View allAll Photos Tagged fuzzface
OK, you can't mess with the input cap on the Fuzz Face. I tried several workarounds to change the input impedance, but it kind of stops sounding like a Fuzz Face the farther you get from the original circuit. And not in a good way, IMO.
Here you can see I've gone back to a 2.2 uF input cap, although now a ridiculously overkillified 250 volt cap. And it works like it should again. It doesn't care if it's a polarized electrolytic (my first guess, since I was using a non-polarized .68 uF), but it does want a certain amount of input impedance. Essentially it wants what goes there.
Now it makes more sense to me that Analog Mike builds those Sun Lion pedals that combine a Rangemaster and a Fuzz Face in one pedal. Those two were built for each other.
So then there's this for the side panels. I probably wouldn't use 3/4" SpectraPly in the future. A pedal would be fine with 1/2" stock, but this is what I had.
These Russian Germanium transistors are pretty amazing. None of them register any leakage on my meter. I've never come across Germanium transistors with no leakage before.
On the right is an MP39B and on the left is a GT308V. This is the pair of transistors used in the Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face pedals.
The MP39B transistors seem to be testing out at around 40-50 hFE. The GT308V are all around 60-80 hFE. So ideal for a low-gain Fuzz Face that will work with humbuckers. No wonder they chose this pair for the Joe Bonamassa Fuzz Face.
You know, these date from the 1990s. Most of the world stopped making Germanium transistors in the 60's. So that may have something to do with why these are built so well. They're from the very sunset of the age of Germanium transistors.
So if a guy was to make a fuzz pedal using one Germanium transistor and one Silicon transistor...well, he'd pretty much have to call that pedal the, "GErm SIckness" pedal, right?
Man, if I was smarter my R&D process would take a LOT less time. I've been waiting for some diodes to come in to finish this little voltage inverter board that attaches to the 3PDT footswitch. They finally showed up today. I'm like, "That'll be a perfect solution!"
Just one tiny thing I hadn't considered...
Yowza, Cletus! I think we done struck gold!
Replacing the 2.2 uF Input Capacitor with a .68 uF (same as the Cathode Bypass cap on a Super Lead) done turned the big, farty fuzz into a mean, cutting overdrive. You know, that should probably be switchable.
The .68 uF input cap is nice, but I didn't think about the input impedance of this circuit being directly related to the input cap. The Fuzz Face input impedance, depending on the position of the Fuzz control, is normally between 5200 and 8400 ohms. It already loads the signal coming out of the guitar. That's why it doesn't play well with humbuckers.
It's doing some strange fizzy, warbly stuff.
Yeah, Analog Man Guitar Effects is run by a genius. This is the answer to sharpening up the attack of the Fuzz Face. Post-processing it with a Rangemaster. No wonder people love his Sun Lion pedals.
I am lovin' my new hair. Y'all in the metro area need to pay Kimm @ Kaleidoscope a visit. She is the most!
www.myspace.com/kaleidoscopesalon
She completely bleached out the "Starry Night" on top, then put "kicky red" or something on the hair underneath. I am livin' the platinum dream.
Photo by William Benton
The auto-bias fuzz boards came in. I tossed one together fast this afternoon to make sure they work...and then realized I don't have any TL071 op-amps for the auto-bias circuit. I could have sworn it used TL072 op-amps. So now I wait for a while on an international order.
I have high hopes for this little beastie.