Fuzz Face tuning/biasing guide

[wolfy]

G'day,
Forgive me if I'm in the wrong spot.

The other week I found a fantastic guide on the net about tuning/biasing a fuzz face, it may have been by R.G Keen.

The guide provided a seemingly 'fool proof' and methodical way of setting the voltages using variable resistors and a voltage reader.

I know there is so much on this topic, but i just remember this guide being really good, and a good one to pass on to friends who want to get into it.

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm is not the page I'm thinking of. Could have even been a forum post.

Thank ya'll kindly in advance,

Wolfy

[GibsonGM]

I found this on SOME forum like 10 years ago...it might be worth taking a look at.   I never did TRY it, not being a huge fuzz guy, but it seems to have some merit.   Credit to the original poster, whoever it is!   I'll make the assumption that the other R values are just the stock ones.
Hope you find this helpful...

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"The best way to bias a Fuzz Face (or Rangemaster) is to have a single trimmer for the Emitter resistor on the second stage. Instead of using the Fuzz control as the Emitter resistor, use a trimmer, and wire the Fuzz control as a variable resistor in series with the bypass cap (the one normally connected to its wiper). Or, use a slightly higher value for the Fuzz control (try 2k or 5k) and have it wired normally with a trimmer tacked on in parallel to it. 5k is usually the best value for the trimmer in any case. Adjust the trimmer so you get 4,5v at the Collector of Q2, and you're in business. The bias should end up being fine for the first stage as well, only time it isn't is when there is too much of a difference between the gains of the two transistors. But they don't have to be matched exactly for it to be right, just in the same general ballpark.
If you follow the advice of that article and replace everything with trimmers, you end up with them all "fighting" each other as you adjust it. Adjust one and it gets about right, start adjusting another, and then it's all off again... makes it way more complicated and messy than it needs to be. Also, the tone of the circuit can change dramatically when you change the value of the Collector load. Collector resistors should NEVER be used for bias trimming. Only time it's acceptable to have adjustable Collector loads is when you're intentionally wanting to have a thing that changes the tone of the circuit."

[thermionix]

I like biasing FFs at Q2e.  Leaves the 8.2k/470 voltage divider alone so you get "normal" output volume.  I omit the fuzz control so it's always full up.  Very simple.

[Gus]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=114153.msg1058953#msg1058953

[wolfy]

Thank you so much for your helpful replies. Just what I'm looking for.