them (commonly an EP Boost or things like the boosty side of a Les Lius). Josh demo-ed a similar setup in his "pedal stacking" video.
@@JohnShalamskas - I like stacking pedals. A Klone into a KoT probably sounds great. I would have to do it and listen and decide for myself, but most pedal choices are (should be) like that.
A tip, don't install the ICs to the absolute end. Any major heat source can root them. Install the sockets, wait till the end to put the ICs in. Also, put some silicon on the wires connected to the switch for mechanical support and make sure you push the capacitors flush to the pcb.
Who ya gonna call? StewMac! Seriously, though, nice video! And I think I would definitely watch more pedal builds. Or maybe Amplifier kit builds? I have this pedal kit, and the fact you did it in an afternoon is very encouraging to me. Thanks for the video, keep up the good work! Subscribed.
I'm fairly handy in most things but I have a huge knowledge black hole in the area of electronics. This looks like a good place to get my feet wet (poor analogy I know), learn some of the basics, and get a pedal out of the exercise as well. Thanks for the very nicely done video that kept my interest throughout. Cheers
Lol, Great Job! The reason there are chip sockets are to protect that IC from any harm during construction due to heat and any stray static charges. your supposed to insert the IC chips After your done soldering & handling the printed circuit. Regardless it works and I thank you for making us aware of these SM kits! cheers🤓
Who you gonna call? Stew Mac products are not cheap - but in my experience they are always very high quality. I love this video - and would like to see more pedal builds / tests. BTW On the Spark 50 my favorite virtual combo is the klon + Dumble. Funny how that work$. Clone + Bassman is really nice too - and much more attainable.
Nice work, video and build. Gave some idea what can be expected and that's useful. I don't think I'm going to do the "Who ya gonna call?!" thing, though. Not a joiner.
I’m glad you did this video. I’ve been wanting to see a review of diy kits and, well, you know, who ya gonna call? Stew-Mac apparently. I’m definitely going to get into this because I’ve always wanted to do my own mods. I have three friends who build pedals who can give me advice when needed. Can’t wait to see your next video on this subject.
My kit was missing a couple of wrong sized resistors. There is one resister I installed per the directions, but the finished product at the very end has an illustration of that specif resistor in a different hole than previously directed. I installed all resistors based on my DVM readings. I ordered the two resistors I didn't get off Amazon.
I am a broadcast engineer, and have been dealing with distortion issues for many many years. The whole secret here is the out of stock unobtainable diodes from Russia that Bill Finnegan bought back in the 90s. You can get a close sound to what the Klon was, but without those original diode, it will only be close. For most that play, it will make no difference. But if Bill listens to it, he will hear of the subtle difference in the sound of the clone.
2:46 even if you know the color code it’s best to test for actual values. Minor differences in resistance and capacitance alter the tone. Solder pult ( suction device) or solder wick is very helpful for reworking your board.
I love this video, never seen a kit for building a pedal, that was a nice change thanks man I hope that you have a wonderful holydays and a great end of the year!
Great video, No One should be afraid of a project like this. If you are the least bit into electronics then this is 4 u. I don't know why I haven't done more like this myself. My day job has often involved these skills exactly so I can only admit to laziness. Really well done I think. They only thing I didn't catch was the cost of the kit because stew mack is not sending me one. I did like this video.
I have been interested in getting some B.Y.O.C. pedals for a while, but they were out of stock on many of the ones I was interested in, when I had a little extra cash. Now that they are in stock, I plan to get some . . . once I have the cash! 😆 Thank you for the thorough review! I'm very interested in getting at least one from StewMac just to have a nice thorough breakdown of the components and what they do! So yeah, I may have to ask myself who I'm gonna call? StewMac! I look forward to seeing more of your pedal making journey and I hope to get on a journey of my own soon! A Merry Christmas to you and yours!
"Who you gonna call?" StewMac. I think that's what you wanted? Anyway I'm glad your experience was a positive one. I've thought about buying one of their amps to build, but I have never built anything electronic before. I guess I should probably start with a pedal? 🎄🇦🇺
Wow really cool great effort Andy that did look fun 😎🎸🙌🏼 Who you gonna call…Stewmac (and in my head…your shredding an impromptu solo over the ghostbusters while I’m on hold to Stewmac customer services sales team)
Awesome video and I think it sounds great. I think the purpose of the Needle Nose pliers in the manual was what you substituted with tweezers. I cannot be for sure though. Regardless, Great video! @10:27 when you turned the gain up lol!
