my new fuzz pedal

exhausted

outside
inside

http://runoffgroove.com/multiface.html

basically a fuzzface with switchable/selectable everything.

i put the input cap on a push/pull on the level knob. down for fat (old school fuzz face), up for thin (good for humbuckers). the output cap in just socketed. i can put whatever transistors i want in it but right now i have mismatched silicon as per the "1970 Fuzz Face" Classic B.O.G. listed in the project.

i moved the bias and feedback to the outside as well. the bias is really handy for dialing in sputtery, gated fuzz. the feedback, at normal settings, basically controls the maximum gain available but when the pedal is self-oscillating, it also affects the weirdness of the noise along with the bias knob.

when the gain knob is maxed, the pedal does self-oscillate sort of in the same vein as a fuzz factory but not as refined. the fuzz factory doesn't have any dead spots in the controls whereas this does. this one also does sort of am radio-tuning noises etc.

at "normal" settings, it's very tame with not a lot of background hiss or hum. quieter than my dunlop ge fuzzface.

needs to be at the front of the chain like a regular fuzz face and also cleans right up with the volume knob like my dunlop fuzz face.

i also had to add an extra internal volume control because, like the fuzz factory, this is way too loud, way too fast. so this way i can sort of set the volume ceiling and dial down from there with the external control. i couldn't get a proper audio taper volume pot with the switch i wanted. that's part of the problem.

if i did this again, i think i'd just put the feedback on a trimmer internally and just have level, fuzz and bias on the outside. and i'd put the input and output caps on regular toggle switches.


i need to find some nice germanium transistors to try out. i also have fets and mosfets on hand but haven't tried them yet.

Pacomc79

JFET's? Nice.

Looks like a ton of fun. The feedback interaction should be similar to the Stab on the FF it seems. The bias should go from hard to soft.

Really cool Greg. Really cool. I like the rounded edges of fuzz so much as a distortion device.


Like everything else I always want to max the volume on stuff and turn them up loud till I get to that sound in my head, but earplugs and absent neighbors are required.

All Those Yesterdays

Sounds very controllable and useable, which is awesome.

Heck you hear that oscillation going during the old Zepplin recordings, roll with it. It's cool.

exhausted

yeah, the bias goes from dead, to gated to soft and squishy.

the feedback may be sort of like the stab knob but most of the time it just sort of controls the saturation. the fuzz factory is a special beast but i haven't spent the time yet to study it's circuit. it's much much higher gain as well.

and yeah, you can put JEFTs and MOSFETs into it.

this thing is actually nice and scooped and makes a good distortion at certain settings.

Novawind

Clips please!

exhausted

i'm going to try today. i have 1.5 days of holiday left but my son is consuming 95% of it right now. which is ok.

exhausted

very little attempt to be musical here. just gives you an idea of the range.

starting with a pretty basic setting. pretty much every control at noon.

then showing how it cleans up with the volume knob.

then switching the input cap (it's actually hard to tell really at this setting. more noticable at low gain)

then playing with the feedback control to show how it saturates and also can clean up to almost an overdrive.

then choking back on the bias to create the sputter.

then just making noise with the self-oscillation and playing with the volume knob of the guitar. the oscillation can be used for much more musical endeavors when so desired. lots of interesting interference type sounds.

http://www3.telus.net/exhausted/lemondrop.mp3

Pacomc79

Very nice.... Very Tweedy (as in Wilco) ...to Johnny Greenwood.

Lots of available stuff, sounds flexible and it gets ridiculous which is nice.

I've been wanting to get into that realm lately.

now Imagine a therimin into that or some kind of occilation controller remote mount or that into a feedback looper.

exhausted

actually, speaking of feedback looper, the oscillations sound a lot like the DS-1 that i had that i put an internal feedback loop into. then it died. but very similar.

i'll try to do some better ones into an actual amp as well since i need to do clips of that new professor tweed.

the above clip is just into my pod.

versus a fuzz factory, at least this thing has some dynamic range available. the FF is just balls out all the time. the FF does the craziness like nothing else though.

Pacomc79

exhausted wrote:

actually, speaking of feedback looper, the oscillations sound a lot like the DS-1 that i had that i put an internal feedback loop into. then it died. but very similar.

i'll try to do some better ones into an actual amp as well since i need to do clips of that new professor tweed.

the above clip is just into my pod.

versus a fuzz factory, at least this thing has some dynamic range available. the FF is just balls out all the time. the FF does the craziness like nothing else though.

True but the lemon drop sounds a little more musical...and you made it yourself.

All Those Yesterdays

I might be completely crazy but that linky don't workie.

I went to the site for my demo. I have been off lately so I could be doing something over the top stupid.

exhausted

i'm not sure i understand.

http://www3.telus.net/exhausted/lemondrop.mp3

seems to work for me.

All Those Yesterdays

exhausted wrote:

i'm not sure i understand.

http://www3.telus.net/exhausted/lemondrop.mp3

seems to work for me.

Dumb Me, I figured out. just needed a hang over to clear it up to me.

Sounds very very very useful. Very very very useful.

How much that kit run?

exhausted

it wasn't a kit this time. it just bought all the stuff from smallbearelec.com. it's about $40 for everything. it would have been cheaper had i not used additional external controls, knobs, bigger box, switching volume control etc.

exhausted

i'm going to built a new one of these in a smaller box, with only level, fuzz and bias on the outside and switches for input and output EQ.

still will have feedback on a trimmer inside. ordered some nice BC109 transistors to try too.

Pacomc79

exhausted wrote:

i'm going to built a new one of these in a smaller box, with only level, fuzz and bias on the outside and switches for input and output EQ.

still will have feedback on a trimmer inside. ordered some nice BC109 transistors to try too.

should be nice and hot, those are the same trannies Dave Fox uses for the Hot Silicon.