DIY Pedal Builder Gift Guide
THE DIY PEDAL BUILDERS GIFT GUIDE
Shopping for a musician that wants to get into building pedals? Or a friend/family member that already builds pedals? With all the pedals, parts, tools, gizmos and gadgets available, choosing a gift can be a tough task! Here are a few ideas to help find the right gift.
BEGINNER
For the beginning builder with no experience and no tools, go with the necessities.
-Soldering iron. They will absolutely need one to build pedals. Our #1 pick is the Hakko FX-888DX soldering station. Not only is it a great soldering iron that will aid a beginner in making nice, clean solder joints, it is also a top pick amongst experienced builders. There are certainly cheaper soldering irons available, but Hakko FX-888DX will make starting out less frustrating, and will continue being a great tool as the new builder gains experience.
-Solder. If you have a soldering iron, you will need solder. Leaded solder is much easier for a beginner to learn with since it has a lower melting point. If you don’t like the idea of lead there is a lead-free option.
-Rocket Sockets. These invaluable tools make assembling and disassembling nuts and fasteners on a pedal a breeze by having the right size sockets for the job.
-Hand tools. A variety of hand tools are necessary. Side cutters, wire strippers, screwdrivers and desoldering tools will all aid in building pedals.
-A DIY pedal kit. Once tools are in hand, all that is left is to grab something to build! We highly recommend starting out with an easy to assemble, low parts count pedal kit. Kits like a Fuzz Face style clone or a volume booster are very popular for the first time pedal builder to gain experience with parts and assembly.
Left to right: Hakko FX-888DX soldering iron, leaded solder, Rocket Sockets, side cutters, fuzz pedal kit
INTERMEDIATE
Let’s say a builder has a few pedals under their belt and they enjoy the hobby. This is one of the hardest groups to buy for as they likely have some parts preferences at this point, so going for specialty/fun tools is a good route. Here are a few suggestions that almost any builder will appreciate.
-A breadboard. These are fun for the intermediate builder so they can design/experiment/tinker with a circuit prior to soldering it all together! These Coppersound DIY breadboards are fantastic option! They have the input/output/power jacks and bypass switch already built in making these a perfect platform for pedal builders! We include a free bundle of jumper wires to help the builder get rolling right away with parts they already have on hand. Or get a CirKIT to go along with it!
-Milliamp meter. Builders love to know the specs of their pedals, whether it’s one they built themselves or a prebuilt one from the guitar store. The 1 Spot mA Meter is a perfect tool for the musician to test how much power their pedal is pulling so they can pair it with the right power supply.
-Soldering iron. Yes, I know, this was mentioned in the beginner section above. However, if they are getting by on a cheaper hardware store soldering iron, then they will absolutely love the Hakko FX-888DX which is a serious upgrade.
-Gift card. Can’t go wrong with a gift card. Let the builder/musician choose what they want!
Left to right: Coppersound DIY medium breadboard, 1Spot mA meter, Hakko FX888DX soldering iron
ADVANCED
Honestly, an advanced builder already has their preferences, tools, and most of what they already need. Proceed with caution buying random parts or new tools (that they may already have), it is at risk of being a waste. Fuel their fire with a gift card so they can buy parts for the projects they want to build!