Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I wasn't sure what subforum I should put this in so I figured I'd play it safe and put it here.

I've noticed that quite of few of you guys build these kits and sell them. This is something that I would be very interested in. Maybe just as hobby, and to make some extra cash. I've only made one pedal, and it feels like I'm gonna be hooked on pedal building for life. I was wondering if any of you are very successful in selling your pedals on ebay as I don't think there would be very many interested buyers locally. Also, I wanted to know how much each of you usually sells say a Screamer with a Landgraff mod, and a nice paint job for.

If I do give this a shot I would either be buying kits, or buying the individual parts from Small Bear, and Pedal Parts Plus to save money. Which option I choose depends on availability of Screamer PCB's, and whether or not I can manage with the GGG.com Tubescreamer PCB's. There is a possibility of my friend doing custom artwork for the pedals. I figured my pedals probably won't be as good as some of you veterans so, maybe if they're pretty they'll sell better.

So, what I want from you guys is whether or not you think this is a good idea, how much I can expect to make from each pedal, if they sell well on ebay, and how easy it is to build a Screamer with modifications (Landgraff, distortion resistor switch, cap switch) using a GGG PCB. I realise that the GGG PCB has the component values printed on it, but I just wondered if there would be any difficulty in discerning which components to switch.

You might find this thread very informative:
http://board.buildyourownclone.com/viewtopic.php?t=8060


The layouts between the GGG and BYOC boards are different. What you want to do is take a look at the schematic and figure out which components you need to swap. You should do this by component number (R5, C11, etc) so that layout position isn't an issue. Once you know that you need to change the value of, say, R12, then it won't matter which board you are using. Just find R12 on that board and you're go to go.

Take a look at the wiring diagram / parts layout PDF of the GGG screamer. You'll see that each component has a value (100k) and a schematic number (R12). Grab that document and the schematic and start comparing.

i would HIGHLY recommend building some more kits before you build to sell. build 5-10. make sure you can delivery what you promise EVERY TIME.

and also, if you are going to build to sell, the only way to really make enough money doing that is by sourcing your own parts. once again, i would HIGHLY recommend doing this a few times before you start telling people that you are selling a certain thing. every time i've sourced my own parts i've had problems.

lastly. everyone is selling pretty much the same thing. the way to carve out a niche is by offering something unique. find a way to offer a unique new sound and you'll be on to something.

i don't mean to be discouraging. i tried that same thing myself. in the end i just offered to assemble byoc for people who didn't want to build, but you can't charge much for that which means you can't make much doing that!

good luck

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safe? who said anything about safe? of course He isn't safe! but He's good. He's the king i tell you!

I think another area where you would be able to set yourself apart from the other builders is to offer something unique in terms of enclosures. Whether it is with paint jobs, custom enclosure shapes, or other types of artwork, this will pique interest which could lead to sales. Of course it has to sound great to begin with, but that has already been stated.

Thanks for the advice everybody. I'm not sure what I could do to make my pedals unique soundwise, although I do think I have the unique artwork covered. I'll check out the wiring diagram/parts layout for the GGG.

I agree, Fuzzdawg, that I should build a few more pedals before attempting to sell them. I could also look for what will set me apart (soundwise) while I do this.

I saw in the other thread that a lot of you guys sell the bulk of your pedals locally. I don't know how many people I would be able to find to buy in my town, but I'll definitely try. Maybe when I go off to college in the fall I'll be able to find some more customers.

Sell to friends and friends of friends first. If you can't sell to them, you probably won't sell to anyone else.

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Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important - C.S. Lewis

Okay, I have a possible niche I could fill. So, I figured I'd run it past you guys. I looked up what exactly Robert Keeley does when he mods TS9's and TS808's, and I was thinking that maybe I could build TS clones with these mods, and sell them. I'm fairly certain that I could sell them for less than Robert Keeley sells new TS's with mods. The issue I see with this is that I would have to do as well as Robert Keeley, who knows his way around a PCB, and a soldering iron much better than I do. Then again his modifications aren't very complicated at all.

Another plus that I didn't think of before is that I'm friends with the owner of one of the local guitar shops. I was thinking that maybe I could show him one of my pedals, and if he likes them he could keep on in his shop for customers to try out. The possible problems I foresee with this plan are that he may want some sort of cut of any sales going through him, and I'm a little weary about leaving a pedal somewhere to be tried out by a bunch of people. I think I can trust my build quality to hold up, though.

So, what do you guys think?

