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Hey!

So I got a mini silicon fuzz face today and I love the sound of it... BUT it's really really silent...
Like the effect volume is lower than unity/bypassed signal volume.
Is that a fuzz face thing? Right now I'm running a boost after it to get that missing volume back...
There's also a trimmpot inside, but in the original npn ff schematic there isn't a trimpot...

It's really weird because I'm so used to dirt pedals in general getting LOUD. And I like that. Help?

Seems odd, I've got an original ge version with no problem and two clones with no problem. They are very responsive to the volume control on the guitar as far as cleaning up the signal, but I've never had a gain issue? Try running it first in line? With a buffer? That's all I can think other than an impedance issue?

I've already tried running it directly after my guitar and after a buffer. The gain isn't the problem. The gain control is very responsive and works great. But the overall output volume is low.

Sometimes the silicons do have a bit of a drop, although it shouldn't be huge.

The trim is likely for setting the bias, so don't play with that, you need to reduce the value of the resistor in series with lug 3 of the volume pot... from memory it's something like 330-470R, check the voltage at Q2s collector before doing so and then after the resistor change adjust the trim if needed to get it back to that voltage.

Schlatte wrote:I've already tried running it directly after my guitar and after a buffer. The gain isn't the problem. The gain control is very responsive and works great. But the overall output volume is low.

That's odd for a fuzz face in my experience, hopefully someone else has some ideas. Is it a vintage unit and maybe needs caps replaced?

It's a like-new Fuzz Face Mini (the blue one, silicon).

With the volume maxed it's still a little bit under unity, so it isn't a huge drop. But I want moar volume when I engage. That's kind of the second main point of a fuzz/dirt pedal in general.. add gain and volume...
I don't really want to mod it, because it basically is like new.
hmm.. I shall see. I have a booster anyways, so I just need to get used to engage that when using the FF.

Fuzz Face thing. Classic circuit is below unity unless the gain is nearly all the way up. Look up the mod either known as the Hendrix mod or the Roger Mayer mod.

Here, good page to look at: http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm
Skip to Mods section if in a hurry.

Gone Fission wrote:Fuzz Face thing. Classic circuit is below unity unless the gain is nearly all the way up. Look up the mod either known as the Hendrix mod or the Roger Mayer mod.

Here, good page to look at: http://geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm
Skip to Mods section if in a hurry.

My bad doing it from memory, need to increase the resistor not decrease it.

Thanks guys!

So the resistors in the new mini fuzz face are tiny SMD.
Like extremely tiny... so resistor changes are not going to happen...

BUT - I measured the Q2 collector voltage: 3,29V when on, 3,42V when off.
That's odd...
I found the "ideal" values online:
Q1
Collector 1.4v
Base 0.6v
Emitter 0.0v

Q2
Collector 4.5v
Base 1.4v
Emitter 0.8v

The trimpot is at exactly 12 o'clock. I'm gonna mess with that a little bit.

I had the Hendrix mini FF. No issue as you describe.
But I used it the *correct* way; with Fuzz dimed, and volume to taste. Unity was around 11o'clock.

Then gtr vol knob does the rest.

Oh wait, you tried it with other settings than Gain on full?

Bro, do you even fuzzface?

it's a killer pedal, you just have to ignore that there are any other settings than Gain on full blast this mindset is generally my experience with fuzz faces anyway

Hold on, that knob isn't cosmetic?

It turns and stuff and does things to the sound?

Nowai, I dime everything when I pull out Ye Olde FF.

rfurtkamp wrote:Hold on, that knob isn't cosmetic?

It turns and stuff and does things to the sound?

Nowai, I dime everything when I pull out Ye Olde FF.

I feel the same about pretty much most vintage fuzzes but on a tangent, dude... I swear I sold you a Tone Bender MkII clone I made years back with a bird on it, you still got that?

i didnt have that problem with my mini fuzz face
those voltages sound about right