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Ugh, fuck this pedal. I think it works better if you switch the polarity on some of the caps. I've been fighting with this thing for sooo long, and I can't get it quite how I want it, so we're starting again. same goal, Turbo bassy fuzz, with a blend on it. This layout is DONE. Do what you will with it.

What, exactly, isn't working out for it? Sound wise, I mean.

its kind of splattery, very gated in most settings, and it just generally sounds stressed out. It sounds like it's not working.

BUt, no biggy, I think I came up with a solution last night, I just have to try it with that blend control, but it's always worked before...

I htink I might have left a resistor out on the last transister, running from the base to the ground. So uh, yeah, i guess this thing is pretty useless.

It could be reworked fairly easily. The input buffer/splitter could be better, and the biasing could be addressed. The electro's polarity needs to be addressed as well. If people are interested, I could post a "reworking" of the circuit.

Do it!

Fuzzmaster Zero wrote:It could be reworked fairly easily. The input buffer/splitter could be better, and the biasing could be addressed. The electro's polarity needs to be addressed as well. If people are interested, I could post a "reworking" of the circuit.

Yeah, go for it, I already have the new version ready.

I changed around the input buffer a bit - it keeps a high impedance for the "clean" signal by using a bootstrapped transistor buffer. You still get the cool transistor character, but don't "load down" your pickups. I also fixed the biasing problem and added power supply filtering and reverse polarity protection. The circuits mods are untested, but should be fine. I'd build it but migraines have kept me from doing much soldering, so if you build it be sure to report any issues and give any thoughts.

The schematic and PCB layout are below. I did the PCB "single sided", so home etchers should have no problems with it. The pots can be board mounted or just done with flying leads, and the whole thing should fit nicely into a Hammond 1590BB size enclosure (sideways).

Enjoy.

Cool circuit Aen. Should be a unique tone, especially with the variable collector voltage to Q3.

Looks sweet! I think I'll give it a try once I finish building my Synth. Built it fist in a messy way outisde the enclosure and it sounded so good, it was such a shame to tear it apart and re-build it in the enclosure And then when I did it it malfunctioned, I think I'll start over instead of sit and "debug" it.

P.S Have you any idea where I can get 5088 transistors? They're not available in Israel I'm afraid

EDIT: P.S2: Any idea how it should sound? Computer-ish? Vintage-ish?

JonathanF wrote:Looks sweet! I think I'll give it a try once I finish building my Synth. Built it fist in a messy way outisde the enclosure and it sounded so good, it was such a shame to tear it apart and re-build it in the enclosure And then when I did it it malfunctioned, I think I'll start over instead of sit and "debug" it.

Sometimes that seems easier, but when something goes wrong with a known working circuit, it's usually something really small. Step back for a few days and take a look with fresh eyes.

P.S Have you any idea where I can get 5088 transistors? They're not available in Israel I'm afraid

Companies like FUTURLEC will ship just about anywhere. Sometimes they take a bit longer, but their prices are good. If you can't do that, just about any NPN silicon transistor with a hfe in the 350-500 range will work fine.

EDIT: P.S2: Any idea how it should sound? Computer-ish? Vintage-ish?

The buffered clean side should remain nice and clear, and the fuzz side will vary from "transistor overdrive-ish boost" to "broke down, spitty fuzz" I would think...and of course you can blend the clean and fuzzy. Aen will probably have a better idea though, since he's built this (and something similar)....

SPlattery, silicon, bass heavy, are the first three things I thought of.

Fuzzy, just looked at my synth and I have no idea what I did wrong. Pots aren't responsive - it seems like only 10% of their turning range actually makes a difference (although I tested them and they work OK) and nothing really works well. I think I'll put it aside, try and build something else and then get back to it

JonathanF wrote:Fuzzy, just looked at my synth and I have no idea what I did wrong. Pots aren't responsive - it seems like only 10% of their turning range actually makes a difference (although I tested them and they work OK) and nothing really works well. I think I'll put it aside, try and build something else and then get back to it

It was working ok in the old enclosure though, correct ?

If that's the case than you most likely have one of these issues -

1) Ground problem - what you "think" is ground actually isn't connected properly
2) Short circuit - something is touching something that it shouldn't
3) Broken solder joint/cold solder joint/wire has come undone

#1 is the most common. You can use a multimeter to easily check this. If you don't know how to do it, let me know and I'll walk you through it.

Other than that, go back and reflow all the joints (touch a hot soldering iron to them to re-melt the solder), and take a look at the wiring.

Perhaps we should make a new thread for this, so as not to detract from Aen's thread ?

Thanks again fuzz!

I'm sure it's not a ground problem, it's in a plastic enclosure. I think I'll just re-build it, but fisrt make a Never Drive first (just saw Devi posted the circuit! and it doesn't look hard to build at all!).

When I get back to it, if I have any problems, I'll open a new thread or drop you a PM, depends on what difficulties I'll face