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Beginner and Intermediate DIY Pedal Courses
Learn to design and build your own guitar pedals from scratch. This complete DIY bundle takes you from the basics to advanced circuits, with hands-on projects, pro design tips, and everything you need to create unique, great-sounding pedals.
Most People Think Guitar Pedal Design Is Too Complicated. It's Not.
The Complete Guitar Pedal Design Journey
Whether you've never touched a soldering iron, you've built a few kits but want to understand what you're actually doing, or you're an experienced builder stuck troubleshooting when things go wrong - most DIY builders are stuck in "paint-by-numbers" mode, with zero clue why that resistor value matters or what happens when you change it.
What You Will Learn
Master guitar pedal design from absolute beginner to advanced circuit designer. This complete bundle combines both the beginner fundamentals and intermediate techniques you need to go from knowing absolutely nothing about electronics to creating your own great sounding and inspiring unique guitar pedals.
How to read schematics the easy way, explained from one musician to another - no more "hieroglyphics"
The fundamental building blocks every pedal uses and how they shape your tone
Hands-on breadboard circuit design and systematic troubleshooting techniques
The legendary fuzz, overdrive, and distortion circuits that boutique builders charge $300+ for
Advanced transistor, FET, op-amp techniques and professional EQ design (Passive AND Active tone stacks)
How to transition from breadboard prototype to finished, professional pedal
I see this constantly in the forums. Experienced builders with dozens of successful kit builds under their belt, but the moment something goes wrong or they want to modify a circuit, they're completely lost. They can follow instructions perfectly, but they can't troubleshoot, they can't design, and they definitely can't explain why their Tube Screamer sounds different from their Blues Breaker.
Here's the thing - you're already 80% of the way there. You can solder. You can read a parts list. You've got the mechanical skills down cold. What you're missing is the one thing that separates the kit builders from the actual circuit designers: understanding what each component actually does to your signal.
I got an message from Ken, a 72-year-old builder who'd been working through kit after kit, getting increasingly frustrated before taking our courses. "Schematics are Sanskrit to me," he wrote. "If I have a problem, I'm stuck." Sound familiar?
After going through these courses, Ken now designs and builds his own pedals from scratch. At 72. With no formal electronics training. Because once you understand the building blocks - really understand them, not just memorize them - everything clicks into place.
The Problem With Paint-by-Numbers Building
Kit building teaches you to solder and follow instructions. That's it. You learn that this resistor goes here and that capacitor goes there, but you have no idea why. The moment you want to experiment - maybe make your overdrive a little brighter, or add more gain to your fuzz - you're flying blind.
Even worse, when something doesn't work, you're stuck. You can re-check your solder joints, but you can't diagnose whether the problem is in the input buffer, the gain stage, or the tone section, because you don't know what those things actually do.
The really frustrating part? You're not stupid. You're not missing some crucial electronics gene. You've proven you can build complex circuits. What you're missing is someone who can explain these circuits in terms that make sense to musicians, not electrical engineers.
From Building Kits to Understanding Circuits
This bundle does something most electronics courses don't - it starts with what you already know and builds from there. You know what a guitar signal looks like. You know what distortion sounds like. You understand that turning up the gain knob makes things more aggressive.
What you'll learn is how those familiar sounds map to specific circuit blocks, and how those blocks can be combined, modified, and redesigned to create exactly the effect you want.
The Complete Beginner's Course takes you from "I can build from instructions" to "I understand what I'm building." You'll learn to read schematics like you read chord charts - naturally and intuitively. More importantly, you'll understand how different components shape your tone, so you can start making informed modifications instead of random component swaps.
The Intermediate Course is where it gets really interesting. This is where you learn the classic circuits that every boutique builder riffs on - Fuzz Face variations, Tube Screamer-style overdrives, advanced passive and active EQ & tone stacks. You'll understand why the Blues Breaker sounds different from the Tube Screamer, and more importantly, how to design your own variations.
Together, these courses take you from following someone else's instructions to creating your own circuits that sound exactly like what you hear in your head.
What This Actually Looks Like
After completing this bundle, you'll be able to look at any schematic and immediately identify the input buffer, the gain stages, the clipping section, and the tone controls. You'll know why changing from silicon to germanium diodes affects the compression characteristics. You'll understand how that mysterious "presence" control on some overdrives actually works.
More practically, you'll be able to take any existing circuit and modify it intelligently. Want your Rat clone to have more low-end? You'll know exactly which component to change and why. Building a Tube Screamer variant but want it less compressed? You'll understand the clipping topology well enough to design your own variation.
And when something doesn't work - because it will, we all have those builds - you'll be able to troubleshoot systematically instead of randomly reflowing solder joints and hoping for the best.
"But I Already Know How to Build Pedals"
You know how to assemble them. That's different...
Think about it this way - if someone handed you a schematic for a circuit you'd never seen before, could you build it from scratch? Could you explain to someone else why it sounds the way it does? Could you modify it to better suit your playing style?
If the answer is no, then what you know is following instructions, not building pedals. There's nothing wrong with that - it's how most of us started. But there's so much more capability sitting right there, waiting for you to unlock it.
The builders who get the most satisfaction from this hobby aren't the ones with the most kits under their belt. They're the ones who understand their tools well enough to create something unique. They're the guys posting original circuits in the forums, not asking which kit to build next.
"What If the Theory is Too Complicated?"
I once thought guitar pedal electronics would be all math and formulas too. Turns out, guitar circuit design can be taught much more intuitive than that. Even if you already understand the basic concepts, the intermediate course will clarify all those math formulas in a language that musicians speak - tonality. Creativity. Personality. Feel. Punch.
