Pedal Layouts & Build Guides

Below, you can find a list of our pedal build projects, with layout drawings for eyelet board, turretboard, and stripboard builds of classic effects. We carry everything you would need to build these pedals, and we have included a bill of materials for each build with an easy option to add everything to your cart. Keep in mind there are a variety of options that can be used to build these effects, and feel free to experiment with different boards, transistors, and other components.

We carry a variety of stripboard, turret board, and eyelet board in various layouts and spacings to accomodate various build types and sizes. We also carry blank FR4 boards and fiberboard, eyelets and turrets, and staking tools for installation if you would prefer to make your own layout.

Blackout Fuzz

A pedal project build featuring an NPN Fuzz Stripboard layout. Includes a bill of materials and layout for a Blackout Fuzz guitar pedal.

Burns Buzzaround (Eyelet Board)

A pedal project build featuring a Burns Buzzaround on eyelet board. The Buzzaround was made in very limited quantities in the 1960s, and was famously used by Robert Fripp of King Crimson.

Carlsbro Fuzz-Tone

The Carlsbro Fuzz-tone is a lesser-known 3-transistor germanium fuzz unit from the 1960s. Though later Carlsbro fuzzes were built by Sola Sound using one of their 3-knob Tonebender circuits, the early Fuzz-Tone used 2 knobs and a unique circuit topology that is not known to have been used elsewhere.

Dinosaural Tubebender

Designed by Dan Coggins of Lovetone, the Dinosaural Tubebender was intended to be a tonal hybrid of a Tonebender and a Tube Screamer. It is a fairly unique 4-transistor circuit that leans more towards distortion than fuzz. Dinosaural claimed the pedal as being capable of creating "valve-like (tube) distortion without a valve amp".

Distortion+

The MXR Distortion+ is one of the earliest pedals that used the now-ubiquitous op amp into shunt diodes distortion method. This build is a unique take on it, using a metal can op amp for a turret board build.

Fuzz Face / Rangemaster (Eyelet Board)

A pedal project build featuring a Fuzz Face / Rangemaster on eyelet board. This dual pedal is a combination of the classic Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face and the Dallas Rangemaster (treble boost).

Fuzz Face / Rangemaster (Stripboard)

A pedal project build featuring a Fuzz Face / Rangemaster on stripboard. This dual pedal is a combination of the classic Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face and the Dallas Rangemaster (treble boost).

Fuzz Face with Bias Trimmer

The germanium Fuzz Face is one of the most iconic guitar pedals ever made. Its simple circuit topology and low parts count would make it a great beginner’s build if not for the temperamental and inconsistent nature of germanium transistors. This build uses a bias trimmer potentiometer for tweaking the transistor bias to allow for a wider range of usable transistors. Sockets can optionally be installed for easy transistor swapping.

Fuzzrite - Germanium Version

The Fuzzrite is one of the earliest US-made fuzzes, and uses a unique 2-transistor circuit topology that is not copied in any of the more well-known fuzz pedals. The Fuzzrite is known to have a very cutting sound, and was used on the classic “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida”. This build is the earlier germanium version of the Fuzzrite.

Fuzzz Boxx

An early US-made fuzz that used silicon transistors and diodes for clipping. Traced from an original unit, this build optionally has a tone control upgrade that provides more tone-shaping functionality.

Graphic Fuzz

An odd, lesser-loved vintage fuzz pedal with a very unique circuit topology. This pedal uses an op amp only for both gain and clipping, and features a very unusual "Filter" control along with the typical volume control. This build uses a metal can op amp for a turret board build.

Grind Customs DeProfundis Delay

The Grind Customs DeProfundis Delay was a delay pedal based around the PT2399 digital delay chip. It has a relatively low parts count for a delay pedal without compromising on features, making it a great candidate for a stripboard delay.

Harmonic Percolator - Albini Version

The Harmonic Percolator is a fuzz pedal from the 1970s that used an entirely unique circuit topology. It is most well-known for its use by Steve Albini of Big Black and Shellac, and is capable of a wide range of tones, from subtle, warm saturation to harsh, cutting fuzz distortion. The Albini version tends to sound smoother and less compressed.

