Box of Hall Reverb build. (In a 1590B)

[Ed Nice]

I'm pretty new to all this (as you've probably guessed!) so I've built stuff totally from [Bitsbox] kits. These are really cool and actually pretty straightforward, because all the hard work has been done by IVIark and others in getting stuff ready.

So, I needed a reverb pedal. I don't see a Bitsbox kit, but I see a few on here, so I figure it's time to up my game and do a proper build where I have to sort out the bits myself. I know, it's still pretty easy but for me, it's another rung up the ladder.

I pick the 'box of hall with heavenwithin mod' because it looks small and relatively simple and gets good comments.

So I prepare the list. Bitsbox don't stock the bricks, but a quick email and they are getting some in. Cool. I put the order in for what I need (then realise I forgot to order stuff for a channel switch pedal I wanted to make!), so the bits arrive and I sort out my box of stuff ready to play. I forgot one of the resistors (a 22k!) and spotted this 10 mins after ordering stuff for the channel switch :(

Not to despair. I remembered reading about resistors in series & parallel, so I check and have 2 11k, so another rung up the ladder, albeit a small one...

I do have a larger box (1590BB?) but I wanted to try and get this in a 1590B. I'd read somewhere it was too big with the brick, but I dry fitted the brick and a few pots and measured. I reckoned it would all go in.

Now when I build, I build everything apart from the dc socket out of the box, test and then box it. I've seen people put all the hardware in and solder stuff like that, but for me, it's too fiddly, so build it, then box it has worked ok so far.

When I built this, I had left so much wire, it was like a plate of spaghetti (I prefer Linguini...) and I had a few bugs, namely no sound, then a really low volume, then a squeal. Cleaning a few tracks sorted a few shorts and got it kinda working, but I realised I also have a few dry joints and had managed to delaminate one of the tracks. I figured it was a rebuild.

I decided to see if I could redeem my failure; this is me learning to do stuff after all, so I resoldered the broken connection into a hole further in the track. This seemed to fix all the volume issues.

I decided I'd need to shorten some wires to get the thing in the box, so I made a little riser board for the brick, halved all the wires, tested it, boxed it and it sounded great. In went the dc and after a few 're fits' of the board, it's running, sounds great and best of all, it's in a tiny box :)



 



I'm really pleased with it. As you can see, finishing is for pussies, poseurs and retailers (no, finishing is cool really, I just haven't got round to trying yet :)).  

[Beaker]

Nice one!

[Ciaran Haslett]

Nice one Ed!

Here's a wee trick I learned to keep wires short and neat and less fiddly to work with.

Measure and drill your box the usual way....then mount all the hardware OUTSIDE the the box (except jacks and DC).  So what I mean is....when looking at the front face of your drilled box, screw in the pots and footswitch so they are on top.

You can then cut and solder all you wiring with ease without having the walls of the box get in the way.  And you only have to do the jacks and DC inside.

Seen this once on a amp building forum for wiring 4 input jacks and was amazed I didn't think of it for making pedals.

Ciaran

[Ed Nice]

Thanks guys. Ciaran, that's a really cool idea :)

The main issue I have with wire length is not wanting to make them too short, which is a nonsense really, as I can just re-solder them again. It's all in the head :p