Hi Colin, I really enjoy your videos, the guitar builds have been my favourite so far. I myself am an electrical engineer and seeing you solder those wires together made me want to give you a small advice that could even more improve your solder joints: Apply more and longer heat to your joints so they really "flow" into the copper shield of the cables. Otherwise you only have a small surface (only a few wires of the shield) connected to your plug-surface and mechanical stress could easily bring them apart, resulting in short circuits or just lost connection. The best temperature for that would lie around 300°C to 350°C (depending whether you are using leaded or lead-free soldering tin). I dont want to school you, I just want to help improve your already great videos! Keep it up like you do! Cheers.
+1 to this. Also, the cable you are using is not particularly brilliant for instrument/Pedal Board applications, something akin to Canford HSS or Kelsey ATM-INST that have the conductive plastic layer to lower microphonics in the cable would be much better suited and is pretty cheap (Canford is on special at 50p/meter at the moment)
One RUclips soldering tutorial (can't remember if it was EEVBlog) was particularly useful years ago when I watched it. The main things are to tin your iron to get better heat transfer, then apply the iron to one side of what you are tinning and apply the solder to the other side. There's a flux issue in there too... I'm not an EE!
There is already flux contained in most solder tins. But It is also very temperature dependent and differs largely between the different types of solder (leaded/non-leaded). Usually that is not really an issue if you use newly bought solder. In older ones it can denaturate and then lose its abilities.
I should have elaborated on that... I was alluding to the dabbing of solder from the iron to the part and flux evaporating off and not being transferred . I've often wondered about the shelf life of multicore solder... I have a lifetime's supply!
Thanks for this. I should probably put up a couple of my own points here: What you see on camera isn't necessarily what I actually do. Sometimes you have to do what gets the shot at the pacing you want it, often times, like here, the best aesthetic shot isn't representative of the slower pace of reality. You can rest assured that all of the solder connections are completely sound here, despite the shots that made the cut seeming otherwise. The magic of television and all that, showing things how they actually are, at the real pace, isn't all that enticing a watch. I'm an electronics technician myself in my day job, I'm putting together cables all day every day, so don't worry, I know your advice well. Further to the point on the type of cable, conductive plastic seems to have no real benefit in this particular application as its main advantages are of flexibility and reduced mechanical noise. As these are short lengths, fixed in place, there is next to no movement in these cables, so it would seem rather redundant. It's also worth noting that snake oil is well and truly a plague within the world of instrument cables, and test after test has proved that there is no difference between one form of cable over another in terms of audio performance, so long as the cable remains physically robust.
Awesome idea. I've built my own pedals and valve amps but never thought to make the patch cables. Cheap and custom length, perfect. I soldered my ground to the pancake case for extra goodness. Cheers Colin.
you always have the best advice! Every time a go to my high gain momment I remembe what you told us, "crunch+boost" ! Congratulations for all your videos!
3 tips to help with DIY patch leads. I like the vid by the way. 1# You CAN squeeze pancake jacks into a narrower spacing. Snip a segment off the side of the base and bend the top cover over. I use a tin-snips for the cut and a mole-grips to do the bend, a small vice would be good too. I make the cut from the screw tab and take 3mm to 4mm off. That 3mm to 4mm can be just enough to squeeze them in. I had a loom to make for a Joyo/Harley Benton switcher and every other socket was too close. On that Buzzelectronic unit you might need to do it to all the pancakes. Saves a few mm of space which can be useful in some board configs. 2# Soldering the screen to the bottom plate of a pancake jack makes a more secure connection. On longer leads than little patch cables especially there can be quite a bit of "creep" between the different layers within the cable. Knowing that the Screen is solidly connected is one less thing to go wrong. 3# On the two tab type jacks, bending in the corners of the tabs on the cable grip lets them bite into the outer insulation and holds better than a simple squeeze. Often you'll see that the tabs are already pointed. That type just need little a little bend on the points to do the job.
CSGuitars Hey Colin I was wondering if you could post the links to where you purchase your cables and what not for people who want to do a diy cable job like myself, or make a new video on it about what exactly to get and what to look for. Thanks man ive learned a lot from your channel!
Hey Colin! I really dig your videos, and I was wondering, do you think you could do a video on how to set up one of these loop switcher things, the concept of one of those is still pretty confusing to me...
