Let's see your finished DIY projects!

[John Lyons]

Why lift a diode?
Single diode to ground = massive asymetrical clipping.
(which = more volume, less clamp down on the signal
and while less clipping in general, a sweeter sound/harmonics).

[theavondon]

Electra


BazzFuss

Yaz! lift the diode on the Electra, whack it into the Bazz, make an

So, merhumblegrumble?

[Jero]

Why lift a diode?
Single diode to ground = massive asymetrical clipping.
(which = more volume, less clamp down on the signal
and while less clipping in general, a sweeter sound/harmonics).

lol. As I said, I know what it does, but for those who don't, there you have it.

[Dandolin]

Why lift a diode?
Single diode to ground = massive asymetrical clipping.
(which = more volume, less clamp down on the signal
and while less clipping in general, a sweeter sound/harmonics).

Yep--on the Electra, but mebbe some a y'alls wouldn't want that if'n the Bazz likewise gets Electra kersmashed so much it kazoos. Mebbe you lift both diodes.

Merhumblegrumble. New favorite word. But yes, merhumblegrumble, if'n you lift both diodes.

Anyways, these two circuits on a Beavis Board, in various configs and permutations. have been keepin' my fuzz goats head-bangin' for near on a month now.

Merhumblegrumble--I keep imagining your avatar saying it.

[John Lyons]

Both diodes out would = not much fuzzies though boss. (no?)

[Dandolin]

See--that's what I thought, because the Electra ain't exactly renowned for pushing a lot of gain (as in volume); but the result is actually kinda nice because the Bazz Fuss itself produces so much synthy buzz--the diodeless Electra kinda unfocuses it in a useful way, makes it sound less tight, more open but a little crumbly. Which I've recently developed a taste for after long time love of the synthier fuzzes. Also, can't hurt to feed the front end a fairly hot signal, although of course it doesn't all get passed through.

But I like the one diode asymmetrical clipping mode even more--never been afraid of a little fuzz overload in that way.

Stock Electra is probably where most peoples would find their sweet spot with this stack.

Of course, it's possible, too, that I sourced in my newbiness an altered or "improved" version of the Electra circuit, or otherwise screwed it up so my experience doesn't reflect what another circuit wronker would get--hope not though. Whatever it is, the goats seem to love it, though.

And leave Boss out of it.

I just can't deal with Johnny DeMarco's mug up in my mind's eye right now.

[theavondon]

Why lift a diode?
Single diode to ground = massive asymetrical clipping.
(which = more volume, less clamp down on the signal
and while less clipping in general, a sweeter sound/harmonics).

Yep--on the Electra, but mebbe some a y'alls wouldn't want that if'n the Bazz likewise gets Electra kersmashed so much it kazoos. Mebbe you lift both diodes.

Merhumblegrumble. New favorite word. But yes, merhumblegrumble, if'n you lift both diodes.

Anyways, these two circuits on a Beavis Board, in various configs and permutations. have been keepin' my fuzz goats head-bangin' for near on a month now.

Merhumblegrumble--I keep imagining your avatar saying it.

[Jwar]

Can any of you DIY types tell me how to add a 9v adapter into a pedal. Just got one in trade an it only has the option for a battery, and you have to remove the back plate to put the battery in. So pain in the ass. The pedal sounds amazing though! Is it fairly simple to do? Help me!

just get an isolated dc jack with a switching contact- if you want to use the battery too. if you just want to throw out the battery and never use one again you just need to get an isolated dc jack.
like this for example:
http://www.mammothelectronics.com/4SJK-101DCXT-Round-External-Nut-DC-Power-Jack-p/600-1000-xt.htm

standard 5mm with 2,1mm tip. isolated because your enclosure is probably grounded and if you want to use boss style supplies (neg. tip) a non-isolated dc jack would connect the sleeve of your dc plug to the enclosure and short everything out.

so just drill a hole into the enclosure (make sure you have enough space for everything) so you can fit your jack in, and wire it like this:
cut the red (+) wire from the battery clip and rewire everything:


hope it helped

Just to clarify, the red wire would go to the bottom and the black would go to the top correct?

[Jwar]

Visual aid. Keep in mind this is the first time I've done anything like this, so sorry for the retarded question.

[eatyourguitar]

the red wire goes to +9 in the diagram. the black goes to whats in the diagram as ground. but i your case its not actually ground. all you need to know is that the colors should be the same in the diagram as the wires you are using. looks like you have a positive ground pedal there. you should ALWAYS use a dedicated one spot or boss adapter OR an isolated dedicated output from a power distribution brick. never daisy chain power to positive ground pedals. let us know if it sounds different without the battery as germanium fuzz pedals often do.

[Jero]

Both diodes out would = not much fuzzies though boss. (no?)

Yea, it just turns the electra into a boost. The reverse can be done with lpb/other type boosts by adding diodes to ground, to go from boost to drive...but you prob knew that.

Merhumblegrumble. New favorite word. But yes, merhumblegrumble, if'n you lift both diodes.

Want to let me build a pedal and call it that?

[Jwar]

Ok so aside from being shitty at soldering, what could I be doing wrong here? I plugged it in, power works, and it's making some noise but not like it was before.

[eatyourguitar]

does the bypass work fine? did you read what I said about using a dedicated power supply? does anything smell like it was burning? keep it simple guitar>pedal>amp no other pedals for right now.

[Jwar]

does the bypass work fine? did you read what I said about using a dedicated power supply? does anything smell like it was burning? keep it simple guitar>pedal>amp no other pedals for right now.

Bypasses fine, using a dedicated power supply, no smells of any kind and only trying one pedal at a time. I'm going to go mess with it again...sigh.

[eatyourguitar]

if I knew you were doing this to a positive ground pedal in the first place, I would have told you to keep the battery. since you already came this far, you just have to find the source of the problem and I will help you fix it. note that there is probably nothing wrong with the pedal but it is interacting with other gear in ways that are sometimes mysterious and hard to explain. I would start with an electrolytic cap about 100uf on the black and red wires with the neg stripe on the cap going to the black wire. if you have access to a battery powered practice amp, the results would give us usefull information. also, is there a battery in your guitar? if so, can you use a guitar with passive pickups instead?