Of the 457 guitar pedal PCBs I analysed, I found that 949 100nF film capacitors were used making this the most common value of capacitor for building guitar stompboxes. They can also influence the amount of bass that runs through the circuit. This means that they allow AC (Alternating Current) to pass through them, but not DC (Direct Current). This is a box film capacitor which means there it doesn’t have any polarity and they’re generally used as coupling capacitors. The most common capacitor value used when making DIY guitar effects pedals is 100nF (nanofarads). If you’re new to building your own effects pedals and would like to learn more about capacitors and their functions within circuits, take a look at my beginner’s guide to capacitors for DIY effects pedals here. In effects pedals, we’ll use ceramic disc capacitors, film capacitors, tantalum capacitors and electrolytic capacitors. They’re generally used for signal filtering and power conditioning and any given circuit will make use of a few different types.

Most common capacitors for building DIY guitar pedalsĬapacitors are the other most common component type you’ll find when building DIY guitar effects pedals. However, if you would prefer to purchase these from an independent stockist, you can check out this list of retailers around the world where you can buy resistors for DIY effects pedals at very reasonable prices. Here is a list of links to Amazon where you can pick up these single value resistors in large quantities: Therefore, I would recommend picking these up in individual value packs. However, these will be common for general electronics and not DIY guitar effects pedals. When it comes to purchasing resistors, you could buy a premade kit containing ‘common’ value resistors. If you’re looking to really get into this hobby, I would strongly recommend stocking up on these values as you will find yourself reaching for them time and time again. You can find the top 25 most common resistor values for building DIY guitar effects pedals, below: Interestingly, the 10K Ohm resistor value, which is the most common value, is used almost twice as much as the 4K7 Ohm resistor in second place. The second most common resistor value used for building DIY effects pedals is 4K7 (4,700) Ohms. Throughout all 457 guitar pedal PCBs I analysed, I found that 1,546 10K Ohm resistors were used making this the most common value of resistor for building guitar stompboxes. The most common resistor value used when making DIY guitar effects pedals is 10K (10,000) Ohms.

You can read more about resistors and what they’re used for in my beginners guide to resistors for DIY guitar effects pedals. When looking at any circuit, you will find you will need to source a handful of different values in order to get the effects pedal up and running. Resistors are one of the most common electrical components needed to build DIY guitar effects pedals. Most common resistors for building DIY guitar pedals

However, the following article will provide you with a top-level analysis of this huge data set without having to dig through everything yourself.

This list does look at the below components along with their corresponding values: These include 3PDT switches, input & output ¼ inch jacks, 2.1mm DC power jacks and indicator LED’s. The only components I omitted from this list were the pieces of hardware common to all pedals. I then went through each of these guides and pulled out all of the components necessary to build that specific pedal, including the quantity required for each pedal. I compiled this list by downloading the build guides for every single PCB available on the Pedal PCB site (as of Q1 2021). If anything is missing that you would like included, please let me know. The data in this guide is correct as of Q1 2021.

Common resistor values