The input stage will first hit mushy saturation on one polarity of signal and then if driven hard enough, hit cutoff on the other polarity. Build your own clone full circle bass fuzz kit instructions. In this video i take a look at a classic guitar effects pedal circuit the fuzz face. It produces a characteristic high distorted sound called fuzz.
With the fuzz knob backed off to 80% or so it sounded like the best nkt fuzz face you could probably ever find. For a beginner, building a fuzz face can be a treat or a trial. I wanted a layout that used regular 16mm pots, which are easier to come by and what you probably already have in your parts stash. What im going to call the bulk fuzz is a variant on a popular diy project known as the bazz fuss.
This component was not part of the original fuzz face circuit. Colorsound tone bender mk ii project documentation. Theyre only really necessary when building the silicon version of the circuit, but you can add them to a germanium build if you want to calm things down a little. Thats no problem because the pot acts as a voltage divider when the pot is not maxed. Electrosmash you can build the perfect germanium fuzz face. If you want, you can omit the drive pot because this thing is built for screaming and the drive pot might just as well be left on 10. In addition to appearing in the block diagram circuit enriched with other floors.
Depending on the mate rial and temperature of the surface on which you place the compact pedal, the rubber pad may. Guitar effects simple fuzz face circuit electronics. Below are a couple of examples of how the schematics on the site would look if the stomp switch were drawn into them, in this case the 3pdt with a led indicator, and a dpdt with no led indicator. The fuzz face is a distortion guitar pedal designed in london by arbitrer electronics ltd in the autumn of 1966. See more ideas about diy guitar pedal, guitar pedals and pedalboard. The schematics and layouts are known to work, but you may have to do some debugging or component switching to get them to work properly. In one q1 and q2 had been pnp germanium ac128 or nkt275 types, in the other they had. The new fuzz face pcb and layout that i have drawn is based on the axis face circuit board, which is quite possibly the smallest and most compact fuzz face. Fuzz face diy kit good fuzz kit, alpha pots, good quality jacks. These schematics and pcb layouts carry no guarantee or warranty. So i got a standard fuzz face pcb made using the nice and compact tonepad layout and ordered a bunch of russian and some serbian. My solution was to use 9mm pots, the kind that mount to the pcb with additional pins for support.
Fuzz faces naturally tend to bias with only about half a volt on the collector of the first transistor, so there is a lot of room upwards. Fuzz face pcb fuzz face overdrivedistortion fuzz diy pedals dimensions 29mm x 28mm. Testing the circuit before proceeding to the off board wiring of switches and leds it is advised to test that the circuit is working. These are optional smoothing caps to tame the very high end of the signal and prevent potential squeal and oscillation. Its no coincidence that when the circuit for the pedal was developed cheap carbon batteries were the only thing available alkaline batteries have very low series resistance, transient resistance, and transient capacitance bad, for a fuzzface. Big muff pcb big muff overdrivedistortion fuzz diy pedals dimensions. Fuzz face fuzz face is a legendary fuzz circiut used by jimi hendrix amongst others. Version 2 of this board now is designed to fit into a 1590a enclosure for those that like to build tiny pedals.
If r2a680 and r2b8200 then r2 is 8880 ohms for use in the calculations. Ive got a pnp ge transistor fuzz face which i built on an etched pcb, q1 has a gain of 86 and q2 has a gain of 122, the fixed resistors in my build are 1k, 8k2, 33k, and 100k, i substituted 1k for the 470 ohm resistor to bring the output level up a bit, q1 collector voltage is. Calculate resistor values for the fuzz face guitar effects pedal. The input impedance on the 7 minute fuzz is very small, allowing the pedal to. Dunlop eric johnson signature fuzz face ejf1 there is an ongoing discussion on fsb about this pedal, because we know that there are some hidden surface mount components underneath the board, and so this is based on a best guess by marc ahlfs after some experimentation he did on the circuit. In one q1 and q2 had been pnp germanium ac128 or nkt275 types. Plug a strat into a fuzz face into the new dls in sb mode and youll see what we mean. The name fuzz is a bit of a misnomer as it doesnt really fulfill most peoples definition of a fuzz control. Pnppositive ground is not a problem at all if you are using battery power. Otherwise, we recommend you ignore this pcb mask and buy the readytosolder printed circuit board. Building a germanium fuzz face guitar pedal hackaday. Featured with only one knob it is very minimalistic. You will find apparently two identical designs of the fuzz face.