Who you gonna call...Stewmac! I hope you do more videos like this. this was great fun. i could see you were having fun as well. I am currently gathering parts and printing an enclosure for a fuzz pedal...my first build ever. I enjoy these kind of challenges. You stated that you were biased when it came to the review of the pedal as you put time into it. that moment when you turned it on for the first time...i know that feeling. brilliant video and cheers! happy holidays
This was a great video and you seemed to be happy and your lovely humour was there. ”Harry Potter the pedal building wizard” 😅 I would love more of building videos. Thanks and happy hollidays
Wow! Great video, as usual. Super interesting, I've seen the odd kit before, but they've always seemed a bit dodgy. But I love Stewmac. Looked like a quality kit!
If you get a chance you should check out the MAS Effects diy ornament pedals. Super easy to put together and a lot of fun! And… less than $30 at the moment for one pedal. 🤘🏻 cool video!
Whatup Geek? This was a very smooth video. Thanks man. I have a very important question. Is that a Deluxe Reverb head?? I’ve only seen combos. What kind of sorcery is this? Can you confirm? Thanks! 🤘🏼
hahaha 13:50 the look on your face was priceless, I can really see the value of that thing if you want the nice crunchy sound without having to crank the amp up and have the neighbors complain again lol I'm blown away by the instruction booklet, Far cry from what china does huh. seems like a fun little build with a cool little pedal to show for it.
All you need is the component values on the silk screen. You're just stuffing the board. Though bits like that daughter board can be confusing. They should have labeled it parts and solder side.
Great Job! You make this look pretty easy. I was going to buy this, but then decided on the TC Electronic Zeus. It says it uses all the original components as a Klon and it was only $59.00 brand new.
Ok first things first who do you want be to call?? If thats Brit to bring I can bring some Ghost Chile Pepper chips for you to try, maybe stick in the Big Mac Stew you keep mentioning. Meanwhile back under the bonnet we go, chip chip Cheerio. This was your second building of pedals and felt you did a bang up job for a hobbiest.What I liked was your down to earth approach to electronics. I have friends who do it for a living and they make a root canal seem like fun for all to be had when they bust out an soldering tool. Oh on that note the more expensive one you bought probably made your builds more fun than frustrating Keep up the good work I ordered the ghost in the box s few days ago and look forward to puting it together and hearing for myself what a it could do for my tonal pursuit . Have you built any of th guitar kits? One last thing was since i was directed from SM to view your 2 kings video there was no way to leave a comment. So that video you wanted to know my favorite kings # James of England and #2- Jerry Lawler , # 2.5 - Burger or Hearts.!! There's 4 in case you don't , like 2 answers or get the jokes. The Brits have a very dry sense of humor , yours is way better than most from the UK - ROCK
Having worked in electronic repairs all my life, my only limitation is the one thing that they missed out of the tool guide, some form of magnification or you will need perfect vision to complete the kit. A good quality temperature controlled soldering iron is a must, as is good solder. Good luck to anyone building this kit, take your time and it should be enjoyable, just wait until you are sober enough. Have a great Christmas.
I used to be able to do close with with my naked eyes. Them days are over now. So now I have the magnifying visor. I have a couple OK soldering irons. I feel if you know what you're doing you can solder with a heated nail. I've been soldering for over 50 years now myself so I might know a bit about it. I've built military coms gear for attack helos. You'd be surprised just how particular they are about soldering. You have to be able to see the form of the conductor. I don't solder that way for myself. But I have soldered that way for folks that insisted on it.
@@1pcfred As the years go by you suddenly realise that you can't see the small parts anymore. I used to be able to make up leads with very small multipin connectors, now i can't even focus on the connectors! Re soldering with a heated nail, sometimes you have to make do with what's available.
@@Barbarapape for just soldering through hole components you don't need much. It's more important that you just use proper technique. There's not much to basic soldering as long as you do it right. I can't see anything close up with just my eyes anymore. But I used to be able to make out very fine details when I was younger. That's what optics are for though I suppose.
