Welcome to DIY fever – site dedicated to building your own guitars, amplifiers and effect pedals. Use the site map below or the navigation menu above to find your way around and enjoy your stay.

•  Home
• Blog – quick tech tips, news, announcements and concert reports
• Guitars
  • Bancika JPM – modern shred guitar inspired by Petrucci’s Ibanez JPM
  • Bancika MK1 – shredding guitar with Floyd Rose and hot DiMarzio humbuckers
  • Bancika MK2 – hand painted guitar with more of a traditional feel
  • GS Mini Upgrade – trying to make this little gem even better
  • Headless Telecaster – Richie Kotzen inspired full scale headless mini telecaster
  • Ibanez RG Upgrade – upgraded with new DiMarzio pickups, Tremol-no and pots
  • Mini Les Paul – travel sized guitar based on Les Paul Studio
  • Shredneck – warm up and practice tool
  • Squier Strat Upgrade – how to turn a cheap guitar into a decent instrument
  • Staining Guitar Tops – how to get the best out of figured maple tops
• Bancika JPM – modern shred guitar inspired by Petrucci’s Ibanez JPM
• Bancika MK1 – shredding guitar with Floyd Rose and hot DiMarzio humbuckers
• Bancika MK2 – hand painted guitar with more of a traditional feel
• GS Mini Upgrade – trying to make this little gem even better
• Headless Telecaster – Richie Kotzen inspired full scale headless mini telecaster
• Ibanez RG Upgrade – upgraded with new DiMarzio pickups, Tremol-no and pots
• Mini Les Paul – travel sized guitar based on Les Paul Studio
• Shredneck – warm up and practice tool
• Squier Strat Upgrade – how to turn a cheap guitar into a decent instrument
• Staining Guitar Tops – how to get the best out of figured maple tops
• Amps
  • 1×6″ Astoria Cabinet – Mini speaker cabinet with a 6″ speaker and open or closed back
  • 1×10″ Guitar Cabinet – my new cab that hosts a Celestion Vintage G10 speaker
  • 12K5 Flea-Power Amp – tiny hybrid amp with JFET preamp and 12K5 tube output
  • 2W Trainwreck Express – 2W version of the famous Traniwreck Express amp
  • 2x6W Stereo Amp – Hi-Fi spec’d stereo power amplifier based around TDA1521A
  • 3W Tube Power Amp – 6AK6 power amp with 6021 submini tube and LND150 stage
  • 5W Soldano SLO – 5 watt version of the famous Soldano amp, with EL91 output tubes
  • AX84 Firefly – self split 12AU7 amp with cascode boost
  • Blackstar Fly 3 Mods – cool sounding miniature battery powered amp
  • Deacy-Style Amps – salvaging vintage audio devices into cool little guitar amps
    • Deacyfunken – built from scratch using Telefunken parts
    • Ei RR 220-T – 50s transistor radio made in my town
    • Minerva Funkberater – radio with silicon preamp and AC187/AC188 Ge output pair
    • Neywa 402 – compact Russian push-pull germanium radio
    • Panasonic R-12 – cool speedometer-style Japanese radio
    • Tele-Merc 70 – single-ended class A germanium phone amplifier
    • Telefunken 302TS – German-made reel-to-reel tape recorder
    • Toshiba 8TL-463S – push-pull germanium radio with splitter transformer
  • Fender 5F2-A Princeton – classic small combo with a few mods
  •  (Hairy) Pink Taco V2 – my take on Friedman’s take on modern hot-rod Marshall tones
  • Kalamazoo 1 – head version of Kalamazoo Model 1 with EL95 output
  • Little Gem MK2 – Smokey inspired tiny amp based around 386 opamp
  • Mesa Mark IIc+ Pre PCB – PCB based two channel IIc+ with relay switching
  • Mesa Mark IIc+ Pre PtP – famous preamp with a couple of mods
  • Matchless Hotbox – all-tube preamp based on Matchless Hotbox
  • Soldano Preamp – Soldano inspired all tube preamp
  • Soldano Preamp MK2 – legendary 3 channel preamp with simplified switching
• 1×6″ Astoria Cabinet – Mini speaker cabinet with a 6″ speaker and open or closed back
• 1×10″ Guitar Cabinet – my new cab that hosts a Celestion Vintage G10 speaker
• 12K5 Flea-Power Amp – tiny hybrid amp with JFET preamp and 12K5 tube output
• 2W Trainwreck Express – 2W version of the famous Traniwreck Express amp
• 2x6W Stereo Amp – Hi-Fi spec’d stereo power amplifier based around TDA1521A
• 3W Tube Power Amp – 6AK6 power amp with 6021 submini tube and LND150 stage
• 5W Soldano SLO – 5 watt version of the famous Soldano amp, with EL91 output tubes
• AX84 Firefly – self split 12AU7 amp with cascode boost
• Blackstar Fly 3 Mods – cool sounding miniature battery powered amp