Direct connect compatible 4way dogface with inverter instruction pdf original version instruction pdf. You can purchase all other components required for this project from tayda components are sold separately. The 1966 fuzz face pedal, popularized by jimmy hendrix, was arguably the first major fuzz pedal to hit the market. However, as you might have noticed, no matter how hard you rock, it just does not sound right. Countless other models have been built and sold since then, but at the core of nearly all designs is a pair of transistors used to overdrive and boost the signal. In this article, tim gave examples of modifications to the classic arbiter fuzz face circuit. The 2 minicaps could have been larger ones, theres enaugh room for better ones. It is very common to get strange noises out of a fuzz face when you turn your guitar volume down to zero. These were actually only made for a very short period of time. Once the circuit is completely built, you can adjust this trimpot to color. Arbiter fuzz face clone assembly instructions synthrotek.
Aug 26, 2016 in this video i take a look at a classic guitar effects pedal circuit the fuzz face. Fuzz face fuzz does the fuzz face really need an introduction. In particular, this fuzz can give you some really crazy sounds, continuous feedback, as well as the standard germanium transistor fuzz sounds youd expect out of a fuzz face type circuit. Much more disparity in tone with different volumes than other fuzz face ive owned. This one i put a input cap blend pot for versatility and made the bias external.
Once a basic working fuzz circuit was assembled, we modified the design and components in order to suit our sound preferences and then discussed the inclusion of additional features. This site uses cookies to deliver services in accordance with the cookie files policy. The bc108 is the traditional silicon transistor for the fuzz face. The following diagram is the jimi hendrix fuzz face pedal jh2 circuit diagram. Anyway, its a nice circuit and definitely gives the ge fuzz faces a run for their money. The voltage inverter circuitry incoporated into the pcb allows you to power a positiveground version of the fuzz face on your normal negativeground supply chain. Mini fuzz face vintage fuzz in a neat little package contents of this document are 2016 pedal parts ltd.
Ivor arbiter took the round shaped enclosure idea from a microphone stand and it was the first pedal including a dpdt stompswitch. Colorsound tone bender mk ii project documentation deimos fuzz. Ivor arbiter took the round shaped enclosure idea from a microphone stand and it was the first pedal including a. I received a red board but most of the time they come in green. The circuit follows the original fuzz face positive ground signal path design. Solaris fuzz face pedal diy pcb project aion electronics. The solaris fuzz project is the ultimate diy clone of the dallas arbiter fuzz face, one of the most ubiquitous effects in the diy and boutique effect landscape. It is designed to produce a distorted sound referred to as fuzz, originally achieved through accident such as broken electrical components or damaged speakers. However, a multimeter hfe scale wont read germanium devices accurately. Its a tempting project to try as a first build because of its simplicity, but the simplicity of the circuit belies a couple of land mines. Which is alot of money for such a simple pedal really.
Fuzz central making the world a fuzzier place for 5 years. The pcb layout assumes the use of film capacitors with 5mm lead spacing for all values 1nf through. Jun 23, 2011 and here is the normal fuzz face configuration a npn fuzz face with a buffer and pots instead od resistors ok, as i see, the oem factory doesnt have the 470 ohm resistor. While the original fuzz face is a very simple circuit, many modifications have been made in the nearly 50 years since it was first introduced. Highest quality, professionally fabricated fuzz face pcbs for vintage silicon npm and germaniumpnp transistors. I had also seen much written about the complexities of proper biasing and transistor selection, which made the fuzz face a bit more more daunting for me, still a. It is professionally made, all holes drilled including silk screen. The originals have the pots mounted to the board as well, but zvex uses the little square pots which are more expensive. Build an authentic 60sstyle diy fuzz face at 60sstyle prices. The pcb layout above which im using for this build is actually the issue 1 layout for the germanium fuzz face which was positive ground. Capacitors are not important to the calculations so they are not numbered. Page 8 boss compact pedals have a nonslip rubber pad attached to its bottom cover. Body is an input capacitor blend, which controls the amount of bass.