@@1pcfred I learned to solder with an iron with a very large tip and some cooper nails in a block of wood with wire wrapped around them, it wasn't until I became an apprentice that I was trained how to do it correctly, at 68 like yourself I struggle to see what I am trying to solder without a magnifier.
@@Barbarapape I was self taught but then when I went to work at a board assembly house my boss said to me, "You never told me you could solder." He was obviously impressed with my level of ability right off the bat watching me. Though working there I did get a lot better at soldering over time with all the practice I got. My eyes went on me in my mid 30s. Not being able to see is a funny thing. Not funny ha ha but funny strange. It looks to me like I can see but I just can't make details out. I guess that's always how it is though to some extent. No one can see microbes with the naked eye for instance.
Looked like quite a bunch of components. I've got a Fuzzface copy and basic boost pedal i need to make the effort to get started. Thanks, you convinced me to go for it. ☺
I do a lot of electronics projects and I find that taking regular breaks is essential, not only for the fumes but just to let your brain rest. Working with very small components that require absolute accuracy is tiring, regular breaks help.
I played my Marshall Valvestate for 30 years with same setup: bass and heights maxed out, mids turned all the way down, Gain nearly maxed out.
All my girl friends loved the sound, but some neighbors complaint.^^
@@moronsmorons8913weird flex but ok
@@moronsmorons8913 friends don't let friends scoop mids
As a previous soldering expert. If you put a fan near your work pointing away from the work it will draw off the fumes. Combine this with taking a breath before soldering and slowly blowing the fumes away as you solder.
Who ya gonna call? Zach at Mythos for the proton pedal! Lol
I built one, and there are 2 things I would do against the instructions.
1) Install the ic’s when all of the soldering is done.
2) Keep the footswitch breakout board fastened to mainboard as it comes. The wire jumpers are a lot easier to install.
It sounds pretty good.
i commented as well, number 1 - most important
Thanks for those two good tips.
I learned to solder PCB boards with this pedal kit. Liked it so much I built another one. Currently have the Two Kings Boost sitting here waiting for me to get started. Great pedals and a great learning experience.
I just built the same two. How did yours both come out?
I built the ghost drive as well, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, start to finish. I think I even made the same face when I hit the footswitch the first time. It’s a bonus that the pedal sounds great too!!! I’m definitely ‘going to call’ Stewmac again!
LOL. The should print a disclaimer at the end of the booklet: Guitar Face Not Included.
I built one too. Turned me from a hack to a rock star.
Try the EC Expander and the Tape Op Delay too mate , I’ve got the 3 pedals into a 5E3 clone from Stewmac , 75 Strat and it’s killer tone all day long. And I’m a fussy prick too !! 👍
I built this when it first came out. I love mine. Probably because I built it, like you said. I’m working on an entire board of effects that I’ve built myself because it’s so much fun. I have 5 StewMac pedals so far that were so much fun to build. I’ve recently moved to PedalPCB and MadBean Pedals for broader options. Love it as a hobby. Thank you for a thoughtful and insightful video. Glad to be a part of your community. Should you do more build videos, I’ll be there for all of them!
I did the same thing. I thinkk I have 6 pedals from Stewmac. They are the best kit pedals. I have tried some from Ali Express, and lets just say, the instructions are a picture, and a lot of guessing. Same with the ones on Amazon, a lot of which come from China as well with the same poor instructions. Some pedals I could never even get to work. Amplified parts pedal kits seem to be all analog, no digital. I prefer the digital pedals. Great job on the video! Building the Stewmac Fan Tremolo on my bench now!
Yesterday evening i assembled a klone from Wish. cost £20. All the resistors were marked with their values, all the components were there, it was very easy to assemble (not my first rodeo by the way). It was more or less the same circuit as your video. Also had a very nice gold flecked enclosure, predrilled. one downside as opposed to your kit, was the complete lack of instructions. i found a video plus a website on youtube. it sounds just the same as the OG Klon. very happy.
I built this kit back in June. I loved it then and still do. Great video. The magnifiers are mandatory.
That was very refreshing and honest . In contrast to the far too many people on YT and the Internet in general telling us that hard stuff is easy to make themselves look good.