• Deacy-Style Amps – salvaging vintage audio devices into cool little guitar amps
  • Deacyfunken – built from scratch using Telefunken parts
  • Ei RR 220-T – 50s transistor radio made in my town
  • Minerva Funkberater – radio with silicon preamp and AC187/AC188 Ge output pair
  • Neywa 402 – compact Russian push-pull germanium radio
  • Panasonic R-12 – cool speedometer-style Japanese radio
  • Tele-Merc 70 – single-ended class A germanium phone amplifier
  • Telefunken 302TS – German-made reel-to-reel tape recorder
  • Toshiba 8TL-463S – push-pull germanium radio with splitter transformer
• Deacyfunken – built from scratch using Telefunken parts
• Ei RR 220-T – 50s transistor radio made in my town
• Minerva Funkberater – radio with silicon preamp and AC187/AC188 Ge output pair
• Neywa 402 – compact Russian push-pull germanium radio
• Panasonic R-12 – cool speedometer-style Japanese radio
• Tele-Merc 70 – single-ended class A germanium phone amplifier
• Telefunken 302TS – German-made reel-to-reel tape recorder
• Toshiba 8TL-463S – push-pull germanium radio with splitter transformer
• Fender 5F2-A Princeton – classic small combo with a few mods
•  (Hairy) Pink Taco V2 – my take on Friedman’s take on modern hot-rod Marshall tones
• Kalamazoo 1 – head version of Kalamazoo Model 1 with EL95 output
• Little Gem MK2 – Smokey inspired tiny amp based around 386 opamp
• Mesa Mark IIc+ Pre PCB – PCB based two channel IIc+ with relay switching
• Mesa Mark IIc+ Pre PtP – famous preamp with a couple of mods
• Matchless Hotbox – all-tube preamp based on Matchless Hotbox
• Soldano Preamp – Soldano inspired all tube preamp
• Soldano Preamp MK2 – legendary 3 channel preamp with simplified switching
• Effects
  • ’69 Fuzz Face – FF derivative based on Fulltone ’69 fuzz
  • Dallas Rangemaster – legendary germanium treble booster
  • Dr Boogey – Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier JFET emulator
  • Friedman BE-OD – DIY clone of the cool BE-OD distortion
  • Fuzz Face Revisited – Bonamassa inspired fuzz with massive changes
  • King of the Brits (KOTB) – J201 based marshall-in-the-box
  • Lehle Buffer/Splitter/Re-amp – flexible utility box for recording
  • Marshall Cab Sim – Marshall 4×12 cabinet simulator for direct recording
  • Mr EQ – simple discrete equalizer with 12 different EQ curves
  • MXR ZW/GT/Classic OD – mod that takes you from GT-OD to ZW and back
  • Rebote Delay 2.5 – DIY digital delay from TonePad
  • The Ultimate Overdrive – transparent overdrive with configurable clipping
  • Tube Screamer 808 – Tubescreamer clone with a couple of mods
• ’69 Fuzz Face – FF derivative based on Fulltone ’69 fuzz
• Dallas Rangemaster – legendary germanium treble booster
• Dr Boogey – Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier JFET emulator
• Friedman BE-OD – DIY clone of the cool BE-OD distortion
• Fuzz Face Revisited – Bonamassa inspired fuzz with massive changes
• King of the Brits (KOTB) – J201 based marshall-in-the-box
• Lehle Buffer/Splitter/Re-amp – flexible utility box for recording
• Marshall Cab Sim – Marshall 4×12 cabinet simulator for direct recording
• Mr EQ – simple discrete equalizer with 12 different EQ curves
• MXR ZW/GT/Classic OD – mod that takes you from GT-OD to ZW and back
• Rebote Delay 2.5 – DIY digital delay from TonePad
• The Ultimate Overdrive – transparent overdrive with configurable clipping
• Tube Screamer 808 – Tubescreamer clone with a couple of mods
• Misc
  • Air Brake Attenuator – scaled-down version of the well known attenuator
  • Audio Probe – very simple contraption that helps with debugging audio circuits
  • Circuit Layout Tips – making a quiet and reliable amp and effect layouts
  • Component Selection – some suggestions for parts and supplies
  • DIY Sustainer – how to make your own sustainer from scratch
  • Crappy Desktop Speaker Mods – trying to make cheap speakers act as semi-decent monitors
  • DIY Vespel Picks – home made Blue Chip/Gravity pick cross
  • Dummy Load – simple device that lets you run a tube amp without an actual speaker
  • Fake Capacitors – how to spot fake electrolytic capacitors and avoid them
  • Flexi Clip – adds many different clipping options to any circuit that uses clipping diodes