Tonepad layout can work for both pnp and npn circuits, but all the transistors i got were pnp, so i wired it in pnp mode. This is the circuit diagram of fuzz face mods, guitar effect pedal. When i began building effects, i dismissed the fuzz face as a circuit for hendrixworshippers. Jimi hendrix fuzz face pedal jh2 electronic schematic. It can produce classic fuzz face tones, selfoscillating sounds, octave fuzz, and a variety of normal and weird sounds using 5 knobs.
This analysis covers the first arbitrer fuzz face model equipped with pnp germanium transistors from the first releases. Based on original dallas and jimmy hendrix, fuzz face pedal box schematic made by. Dec 27, 2010 building a germanium fuzz face guitar pedal. With pertboard, you can can often just replicate the layout of the schematic. Once you have your guitar and learned how to play in time with a metronome, the only thing left to do is rock out. It also cleaned up as good or better than a nkt 275 fuzz face. If ever there was an essential addition to a rig then the fuzz face surely is it. Version 2 of this board now is designed to fit into a 1590a.
This is a wild and flexible fuzz circuit board from. The pedal uses a double pnp transistor stage and a feedback network. Page 2 max volume fuzz silicon npn negative ground kit instructions warranty. Hi guys, this is our latest project, a germanium fuzz face. First made in 1966 this simple electronics project will give you the classic distorted sound you need for your electric guitar. I will look at the schematic and explain how the circuit works and how the signal flows through each component. I would go for something small like a fuzz face or a one knob tone bender which can be sqeezed onto tiny circuit boards. You will be amazed for hours as you swap transistors and caps until you go completely insane.
This new layout is designed to be flexible to fit into a 1590b1290ns horizontally, or in a 125b enclosure horizontally or vertically. Otherwise, we recommend you ignore this pcb mask and buy the readytosolder printed circuit board or complete kit from the links below. This guitar effect is based off of the shunt series feedback amplifier, its current sampling negative feedback. Rocket fuzz the rocket is a screaming cool fuzz face variant based on gus smalleys 3 transistor fuzz. Ive wanted a fuzz face for a long time and thought this would be a. Dallas arbiter fuzz face electronic schematic diagram. The sola sound tonebender mk1, which is a topographically identical circuit sans the 33k resistor, called this pot attack which is a bit more appropriate imo. The new fuzz face pcb and layout that i have drawn is based on the axis face circuit board, which is quite possibly the smallest and most compact fuzz face circuit board available. I swear, its practically worth learning diy electronics just to build this one insanely simple, insanely great fuzz circuit.
A discussion paper about why a cheap carbon battery is. For best results, some attention is needed to selecting transistors for it yes, even if you build with silicon, and trimming the values of the bias resistors is often required. Fuzz face readyfortransfer printed circuit board layout for use only if you are a complete diy person who wants to etch and drill your own pcb. It prevents the higher gain silicon transistors from feeding back when you have the fuzz. With this board you have a couple of options for a standard fuzz face, or a 69 fuzz this is the one i built. Ive provided examples for the npn and pnp versions of the fuzz face, but the examples would be correct for all the other schematics too. The main gist of this article was using bjts, mosfets, jfets and combinations thereof in the q1 and q2 slots of the fuzz face. If you arent using the voltage inverter you must connect pads j1 and j2 together. Cant say im opposed and it only took about 5 min to layout.
