Bazz Fuzz question: Am I hooking this up correctly?

[ambulancevoice]

I finally got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The black ring on my diodes meant that was the NEGATIVE side, not the POSITIVE side.  Once I flipped the diode, everything magically worked!

THANK YOU ALL so much for helping with this!  I no longer feel like a total failure; I've stepped up to feeling like a complete newbie who can only make very simple things.  Your efforts are sincerly appreciated.

Now that I have sound, I need to figure out the resistor/input cap/output cap values and how they relate to the actual SOUND of my bass passing through... hopefully actually the FUN part that involves SOUND!

....
ok, now you know
no matter what the ring around the diode mean NEGATIVE or Cathode or K
and end with no ring means POSITIVE or Anode or A
this is why pictures would have been good

anyway, i real glad you got it working!!!!!!
play with the input and output caps mostly
also, like Marcelo and I always say, add a bias pot!! more fun awaits!!

[deschete]

anyway, i real glad you got it working!!!!!!
play with the input and output caps mostly
also, like Marcelo and I always say, add a bias pot!! more fun awaits!!

Interesting, that does bring up another question: is there a site or page that explains what changing the input/output caps does exactly to alter the sound?

[petemoore]

  caps pass high frequencies with less attenuation/resistance that low ones.
  0 frequency = DC, caps block DC.
  larger cap values let bass pass more unattenuated.
  stick a small one so the signal has to pass through it [in series with signal path, such as staging caps] and caps do what caps do anywhere else, attenuate lower frequencies, smaller caps to a lesser extent.
  stick a small cap between signal path and...ground, cap still does same thing..attenuate lows, but in this case they provide a low resistance path, right to ground [0.0v where 'nothing' happens..overstatement but for this case ok], so all the highs travel to ground instead of output.
  Overstatement again...but diddling with the [two types of positions explained above] values explains it better, one is HP filter
  HP Filter: High pass filter, such a cap from SP to Gnd.  [rolls off highs].
  LP Filter: Low pass filter such as staging cap/cap in series with SP. [rolls off lows].
  The input and output caps necessarily are easy points for modding, the wire carrying the signal nearly always goes to a lug [volume pot or switch etc] and can be easily swapped or seriesed with [added to] the existing capacitor to alter it's value, seriesing two equal caps halves value, paralleling doubles..odd values are another story best studied elsewhere such as trying it.

[deschete]

Good info!  Thanks.

[ambulancevoice]

http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html

scroll down a bit and there is some stuff on the caps

[deschete]

Well, I'm using the Bazz Fuzz as an actual Bass Guitar Fuzz.  I kept feeling like the sound was a bit wimpy, though, and i was a little disappointed.

Then I went back and looked at the schematic and noticed that the original schem called for 10uf caps on in and out.  WOW!!! What a difference changing the input and output caps made to the sound.  I might acutally put this into a pedal enclosure now.

[PurpleStrat]

So you replaced the 4.7uf and .1 with 10uf caps?

[deschete]

So you replaced the 4.7uf and .1 with 10uf caps?

Yes, I put 10uf electrolytic caps per Christian's original diagram.  I also experimented with adding a 1kL multi-turn pot between the transistor and ground (shown in the "deluxe bass fuzz" schematic as a 1kL standard pot) tonight and had great results... if the effect is bottoming out, I can adjust the trim pot and take some dirt away until it's "stable" again.  This would let me "tune" the pedal for the bass attached to it... or I could just put a knob on the final pedal and vary it there.  The trim pot gave a more fine range of control though and I'm usually a "set it and forget it" guy.

[jayp5150]

Mine is built into my bass, and I have a good result using the volume on the bass as a gain.

I found that this isn't really possible unless using a darlington, as you get a gated sound when the volume's not cranked.

You could experiment with kind of a pre-gain, like the "smooth" knob on some of the FF schems floating around here. just throw a 100k-500k pot as a variable resistor in front of the circuit. If I ever box mine, this is probably what I'm doing.

I built mine with 10uf in/out caps, home-made darlington (2 2N5089's), and I believe I stuck with the 1N914 diodes.

[brett]

Hi
my son is a bass player and uses the darlington version of the Bass Fuzz a lot. 
Changing the diode changes the flavour somewhat, but I like the basic 1N4148.
Such a simple circuit with such good results.
cheers