i need a distortion

[choklitlove]

i can't explain exactly what i want... because i really don't know.  all i know is that it needs to sound good in front of a lot of reverb.  i have 2 big muffs, and i've tried a ds-1 and a tube screamer.  i like the muffs, but they're too fuzzy.  i hated both of the others.

i need something that has some ass and bass.  but not too fuzzy like the muffs.

i play guitar against drums in a two-man band.  the muff doesn't cut through, and something that would i'm afraid would be too sharp.


also, i'd like for the project to be easy...



i know this is a crazy thread... but thanks!

[tcobretti]

Fuzz Face.  Use Ge or low hfe Si transistors and you are in business.

[Jaicen_solo]

I think you should be looking for something approximating a sawtooth kind of distortion.
This is not an easy thing to do with analogue distortion, but perhaps you could use some sort of waveshaper?

[jonathan perez]

ive got a Vesta Fire distortion coming in, ill draw a layout as soon as i get it...never heard it before, so i guess it different?

[choklitlove]

probably another pretty important point is that i don't play any "lead".  it's mostly chords when i'll use the pedal.  that should make a difference, but i don't really know.  distortions are out of my field.

[RaceDriver205]

Dr Boogie, no question.

[Yun]

Have you tried an MT-2 (boss metal-zone)?

i like those for chord work. 

Try a modded Fuzz face, i'll whip you up a schematic in a minuit.  a Fuzz face with a tone control will allways be good....

[tcobretti]

You really should at least try a Fuzz Face because they are so incredibly simple to build and are also very easy to fine tune to your preferences.  Really you should just build the Multi-face from runoffgroove, socket the transistors and caps, and plug away til you find the sound you want.  However, you must try some PN2369A transistors.  They are amazing in a Si Fuzz Face.

http://www.runoffgroove.com/multiface.html

[Yun]

this should suit your needs, man:



The compression control should give you better sustain when chording, turn it down when you want the chord to "fade" .  Also, i put a simple tone control in there for you.  This will, of course, give flavour to your chords.  Also, note the 1-Meg volume control.  To me, a lot o' pedals don't have enuff volume, or, output.  This is a nessesidy when playing chords.  That's my 2 cents anyways.....

[burnt fingers]

Dude that is one crazy fuzz.  I think I may have to build that really soon.

[petemoore]

  Looks like the thing to the left of the 100k input pot is a 'all pass' capacitor, what...10k ? ...
  The tone arrangement looks cool too, being able to adjust the amount of bass let in is a good bet for a knob you'll use, to tune to SC's or if you switch from SC"s to HB's.
  That middle arrangement's interesting, the feedback loop config. I can't read what size Gain Pot you've marked there though.
  Looks real cool YUN !!!

[choklitlove]

Have you tried an MT-2 (boss metal-zone)?

i like those for chord work. 

Try a modded Fuzz face, i'll whip you up a schematic in a minuit.  a Fuzz face with a tone control will allways be good....

i used to have a metal-zone.  i don't play metal, but even if i did, i think i'd still hate it.

thanks for everyone's input.  it's looking like some sort of fuzz face is the way to go.  if i don't like it, i'll just build something else.  i'm not really going to be able to tell until i play it anyway.

[choklitlove]

also, i think you guys should here the kind of music i'm talking about.  this isn't a cheap way to promote my band, but i just can't explain "chords, distortion, reverb" without you hearing it.  then maybe we'll get exactly what i want.

http://bearison.com/frame_song2.html

[tcobretti]

What type of amp and guitar do you play?  I like the song.

[Yun]

Thanks for the compliments, guys.  

I personally would prefer to Ommit the 33K resistors, and replace the fuzz control with a 100K fuzz control, man.  Just make sure that youse guys don't ommit the 2.2K resistor.  It won't mis-bias it- but it'll give you god-aweful noise.  Even when true bypassed and effect off.  

Also; depending on the value of the compression control; you can get groovy synth tones.  Especially with the famed "truama" control, if you were to add it (which i have, and i loved it).  

I built this with NPN MPS silicon trannies.  It's really versatile.  

Also, try AMZ's saturation control in this circuit, man.  it's pretty groovy in this particular circuit as well.  

ALSO;  You can turn it into a Buzz saw type fuzz as well.  I'll with up a schematic for that in a second....in another thread though.  i don't wanna hijack this thread....

[choklitlove]

What type of amp and guitar do you play?  I like the song.

thanks!  i play a peavey predator (http://www.geocities.com/worthekik//predator.html).  at that show, i was playing through a peavey renown 400.  but i'm currently looking for a new amp.

[tcobretti]

The best advice I can give you is to be ready to experiment.  A pedal is one part of your sound, and the guitar and amp you use can make a great pedal sound like crap or vice versa.  IMO fuzzes tend to sound better with tube amps and dist/overdrives sound better with Solid State.  Also, after listening to your music it seems like just a simple overdrive might be more appropiate.  But that where the pedals start to get more complicated.  The Fuzz Face is so adaptable that it is probly still your best shot while remaining simple, and it is between fuzz and distortion to my mind.  One thing you might consider is buying a kit from http://www.olcircuits.com/olckits.html.  The ROG pedals are pretty amazing and pretty "tubey."  However they are more complicated to build so a kit will simplify things greatly.  They have been discussed at great length here, so search the forums for info on them. 

The best thing for you to do might be to buy a breadboard.  They are cheap and allow you to build and hear the pedal before you ever touch a soldering iron.  It it easily the most powerful tool for experimenting and learning.

Good luck.

[trevize]

i watched the videos of your band. I suggest you to build something like a bass paralooper or somethign to preserve the clean signal.

i own a sparkle drive which is a tubescreamer kind of circuit with a clean boost. so you can mix the clean and distorted effect.
you could try the big muff boosting also the clean signal in parallel, you need it otherwise your guitar will sound
louder with only clean  guitars.

look here
http://www.moosapotamus.net/THINGS/paraloop.htm
http://www.runoffgroove.com/splitter-blend.html