Harmonic Percolator - Stock Version

The Harmonic Percolator is a fuzz pedal from the 1970s that used an entirely unique circuit topology. It is most well-known for its use by Steve Albini of Big Black and Shellac, and is capable of a wide range of tones, from subtle, warm saturation to harsh, cutting fuzz distortion. The stock version tends to have a more untamed, compressed sound.

Iss. 1 Fuzz with Classic Wiring

A pedal project build featuring the classic layout and wiring used with the Iss. 1 PCB found in vintage Fuzz Face pedals.

LPB-1

The Electro-Harmonix LPB-1 is a classic, straight-to-the-point silicon transistor boost. It’s great for pushing a tube amp into breakup, and it is a favorite in front of Big Muffs to get even more saturation. This is a simple effect, and a great first turret board project.

Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz Tone

The Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-tone is the fuzz pedal that started it all. Released in 1962, it was the first commercially available guitar effect in a stompbox format, and its iconic use on The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” is what kickstarted the fuzz trend in the 1960s.

One Knob Fuzz Face (with Video Tutorial)

Follow along on this build with our video tutorial. This build is a one knob germanium fuzz face with the “Fuzz” control set internally to max. A trim pot is used in place of one of the resistors for bias adjustments. This build is a great choice for a first turret board/eyelet board build.

One Knob Tonebender MK1

The "Attack" control on the Tonebender Mk1 is a way of adjusting the bias of transistor Q2. There is often a "sweet spot" on the knob where the pedal sounds best. This build sets the attack control internally to the max (as if the knob was turned fully clockwise), though a trimmer can be used as an internally-adjustable Attack control.

One Knob Tonebender MK2

With an additional gain stage added to the Tonebender Mk1.5 circuit (which is similar to the Arbiter Fuzz Face), the Tonebender Mk2 is known for providing a more saturated sound with very long sustain. This build is a compact Mk2 with the Attack (gain) control internally set to max. The level of saturation can be controlled to some extent by using the volume knob on the guitar, but a Mk2 typically does not clean up like a Fuzz Face.

Park Fuzz Sound 2-Knob

The Park Fuzz Sound is a Tonebender Mk3 variant. It was made in a 3-knob version like the Sola Sound Mk3, but there was also a unique 2-knob version which had the Fuzz control internally set to max and kept the Volume and Tone controls on the panel. This build is a compact, 1590B build of that 2-knob version.

Rangemaster

Originally designed as an amp-top box, the Rangemaster was intended to sit on top of the user’s amp and tended to be used in an always-on configuration. It is a classic treble boost effect which was notably used by Brian May and Tony Iommi. This pedal build makes a few small tweaks to make the circuit better-suited for a modern true-bypass pedal.

Tonebender MK1

The earliest of the legendary Tonebender line, the Mk1 was made in very small quantities. It is a modified version of the 3-transistor Maestro FZ-1 circuit running on 9V (instead of 3V like the FZ-1). There are only a handful of surviving original units. Notable users include Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, and Mick Ronson.

Tonebender MK2

Perhaps the most well-known of the Tonebender line, the Mk2 was most notably used on the early Led Zeppelin albums. Following the unofficially-named Tonebender Mk1.5, which used a 2-transistor Fuzz Face topology, the Mk2 added an additional transistor gain stage in front which provides more saturation and sustain.

Tonebender MK3

The Tonebender Mk3 is a 3-transistor fuzz circuit like the Mk2, but their circuit topologies are quite different. The Mk3 is perhaps most similar to the Burns Buzzaround, used by Robert Fripp in King Crimson. In addition to the Volume and Fuzz controls found on many early fuzz effects, the Mk3 has a simple-but-effective tone control for additional tone sculpting.

Are you looking for a turret board layout for an effect you do not see here? contact us with your suggestions, and we will take them into consideration for a future build project.