Most Versatile Fuzz Circuit (DIY and Commercial)

[Big Monk]

Thanks for tolerating my stream of consciousness rants gang!

Maybe what I need is to take a look at my MK II and Fuzz Face designs and make some tweaks for performance.

I’ve been thinking about this all day.

The MK II architecture doesn’t have any impedance issues when going after wah. Either way, I think Q1 would be better suited as Silicon with a traditional base to power and base to ground biasing arrangement. Also, I think I’d like to have external bias pots for Q1 and Q3. Also, a foot switch to go to a 1.5 mode would be useful.

For the Fuzz Face, I think a pickup simulator at the input would be what I need. Also, I think Silicon Q1 and Q2 is the way forward. I’m also thinking that a foot switch that switches in emitter resistance on Q1 and Q2 would allow you to use higher gain transistors for that classic Si FF sound while being able to drop the effective gain for a more classic Ge type sound.

Those changes would alleviate some of my concerns, allow me to keep the classic circuit architecture but also increase versatility.

I’m also going to breadboard some of the circuits you guys suggested.

In short I’m still open to ideas! My goal is to keep 2 slots for fuzzers on the board.

 

[Dan M]

Will the Carcosa do the more refined MK II and Fuzz Face tones as well?

I’m not sure. It has some smooth tones in it as you sweep the knobs. But I’m not a connoisseur of the mkii or fuzz face.

I don’t like the splatty stuff so I usually keep the bias knob pretty low.

The carcass and dung beetle might be good breadboard projects, I don’t think either have any rare parts. 2N5088’s and 89’s and a pile of common resistors and caps.

 

[djmiyta]

Let me narrow down my desires here.

I want a device that gets me MK II, MK 1.5, and Fuzz Face tones.

I want no issues with placement and impedance. I want the ability to tweak parameters that give me classic and higher gain Fuzz Face tones.

You know what this means, right? Forum Fuzz. We need to design a Classic Fuzz Machine.

The PedalPCB Vintage Fuzz Machine.

Ahh what you want is the “Classic Vintage MAGIC Fuzz Machine” probably the most elusive of it’s species. From what I know they rarely mate (which is probably why they’re so very ultra rare), hardly ever seen in pubic, practically untraceable, but such a unique sound you definitely know you’re getting close to one. Or so I’ve read

 

[Kroars]

I really like both the AionFX Osiris (BAT Pharaoh) as well as the Deep Trip BOG (PedalPCB Marsh). Both are pretty darn versatile (BOG is your FF variant) and both play nicely anywhere on your board.

 

[Harry Klippton]

I really like both the AionFX Osiris (BAT Pharaoh) as well as the Deep Trip BOG (PedalPCB Marsh). Both are pretty darn versatile (BOG is your FF variant) and both play nicely anywhere on your board.

I'd love to know how you're using your pharaoh. I could never find a sound I liked out of the one I built

 

[Kroars]

I'd love to know how you're using your pharaoh. I could never find a sound I liked out of the one I built

I think just like anything it all depends on personal taste and what your set up is. I’m running a PRS CE-24 into an Orange TH30. With the hotter 85/15’s and the darker TH30 it just works for me. I just use the Pharaoh on the clean channel and it sounds great.

 

[Betty Wont]

EVA

Extra Vehicular Activity. Send your tone for a space walk. This is a clone board for the Spaceman Gemini IV. Everything that the Gemini III wishes...

www.deadendfx.com

I'm telling you, this guy does all the things.

 

[Big Monk]

I just use the Pharaoh on the clean channel...

Key point. Big Muffs and their variants tend to sound best with amp gain dialed back or into a clean amp. I had to specially modified my little single-ended EL84 amp with a faux drive control to be able to knock the input signal down to sound good with my Ram's Head.

 

[Big Monk]

EVA

Extra Vehicular Activity. Send your tone for a space walk. This is a clone board for the Spaceman Gemini IV. Everything that the Gemini III wishes...

www.deadendfx.com

I'm telling you, this guy does all the things.

Could just be me but I watched the ProGuitarShop demo of that pedal and it sound very spitty and velcroey the whole time. It might have been how he set it.

I'll keep this one on my radar.

 

[Harry Klippton]

EVA

Extra Vehicular Activity. Send your tone for a space walk. This is a clone board for the Spaceman Gemini IV. Everything that the Gemini III wishes...

www.deadendfx.com

I'm telling you, this guy does all the things.

I promised myself not to buy any more pcbs right now.

 

[Kroars]

I promised myself not to buy any more pcbs right now.

Never make promises you can’t keep

 

[Harry Klippton]

Never make promises you can’t keep

I've resisted several rounds of pedalpcb discount codes since making that promise so I'm doing ok so far

 

[Popnfreshbass]

My guitar player uses a Lovepedal Super Sic Tone. He says it does the fuzz face, mk2 and big muff all in one pedal. I haven’t really played around with it but he seems to like it, and it sounds good in the mix(bass player talking)

 

[Harry Klippton]

The crazy tube circuits constellation fuzz might be what you're looking for

 

[Big Monk]

The crazy tube circuits constellation fuzz might be what you're looking for

That sounds pretty damn good to me.

 

[Harry Klippton]

That sounds pretty damn good to me.

Yeah I keep getting tempted by it, see the price, change my mind, forget about it, remember again, see demos, repeat

 

[Big Monk]

Yeah I keep getting tempted by it, see the price, change my mind, forget about it, remember again, see demos, repeat

Well, what troubles me is the cost compared to what that Rotary switch does. It seems like frequency shaping elements. I can't pay > $300 for a Fuzz I could make myself.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Well, what troubles me is the cost compared to what that Rotary switch does. It seems like frequency shaping elements. I can't pay > $300 for a Fuzz I could make myself.

If your project sounds as good as that demo, I'll be interested

 

[Big Monk]

If your project sounds as good as that demo, I'll be interested

I'm gonna start designing sometime next week.

 

[Big Monk]

If your project sounds as good as that demo, I'll be interested

The more I research the Constellation in it's various forms, the more I think the rotary is simply a frequency shaping tool. All the modes seem to have the same amount of gain on tap but with altered tonal response. Basically, at it's core it's a 3 transistor circuit. Since we know that's the basic architecture it stands to reason that switching caps in and out and changing frequency constitutes the major novel move here.

Something to add to the mod queue for this super fuzz machine design.