Retro Wooden Guitar Amp A/B Switch Box

An easy to build, guitar A/B input box for switching between (2) 1/4 Jack outputs. Design incorporates (2) LED's, to let you know (which) input is active.

An Instructables article which helped me make this pretty easily ; was the wiring diagram found here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_make_a_AB_box/

Step 1 Tools & Parts List

To complete this project, you'll need:


-Soldering iron & rosin core solder
-Drill w/ bits
-Phillips Screwdriver
-Electrical tape

1x Project Box (plastic / wooden / metal)
1x DPDT switch (can be a sw like I used, or get a DPDT footswitch)
3x 1/4 Mono jacks
Wire
2x 5mm LED's
2x LED Holders
1x 4,700 ohm Resistor
9v Battery
9v Battery Holder / Terminals
Rubber Feet
22 Gauge Wire

Comments

[MrkTrussell]

When an A/B box is wired like this you fail to ground out the channel not being used, resulting in massive hum and hiss when distortion or fuzz pedals are left on. It is just an inherent problem with A/B Boxes ade with DPDTs. You need to use a design that incorporates a 3PDT switch in order to ground the channel that is not being used.

[shaungan1]

is there any way to ground out a dpdt switch? i built this and got horrible hum afdter spending all the money

[iamtoats]

http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/ABSwitches/AB_DualLED.gif

[iamtoats]

(removed by author or community request)

[capth00k]

Thanks, that's some good input. While I haven't experienced any hum / hiss using this box ; I plan on using the 3PDT foot switch later instead of this DPDT one from Rat-Shack. ;)

[pilaurox]

how do you make one with 2 inputs and one output?

and, does it matter what kind of wire you use?

[gcmartinelli]

Thanks a lot for the attribution...
http://www.instructables.com/id/SGK98WQFX23VMM6/

[capth00k]

Nice instructable.  Love to see other people saving the $50 and building instead of buying one. 

[kngkookoo]

Can this also be used for 2 inputs to 1 output, as in 2 guitars to one amp?

[LuminousObject]

This might be a stupid question, but why would you need to switch between amps?

[iamtoats]

Because Peavy's 5150 doesn't really have a clean channel...... =)
(my reason..) (at stage volumes, it turns into a bad crunch channel...)

[capth00k]

Sometimes you have a tuner connected so you can switch over to it without unplugging your guitar, which is why I have mine - other times you have another amp you want to play through... ; for example I can now play through my marshall stack for a huge sound, or switch to a subway blues amp ;)

[LuminousObject]

Ahh. That makes sense. Thanks.