Who you gonna call? StewMac!!! Its nice that there is a proper manual for the build I hate the current trend of having to go online to find out instructions etc! Manuals win hands down every time for me. Enjoyed the build. More would be cool to see, so its a yes from me!
Great video. I built the pedal several months ago and think it’s a good value. You don’t need to be a tech prodigy to build it. I like the tone. Stew Mac almost never disappoints. Thank you for the nice presentation
I'd love to see you try a musikding kit. They are in Germany and have loads of pedals and smaller amps. Excellent video. Definitely makes me want to build some pedal so please do more. I think it will make a great series.
Taking the series idea another step i think a pedalboard build with all stew Mac pedals would be great
I had so much fun building mine, I next did the two kings one from stewmac, then I built a Frankie and now I'm building a David Gilmore strat.I love the stuff!
I love building kits. build a klon clone from aion fx Refractor. I find stew macs a tad expensive to be honest. check out aion fx if your interested in other and more options. Just a fan of company and pedal clones.
I did the Screamer kit last winter and it was fun but a) Wow I wish I had done such things when I was 19 and not 39 b) Yeah, the instructions are amazing but wow, I was stressed the entire time and sweating despite winter- c) It's fun, it's on board frequently. Edit: OH and: you ya gonna call.
Please more pedal kit videos! This was fun.
on the way!
Hi Andy, i built the same kit about six months ago and your right , great fun and there's something about building your own kit. I've since also built the Stewmac King of Tone kit, a bit trickier but very satisfying . It's much easier with a PCB holder. The only thing i did different was i left the breakout boards attached (much easier to solder the wires). love the channel 🤘🤘
Get The Ghost Drive Pedal Kit here - bit.ly/3XleWK3
This was genuinely such an awkwardly entertaining video to experience.
Bravo Andy.
Well done!
Doesnt open the link for me :(
Also, "End Of The Video Club"... adorbs.
@@cocosloan3748 You are using a popup blocker that is stopping the link. Popup blockers also stop content creators like me from earning money TH-cam.
@@forton615 You are using a popup blocker that is stopping the link. Popup blockers also stop content creators like me from earning money TH-cam.
I love the education they provide in the manuals. That is awesome.
Got this kit a few weeks ago. Haven’t started on it yet. Thanks for this inspiring video!
Who ya gonna call?
STEWMAC!!
Thank you for doing this video. I own a J.Rockett Archer Ikon (Klon Clone) and I thoroughly love it! I know StewMac;s rep so I already bought the kit for the Ghost because I have got to have some backups/alternate versions of this pedal. Watching what you did here, I have high hopes that the Ghost will stand up to that task well. To me, the Klon sounds like pure studio polish. Not overdrive or boost or anything. Just polished, no matter what you run through them or how you use them. They allow for every nuance of your technique and tone to shine through, just in better quality. I can't even really explain it myself I guess. Overdrive sounds like overdrive. This sounds like you already did the mixing and mastering along with that.
I can't wait to see how my Ghost sounds with my rig. I may get a couple more for backups if it works out. LOL
I have always wanted to build pedals and this will be my first. I've been modding my own pedals and guitars for years and before I go any further, there are things about this particular circuit that I want to understand. So, here goes...
Time to pick up a few new tools and get to work.
2:41 I’ve built a few pedal kits, and I strongly agree with your recommendation to test the resistors with a multimeter.
As someone with red/green colorblindness, it can be very difficult to distinguish the difference between some of the color markings on the resistors.
Ive been working as a circuit tester for 14 years. The idea of building a circuit and NOT testing it is bonkers to me
I can't read 5 band resistors. On top of it not every part is actually it's printed value. So I like to test everything before I solder it into a board. They make these gadgets called "transistor testers" that are great. They're based on a German project called AVR transistortester. They test just about everything. Resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors. You hook whatever up to the leads and it tells you what it is after you press the test button. Any clip can go to any lead. The device figures it all out. If you're into kitting they're worthwhile to get. I like the graphical ones the best with a rotary encoder. You also want one with a TL431 precision reference IC on it as opposed to just a zener diode. The reference is more accurate. Also find out how to calibrate your unit. It's a mode you put it in. Usually if you connect all 3 leads together and hit test it'll go into cal mode.
Who you gonna call? StewMac !
Recently purchased the Ghost Drive kit, but have not yet assembled it.
