Nostalgia

Chuck D. Bones

Circuit Wizard
I started learning circuit theory as a kid by reading magazines like Popular Electronics. In the Feb 1968 issue, they ran this article on building a Fuzz Box. That article was a reprint of a DIY article in Electronics Australia from August 1967. I built one of these in 1975. The circuit bears a strong resemblance to the Fuzz Face. The schematic contains a typo: there should be a 1nF cap between the wiper of the FUZZ pot and the FUZZ/NORMAL switch. The circuit is not true bypass and in fact it does not run perfectly clean in "Normal" mode. I didn't like it for guitar, but it did sound cool for bass. The "how it works" section is not 100% correct, but it's close.
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My earliest memory of 'electronics' is quite unscientific: I must have been around 4 or 5, my Dad had a huge tube radio with turn table in lounge, and to dial in the station it had a magic eye tube. I loved dialing around making the green light move, I didn't mind as much the station or program that was on, I most of all enjoyed tweaking the magic light of the tube. I might have discovered some music that way too I'd like to think...
So for me it was only to logical to plant a magic eye into some amp builds for pure sentimental and fun reasons, and I am very sure that the one in my Dads big console was also an EM81 like in the video here:
 
Indeed.
I'd recommend hardwiring the FUZZ/NORMAL switch and connecting it for true bypass. In the Electronics Australia article they recommend BC108 or 2N3565 transistors. Any high gain, low-noise Si transistor will work.
 
My earliest memory of 'electronics' is quite unscientific: I must have been around 4 or 5, my Dad had a huge tube radio with turn table in lounge, and to dial in the station it had a magic eye tube. I loved dialing around making the green light move, I didn't mind as much the station or program that was on, I most of all enjoyed tweaking the magic light of the tube. I might have discovered some music that way too I'd like to think...
So for me it was only to logical to plant a magic eye into some amp builds for pure sentimental and fun reasons, and I am very sure that the one in my Dads big console was also an EM81 like in the video here:
I probably watched that demo 20 times when you finished that thing. One of my all time favorite amp builds.
 
My earliest memory of 'electronics' is quite unscientific: I must have been around 4 or 5, my Dad had a huge tube radio with turn table in lounge, and to dial in the station it had a magic eye tube. I loved dialing around making the green light move, I didn't mind as much the station or program that was on, I most of all enjoyed tweaking the magic light of the tube. I might have discovered some music that way too I'd like to think...
So for me it was only to logical to plant a magic eye into some amp builds for pure sentimental and fun reasons, and I am very sure that the one in my Dads big console was also an EM81 like in the video here:
Good lord this is cool. And that amp sounds incredible!

My dad's a HAM operator, as was his father, who was also in communications in the military during WWII. When I was a kid, our basement was full floor to ceiling with metal shelves full of all manner of radio equipment and parts, and ALL the antennas on the roof of the house. Seeing my dad at the kitchen table with a giant soldering gun and schematics taped to the wall all the time are what piqued my interest in tinkering with pedals and amps. Dad doesn't get tone generation though, he only cares about crystal clear transmission and reception with no distortion 🙃

HAM guys have all the good stuff and they're usually willing to part with it on the cheap.
 
NASAstalgia




Where do you get an EM81 nowadays?




Side note: Search "magic eye" nowadays and you get a Rorschach-inkblot-test-on-acid that will give anyone an epileptic fit, especially if you're looking for an animated gif. :rolleyes:
 
Where do you get an EM81 nowadays?



I still find them on Trade Me here which is the NZ mini equivalent of ebay, you'll probably could find them on ebay NOS in the States, ham radio guys, people that restore old valve radios etc.
There's also the Russian EM80 equivalent on ebay which has same pinout and specs but a bit of a different beam with a centre beam and two sides, looks cool too.
 
Say, Chuck, where would you buy components back in those days?
Don't laugh: Radio Shack

There were probably half a dozen electronics parts stores within driving distance back then. There was a place in Hawthorne called International TV. The had all kinds of surplus parts, including power and output transformers for tube amps. In the early 70's Fender made an aborted attempt to develop solid-state guitar amps. A few dozen prototypes, minus the cabinets, ended up there. My first guitar amp was a 60W Fender prototype. Speakers, pots, all kinds of resistors and caps. The transistors, diodes and tubes were all behind the counter. It was heaven in there.
 
Is that magic eye setup the same thing Shadow Hills uses on their outboard gear?
Dunno, wouldn't think so. I found the schematic that I use to wire this into amp many moons ago from some amp maker who doesn't make amps any more I believe, would have to dig it up somewhere if you're interested.
 
Dunno, wouldn't think so. I found the schematic that I use to wire this into amp many moons ago from some amp maker who doesn't make amps any more I believe, would have to dig it up somewhere if you're interested.
I think itd be beyond my skill set at this point but I appreciate the offer.
 
It is a pretty basic circuit itself, but it's all in the high voltage don't put your tongue onto that capacitor area.
 
There were probably half a dozen electronics parts stores within driving distance back then. There was a place in Hawthorne called International TV. The had all

I grew up in Hawthorne. Of course in 1975 I wasn't shopping for electronics parts since I was just being born :)

Robert
 
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