  • Guitar Wiring 101 – instructions and common wiring configuration dissected
  • Isolation Cabinet – place to store my gear and record silently
  • L-pad – probably the simplest and cheapest way to attenuate output of an amplifier
  • Panasonic WM-61A Mic – great sounding but cheap and simple to build electret microphone
  • Pickup Slant Test – testing how bridge pickup angle affects the sound
  • Power Supply – pedal power supply with regulated 9VDC and 12VDC outputs
  • Power Supply MK2 – simple variable voltage regulated power supply with sag control
  • The Ultimate Power Supply – heavy duty isolated power supply for all my effects
  • Tips & Tricks – collection of random stuff that I wish I knew earlier
  • Tremolo Spring Noise – finding and solving the issue with noisy tremolo springs
  • Value Statistics – charts with the most common component values for effect pedals
  • Zog-zog – lightbulb attenuator with line out tap and dummy load
• Air Brake Attenuator – scaled-down version of the well known attenuator
• Audio Probe – very simple contraption that helps with debugging audio circuits
• Circuit Layout Tips – making a quiet and reliable amp and effect layouts
• Component Selection – some suggestions for parts and supplies
• DIY Sustainer – how to make your own sustainer from scratch
• Crappy Desktop Speaker Mods – trying to make cheap speakers act as semi-decent monitors
• DIY Vespel Picks – home made Blue Chip/Gravity pick cross
• Dummy Load – simple device that lets you run a tube amp without an actual speaker
• Fake Capacitors – how to spot fake electrolytic capacitors and avoid them
• Flexi Clip – adds many different clipping options to any circuit that uses clipping diodes
• Guitar Wiring 101 – instructions and common wiring configuration dissected
• Isolation Cabinet – place to store my gear and record silently
• L-pad – probably the simplest and cheapest way to attenuate output of an amplifier
• Panasonic WM-61A Mic – great sounding but cheap and simple to build electret microphone
• Pickup Slant Test – testing how bridge pickup angle affects the sound
• Power Supply – pedal power supply with regulated 9VDC and 12VDC outputs
• Power Supply MK2 – simple variable voltage regulated power supply with sag control
• The Ultimate Power Supply – heavy duty isolated power supply for all my effects
• Tips & Tricks – collection of random stuff that I wish I knew earlier
• Tremolo Spring Noise – finding and solving the issue with noisy tremolo springs
• Value Statistics – charts with the most common component values for effect pedals
• Zog-zog – lightbulb attenuator with line out tap and dummy load
• Software
  • Digital Modeling – series of articles on software digital modeling
    • 1. Hardware – choosing and configuring hardware for modeling
    • 2. Common Use-Cases – ways to integrate guitar, pedals, amps with an interface
    • 3. Reaper – DAW – how to pick good a DAW software and make use of it
    • 4. VST Amp Models – some of the good amp models that I came across
    • 5. VST Effects – some very cool effect pedal models
    • 6. Cab Impulses – what are IRs are where to find them
    • 7. IR Loaders – some of my favorite convolution plugins compared
    • 8. My Presets – a couple of my favorite presets
  • DIY Layout Creator – DIY Layout Creator software and layout collection
• Digital Modeling – series of articles on software digital modeling
  • 1. Hardware – choosing and configuring hardware for modeling
  • 2. Common Use-Cases – ways to integrate guitar, pedals, amps with an interface
  • 3. Reaper – DAW – how to pick good a DAW software and make use of it
  • 4. VST Amp Models – some of the good amp models that I came across
  • 5. VST Effects – some very cool effect pedal models
  • 6. Cab Impulses – what are IRs are where to find them
  • 7. IR Loaders – some of my favorite convolution plugins compared
  • 8. My Presets – a couple of my favorite presets
• 1. Hardware – choosing and configuring hardware for modeling
• 2. Common Use-Cases – ways to integrate guitar, pedals, amps with an interface
• 3. Reaper – DAW – how to pick good a DAW software and make use of it
• 4. VST Amp Models – some of the good amp models that I came across
• 5. VST Effects – some very cool effect pedal models