One more quick question for those of you who sell your pedals already. Where do you get your parts from? The places I was planning on getting mine from were smallbearelec.com and Pedal Parts Plus. Are these good sites? I'm sure that Pedal Parts Plus is since they advertise here.

PPP and Small Bear are great places, as I have ordered from Small Bear, and have heard good things about PPP. However, if you are looking to build pedals and are looking to maximize your profits, you probably would be better off getting the parts from some place like Digi-Key, Mouser, or Jameco to avoid the "middle-man" and cut down on costs. This of course depends on how many you want to make, or how many you think you'll make.

I have thought a lot over the past year about selling pedals, and have crunched numbers hundreds of times figuring out ways to make the numbers work. I have figured out a few things. First, don't get into just because you think you'll get rich, because that may take some time to happen, if it happens at all. Other things to keep in mind as well is, I don't think BYOC sells PCBs without kits anymore, so unless you have another source for just the PCBs, it may be tough getting started. Another thing to consider and the problem I keep running into is while the parts may cost a certain amount, the time it takes to assemble and test is hard to put a price on. So while I figured out a price that could cover parts and give me what I thought was a decent amount of profit, actually ended up being no profit once I covered expenses and figured in the costs for supplies, energy, shipping, compensated myself at a rate better than minimum wage/sweat shope rates, and other things.

The local store route would probably be very good as one of the things I keep running into is people wanting to try my pedals. So even though sound clips on the net may be helpful, there are still a lot of people who would prefer to try before you buy. Ask if the local store sells things on consignment and any type of agreement you set up with them should be in writing, and possibly looked over by an attorney or at least someone who is familiar with contracts/agreements and the legal system in your area to keep you from getting ripped off.

Crunch the numbers, think it through, and remember just because you can make (lets just say) 10 pedals a week, that doesn't mean you will be selling all 10 pedals every week, especially if you are just getting started in the whole building and selling thing. Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

Everybody sells TS clones or variants. It's probably the most popular circuit that basement boutiquers (like us) sell. I'd suggest something a little less ubiquitous, assuming you really want to go for a niche. But then again, TS clones seem to be selling, so maybe it is a good idea.


If the store owner is willing to sell your pedals on consignment, I say go for it. Yes, he'll get a cut, but that's the price you pay to get your pedals in front of lots of customers. Why should he give you shelf space for free when he could have a commercial pedal in the same space that would make him money? Think about it.

I'd also say you should give him one extra pedal as a floor demo model. If people can't try it out, they're less likely to buy it.

There is a lot to think about when selling your own hand-made products. I've spent time thinking, running numbers, plotting, planning, etc. The only way the numbers work is if you don't consider your own time in the equation. If you consider the fun you have building pedals as the payment for your time, then you can "make money" on each pedal sold without charging $250 for a simple circuit.

I think a lot of people who have gotten into DIY have thought about selling pedals.

If you've done some market research, you'll have found that there are quite a few "boutique" pedal makers out there. They're practically a dime a dozen. Also look at ebay and watch the boutique pedals and see what they sell for. Note: they don't always sell.

You should really do quite a bit more building before trying to sell, so you get practice and can maintain a professional level of quality. Remember, your name and reputation are on the line.

Another person was very correct that most places are selling basically the same thing in a pedal, and many are just knock-offs of production pedals. You need to build something that has a unique sound, or is better in some way than the competition. Does it sound like no one else's, is it quieter, does it have more features, or does it deliver good quality for less money?


A note on mods. You can build a pedal with, say, Keeley mods, but you may run into some ethical issues if you advertise that on a pedal you built and are selling. Keeley has made a name for himself, and by using his name there may the presumption that his company actually did the mods.

I don't mean to be a we towel, but there are a ton of builders out there thinking the same thing as you. Building a pedal with Landgraff or Keeley mods isn't going to do it for you. You need to thing of every aspect of what it means to build for profit.

You have customer service, sourcing parts, coordinating supplies, shipping costs, web site, screen printing design, PCB design, getting a resale license or an LLC, accounting, reporting, product development, prototyping, artist relations, marketing, advertising, investment in the right equipment, funding all the costs, etc, etc, etc. Oh yeah... have a 5 year buisness plan.

There are a lot of builders on ebaY... if you track them, you will notice that many of them go under or give up. Geek Mac Daddy is a great example of how to do it right... he has a great brand name, he's in the music industry and builds great products.

Ask questions and ask more questions after that. There are a lot of things to consider before you heat up the soldering iron.