Just found your channel around the same time. Good stuff...and encouragement to get building.
Sounds great! Who is Stew Mac?
That beautiful manual is impressive.
Measuring and labeling the resistors is a great tip for saving time and avoiding the frustration of reworking the board later.
The magnifying head gear is useful for a variety of projects.
Thanks for giving chapters in the description. I'm an electronics R&D engineer so I know how to build stuff. I skipped straight to *9:27** "Does it work?"*
I've analyzed the Mosky Silver & Tumnus & the frequencies are really similar. If you want to improve your soldering skills use flux & tin your tip. When you start building pedals you can start saving money & cut the high prices out. Build your Fuzzface, Rangemaster, & The Shin-ei FY-2. Not hard builds & you can tailor to your liking.
I literally just ordered one of these yesterday, can't wait to build it. When I eff it up who am I going to call? Stew Mac.
Thanks for the great overview of the project before getting into it myself.
Built one of these , great unit. Built a Tape Op Delay and an EC expander. Also 2 x 5E3 Tweed Deluxe amps. All from Stewmac.
The lighted magnified visor is a REQUIREMENT !! Lol.
I stuffed up some resistors in my first build without one.
Stewmac were great to deal with and helped me out when stuck.
Great service and I’m in Australia🇦🇺👍🍻
Who you gonna call ?!!
Stewmac rock
How is the EC expander? I’m probably going to do that at some point too
@@TheGuitarGeek
When i use it with the Tweed just on breakup it’s an accurate Clapton ish tone , really nice mid boost, smooth and adjustable. I use the Ghost Drive basically as a nice clean boost. Separate from the EC.
If your amp is pushed a bit the EC tips it over the edge into some really nice tones. The Tape op Delay rounds things out for some ambience.
It’s a really nice boost.
I normally use the vol knob to boost solos but this one does it better.
@@TheGuitarGeek
Oh yeah I’m using a 75 Strat too so the EC does fatten up a single coil nicely.
Who you gonna call? StewMac. Nice run-down on the "what" and "why" of the the GhostDrive. I haven't built a pedal kit in years, but I did recently re-wire a Les Paul Kit. Same joy and satisfaction upon completion. Looking forward to the next video.
Andy, I just built the "two kings boost" pedal, a bit more involved as it's two pedals in one, but not bad. Easy and thorough instructions, also fun to build. Sounds incrediable on my Fuchs ODS 30 with an Ibanez MM1. The best part about the pedal was that I didn't have to wait four years to get it... 😁 Cheers!
The GM Arts OD is 3 ODs in one. Unfortunately today the original website it came from is shut down. When I made one I documented the build on the instructables website and that's still up today. So at least the schematic is still there. Just not the circuit description. I linked to the original page. But it's gone. If you're into building from scratch though it's worth it.
That Guitar sounds amazing clean, which helps the Ghost Drive sound WHO YOU GUNNA CALL!!
I bought this kit a few months ago but haven't yet built it. Thanks for saying how long it took, that greatly reduces some of the "when am I possibly going to be able to do this?!" stress. Oh, and, who you gonna call? Ghost---wait, Stewmac! 😆🤓
You can build a kit on a TV tray table. That's all the space you really need. Do what they did and put all the parts on a piece of paper and write what each one is. That really does help. I just don't tape the leads down. Glue tape can be funky on PCBs and leads. I poke holes in the paper and put the parts in the holes. The one other thing I'd do that they didn't is I use blue tacky a lot building PCBs. A pack of blue tack is all you need. I even use blue tack as a board holder. I just have some blocks of scrap wood that I put blue tack on and stick the board to them.
What a fun proyect! Looks therapeutic
It really was!
Parathutic?
@@PooNinja stewmactheutic
Nice build.
I run my klones with a healthy dose of gain and boost into them (commonly an EP Boost or things like the boosty side of a Les Lius). Josh demo-ed a similar setup in his "pedal stacking" video.
@@JohnShalamskas - I like stacking pedals. A Klone into a KoT probably sounds great. I would have to do it and listen and decide for myself, but most pedal choices are (should be) like that.
A tip, don't install the ICs to the absolute end. Any major heat source can root them. Install the sockets, wait till the end to put the ICs in. Also, put some silicon on the wires connected to the switch for mechanical support and make sure you push the capacitors flush to the pcb.