Hi Colin, I'll definitely be considering that programmable loop switcher; is it possible to make a video showing us and explaining all the connections? I'm confused as to how it is setup to use pedals through the fx loop. In your case, is this how it is done with 3 pedals in the fx loop: Fx loop Send>>>pedal 1 input>>>pedal 1 output>>>input of loop 1>>> output of loop 1>>> pedal 2 input>>> pedal 2 output>>> input of loop 2>>> output of loop 2>>> pedal 3 input>>> pedal 3 output>>> input of loop 3>>> output of loop 3>>> Fx loop Return?
The switcher has connections for the FX loop. Everything goes through the switcher. Input>send1>return1>send2>return2>FX Send FX Return>send3>return3>... so on.
Great video :) I have a Zoom G9.2tt which does everything you have demonstrated in this video. You mentioned keeping your Wah pedal on the ext loop so you can use it on all if the others. I am strugling to set the in-built Wah pedal to do the same thing on my own effects. Would I need to go about setting the ext loop first?!? I am a total newb to setting tones so any help would be apprechiated. Many thanks!!!
Ian Cavanagh I think using the pedal's loop would require the use of 2 loops on something like this, and with both loops either on or off simultaneously, and with any intended effects to be gated to be placed in between those 2 loops. That's my theory on the use of NS-2 type noise gate connectivity on these types of loop switchers anyway. I'm trying to do as much research as possible on this before shelling out money for a loop switcher.
***** i hear you. I also have the NS-2, from what I read on TC electronics website, as long as the noise gate is last in your signal chain (OD - distortion - fuzz - input NS-2) then it "should" clamp down on the noise. My big question with regards to loop switchers is : how does it determine chain order when multiple effects are engaged? Is it based on: ex. "input 1" has priority over "input 2"?
Great vid colin. Making my own patch cables is something I really should learn to do. Also does this mean you're getting back into the band game? Can we expect new music coming from you some time soon?
May i ask how do you use the Sentry noise gate in the patch loop? Are you using the 4 cable method on the Sentry noise gate, if so, would you mine telling me how to do it? Thank you in advance.
I tried using regular coaxial cable that you would get from a cable hook up installation and it's very rigid and did not have braided copper shielding but looked like tin or aluminium (worked for like 5 minutes), is there a difference between this and what you used? Also where do you get your coaxial cable from? Like an electronics store or amazon?
Helpful vid however I missed one thing, does the looper also change your amp channels? If not do you know a way to change amp channel and switch the pedal loops at the same time? I'm modeling my sound mainly using the amp channels and want to use different pedals for each channel, for example chorus / echo on clean, maxon od 808 or tube screamer on lead high gain channel and want to be able to change amp channel and effects loop with one click.
Where the wires used for the patch cables cut from an already existing guitar/instrumment cable? If not where did you get wire without the jacks? p.s love the videos
Hey Colin, do you ever build your own pedals? It's something I really wanna try after doing that true bypass + LED mod for the crybaby you made a video on a while back (thanks for that btw!)
im kinda new to pedalboard things. i own quite a few pedal and its a pain to click 3 pedals at once. how do you get pedal in 2 different loops, and is there a way to switch channels on you amp as well with this kind of switch?
Hi Colin I have a question. How come you choose to solder your patch cables and not use solderless patch cables? What is the the pros and cons of soldering and using solderless?
is it possible to build our own padels or effects would it work and sound similar to the original . like i thought since i cant find a tone bender effect that jimmy page uses . and searching the internet i stambled across some people who claim they build it at home and electronic maps of effects pedals are easy to find on the internet as well . would pretty cool if you build one pedal and compare it with factory one
Dylan Howard The loop switcher he is using is programmable. The switches can engage as many of the pedals at a time as he chooses. One switch can have all five, just one, or any number in between!
CSGuitars I got one several years ago after playing one in a store. Played so well I bought it. Doesn't help that my Bro claims one of flip paint colours looks like shit but I still love the thing
+LukeSniper coaxial means both cores share the same center axis, as in one core inside the other. There are many different types of coaxial cable. Audio coaxial like I'm using is stranded and flexible. Satellite coax, like you are thinking of is solid core, non flexible and not to be used for the purpose of making audio patch cables.