So the trimmer is up under the board on both pedals. Detail of a project from start to finish guitar fuzz effects, making the circuit box to print pictorial effect has been demonstrated circuit consists of two transistors and a few passive components are drawing pcb upside down. Be sure to check the pcb and layouts against the schematics and vice versa to make sure there arent any errors. One of the best sounding fuzz face i have had was 68 with bc183l transistors in it. The following fuzz face versions can be built on this pcb. Populate the board, you need a dpdt switch, and you can get a case from diy guitar pedal sellers such as us. There are spots on the pcb for two extra caps c4 and c5. The circuit schematic and bill of materials are available and open to modifications. If the leads are bent, gently bend them to conform to the throughhole layout on the pcb. A bit of fiddling will get you anywhere from creamy smoothness to earsplitting youch with the rightwrong selection of those allimportant transistors sitting at q1 and q2. Check out the method for testing gain in my article about fuzz face transistors. The vox tone bender not to be confused with the colour sound tone bender was a copy with only minimal changes to the the component values, and adapted to npn silicon transistors.
I say quasi because most of the stuff is already mounted to the pcb. The fuzz face and other derived circuits rely on the components inside the guitar becoming part of the circuit. The easy face was created by joe gagan, and is a quite simple to build hybrid fuzz. To combine an overdrive or distortion circuit with the emerald ring in the same enclosure, use. The jh2 has a tendency to fold in on itself and gives the impression that unity gain is unattainable. Industrial fuzz this is a wild and flexible fuzz circuit board from. The fuzz face is an effects pedal for electric guitar, used also by some electric bass players.
I had also seen much written about the complexities of proper biasing and transistor selection, which made the fuzz face a bit more more daunting for me, still a relative novice. Fuzz germanium pnp positive ground kit instructions warranty. Rock in the new year with a guitar pedal you built yourself. Soldering, clipping, cutting, stripping, or using any of the components in any way voids this guarantee. My experience with the ej was that it was spitty at room volume but at stage volume it was smooth and even. All the parts list and instructions needed to build fuzz pedals are here. This is a modified diagram and simpler than the original fuzz face diagram. The red dunlop reissues sound nothing alike the true fuzz faces that hendrix was famed for using, they use npn silicon transistors, which take away from the unpredictableness, and. I needed to use a 50k bias pot in order to get down to 4. Discussion in guitars in general started by markom89, nov 4, 2009. Also be aware that while npn germanium suitable for the fuzz face is available, its fairly scarce and so expensive. As with most germanium transistor circuits it most often uses pnp transistors and therefore a positive ground. This unique roundshaped pedal was indispensable to the psychedelic fuzz sound f face of the late 60s.
The vintage circuit fuzz are perhaps the most demanding pedals you can. This is a guitar or bass, whatever fuzz face pedal. And the only way to get to it is to detach the board. The fuzz face also attracted a number of clones even in the golden age. The proper arbiter fuzz face and all these boutique clones can set you back a few. The layout also uses a 10k trimpot on the collector of q2 so that that biasing can be adjusted precisely. One of the most sought after reissues is the bc109c version produced by crest audio. The 7 min fuzz is a low part count highgain circuit that produces a very. Fuzz face germanium transistors fuzz face silicon transistors.
The solaris fuzz project is the ultimate clone of the dallasarbiter fuzz face, one of the most ubiquitous effects in the diy and boutique effect landscape. This calculator is used to determine resistor values for the basic fuzz face circuit to set the desired dc operating point. Dallas arbiter fuzz face rts pcb pcbs fuzz tones pcbs. Seems like pretty simple stuff, and in principle it is, but there is plenty of magic and mystery associated with a good sounding fuzz circuit, and it takes a lot of effort to get the things sounding just right.
1514 1401 178 340 447 131 1534 1240 855 98 1146 759 1541 1167 829 1103 808 1588 1322 215 117 934 1197 1575 243 1606 1293 620 429 729 611 1115 740 669 1465 1075