Thanks Ben.
@@TheGuitarGeek cool vid man
"Who ya gonna call? Stew Mac!?" My friend, Ray Parker, Jr. wants to have a word with you!😆
Thank you for sharing your experience; I like your videos.
Who ya gonna call?!
StewMac!!
Who ya gonna call? StewMac! Seriously, though, nice video! And I think I would definitely watch more pedal builds. Or maybe Amplifier kit builds? I have this pedal kit, and the fact you did it in an afternoon is very encouraging to me. Thanks for the video, keep up the good work! Subscribed.
I'm fairly handy in most things but I have a huge knowledge black hole in the area of electronics. This looks like a good place to get my feet wet (poor analogy I know), learn some of the basics, and get a pedal out of the exercise as well. Thanks for the very nicely done video that kept my interest throughout. Cheers
Awesome. Klons are so good at waking up any amp. This one sounded really good.
Lol, Great Job! The reason there are chip sockets are to protect that IC from any harm during construction due to heat and any stray static charges. your supposed to insert the IC chips After your done soldering & handling the printed circuit. Regardless it works and I thank you for making us aware of these SM kits! cheers🤓
Who you gonna call? Stew Mac products are not cheap - but in my experience they are always very high quality.
I love this video - and would like to see more pedal builds / tests.
BTW On the Spark 50 my favorite virtual combo is the klon + Dumble. Funny how that work$. Clone + Bassman is really nice too - and much more attainable.
Great video! Who Ya Gonna Call! Stewmac!
Nice work, video and build. Gave some idea what can be expected and that's useful.
I don't think I'm going to do the "Who ya gonna call?!" thing, though. Not a joiner.
monte allums mods for pedals are also a lot of fun and easy to do 🎸🖤
I built the Stew Mac Tube Screamer, really noisy, I own a Harby Centauri, it's a real sweet Klon... Loved the video, great channel.
Thank you! I am going to try that TS build one day.
I’m glad you did this video. I’ve been wanting to see a review of diy kits and, well, you know, who ya gonna call? Stew-Mac apparently. I’m definitely going to get into this because I’ve always wanted to do my own mods. I have three friends who build pedals who can give me advice when needed. Can’t wait to see your next video on this subject.
Cheers Dave! I will be doing a few more of these and posting videos in the new year!
Yeah.. I was VERY happy
Who you gonna call? StewMac!
Great sounding pedal, that reminded me of all the kits I used to build as a teenager, not sure I’d have the patience now.
My kit was missing a couple of wrong sized resistors. There is one resister I installed per the directions, but the finished product at the very end has an illustration of that specif resistor in a different hole than previously directed. I installed all resistors based on my DVM readings. I ordered the two resistors I didn't get off Amazon.
I am a broadcast engineer, and have been dealing with distortion issues for many many years. The whole secret here is the out of stock unobtainable diodes from Russia that Bill Finnegan bought back in the 90s. You can get a close sound to what the Klon was, but without those original diode, it will only be close. For most that play, it will make no difference. But if Bill listens to it, he will hear of the subtle difference in the sound of the clone.
Thank you! This is great, I just ordered one!
Seems pretty straightforward, I can dig it! Maybe this is the project I need to take on to finally learn to solder well
congrats.......my dream build one ....
Great video! I've built 3 Stew Mac kits and they are a lot of fun to build and sound great!
I like that you actually pronounce “solder” as “solder”. But I’m still an “ah-loom-min-num” guy.
If you build it , they will Klon
Brew ya gonna call? 🥂 toast busters? 🍻
2:46 even if you know the color code it’s best to test for actual values. Minor differences in resistance and capacitance alter the tone.
Solder pult ( suction device) or solder wick is very helpful for reworking your board.
@@PooNinja For sure. I do NOT regret doing this boring task
@@TheGuitarGeek boring??? Tools , magnifiers and molten metal isn’t boring, tedious maybe but never boring. Liquid Metal is always exciting!!
Must be breakfast time...
I love this video, never seen a kit for building a pedal, that was a nice change thanks man I hope that you have a wonderful holydays and a great end of the year!
Thanks, you too!
New sub! Great vid concise and informative. Well done!
