For this example I decided to build the X Fuzz by Deadastronautfx. The X Fuzz is a relatively small circuit with a low part count, that also happens to pack a mean punch. This makes it a perfect candidate for a first up vero (stripboard) build.
For this build I used the layout from the Tagboard Effects site that you can find here. The original thread from where the X Fuzz was born can still be found on the DIY Stomp Boxes forum.
Step One: Prep the board
Measure out a piece of vero/stripboard 13 x 8 rows. Using a hobby knife and metal ruler score along both sides of the board, you should then be able to snap it off quite easily and cleanly.
Give the piece of board you’re using a good scrub down on the copper side so that it’s clean and shiny. This gives you a nice surface for when you come to soldering later on.
Step Two: The cuts and links
Referring to the layout, take note of the links and the cuts. A cut breaks the flow of a copper strip preventing a connection from one end to the other. The X Fuzz on Tagboardeffects has 5 cuts and 3 links.
When looking at the layout, you’re looking at the board from the component side, so the side that does not have the copper on it. Count out the rows and mark out the cut points. Remember though that you need to break the copper track. So you’ll need to flip the board over and take a drill bit and bore out the point/cut. If you’re not confident with marking the non-copper side and flipping the board another easy way to do it is to mirror the image in some sort of picture editor software and then just mark out the copper side direct. The pictures below probably do a better job explaining it than I ever could.
Source: Tagboardeffects 
Once you’ve made the cuts it’s time to add the links or jumpers. These connect the circuit between copper tracks. You can use the excess wire from resistors for this job if you want. Personally I use solid core wire leaving the insulation on. It probably doesn’t really matter what you use, I just like the wire as it gives me a little more comfort that I won’t make an accidental connection. Solder the links in place and move on to populating the board.
Step Four: Populating the board
Time to start putting the components on the board. Start with the lowest profile components first, such as the resistors.
Add any low profile capacitors and the sockets. In this case I put sockets in for the transistors and the diodes so I could experiment a little.
Then move on the the bulkier components. In my case the capacitors I had on hand were on the large side. The result was anything but pretty!
Finally hook up the potentiometers and any additional leads required (in this case power and ground). You’ll want to refer back to the layout to see what needs to be hooked up where.
In this case the board was hooked up to lugs 1, 2 and 3 of the pre-gain potentiometer, with lug 1 of the pre-gain pot hooked up to lug 1 of the volume pot. Lug 3 of the volume pot was also hooked up to the book. In this example, the ‘input’ lead is attached to pre-gain 3 and the ‘output’ lead is attached to lug 2 of the volume pot. For a quick and easy run down of potentiometers and their lug number check out Understanding Potentiometers in Guitar Effects.
Step Four: Testing
Before you commit to wiring your effect in to a box I’d recommend testing the circuit first to make sure it works. One piece of advice I was given early went along the lines of, ‘if it doesn’t work outside of a box it won’t work inside one either’.
The quickest and easiest way to test your circuit is to use a test box. I built my test box from the remains of a failed project. Essentially I use it to hook up the in, out, 9v and ground alligator clips to the circuit and switch it on/off via the stomp switch.
Step Five: Boxing
Coming soon….