Name: DIY Guitar Pedal Workshop - Build a Noise Gate or Tremolo
Start: 2025-11-01T10:30:00-04:00
End: 2025-11-01T15:00:00-04:00
Location: Small Bear Electronics

DIY Guitar Pedal Workshop - Build a Noise Gate or Tremolo

We will supply the parts, instructions, tools, and expertise. Build a Noise Gate or Tremolo in an Altoids tin.
About this Event

Choose what you’d like to build In this workshop! We have two kits with Guitarist in mind. These circuits kits fit in Altoids tins. ALL are suitable for beginners and the DIY curious.

Pick from these musical effects:
∙ 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲

∙ 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼

You'll get all of the necessary materials and detailed instructions. We'll have all the equipment: soldering iron, hand tools, and more. Participants have a blast while they learn.

Altoids Noise Gate
The Altoids Noise Gate passes the intended, deliberate sound of your guitar playing and blocks many types of unwanted noise. This noise usually comes from high-gain amps and pedals as well as electromagnetic interference. Especially if you use high-gain distortion pedals, a noise gate may improve your tone by shutting down the unwanted background noise. Use the potentiometer to adjust the noise gate cut-off point.

Unlike most pedals, you don’t “hear” the noise gate”. When it’s working you hear more silence between the musical passages.

Altoids Tremolo
Tremolo is actually the first commercially available effects unit. The first tremolo pedal is the DeArmond Tremtrol, made in the '40s, which consisted of a mechanical motor passing signal through conductive oil. Billy Gibbons at one point had two of these in his rig.

Tremolo began in amplifiers as a hands-free vibrato, which is why so many amps just call it that. however, Gibson put the first tremolo in an amp, and despite it being called vibrato.

As for some classic songs that use it, check out Duane Eddy's "Rebel-Rouser" and Tommy James and the Shondells’ "Crimson and Clover” or “How Soon is Now” by The Smiths.

These are low part count project - easy build for beginners! But if you need help with your circuit, your instructors have 20+ years’ experience building, designing, and troubleshooting electronic circuitry. So rest assured that we will get your effect working and get you ready to explore the worlds of sound synthesis and electronics. Expect this workshop to last 2 – 3 hours.

This is brought to you in conjunction with our sponsors: @synthcube @smallbear @pcbway