It works.
View attachment 19249
Just connected it to a chip amp (that rogerfederer might recognize) to test, and HEY YOU GUYS IT WORKS!
I'm gonna try my hand at making some wooden knobs, and I still need to wait for the shaft extensions to arrive, but at the moment I'm just happy that I can hear a signal.
A sincere thanks to everyone who posted advice. I look forward to spending some time listening.
is that the wardsweb built gainclone? nice work with the AVC!