When I was a kid learning about engineering and electronics, the magazines that we read in the pre-internet days were full of articles, projects, and kits promising hours of enjoyment and even the proposition of making money from our favorite pastime. Electronics kit building kind of fell out of favor during the computer age as the home based technology enthusiasts… Read More »Building Pedals for Fun and Profit
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] There’s little the guitar gear forum community enjoys more than a good scandal. Top of the list for Pedalgate performances is the case of the altered identity: Unmasking a popular pedal, rated for its boutique tones, as a repainted Far Eastern bargain box available on Ebay for half the price, is guaranteed to turn the internet apoplectic. When it… Read More »Fake it ’til you make it
Have you ever looked at the underside of a pedal or the rear of a guitar amplifier and wondered about all those little symbols such as FCC, CE, CSA, TUV or UL? Why is it that we typically see those on products from the big players, but not on the boutique devices? What does ‘This equipment has been tested and… Read More »What’s the big deal with Certification?
Last quarters Gearphoria article is a look into gooping of effects pedals and it’s more legitimate parent, conformal coating. You can read the latest edition of Workbench Confidential at Gearphoria I don’t read music gear forums much, but recently I did a little weekend surfing and saw fair bit of comment about the ‘gooping’ of components in guitar effects pedals. Indeed… Read More »Don’t Goop Me Bro
If you run an internet business, whether it’s an auction store selling home built pedals from your garage or a large commercial enterprise, sooner or later someone is going to try to scam you. Here are a few or my favorites from over the years and some suggestions on how to be prepared for them. These are all based… Read More »Six Internet Store Scams