Hybrid Fuzz Face (Universal Fuzz Board)

[Big Monk]

I'm doing something a bit different here, I had already built this pedal and documented it in my Universal Fuzz Board Thread.

I've been talking a lot about fuzz lately, particularly about not feeling my Germanium units. As always, @thewintersoldier gets me thinking about things. In partocular, his comments this morning about simplicity and "less is more" really resonated with me.

Also, as I told @Harry Klippton this morning, the past few days I had grown to like my Ge Fuzz Face again.

Taking all this to heart and having it fresh on my mind, I thought I'd do some minor surgery on my Ge Fuzz Face:

1.) Swap the input cap from a 1uf Electro for a 1 uf Film
2.) Swap out Q1 for an Amperex A115 in traditional Q1 gain range
3.) Swap the 100kA Pre-Gain for a 50kB

I did all this and tweaked the voltages and I have to say, this thing is a real killer. Got just enough brightness and crunch from Q1 and the Pre-Gain is much more usable across the whole dial.



This gives me some stuff to think about in reference to the Fuzz Odyssey pedal.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Let's hear it! Bust out the white socks @Big Monk

 

[Big Monk]

Let's hear it! Bust out the white socks @Big Monk

I don't have a chance to today because it's getting later and it's my little girl's B-Day today, but I'll give you a white sock, sustain and feedback freakout tomorrow.

On a whim, it turned out to maybe be the best fuzz I have ever built. Does not have quite enough gain and punch to hit MK II territory but it is awesome.

 

[Harry Klippton]

I don't have a chance to today because it's getting later and it's my little girl's B-Day today, but I'll give you a white sock, sustain and feedback freakout tomorrow.

On a whim, it turned out to maybe be the best fuzz I have ever built. Does not have quite enough gain and punch to hit MK II territory but it is awesome.

HBD to your daughter, Derek

 

[Big Monk]

HBD to your daughter, Derek

Thank you! She's a sweetie. Crazy to think she's 6!

 

[Big Monk]

White sock Fuzz freak Out!

 

[fig]

That sounds great Derek!

 

[JamieJ]

The tone is clearly all in the socks!

JK Derek - it sounds great!

 

[Big Monk]

The tone is clearly all in the socks!

JK Derek - it sounds great!

Except it’s no laughing matter. To have so much power derived from these small pieces of fabric on my feet.

It’s a gift…and a curse.

 

[fig]

I'll bet his playing sucks sans socks! Witchcraft say ye?

 

[Big Monk]

I'll bet his playing sucks sans socks! Witchcraft say ye?

They don’t come off. They are a part of me.

 

[benny_profane]

I'll bet his playing sucks sans socks! Witchcraft say ye?

You're gonna need to surf on over to another part of the web for stuff like that...

 

[fig]

You've got a lot of heart Derek.

 

[Big Monk]

You've got a lot of heart Derek.

I am what I is!

 

[Big Monk]

This pedal is now the template for the Forum 2022 Fuzz. That means a few things:

1.) I’m gonna have to pick up some 2N169 in my fifth last SBE order.

2.) I’m gonna have to pick up some Amperex A115 in my fifth last SBE order.

No reason not to use the primo stuff for the Fam!

 

[benny_profane]

my fifth last SBE order.

better get that in soon...tomorrow is the last chance to dance in 2021!

 

[Big Monk]

better get that in soon...tomorrow is the last chance to dance in 2021!

I still have to redesign the board and finish the graphics.

I’ll hold off on ordering for right now.

 

[benny_profane]

I'm still fairly confident that fuzz 2022 is going to end up being a Rat.

 

[Big Monk]

I'm still fairly confident that fuzz 2022 is going to end up being a Rat.

I am going to build a Rat for myself, for sure, but the Forum Fuzz will be a Hybrid FF with a few tweaks and creature comforts.

I’ve got the “The Stand” themed graphics pretty much settled and I just need to tweak my Universal Fuzz Board design a bit to accommodate the few extra controls.

Right now it looks like external controls will be Level, Fuzz, Pre-Gain, Input Blend and Bias so I can use the PedalPCB 5 knob predrilled from Tayda.

They’ll be some internal trims as well for “Set and Forget” stuff.

I’ll use the