2023 Is Here!

2023 has been here for almost a month already, most of which I've been dealing with Covid, but that also gave me time to break my guitar pedal build limit and add a few more builds to the schedule, when Spring comes around and affords me the ability to do so. The only drawback being that my Fender Mustang Mini has died and left me without an amp to do preliminary testing with. It was convenient and simple to plug into the little bastard, test a circuit and pack it away to start a new circuit. I guess that means I'll just have to build a new one.

Yep, that's right. I'm not sure whether I've mentioned it here or not, but I've been toying with the idea of building something LM386 based. Maybe a Noisy Cricket or a Ruby Tuby with a 12AU7 for flavor. I don't need it to power a 4x12 cabinet, but from what I'm reading these circuits certainly can. All I want is the ability to test pedal circuits with a quick plug and play amp, then unplug it and pack it away. Heck, maybe if this little amp comes together I'll embark on building a clone of my Kalamazoo Model 1, to take the burden off Kali's aging parts. 5F1 circuits seem really simple, it's just that damned, deadly high voltage that keeps me from attempting it. We'll see though.

I've said it each year that I've built guitar pedals, but I've never stuck to it, I want to limit this year's builds. This year I really want to focus on perfecting the builds I already have and actually using them. In 2022 I wrote and recorded a demo of a song that really got the ball rolling on making more music. I have a ton of things written that I would like to see the light of day, but it's all down to whether I can get the effects I want, find the tone I want and make it all happen. Again, we'll see!