The Basics

Many students of mine ask how to learn about the general facts concerning guitar electronics, modding, etc. The truth is, if you ever owned a 60-In-One electronic science kit or the like, you probably already possess the required electrical skills needed to modify the electronics of a guitar or pedal.

If you are an up-and-coming guitar techie looking for directions and how-to facts, I recommend first checking out a page like Alex Plorer's basic modding site. This page contains tons of info about the basic concepts of modding and includes great, simple explainations of electrical components. Many of my future posts will contain some semi-technical details, and so if you'd like to brush up on your basics, check out his site.

Schematics are used to show the electrical blue print of a pedal or guitar's electronic setup. While I'll do my best with walkthroughs to use pictures and simple instructions, sometimes I may break down and use a schematic to show the setup. Schematics can be intimidating if you don't know what they mean, but simply put, if you possess the right know-how, they're easy to translate. Check out this page or this page to learn what all of those squiggly lines and arrows mean.