BuddytheReow
Breadboard Baker
My first real experience with a Muff was a stripboard build I made almost 2 years ago. It was the NYC reissue and wasn't really that impressed with it and didn't understand all the hype about Muffs. I also have a Boss Katana which has the Muff effect built into the amp itself and played around with it. Again, not really impressed and confused to all the hype. For the longest time I have been a distortion junkie (mostly cuz I'm a metalhead) and is probably the reason why I didn't really care for Muffs. Muffs don't really work with metal (there are subgenres that do work but I'm keeping it general here.) I had to get over that roadblock in order to really appreciate fuzz. Chuck's Muff contest got me building some interesting circuits and started down the Fuzz rabbit hole. Now I'm in a Fuzz phase in my building and playing since it's inspiring me to play other stuff other than the 'chugga-chuggas'.
Anyways...
Finished boxing this up late afternoon and spent about an hour with it last night and maybe a half hour this morning. If you're looking for a tweakable Muff or not sure which "variant" to build, then build this. This is one of the more complex builds I've done and really isn't for beginners. You should definitely have some finished builds and good soldering skills.
A few notes along the way...
I recently got a spool of solder and it really doesn't flow the greatest, but it works and it conducts. I also got a new soldering iron with digital temperature control which helped a lot. My solder tended to flow better around 400c and up. You can see the mediocre solder on some of the switches, but it's fully soldered and conducts.
For GE trannys I used a pair of 2n211s that I got from Small Bear right when they announced retirement. My TC-1 had the hFE around 60-70. I still need to build RG Keen's tester to confirm, but I am happy with the sound.
GE diodes I used 1n270.
The biggest PITA with this build was the drilling. So many friggin holes to drill to cut for the DIP switches! It also doesn't help that I only have a hand drill. I tried my hardest to keep things accurate and it turned out that way mostly. When taping on the drill template I guess I tilted the paper ever so slightly and you can see that the faceplate isn't 100% parallel. The perfectionist in me wants me to gouge my eyes out, but the guitar player in me thinks it's fine and you've got bigger fish to fry and scales to practice.
The DIP switch board was really intimidating at first since I've never tackled something like this before. This thread really helped.
forum.pedalpcb.com
I put the header pins on the main board first and then dry fitted everything in the enclosure. Getting all the switches and pots to line up was a pain, but I enjoyed the challenge! I decided to have the DIP board as close to the enclosure as possible and luckily the friction held up the daughterboard while I soldered it on.
Comments about the sound...
It's a Muff. No matter which switch you hit it will sound like a Muff. Some of the switches give a big difference in sound, some are more subtle, and some IMO don't really do a whole a lot. It was, er still is, a lot of fun flipping all those switches and hearing the sound difference. I did think about posting a demo of this, but there are too many damn switches to give you everything. If you enjoy Muffs, then build this.
I still need to decide on the enclosure art, but I think with the faceplate taking up most of it I think I'll just do a solid color. We'll see when the weather gets a bit warmer.
Thanks all,
BuddytheReow
Anyways...
Finished boxing this up late afternoon and spent about an hour with it last night and maybe a half hour this morning. If you're looking for a tweakable Muff or not sure which "variant" to build, then build this. This is one of the more complex builds I've done and really isn't for beginners. You should definitely have some finished builds and good soldering skills.
A few notes along the way...
I recently got a spool of solder and it really doesn't flow the greatest, but it works and it conducts. I also got a new soldering iron with digital temperature control which helped a lot. My solder tended to flow better around 400c and up. You can see the mediocre solder on some of the switches, but it's fully soldered and conducts.
For GE trannys I used a pair of 2n211s that I got from Small Bear right when they announced retirement. My TC-1 had the hFE around 60-70. I still need to build RG Keen's tester to confirm, but I am happy with the sound.
GE diodes I used 1n270.
The biggest PITA with this build was the drilling. So many friggin holes to drill to cut for the DIP switches! It also doesn't help that I only have a hand drill. I tried my hardest to keep things accurate and it turned out that way mostly. When taping on the drill template I guess I tilted the paper ever so slightly and you can see that the faceplate isn't 100% parallel. The perfectionist in me wants me to gouge my eyes out, but the guitar player in me thinks it's fine and you've got bigger fish to fry and scales to practice.
The DIP switch board was really intimidating at first since I've never tackled something like this before. This thread really helped.
SOLVED - Muffin Factory: DIP switch board orientation
Hey folks, So, I'm in the middle of finalizing a Muffin Factory build. However, while putting together the DIP switch board, I discovered what could potentially be a colossal f#$%-up. Seems the switch assignments don't line up with the labels on the faceplate. So...did I screw up and install...
forum.pedalpcb.com
I put the header pins on the main board first and then dry fitted everything in the enclosure. Getting all the switches and pots to line up was a pain, but I enjoyed the challenge! I decided to have the DIP board as close to the enclosure as possible and luckily the friction held up the daughterboard while I soldered it on.
Comments about the sound...
It's a Muff. No matter which switch you hit it will sound like a Muff. Some of the switches give a big difference in sound, some are more subtle, and some IMO don't really do a whole a lot. It was, er still is, a lot of fun flipping all those switches and hearing the sound difference. I did think about posting a demo of this, but there are too many damn switches to give you everything. If you enjoy Muffs, then build this.
I still need to decide on the enclosure art, but I think with the faceplate taking up most of it I think I'll just do a solid color. We'll see when the weather gets a bit warmer.
Thanks all,
BuddytheReow