Who you gunna call? Stewmac! Really cool video!
Great video, No One should be afraid of a project like this. If you are the least bit into electronics then this is 4 u. I don't know why I haven't done more like this myself. My day job has often involved these skills exactly so I can only admit to laziness. Really well done I think. They only thing I didn't catch was the cost of the kit because stew mack is not sending me one. I did like this video.
I have been interested in getting some B.Y.O.C. pedals for a while, but they were out of stock on many of the ones I was interested in, when I had a little extra cash. Now that they are in stock, I plan to get some . . . once I have the cash! 😆 Thank you for the thorough review! I'm very interested in getting at least one from StewMac just to have a nice thorough breakdown of the components and what they do! So yeah, I may have to ask myself who I'm gonna call? StewMac! I look forward to seeing more of your pedal making journey and I hope to get on a journey of my own soon! A Merry Christmas to you and yours!
"Who you gonna call?"
StewMac.
I think that's what you wanted?
Anyway I'm glad your experience was a positive one. I've thought about buying one of their amps to build, but I have never built anything electronic before. I guess I should probably start with a pedal? 🎄🇦🇺
Looks like you had fun building this. So who do you call, Andy. .. It's Stewmac
very enjoyable video, I don't think I'd have the patience lol!
Amp kits are super fun too!
Nice video Andy! Pedal building is fun.
Wow really cool great effort Andy that did look fun 😎🎸🙌🏼
Who you gonna call…Stewmac (and in my head…your shredding an impromptu solo over the ghostbusters while I’m on hold to Stewmac customer services sales team)
Awesome video and I think it sounds great. I think the purpose of the Needle Nose pliers in the manual was what you substituted with tweezers. I cannot be for sure though. Regardless, Great video! @10:27 when you turned the gain up lol!
May I enquire as to the brand and name of your soldering helping hands unit. It looks very well made. Great job too.
Who you gonna call...Stewmac! I hope you do more videos like this. this was great fun. i could see you were having fun as well. I am currently gathering parts and printing an enclosure for a fuzz pedal...my first build ever. I enjoy these kind of challenges. You stated that you were biased when it came to the review of the pedal as you put time into it. that moment when you turned it on for the first time...i know that feeling. brilliant video and cheers! happy holidays
Honestly, the pedal could have made fart noises and I would have been happy...
How much did the kit and all the tools cost? I only ask this as there are loads of cheap Klon, clones out there.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL? ...StewMac. Great video, Andy! I think I just may need to build myself a pedal kit or two!
This was a great video and you seemed to be happy and your lovely humour was there. ”Harry Potter the pedal building wizard” 😅
I would love more of building videos.
Thanks and happy hollidays
Awesome 🤘
Wow! Great video, as usual. Super interesting, I've seen the odd kit before, but they've always seemed a bit dodgy. But I love Stewmac. Looked like a quality kit!
I'm a fan of stew mac and looking forward to ordering this at some point. Who ya going to call? Stew Mac. Because it pays the bills! HA
If you get a chance you should check out the MAS Effects diy ornament pedals. Super easy to put together and a lot of fun! And… less than $30 at the moment for one pedal. 🤘🏻 cool video!
Great video, and great idea for a series.
I vote for more pedal building videos!
Sounds between a Austin, and a BBreaker, I want one.
Whatup Geek? This was a very smooth video. Thanks man.
I have a very important question.
Is that a Deluxe Reverb head?? I’ve only seen combos. What kind of sorcery is this? Can you confirm?
Thanks! 🤘🏼
Hey John! Yes, that is a limited edition DR head.
@@TheGuitarGeek most excellent. I’m on the lookout for a Princeton Head. I might have to try and build one from Stew Mac if they make them.
Nice kit. I've been dying to try a pedal kit for a while now. Seems like it'd be a ton of fun, even if challenging.
Great work! I'm gonna call ghostbusters though!
I like it for cleaner lower gain stuff, quieter than I thought it would be! Killer good vid! thx
hahaha 13:50 the look on your face was priceless, I can really see the value of that thing if you want the nice crunchy sound without having to crank the amp up and have the neighbors complain again lol I'm blown away by the instruction booklet, Far cry from what china does huh. seems like a fun little build with a cool little pedal to show for it.
