Erik S
Well-known member
#3 of 4 on my build report catch-up. Fuzz War! I watched some videos featuring Oliver from Death by Audio, and got a big kick out of that guy. Kind of a lunatic in a way I find very endearing. It's fun to be involved in a craft that values weirdos like that.
The mk2 was out of stock when I ordered this, but I think I'm glad I ended up with this one. If I understand correctly, the MK2 is something closer to a Big Muff, and this is something a little more unique (or different anyway). My first assembly of this sounded pretty crazy. Lots of gating and noise, and any move of the fuzz/ gain knob would cut the signal for a second, then it would swell back in. (I think I opted to label the knobs per the original pedal VS the labels in the build doc). Not really a lot of range from the fuzz control either. It's pretty roaring with the fuzz at zero. Turning it up does change the nature of the gating though.
This was another build where reading through all the other build reports was very helpful. There were some suggestions about trying for a matched set of 2n5088s at around 350 hfe (there are seven). I bought a TC1 and tested the set from my initial assembly, and most were over 500 with a pretty large range between them. I managed to select a much more closely matched set, but at around 470. It's still a noisy and weird pedal, but it seems happier with the matched set. The weird behavior when adjusting the fuzz knob in particular improved a lot.
I did also try a set of 2n3904 (250- 260 hfe), but I had to max the volume knob to get unity, and although the noise was gone, it felt kinda flat and lifeless, so I opted to reinstall my 470 hfe 2088s, as they seemed to sound more like something called Fuzz War ought to.
This one really takes me back to my punk rock youth. We didn't really have any pedals as far as I can remember, but something about this one takes me back to the feeling of a peavey amp with the gain all the way up and makes me want to hammer some power chords.
The mk2 was out of stock when I ordered this, but I think I'm glad I ended up with this one. If I understand correctly, the MK2 is something closer to a Big Muff, and this is something a little more unique (or different anyway). My first assembly of this sounded pretty crazy. Lots of gating and noise, and any move of the fuzz/ gain knob would cut the signal for a second, then it would swell back in. (I think I opted to label the knobs per the original pedal VS the labels in the build doc). Not really a lot of range from the fuzz control either. It's pretty roaring with the fuzz at zero. Turning it up does change the nature of the gating though.
This was another build where reading through all the other build reports was very helpful. There were some suggestions about trying for a matched set of 2n5088s at around 350 hfe (there are seven). I bought a TC1 and tested the set from my initial assembly, and most were over 500 with a pretty large range between them. I managed to select a much more closely matched set, but at around 470. It's still a noisy and weird pedal, but it seems happier with the matched set. The weird behavior when adjusting the fuzz knob in particular improved a lot.
I did also try a set of 2n3904 (250- 260 hfe), but I had to max the volume knob to get unity, and although the noise was gone, it felt kinda flat and lifeless, so I opted to reinstall my 470 hfe 2088s, as they seemed to sound more like something called Fuzz War ought to.
This one really takes me back to my punk rock youth. We didn't really have any pedals as far as I can remember, but something about this one takes me back to the feeling of a peavey amp with the gain all the way up and makes me want to hammer some power chords.
I know ive seen how you do your lettering and its pretty dang amazing to me. The quality and finish are spot on! Keep up the great work looking forward to seeing more!