• 6. Cab Impulses – what are IRs are where to find them
• 7. IR Loaders – some of my favorite convolution plugins compared
• 8. My Presets – a couple of my favorite presets
• DIY Layout Creator – DIY Layout Creator software and layout collection
• Reviews
  • Effects
    • Boss BE-5 – ancient but very useful multi-effect pedal
    • Boss DD-20 Giga Delay – twin pedal digital delay with some advanced features
    • CMAT Mods Deeelay – “boutique” digital delay pedal based around PT2399
    • Crybaby 95Q Wah – switchless wah pedal with built in booster and Q control
    • Dean Markley Overlord – vintage tube powered overdrive/distortion pedal
    • Dunlop DC Brick – glorified daisy chain inside a bullet-proof enclosure
    • MXR 6 vs 10 Band EQ – affordable and yet great quality graphic EQ pedals
    • Palmer PDI-09 Junction – versatile speaker simulator and DI-box
    • TC Nova Repeater – stripped down yet potent version of TC Nova Delay
    • Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 – super compact multi-effect pedal
  • Guitars
    • Cort AS-E4 Acoustic – top of the line dreadnought from a budget brand name
    • Ibanez RG 2550 EGK – shredding guitar with Edge Pro tremolo and DiMarzio pickups
    • Taylor GS Mini – travel-sized acoustic with great tone and feel
  • Music
    • The Winery Dogs – amazing old-school rock trio
  • Parts
    • Bourns Guitar Pots – premium sealed guitar pots with polymer element
    • DiMarzio Pickups – reviews of various DiMarzio pickups I’ve owned
    • Hipshot Headless System – high quality streamlined headless system
    • Hipshot Tuners – high quality and great looking aftermarket tuners
    • JJB Prestige 330 – soundboard mounted piezo acoustic pickup
    • Tom Brantley Pickups – custom humbucker set inspired by EVH
    • Tremol-no – tremolo blocking device
  • Picks
    • Chicken Picks – uniquely shaped picks made from very durable termoplastic
    • Dragon’s Heart Picks – unusual 3-tip picks made from high quality materials
    • Gravity Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
    • Graphtech Tusq Picks – guitar picks made out of synthetic ivory
    • Jazz III Pick Family – Jazz III Regular vs Ultex vs 2.0mm Ultex vs Petrucci
    • Jazz Pick Roundup – explore all jazz picks I’ve came across
    • Pick Compare Tool – compare Jazz picks head to head
    • TuskBuffer Picks – custom hand made mammoth ivory picks
    • V-Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
    • Winspear Picks – British-made boutique Jazz picks
  • Studio
    • Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro – 32ohm closed-back monitoring headphones
    • Boss Micro BR – portable digital recorder and processor
    • Focusrite Scarlett Solo (1st Gen) – bare-bone USB interface for home recording
    • Panasonic RP-HTX7 – great sounding budget headphones with cool looks
    • Tascam DP-008 – small but potent digial portable studio
    • NI Komplete 6 – USB interface w/ 4 analog ins/outs, digital in/out, MIDI
    • Sony MDR-7506 – famous studio monitor headphones
• Effects
  • Boss BE-5 – ancient but very useful multi-effect pedal
  • Boss DD-20 Giga Delay – twin pedal digital delay with some advanced features
  • CMAT Mods Deeelay – “boutique” digital delay pedal based around PT2399
  • Crybaby 95Q Wah – switchless wah pedal with built in booster and Q control
  • Dean Markley Overlord – vintage tube powered overdrive/distortion pedal
  • Dunlop DC Brick – glorified daisy chain inside a bullet-proof enclosure
  • MXR 6 vs 10 Band EQ – affordable and yet great quality graphic EQ pedals
  • Palmer PDI-09 Junction – versatile speaker simulator and DI-box
  • TC Nova Repeater – stripped down yet potent version of TC Nova Delay
  • Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 – super compact multi-effect pedal
• Boss BE-5 – ancient but very useful multi-effect pedal
• Boss DD-20 Giga Delay – twin pedal digital delay with some advanced features
• CMAT Mods Deeelay – “boutique” digital delay pedal based around PT2399
• Crybaby 95Q Wah – switchless wah pedal with built in booster and Q control
• Dean Markley Overlord – vintage tube powered overdrive/distortion pedal
• Dunlop DC Brick – glorified daisy chain inside a bullet-proof enclosure