All you need is the component values on the silk screen. You're just stuffing the board. Though bits like that daughter board can be confusing. They should have labeled it parts and solder side.
Great Job! You make this look pretty easy. I was going to buy this, but then decided on the TC Electronic Zeus. It says it uses all the original components as a Klon and it was only $59.00 brand new.
Ok first things first who do you want be to call?? If thats Brit to bring I can bring some Ghost Chile Pepper chips for you to try, maybe stick in the Big Mac Stew you keep mentioning. Meanwhile back under the bonnet we go, chip chip Cheerio.
This was your second building of pedals and felt you did a bang up job for a hobbiest.What I liked was your down to earth approach to electronics. I have friends who do it for a living and they make a root canal seem like fun for all to be had when they bust out an soldering tool. Oh on that note the more expensive one you bought probably made your builds more fun than frustrating
Keep up the good work I ordered the ghost in the box s few days ago and look forward to puting it together and hearing for myself what a it could do for my tonal pursuit . Have you built any of th guitar kits? One last thing was since i was directed from SM to view your 2 kings video there was no way to leave a comment.
So that video you wanted to know my favorite kings # James of England and #2- Jerry Lawler , # 2.5 - Burger or Hearts.!! There's 4 in case you don't , like 2 answers or get the jokes. The Brits have a very dry sense of humor , yours is way better than most from the UK - ROCK
Very good job on your soldering. I think I would be cross-eyed after only few hours. Who ya gonna call?
sounds really good. definetly worth adding to a collection!
Having worked in electronic repairs all my life, my only limitation is the one thing that they missed
out of the tool guide, some form of magnification or you will need perfect vision to complete the kit.
A good quality temperature controlled soldering iron is a must, as is good solder.
Good luck to anyone building this kit, take your time and it should be enjoyable, just wait until you are
sober enough.
Have a great Christmas.
I used to be able to do close with with my naked eyes. Them days are over now. So now I have the magnifying visor. I have a couple OK soldering irons. I feel if you know what you're doing you can solder with a heated nail. I've been soldering for over 50 years now myself so I might know a bit about it. I've built military coms gear for attack helos. You'd be surprised just how particular they are about soldering. You have to be able to see the form of the conductor. I don't solder that way for myself. But I have soldered that way for folks that insisted on it.
@@1pcfred As the years go by you suddenly realise that you can't see the small parts anymore.
I used to be able to make up leads with very small multipin connectors, now i can't even focus on the
connectors!
Re soldering with a heated nail, sometimes you have to make do with what's available.
@@Barbarapape for just soldering through hole components you don't need much. It's more important that you just use proper technique. There's not much to basic soldering as long as you do it right. I can't see anything close up with just my eyes anymore. But I used to be able to make out very fine details when I was younger. That's what optics are for though I suppose.
@@1pcfred I learned to solder with an iron with a very large tip and some cooper nails in a block of wood with wire wrapped around them, it wasn't until I became an apprentice that I was trained how to do it correctly, at 68 like yourself I struggle to see what I am trying to solder without a magnifier.
@@Barbarapape I was self taught but then when I went to work at a board assembly house my boss said to me, "You never told me you could solder." He was obviously impressed with my level of ability right off the bat watching me. Though working there I did get a lot better at soldering over time with all the practice I got. My eyes went on me in my mid 30s. Not being able to see is a funny thing. Not funny ha ha but funny strange. It looks to me like I can see but I just can't make details out. I guess that's always how it is though to some extent. No one can see microbes with the naked eye for instance.
Looked like quite a bunch of components. I've got a Fuzzface copy and basic boost pedal i need to make the effort to get started. Thanks, you convinced me to go for it. ☺
Bravo! (Who you gonna call?! StewMac)
who am i gonna call...? this was very helpful/cool. i will be building this after getting some other projects out of the que. thanks, steve
Yep great learning experience! Congrats on a working pedal😊🙏🏻
Thanks! 😃
Nicely done! It is just a bit too intimidating for me to take on though. Who ya gonna call? StewMac
Well done!
Another "too good to fast forward" fun and informative video Andy! Who ya gonna call! 👻
Sounds Great !
Sounds great! Good job.
I've built a different kit of the same circuit.......... about 5-6 times now. People keep buying mine.