Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred

14

DIRT-CHEAP BOUTIQUE STOMP BOXES: THE SPRING REVERB

Guitarists hungry to craft their own sound often invest in boutique stomp boxes; these are handmade in limited quantities (even unique one-offs) and can cost hundreds of dollars. In the following projects you’ll build three such effects—a reverb unit, a tremolo unit, and a fuzztone—for a grand total of about $20 (likely significantly less if you choose to mail order parts; RadioShack potentiometers and switches are pricey). All three effects rely on modern components to achieve classic sounds using old-school techniques.

The first of these effects is a simple reverb unit. Even with your eyes closed, you can easily tell if you are in a coat closet, bathroom, or gymnasium, because of how the ...