CSGuitars ah! Gotcha. I've never encountered the term used in such a general way, only ever specifically referring to cable tv wires. I thought you might be using it because it was cheaper or something.
CSGuitars what's the brand you're using? I really dig the trans purple jacket. The only people instrument I can find online is GLS and Rapco, which is an opaque pastel purple.
Great video. I just got my loop switcher. But the thought of breaking out the soldering iron..... too scary. I found a seller on reverb.com in the US that will do custom lengths and plug types. High quality. Great value. Tight Squeeze Cables. Check them out.
sounds like he had a cold solder joint on the mike for this video, Don't curse me , I gave him a thumbs up, I really like his vid.Sorry, it was my computer! Srry, Srry
That Ibanez flanger pedal looks like it's from 1938. As long as it works that's all that matters though. Nice "wah faces" too. I do the same thing. When I try to stop doing it, it fucks me up. I think most guitar players do that.
I personally wouldn't touch the solderless patch cables. Learning to solder is a much more useful skill and far more reliable than entrusting that a spike has pierced into the core of the wire.
True it sounds harsh when isolated like this, but in the context of a full band, that harshness is pretty much exactly what you need to cut through the mix. particularly if you're in a two guitar band you need to occupy a relatively small sonic space to be heard properly.
Hi Colin,
I really enjoy your videos, the guitar builds have been my favourite so far. I myself am an electrical engineer and seeing you solder those wires together made me want to give you a small advice that could even more improve your solder joints: Apply more and longer heat to your joints so they really "flow" into the copper shield of the cables. Otherwise you only have a small surface (only a few wires of the shield) connected to your plug-surface and mechanical stress could easily bring them apart, resulting in short circuits or just lost connection. The best temperature for that would lie around 300°C to 350°C (depending whether you are using leaded or lead-free soldering tin). I dont want to school you, I just want to help improve your already great videos! Keep it up like you do!
Cheers.
+1 to this.
Also, the cable you are using is not particularly brilliant for instrument/Pedal Board applications, something akin to Canford HSS or Kelsey ATM-INST that have the conductive plastic layer to lower microphonics in the cable would be much better suited and is pretty cheap (Canford is on special at 50p/meter at the moment)
One RUclips soldering tutorial (can't remember if it was EEVBlog) was particularly useful years ago when I watched it. The main things are to tin your iron to get better heat transfer, then apply the iron to one side of what you are tinning and apply the solder to the other side. There's a flux issue in there too... I'm not an EE!
There is already flux contained in most solder tins. But It is also very temperature dependent and differs largely between the different types of solder (leaded/non-leaded). Usually that is not really an issue if you use newly bought solder. In older ones it can denaturate and then lose its abilities.
I should have elaborated on that... I was alluding to the dabbing of solder from the iron to the part and flux evaporating off and not being transferred . I've often wondered about the shelf life of multicore solder... I have a lifetime's supply!
Thanks for this. I should probably put up a couple of my own points here:
What you see on camera isn't necessarily what I actually do. Sometimes you have to do what gets the shot at the pacing you want it, often times, like here, the best aesthetic shot isn't representative of the slower pace of reality. You can rest assured that all of the solder connections are completely sound here, despite the shots that made the cut seeming otherwise. The magic of television and all that, showing things how they actually are, at the real pace, isn't all that enticing a watch.
I'm an electronics technician myself in my day job, I'm putting together cables all day every day, so don't worry, I know your advice well.
Further to the point on the type of cable, conductive plastic seems to have no real benefit in this particular application as its main advantages are of flexibility and reduced mechanical noise. As these are short lengths, fixed in place, there is next to no movement in these cables, so it would seem rather redundant.
It's also worth noting that snake oil is well and truly a plague within the world of instrument cables, and test after test has proved that there is no difference between one form of cable over another in terms of audio performance, so long as the cable remains physically robust.
Awesome idea. I've built my own pedals and valve amps but never thought to make the patch cables. Cheap and custom length, perfect. I soldered my ground to the pancake case for extra goodness. Cheers Colin.
You can't help the wah faces. No one can
I think you need to revisit making your own pickups. I have been looking into making my own and could use some advice.
you always have the best advice! Every time a go to my high gain momment I remembe what you told us, "crunch+boost" ! Congratulations for all your videos!
This man has only gotten better with age. Keep killing it Collin!
