BARGAINS!

[rocket88]

I figured they were suspect. They at least sound pretty damn good and are cheap.

[IvIark]

Yes schottky's are great. Well worth stocking up on as an alternative. I've hoarded quite a few different schottky's now

[Thelonious]

Personnaly I buy all my "basic" components (resitors, capacitor, jack, dc jack, led...) to http://www.taydaelectronics.com/
(it's maybe already posted, but I don't read all the pages).
Very good price, 0.012$ for resistors, the same price of the kit on eBay posted, but you can choose the value you want (we do not use very often 1.8ohm resistors  ;)
But they don't have a good choice for the IC, and for enclosure or knobs. For that, I use Das Musikding, not the cheapest, but a lot of choice for pedal builders.

[motterpaul]

It can be hard to find non-electrolytic caps at higher values (up to 10uf) at decent prices.

What do you think of this deal here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121075015531

(20 pieces of 30 values, all Multilayer Monolithic Ceramic, up to 10uf for $9.99

[rocket88]

Those are fine, and the price is good. I've purchased them many times.

[motterpaul]

Here is the same set for cheaper and free shipping (from China)... only $8.88 - Geeze.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pf-10uf-600pcs-30value-Multilayer-Monolithic-Ceramic-Capacitor-Assorted-Set-/281428555568?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item418672f730

[inefficiency]

Anyone got a good source to buy potentiometers in bulk in the UK?

I've managed to find pretty much everything I need for really cheap by either buying in bulk or from China, but I always get a rough deal with pots.

Preferably the nice Alpha ones with the plastic dust cover on them. I don't want to risk using other types unless someone can vouch for them. Vouching for them would basically be saying they have been used heavily for a year or more by a band who are about as careful as a chimp with their gear.

[dbat69]

So just gentle use then

The only ones I've been able to find are ones from Tayda at a reasonable price, sorry, can't help much

[motterpaul]

I think this is pretty cheap for pots - i just bought a bunch from the "GC SuperMarket" (China) on eBay - that someone else discovered here long ago...

10 pieces for $3.20 (but they are in China, so should ship anywhere).  They do charge extra for shipping each item, ($2.00 per item you buy from them).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-50K-Ohm-B50K-Knurled-Shaft-Linear-Rotary-Taper-Potentiometer-/301287481748?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:3160

[rocket88]

With shipping that makes them as much as the tayda ones, which are $0.50 a piece. What I've done is every time I make a taydaelectronics order I put in a few pots. Now I have enough in stock to last a while. I'll post a pick to see.

[dbat69]

The ones I just got from China don't have the pot condoms

[rocket88]

Hehe.....pot condoms.... Can't have your pots in risk of getting a disease from not being protected.

Sorry couldn't resist. I think it's cause I deal with high school kids all say. Lol

But, I always make sure my posts are protected, except for a few rare occasions that the pots wouldn't fit with them on.

Btw, this is my stash of pots I've accumulated just by adding 5-10 of different ones every time I place a tayda order. By just tacking them on doesn't really after the cost of shipping, plus I only order now when there's a coupon, so it's really a good way to stock up. I also have some pots in bags that I have more then will fit in the draw. All the top smaller trays have pots (log, linear, anti-log), dc jacks, and dpdt stomp switches. The bigger ones have mono and stereo jacks, 3pdt stomp switches, and some tools (pliers, sockets, drill bits).


Those boxes on top are some of the Russian Ge's I've been collecting. All sorted and organized.

[inefficiency]

Nice stash Rocket!

I've never ordered from Tayda before because I was scared of customs tax and such.

Anyone in the UK had experience with them?

[dbat69]

I've ordered from Tayda a few times, each time the order getting larger

Unfortunately the last time, I was stung by customs.  Whilst the extra wasn't too bad, the "handling charge" by the Post Office was annoying.

THat said, it hasn't put me off from ordering again.  Even with the customs charges, they are still cheap.

The orders have been quite quick (less than 2 weeks) apart from the customs one, they are well packed and each set of components is individually bagged.

EDIT: Yes, nice stash indeed rocket - I am some way behind you in the stash of Germs stakes

[Thelonious]

Personally I've never had any problems with customs, with orders from Tayda (I live in France). But don't order too large quantities. The too big packages are more likely to be taxed. Already, with an order for 50 euros you can have more than 700 or 800 components.
I confirm components in Tayda are well packaged, with values ​​written on each bag

[IvIark]

I've been stung by customs a couple of times now, and like dbat69 I have no problem at all paying any duty or VAT due, but it does make me livid when the post office extortion fee is more than both duty and VAT.  That's just legalised blackmail and theft as far as I'm concerned.

I tend to order from eBay more often than anything and look for specific items now that I am pretty well stocked.  There are a few good far eastern sellers whose prices are very similar to Tayda, so I tend to order in batches, keeping the totals lower than £15 and letting them combine those orders.  Then if there is more stuff I want I order again as soon as I see the previous items have shipped so I know they won't all be sent in the same package.  Suck my balls post office.  

[IvIark]

Oh except of course when I'm buying from the far eastern sellers who always put $5 as the value no matter how much they send.  Love those guys

[inefficiency]

Yeah, Royal Mail have done me over a few times.

Got any links to any of those eastern sellers that may have some cheap pots?

[IvIark]

I've bought a few values of these and they have all been fine.  In fact they're exactly the same as Alphas, they must be made unbranded at the same factory I reckon.  Not found log pots as low though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190949211665

[rocket88]

holy crap mark, that's brilliant. i still can't believe the extortion that goes on in you're postal service, it's complete bullshit to say the least.

btw, dbat, that was taken like a few months ago, so now it's a little bigger . i have 4 of those plastic boxes filled with Ge's, 3 all russian, 1 assorted others. i guess that's what i get for being involved in the Ge Deathstar .

that draw container is mostly pots, pretty much any value i could need, and about 10-15 of each. i have another one like it that's stocked with different color LED's 93mm-5mm, sockets for the LED's, switches, reverb bricks, and knobies. i've been slowly stocking up, adding a little extra to each tayda order. for me, my tayda orders come from colorado, so i don't have to worry about extra taxes or anything, and all the stuff i order from overseas they put the value low so no one knows. i'm not sure how i got away with that order of 3kg of Ge's, and all the orders from china, russia, and bulgaria.

btw, i found an auction that ends in 2 days for 500 2n5457's for $80. i don't need that many, and the price is beyond good, so i was thinking, anyone want to go in on it with me?