jeffwhitfield
Well-known member
A month or so ago, I received a nice batch of Germanium transistors: some MP20A's and GT402B's to be exact. The MP20A's are generally low in hFE, around 50 to 80 on average. The GT402B is comparable to a AC132 with a bit higher hFE's that can get up to the 120 to 140 range. The idea was to have some transistors that could work as a reasonable to the usual transistors you see in a Fuzz Face circuit. A MP20A could take up the first spot with the GT402B in the second.
I built a couple other fuzz pedals using this approach with good results so I figure I'd build a solid Fuzz Face pedal to add to the collection. I built a AionFX Epsilon, which is a silicon-based Fuzz Face. That one was quite comparable to the recently released Boss FZ-1w. However, unlike the Boss, it doesn't have a tone knob. Instead, it uses Body and Contour controls to effect the bass and mid-range respectively. Not quite the same level of control but still enough to get you in the same ball park. I like it but knew that a true Fuzz Face is Germanium all the way. My hope with this one was to have the same pedal but closer to a classic Fuzz Face.
I threw the design together in less than an hour. Just wanted a simple enclosure that encapsulates a classic feel. Nothing fancy.
The build was quick and fast. However, I ran into an issue with the foot switch board. Seems there was some weird grounding issue with the switch or board. Fortunately, I had another AionFX-based pedal that I planned to relegate to the grave yard anyways. Grabbed the foot switch from that one and installed it onto this pedal. Problem solved and I was able to move on to the install and configuration of the transistors.
Here's the funny part. When I grabbed the transistors for each one, literally the first one I grabbed out of each bag ended up being right in the hFE range I was looking for. Didn't even need to test any other transistors. Talk about luck!
Biasing the transistors went pretty smooth and the first tests were quite successful. I played around a bit with the biasing but ended up going back to the recommended settings.
Soundwise, it pretty much sounds like a Fuzz Face I think. The character is definitely different than the silicon Fuzz Face I built. Seems to clean up better too. I like the Input control cause it allows you to dial in the perfect response off the pickups of my guitar. Between that and the Body knob, it's possible to dial in anything from a subtle level of fuzz to downright gnarly. Crank the input and turn down the Body for a ripping level of fuzz.
So, yeah, like the silicon one I built, this one is pretty darn flexible. Only thing I wished it had was a bit more range on the EQ end of things. Still damn nice though.
I built a couple other fuzz pedals using this approach with good results so I figure I'd build a solid Fuzz Face pedal to add to the collection. I built a AionFX Epsilon, which is a silicon-based Fuzz Face. That one was quite comparable to the recently released Boss FZ-1w. However, unlike the Boss, it doesn't have a tone knob. Instead, it uses Body and Contour controls to effect the bass and mid-range respectively. Not quite the same level of control but still enough to get you in the same ball park. I like it but knew that a true Fuzz Face is Germanium all the way. My hope with this one was to have the same pedal but closer to a classic Fuzz Face.
I threw the design together in less than an hour. Just wanted a simple enclosure that encapsulates a classic feel. Nothing fancy.
The build was quick and fast. However, I ran into an issue with the foot switch board. Seems there was some weird grounding issue with the switch or board. Fortunately, I had another AionFX-based pedal that I planned to relegate to the grave yard anyways. Grabbed the foot switch from that one and installed it onto this pedal. Problem solved and I was able to move on to the install and configuration of the transistors.
Here's the funny part. When I grabbed the transistors for each one, literally the first one I grabbed out of each bag ended up being right in the hFE range I was looking for. Didn't even need to test any other transistors. Talk about luck!
Biasing the transistors went pretty smooth and the first tests were quite successful. I played around a bit with the biasing but ended up going back to the recommended settings.
Soundwise, it pretty much sounds like a Fuzz Face I think. The character is definitely different than the silicon Fuzz Face I built. Seems to clean up better too. I like the Input control cause it allows you to dial in the perfect response off the pickups of my guitar. Between that and the Body knob, it's possible to dial in anything from a subtle level of fuzz to downright gnarly. Crank the input and turn down the Body for a ripping level of fuzz.
So, yeah, like the silicon one I built, this one is pretty darn flexible. Only thing I wished it had was a bit more range on the EQ end of things. Still damn nice though.