As I mentioned in another comment, I'm putting together my first pedalboard. So glad to discover Buzz Electronics. Thanks very much!
3 tips to help with DIY patch leads. I like the vid by the way.
1# You CAN squeeze pancake jacks into a narrower spacing.
Snip a segment off the side of the base and bend the top cover over. I use a tin-snips for the cut and a mole-grips to do the bend, a small vice would be good too. I make the cut from the screw tab and take 3mm to 4mm off. That 3mm to 4mm can be just enough to squeeze them in.
I had a loom to make for a Joyo/Harley Benton switcher and every other socket was too close. On that Buzzelectronic unit you might need to do it to all the pancakes. Saves a few mm of space which can be useful in some board configs.
2# Soldering the screen to the bottom plate of a pancake jack makes a more secure connection. On longer leads than little patch cables especially there can be quite a bit of "creep" between the different layers within the cable. Knowing that the Screen is solidly connected is one less thing to go wrong.
3# On the two tab type jacks, bending in the corners of the tabs on the cable grip lets them bite into the outer insulation and holds better than a simple squeeze. Often you'll see that the tabs are already pointed. That type just need little a little bend on the points to do the job.
That's an awesome guitar man, major Cliff hanger dude. Couldn't find the fourth video of the neck being made...
Thanks for your video. I really liked the flange in your lead tone. Good tip.
What a beautiful guitar
Love the video Colin.
Nice Axs. Real 80's vibe. Love it.
Keep up the good work.
All the best
I always look forward to your weird sounds. Perfect way to end a video
Excellent video, Colin!!! Goes directly into one of my playlists. (pedalboard playlist)
Cheers!!!
Luke
This is great. It feels like Craig Ferguson is teaching me to make patch cables.
Your soldering is so clean. I'm always making a big mess.
Oh god that pterodactyl scream at the end :')
I live for the end card.
Jesus, these switchers are dirt cheap! great tip, I was worried I was gonna have to spend an arm and a leg for a simple switcher, thanks dude!
CSGuitars Hey Colin I was wondering if you could post the links to where you purchase your cables and what not for people who want to do a diy cable job like myself, or make a new video on it about what exactly to get and what to look for. Thanks man ive learned a lot from your channel!
very helpful and impressive DIY mate - extra class indeed - loved watchin´an learning ;)
I totally do the wah mouth, too. Nice.
Is the neck on that guitar the same one from the making a guitar neck series a while back?
Everybody should buy cables based on the divine rule set down in this video: good quality but not stupidly expensive=))
Hey Colin! I really dig your videos, and I was wondering, do you think you could do a video on how to set up one of these loop switcher things, the concept of one of those is still pretty confusing to me...
Where’s part 4 of the neck build video
when are you planning to make more of your videos and you rock, Awesome videos as usual.
Were the hell is your beard ?
That's some sexy soldering!
Thanks for sharing. look, i built a 2 channels effects loop and im wondering how do you share different pedals with the other loops.thanks
that guitar is beautiful
The poor little flanger looks like it has been dragged out of a tank battle
Hi Colin, I'll definitely be considering that programmable loop switcher; is it possible to make a video showing us and explaining all the connections? I'm confused as to how it is setup to use pedals through the fx loop. In your case, is this how it is done with 3 pedals in the fx loop: Fx loop Send>>>pedal 1 input>>>pedal 1 output>>>input of loop 1>>> output of loop 1>>> pedal 2 input>>> pedal 2 output>>> input of loop 2>>> output of loop 2>>> pedal 3 input>>> pedal 3 output>>> input of loop 3>>> output of loop 3>>> Fx loop Return?
The switcher has connections for the FX loop. Everything goes through the switcher.
Input>send1>return1>send2>return2>FX Send
FX Return>send3>return3>... so on.
Awesome, I understand now. Thank you so much for the speedy reply Colin!
Oh and that loop switcher is boss dude!
Not referring to Roland haha
where do you get those jack plugs?
Great video :) I have a Zoom G9.2tt which does everything you have demonstrated in this video. You mentioned keeping your Wah pedal on the ext loop so you can use it on all if the others. I am strugling to set the in-built Wah pedal to do the same thing on my own effects. Would I need to go about setting the ext loop first?!? I am a total newb to setting tones so any help would be apprechiated. Many thanks!!!
