Cause & Effects: Why it’s essential for guitarists to have DIY skills
Being able to fix or mod something yourself isn’t just for wannabe builders – it’s an essential tool that can help you unlock your sound.
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In most hobbies, there are the outliers who adopt a more “do it yourself” approach – those who learn in a non-traditional manner and hone their craft by making mistakes over and again until either a gem is created, or their hairline recedes.
Like many others I have adopted a policy of learning from YouTube for other hobbies I have an interest in. I’ve watched countless woodworking videos, iron smithing, knife sharpening and Photography tips and tricks. All of which have enabled me to be better at those skills than ordinarily I have any right to be, I am far from a professional in any one of these endeavours, but the extra ability is welcome. With regards to guitar pedals I believe having a basic level of DIY skill is vital for guitarists, and I’ll explain why.
DIY赤字
When we talk about DIY with regards to pedals and pedalboards, people assume it only means building pedals from scratch. The DIY mindset is a sliding scale that encompasses everything from using a multimeter through to building your own complex pedals and amplifiers. A lot of people I speak to though are uncomfortable with anything above changing a battery for fear of damaging the items in question.
The reality is that if you have the skill and intelligence to learn an instrument, then basic troubleshooting is well within your ability. The trick is getting comfortable with things.
Not only is this something you should be comfortable with but in truth having some DIY skills will help you become a better guitarist all-round as the amount of “downtime” due to faults will be reduced. In my opinion, these are the three must-have (complimentary) skills you should acquire immediately.
- Using a multimeter
- Understanding voltage and current requirements
- 基本故障排除
You can pick up a multimeter cheap on Amazon from as little as £10. For that money you get the ability to measure signal continuity, AC voltage, DC voltage, resistance, and check if a diode is working. For myself I find the most used settings are using it as a continuity tester for checking your cables are working and not shorting, as this is vital to troubleshooting issues in your rig. There are specific cable testers out there, but a multimeter is much better value and much more versatile.
了解每个踏板的电压，极性和当前平局对于确保您不会无意间破坏踏板或创建没有足够电流无法正常工作的踏板。弄错了这一点，充其量会使事情断断续续或最糟糕的是您的电源过高，以使其过早失败。同样，万用表可以通过通过供应来测量电压输出并确认其极性来提供帮助。对于当前的抽签，制造商将提供此信息。大多数制造商不会通过疏忽或为踏板供电踏板损坏踏板。因此，仅此技能绝对将为您节省金钱。
对于基本的故障排除，采用逻辑方法是一件好事。如果一旦引入了新的东西，就会出现问题，请将其删除并关联的电缆以查看问题是否持续。通常，您必须将信号链剥离至其最简单的形式（吉他仪 - amp），才能具有一个您知道有效的起点。从这一点开始，请介绍元素，直到找到故障为止。此后工作以解决故障。通常，故障本质上是机械性的（电缆连接故障），如果您学到的万用表技能将有助于您确认故障。
Taking DIY further
If your newfound mastery of your rig leaves you craving even more control, then learning to solder correctly is the natural next skill to learn. This skill (easily learnt by following awesome content creators on YouTube) will allow you to fix faults found, solve issues with broken cables, and even allow you to replace pickups in your guitar.
Then what?
Well for me, the thing that drove on my DIY upskilling was a desire to build my own patch cables and guitar cables to the highest standard I could. Thereafter I attempted to build some of the classic circuits using my newly acquired soldering skills. With a modicum of success, I adopted an approach of trying to build the circuits to an almost forensic level of detail and then the obsession was fully formed and gathering momentum.
Clearly, I took the DIY approach to how I wanted to develop my rig to the extreme level, but somewhere within this sliding scale is a comfortable place for you. If you are still unsure then if I can recommend anything, learn the first three skills I recommend above. It’ll give you a freedom to understand your rig and fix simple issues both when practising or when under the pressure of playing live. The rest can follow (or not) as you gain confidence.