What these courses do is connect those musical concepts to the actual circuit components. Instead of learning abstract electrical theory, you're learning why this specific resistor value gives you that specific midrange bump you love, or how changing that particular capacitor affects the low-end response.
The students who do best aren't the ones with engineering backgrounds - they're the ones who are genuinely curious about how their pedals work and willing to spend time experimenting on the breadboard.
Stop Building Someone Else's Ideas
Every pedal you've built from a kit is someone else's idea of what that effect should sound like. Someone else's choice of clipping diodes, someone else's EQ curve, someone else's gain structure. You've been building their interpretation of good tone.
What happens when you understand these circuits well enough to make your own choices? When you can take the things you like from different designs and combine them in new ways? When you can optimize a circuit specifically for your guitar, your amp, your playing style?
That's when kit building stops being assembly work and starts being actual creation.
Your Complete Pedal Design Education
Getting these courses separately would run you $358. The bundle saves you $59 and costs just $299, but more importantly, it gives you the complete path from component-level understanding through advanced circuit design.
Think about what you've spent on kits over the years. Most builders have easily dropped $500-1000 on various projects. This bundle costs less than a couple of high-end kit builds, but instead of getting two more pedals that do what someone else decided they should do, you get the knowledge to design unlimited variations that do exactly what you want them to do.
Plus lifetime access to both courses and our builder community, where you can get answers to your questions when you get stuck and/or don't understand something as well as learn from other builders who've made the same journey.
Time to Graduate From Assembly to Design
Every day you spend building other people's circuits is a day you're not developing your own voice as a builder. The knowledge in these courses doesn't go out of date - once you understand how op-amp gain stages work, you understand them forever. Once you know how different clipping and gain stage topologies affect compression and harmonics, that knowledge applies to every overdrive circuit you'll ever encounter.
Get the Complete DIY Guitar Pedal Bundle and start building circuits that sound like what you hear in your head, not what someone else thinks they should sound like.
The only question is: are you ready to stop following instructions and start understanding what you're actually building?
- Master analog guitar pedal design from complete beginner to advanced designer
- Understand why circuits work instead of just following instructions
- Troubleshoot problems systematically instead of random part swapping
- Design your own variations of legendary boutique circuits
- Join a community of builders who actually understand what they're building
This bundle includes the following courses:
Complete Beginner's Guide: How To Design Your Own Guitar Pedal Circuits
Value: $179.00 Included!
Guitar Pedal Design Course: Learn to create and play overdrive, distortion, fuzz effects using breadboards. Taught by Brian Wampler of Wampler pedals, this is ideal for those with no experience, but a desire to learn how guitar pedals work!
How to Design and Build Better Guitar Pedals: For Intermediate DIY'ers
Value: $179.00 Included!
Learn how to design smarter guitar pedal circuits and build real working pedals. Explore gain stages, fuzz, buffers, and tone shaping—then turn your breadboard into a finished pedal ready for your board. Designed for intermediate DIY'ers.
Official Wampler/GuitarPedalCourse Community
Value: Free Included!
Welcome to the Wampler Community! Here, every question, simple or complex, enriches our safe, inclusive space and dynamically enhances our course. Dive in!
Taught by Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals
Brian Wampler
Owner and President; Wampler Pedals, Inc.
Brian Wampler, founder of Wampler Pedals, Inc., is a well-known name in the world of guitar effects and sound crafting. Known for his skill in pedal design and his deep know-how of musical electronics, Brian's pedals have become go-to gear for players in all kinds of music styles. From the clear ring of his delay, reverb, and modulation pedals to the rich growl of his overdrives, distortions, and fuzz pedals, the Wampler brand stands for top sound quality and a wide range of tones.
But Brian's passion for great sound doesn't stop at just making pedals. Knowing that musicians at all levels need to understand how to get the best guitar tones, Brian has started offering educational courses. These courses cover everything from the details of analog vs. digital sound to how to shape the right tone for different types of music, as well as helpful courses for those looking to start their own MI company, marketing campaigns, and even musical instrument based Youtube channels.
Brian's love for teaching comes from his own curiosity about how electronic circuits shape sound. Not happy with the pedals out there, he started making his own to meet his high standards. This hands-on experience, along with years of learning, has made him an expert in the field of audio electronics. His courses offer more than just book learning; they give you real skills you can use, backed up by examples from the real world.
Brian also knows his way around the business side of things, having built Wampler Pedals from a one-man operation to a brand known worldwide. He brings this business smarts into his courses, giving you a full look at the industry. As a teacher, he brings together the technical skills of an engineer with the real-world knowledge of a successful business owner.
Brian's courses are carefully put together to make sure you get the most out of your learning. They're perfect for anyone, whether you're just starting to explore guitar tone or you're a pro looking to keep up with new gear and techniques. Using a mix of video lessons, interactive activities, and hands-on practice, Brian makes learning fun and effective.
So, whether you're a musician looking to find your own unique sound, or you're hoping to get into the world of pedal design, Brian Wampler is more than just a teacher—he's a mentor and a constant source of inspiration. His courses are more than just lessons; they're experiences that help you discover new ways to make your music sound its best.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely. It also includes the private community/forum where my team and I can help you in any problems areas or questions you might have pertaining to the courses. These are for members only.
As with all of our courses, there is a 30 day, money back guarantee.
This course also includes:
- CircuitLab.com Templates
- Schematics (Downloadable)
- PDF Downloads
- Access to Private Community
- Complete DIY Pedal Knowledge
- Pay Once, or
- Split into 3 payments, or
- Split into 6 payments
Pricing options
There are 3 different ways you can purchase this course. One time purchase, or make payments over 3 months, or 6 months.
You can use coupons with payments as well - the discount applies to each payment.