Avoid the cheap pancake jacks on EBay. They fail 1 out of 4 and actually sound bad. Long term they get wonky.
CIRCLE OF TONE. Avoid EBay all together...
I'm also curious to know how you connected the noise gate. I got a Boss NS-2, which has connectivity similar to your TC Electronic Sentry noise gate.
It looks like he's not using the send/return loop. I could be wrong, it's tough to see...
Ian Cavanagh I think using the pedal's loop would require the use of 2 loops on something like this, and with both loops either on or off simultaneously, and with any intended effects to be gated to be placed in between those 2 loops. That's my theory on the use of NS-2 type noise gate connectivity on these types of loop switchers anyway. I'm trying to do as much research as possible on this before shelling out money for a loop switcher.
***** i hear you. I also have the NS-2, from what I read on TC electronics website, as long as the noise gate is last in your signal chain (OD - distortion - fuzz - input NS-2) then it "should" clamp down on the noise.
My big question with regards to loop switchers is : how does it determine chain order when multiple effects are engaged?
Is it based on: ex. "input 1" has priority over "input 2"?
Hi Colin - greetings from ayrshire - can you give a bit more detail on the type of cable used? Thanks
Great vid colin. Making my own patch cables is something I really should learn to do. Also does this mean you're getting back into the band game? Can we expect new music coming from you some time soon?
May i ask how do you use the Sentry noise gate in the patch loop? Are you using the 4 cable method on the Sentry noise gate, if so, would you mine telling me how to do it? Thank you in advance.
Where is a good place or website to get the wire and jack plugs? Also what gauge wire do you use for guitar cables/patch cables?
Colin do you put your guitar build logs on patreon? And have you considered doing an entire guitar build log sometime soon?
I tried using regular coaxial cable that you would get from a cable hook up installation and it's very rigid and did not have braided copper shielding but looked like tin or aluminium (worked for like 5 minutes), is there a difference between this and what you used? Also where do you get your coaxial cable from? Like an electronics store or amazon?
Can you explain in depth the loop switcher?
There are several non solder kits available
Helpful vid however I missed one thing, does the looper also change your amp channels? If not do you know a way to change amp channel and switch the pedal loops at the same time? I'm modeling my sound mainly using the amp channels and want to use different pedals for each channel, for example chorus / echo on clean, maxon od 808 or tube screamer on lead high gain channel and want to be able to change amp channel and effects loop with one click.
Hey Colin! are you still making them humbuckers that look like single coils? I'd really like a set for a stratocaster I'm making!
oh how you have aged over the course of your channel.. you look so young in your older videos now lol, great tips as well man thanks
Where the wires used for the patch cables cut from an already existing guitar/instrumment cable? If not where did you get wire without the jacks? p.s love the videos
Your tone sounds like you have your wah up and forgot to click it off. Your videos are really helpful though dude 🙂
hey collin
i was wondering why not just get a solderless system like d'addario's as opposed to actually soldering the cables
+Vijay Tadepalli because I like the assurance that my cables will actually work, and aren't held together with hopes and prayers.
CSGuitars Bloody perfect answer
Where can I get some of that cable or something like it? I'm in the US but I'd love to get my hands on some.
where can you get the cable components?
What's your solder setup? I can sort of solder but I need a proper setup.
GOD Bless You 🎸🎸🎸
Would you advise making longer cables like 10 foot by yourself?
Colin, can you tell me where you got your plugs?
Thanks
Hey Colin, do you ever build your own pedals? It's something I really wanna try after doing that true bypass + LED mod for the crybaby you made a video on a while back (thanks for that btw!)
im kinda new to pedalboard things. i own quite a few pedal and its a pain to click 3 pedals at once. how do you get pedal in 2 different loops, and is there a way to switch channels on you amp as well with this kind of switch?
Where did you buy the jacks Colin?
Hey Colin, might i ask where you buy your coaxial cable from?
hi colin how do you program the pedals into it?? looking forward to getting one.
where i can get those flat pancake plugs?
Man I need a programmable looper, i wish prices would br lower on a simple 5-6 channel one :(
Hi Colin I have a question. How come you choose to solder your patch cables and not use solderless patch cables? What is the the pros and cons of soldering and using solderless?
