Fuzz Face Oscillation/Synth Modding

[sine_wave_ninja]

I'm thinking about building a standard germanium fuzz face but want to add some mods to it.  Just wondering how you could go about getting wanted and controlled oscillation along with maybe adding something to make it sound synth like.  Any help and/or advise would be much appreciated...

[kat]

If you want oscillations, you might check out a schematic for the fuzz factory instead.  It is not greatly more complicated than a fuzz face and it's got lots of on-purpose crazy going on.

I have a hard time thinking about what it would mean to make a fuzz face sound synthy... its sound is distinctive because of the asymmetrical effect it has on the waveform.  To my mind, synthy and fuzzy might be something more clearly making a square-wave out of your signal, like with a mxr blue box... or, recently I have been having tons-o-fun with a bitcrusher effect, which I would describe as both synthy and fuzzy.  But that's a digital effect (albeit a really easy one to make with current DIY digital setups). 

I think most of the time fuzz face mods emphasize tone control.  It's hard to mess too much with that circuit and keep what is great about it, in my opinion!

[deadastronaut]

you can get synthy , trumpety, strained, sounds by swapping out the collector (npn) resistors for pots..

on a npn fuzz face.....just adds a little more to it..

[Plexi]

My experience:
- Limit ground: nothing conected to it, only a potentiometer! This one isn't common, but very very effective in some circuits.
- Limit voltage: "starve" on many pedals (zvex)
- Feedback/oscilator:

I saw people using LDR's instead to switch: great idea!

Time ago I saw on YT a guy with an FF that oscillates beautifully... now I don't find it

[mac]

Some mega ohms + cap in series from Q2 collector to Q1 base. Positive feedback.

mac