Gnat Fuzz (Burns Buzzaround)

MichaelW

Well-known member
So this is what happens when you're the type that is easily influenced by your peers and highly open to suggestions.....you wind up with a big ol'pile of Russian Ge transistors to build fuzzes that you really don't know how to play:)

IMG_3230.JPG

In all seriousness, I'm quite surprised that I've been able to get these from the Ukraine seller on eBay given the situation over there. They took about a month to get here but I'm pretty flush with an assortment of transistors with an assortment of gain ranges.

Following the footsteps of my "fuzz enabler" @szukalski, I built the Gnat yesterday afternoon and was playing around with some different value components.

I landed on the following:
Q1 - GT308V - Hfe 59
Q2 - MP42B - Hfe 85
Q3 - P28 - Hfe 143
Ge diode - G223 Vf ~.334

Sounds pretty darn awesome to me. I have no clue if it sounds anything like the original and not sure I really care.
Still figuring out what the controls do. From my extremely limited understanding of reading circuit schematics, it looks like Sustain and Balance effect the bias of Q3?
Somehow the Ge diodes plays a part in this as well. I can get from fuzzy to really spitty and snarly with the controls.

I may go back and revisit some of the earlier Ge fuzzes I've built now that I have more transistor options to mess with.

Might try to post a demo later today once I get my new guitar project put back together. (Lot's of multi-tasking this week:)

Snapped a pic this morning just as the sun was coming in my office window. Really sets off the Tayda Brown Sugar Glimmer color. Really digging some of these new colors from Tayda.

Oh and of course, lots of judicious finagling to get this into a 1590B.

IMG_3231.JPG

IMG_3228.JPG

IMG_3229.JPG
 
Like a ‘50s Strat, they got so much right with this design so long ago..

Looks great. I bet it sounds nice and mean.

That brown combo is nice, with some cream graphics it would be smashing !

I’m about to build another Buzzaround to try and improve on the existing one with lessons learned. It’s an awesome pedal. Between this, a Fuzz Face, a Dizzy , and a Chickenhead, then you have fuzz covered!
 
Ok next project is to read up on how to turn the Gnat into a Dizzy? Or is there a board for the Dizzy? I have to revisit my fuzz face, as I recall I had limited options off transistors when I built it.
 
Ok next project is to read up on how to turn the Gnat into a Dizzy? Or is there a board for the Dizzy? I have to revisit my fuzz face, as I recall I had limited options off transistors when I built it.

You can easily build it on the Gnat board. The thread below has both an NPN and PNP version and both have had great results.

 
dang... how does anyone even find that many transistors these days..
Lemme know if you need some. I haven’t sorted yet but I’m pretty sure I’ve got whatever values you need. And no way in the world I’ll come close to using them all. Happy to share brother!
 
What enclosure is that? Looks like it has a sparkly kind of finish? Very pretty!

Also, top-mounted jacks on a 1590b, why have I not seen that before? Why have I never thought to try? It’s brilliant!

Killer looking build, thanks for sharing!
 
Lemme know if you need some. I haven’t sorted yet but I’m pretty sure I’ve got whatever values you need. And no way in the world I’ll come close to using them all. Happy to share brother!
Dude I'd love to take a few from you...
Lemme know if you need some. I haven’t sorted yet but I’m pretty sure I’ve got whatever values you need. And no way in the world I’ll come close to using them all. Happy to share brother!
I have several pedalpcb fuzz pcb's that need pnp and npn trannys
 
Lemme know if you need some. I haven’t sorted yet but I’m pretty sure I’ve got whatever values you need. And no way in the world I’ll come close to using them all. Happy to share brother!
Just curious what the gain and leakage range is on those. I know you have another “look what I got” thread out there but I figured I’d ask here. Nice looking build btw
 
Honestly, I don't know what leakage is...I just hear you guys talk about here and pretend I'm following (don't look too close....I'm probably dozing.......:)

So my GM328 has an Iceo reading, which I am told is the leakage.

Of the 3 I used in this build:
Q1 - GT308V - Hfe 59
Iceo = 17uA

Q2 - MP42B - Hfe 85
Iceo = .27m

Q3 - P28 - Hfe 143
Iceo = .17m

After picking these 3 out for their Hfe value I didn't look at any of the others.
 
Last edited:
What enclosure is that? Looks like it has a sparkly kind of finish? Very pretty!

Also, top-mounted jacks on a 1590b, why have I not seen that before? Why have I never thought to try? It’s brilliant!

Killer looking build, thanks for sharing!
That's a Tayda 1590B.

That's that new Tayda color "Brown Sugar Glimmer" (I think). It's a pretty one but there's a pretty thick coat of clear coat over the glimmer paint.
 
That's a Tayda 1590B.

That's that new Tayda color "Brown Sugar Glimmer" (I think). It's a pretty one but there's a pretty thick coat of clear coat over the glimmer paint.
Edit: There's a couple of threads of folks doing top mounted 1590B's. I have my own method and measurements. (But no fancy CAD
drawing:)
Let me know if you need them.
 
Back
Top