Bardown Ravioli thank you. Which video is it may I ask?
is it possible to build our own padels or effects would it work and sound similar to the original . like i thought since i cant find a tone bender effect that jimmy page uses . and searching the internet i stambled across some people who claim they build it at home and electronic maps of effects pedals are easy to find on the internet as well . would pretty cool if you build one pedal and compare it with factory one
sick
where do u buy your cable? can it be bought online?
Can you explain how the same pedal can be used in different loops?
Dylan Howard The loop switcher he is using is programmable. The switches can engage as many of the pedals at a time as he chooses. One switch can have all five, just one, or any number in between!
what kind of tape did you put on your wha?
is that an ibanez xiphos hidden behind the overlay of the pedalboard?
It certainly is.
CSGuitars I got one several years ago after playing one in a store. Played so well I bought it. Doesn't help that my Bro claims one of flip paint colours looks like shit but I still love the thing
Am I Evil, man. Everytime we're jamming at a park or guitar store and we wanna show off. We just play that whole intro
Hi, does anyone know where I can buy this cable
CSGuitars, are you actually playing in a band?
Nice ibanez
Did I hear correctly? You're using coaxial cable? You don't have any issues with the solid core wire being less flexible?
+LukeSniper coaxial means both cores share the same center axis, as in one core inside the other.
There are many different types of coaxial cable. Audio coaxial like I'm using is stranded and flexible. Satellite coax, like you are thinking of is solid core, non flexible and not to be used for the purpose of making audio patch cables.
CSGuitars ah! Gotcha. I've never encountered the term used in such a general way, only ever specifically referring to cable tv wires. I thought you might be using it because it was cheaper or something.
Oh, never would I. I'm using good quality, flexible, well shielded audio coax. Sorry for the confusion.
CSGuitars what's the brand you're using? I really dig the trans purple jacket. The only people instrument I can find online is GLS and Rapco, which is an opaque pastel purple.
will it shred?
Great video. I just got my loop switcher. But the thought of breaking out the soldering iron..... too scary. I found a seller on reverb.com in the US that will do custom lengths and plug types. High quality. Great value. Tight Squeeze Cables. Check them out.
sounds like he had a cold solder joint on the mike for this video, Don't curse me , I gave him a thumbs up, I really like his vid.Sorry, it was my computer! Srry, Srry
That Ibanez flanger pedal looks like it's from 1938. As long as it works that's all that matters though.
Nice "wah faces" too. I do the same thing. When I try to stop doing it, it fucks me up. I think most guitar players do that.
Yo, where's the "Does It Shred?" part 9?!?!
What about diy patch cables that aren't soldered. good or nah and why
Savage Silas he stated in a previous video that they are often unreliable and it's best do them yourself
Lloyd Midgley thanks man! I'm gonna just get some premade ones
I personally wouldn't touch the solderless patch cables.
Learning to solder is a much more useful skill and far more reliable than entrusting that a spike has pierced into the core of the wire.
CSGuitars yeah I'm definitely going to learn to solder soon. keep up the good vids
what's that brown ibanez in the background??
It's not brown. It's a flip flip green and red chameleon.
Xiphos, one of the original ones before they deepened the bevels and changed the colours.
Does Buzz Electronics ship to the US?
Yes, they offer worldwide shipping, and you can even select which currency to view the website with. No limits.
That flanger looks like it's been in outer space a few times.
@2:50 well that's it for me.
is colin evil, yes colin is
We really need to stop meeting like this, haha
I don't like the tone :( too harsh for me.
True it sounds harsh when isolated like this, but in the context of a full band, that harshness is pretty much exactly what you need to cut through the mix. particularly if you're in a two guitar band you need to occupy a relatively small sonic space to be heard properly.
If you were to take any well recorded album and isolate the guitar parts you'd probably find you'd feel the same about them.
CSGuitars The more you know.
@1:12 Strippers, you say?
Insheleshen desk
Ah the peeet , don f0rget the peeet
this seems fairly difficult to be honest!
Second
Is it just me or is that neck REALLY wide? o.O
U r a fuking master bro
what the fuck that flange
The hideousness of that guitar will haunt my dreams forever.
Wether you're black, white, gay, Chinese, _everyone_
Makes wah motions with your mouth playing with a wah
First
What are you 10?
Ugly guitar.
How do you make your leg bend like that at 14:55? You must be quadruple jointed!
Ya got me