• MXR 6 vs 10 Band EQ – affordable and yet great quality graphic EQ pedals
• Palmer PDI-09 Junction – versatile speaker simulator and DI-box
• TC Nova Repeater – stripped down yet potent version of TC Nova Delay
• Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 – super compact multi-effect pedal
• Guitars
  • Cort AS-E4 Acoustic – top of the line dreadnought from a budget brand name
  • Ibanez RG 2550 EGK – shredding guitar with Edge Pro tremolo and DiMarzio pickups
  • Taylor GS Mini – travel-sized acoustic with great tone and feel
• Cort AS-E4 Acoustic – top of the line dreadnought from a budget brand name
• Ibanez RG 2550 EGK – shredding guitar with Edge Pro tremolo and DiMarzio pickups
• Taylor GS Mini – travel-sized acoustic with great tone and feel
• Music
  • The Winery Dogs – amazing old-school rock trio
• The Winery Dogs – amazing old-school rock trio
• Parts
  • Bourns Guitar Pots – premium sealed guitar pots with polymer element
  • DiMarzio Pickups – reviews of various DiMarzio pickups I’ve owned
  • Hipshot Headless System – high quality streamlined headless system
  • Hipshot Tuners – high quality and great looking aftermarket tuners
  • JJB Prestige 330 – soundboard mounted piezo acoustic pickup
  • Tom Brantley Pickups – custom humbucker set inspired by EVH
  • Tremol-no – tremolo blocking device
• Bourns Guitar Pots – premium sealed guitar pots with polymer element
• DiMarzio Pickups – reviews of various DiMarzio pickups I’ve owned
• Hipshot Headless System – high quality streamlined headless system
• Hipshot Tuners – high quality and great looking aftermarket tuners
• JJB Prestige 330 – soundboard mounted piezo acoustic pickup
• Tom Brantley Pickups – custom humbucker set inspired by EVH
• Tremol-no – tremolo blocking device
• Picks
  • Chicken Picks – uniquely shaped picks made from very durable termoplastic
  • Dragon’s Heart Picks – unusual 3-tip picks made from high quality materials
  • Gravity Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
  • Graphtech Tusq Picks – guitar picks made out of synthetic ivory
  • Jazz III Pick Family – Jazz III Regular vs Ultex vs 2.0mm Ultex vs Petrucci
  • Jazz Pick Roundup – explore all jazz picks I’ve came across
  • Pick Compare Tool – compare Jazz picks head to head
  • TuskBuffer Picks – custom hand made mammoth ivory picks
  • V-Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
  • Winspear Picks – British-made boutique Jazz picks
• Chicken Picks – uniquely shaped picks made from very durable termoplastic
• Dragon’s Heart Picks – unusual 3-tip picks made from high quality materials
• Gravity Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
• Graphtech Tusq Picks – guitar picks made out of synthetic ivory
• Jazz III Pick Family – Jazz III Regular vs Ultex vs 2.0mm Ultex vs Petrucci
• Jazz Pick Roundup – explore all jazz picks I’ve came across
• Pick Compare Tool – compare Jazz picks head to head
• TuskBuffer Picks – custom hand made mammoth ivory picks
• V-Picks – boutique hand-made acrylic picks
• Winspear Picks – British-made boutique Jazz picks
• Studio
  • Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro – 32ohm closed-back monitoring headphones
  • Boss Micro BR – portable digital recorder and processor
  • Focusrite Scarlett Solo (1st Gen) – bare-bone USB interface for home recording
  • Panasonic RP-HTX7 – great sounding budget headphones with cool looks
  • Tascam DP-008 – small but potent digial portable studio
  • NI Komplete 6 – USB interface w/ 4 analog ins/outs, digital in/out, MIDI
  • Sony MDR-7506 – famous studio monitor headphones
• Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro – 32ohm closed-back monitoring headphones
• Boss Micro BR – portable digital recorder and processor
• Focusrite Scarlett Solo (1st Gen) – bare-bone USB interface for home recording
• Panasonic RP-HTX7 – great sounding budget headphones with cool looks
• Tascam DP-008 – small but potent digial portable studio
• NI Komplete 6 – USB interface w/ 4 analog ins/outs, digital in/out, MIDI
• Sony MDR-7506 – famous studio monitor headphones
• Clips – search through my DIY related video clips
• About – About me, my rig and my taste for guitar tone
  • Privacy Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Links – DIY related sites that I like to hang around