Getting more grit from the Red Llama/Tube Sound Fuzz.

[skiraly017]

I would like to get more grit from my RL/TSF build. So far have -

1) Changed the imput resistor from 100k to 10k per Matt Harmon's suggestion to increase saturation. I like the end result but with the gain all the way down, the build seems to lose its ability to be a "almost clean" booster. The lower gain settings seem to become a little muddy.

2) I tried using the Lead/Rhythm setup as in the original TSF switching between a 100k and 1M resistor. Again I like the end results but I lose the ability to control the gain with the 1M switched in.

Hvae I overlooked anything obvious in the simple approach to increasing the drive? I know there's lots of room to move with the 4049, I was hoping for a quick and easy fix. Thanks.

[petemoore]

  Supply voltage drop or preboost ot that, I haven't looked at the schematic  lately.

[jdavyd]

there are a ton of threads about that circuit here. i remember reading one account of adding an LED and a diode across the outside of the volume knob to increase dirt. this may be worth trying!

[CoolJohnny]

the lead switch does exactly what you say, it simply maxes the gain. it is entirely uneccessaary in my view. when i built this as my first stompbox a hundred years ago with the original PAIA boards (do they still make those) i left it off. i thought that pedal was the bomb, until i discovered how to mod a dod 250. i still have the complete TSF around here somewhere, and am wondering if converting it to red llama would be worth it...i'll let you figure that one out for me...

[gez]

Anderton recently said on a forum that the original design was intended to be preceded by a buffer.  I appreciate that the Llama is a tweaked version, and so compensates for the missing buffer by increasing gain and decreasing headroom, but the inclusion on said buffer would probably introduce a little more sparkle and wring a little more gain out of these circuits.

As Pete said, dropping the voltage (within reason) will reduce headroom and get you a little more distortion.  It's already been done with this design by the inclusion of the resistor between V+ and the Vdd pin of the 4049, but perhaps experimenting with slightly larger values might yield results.

There is a simple little trick you could probably do, but I'd need to see the schematic.  Link?

[Nasse]

I saw a simple voltage adjust trick years ago, and I tried it and it worked. One 4049 chip was powered from a center lug of a 10k lin pot, dividing 9 volt battery voltage. Perhaps there was a 10 uF parallel from divider to ground.