Decide which unusual guitar pedal you want to build. Modulation, pitch bend and certain delay pedals can achieve some fairly radical results. The processor is the component that creates the effect, so no matter how you want the pedal to sound, the building process is the same as with other pedals.
Gather all of the necessary parts. You can do this by ordering a guitar pedal kit from a company like Build Your Own Clone. An effects pedal kit comes with all the necessary parts for the unit as well as assembly instructions and a schematic. Or you can search around and pick up the parts separately.
Set up a suitable workshop. You’ll need a good source of light, such as an adjustable lamp; a power source for your soldering iron; and a large, flat surface to assemble your pedal on.
Inspect your parts for damage. It only takes one damaged part for the whole project to fail. If your parts are delivered in the mail, check them, since they can be damaged in transit.
Set out the interior components on your perfboard. The perfboard is useful if you’re just starting out, as it enables you to test the circuit before soldering it. If you’ve made any errors, you can fix them without undoing all of the soldering, which is very tricky. Consult the schematic to make sure you have the parts in the right order.
Test the circuit. Power the perfboard with a nine-volt battery and plug in your guitar. Plug the perfboard circuit into your amp. If your amp is receiving an affected signal, you have a complete circuit. Remove the parts from the perfboard carefully and lay them out in the order that you had them.
Wire the parts together using a soldering iron. You should strip the ends of the wires so the metal is exposed, then twist the metal ends around the terminals of each component. Then solder the ends so they are affixed to the terminal.
Load the wired circuit carefully into the bottom half of the pedal chassis. Power the pedal with a nine-volt battery and test again to make sure that nothing has come unstuck since you tested the perfboard circuit. Once you’re sure it’s all working, screw down the top half of the pedal board circuit.