Fuzz/Octave up?

[peps1]

Looking to build my mrs a light Fuzz/Octave up that not to synth.

Any advice for schematics I should be playing with on the breadboard?   

Hard to describe the sound Im after, but here is a picture that should help?

[CynicalMan]

LOL 

Fuzz Factory?

[peps1]

good call, but have one, and am looking for something with a little less fuzz and a little more hi end super octave up.......kind of MXR Blue Box in reverse.   

[digi2t]

W.T.F. (What The Fuzz). Oct up sounds like a cross between a FTM and a Scrambler.

[Brossman]

+1 for Ampeg Scrambler!  It can be pretty hot, but you can turn down the fuzz and it cleans up very nicely...

Here's a good demo from one of our own... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ZLBhDlBIw

Now again, the octave up works off the the guitar's natural harmonics (i.e. works the best from 12th fret and up).  So you wont be getting a clean octave up across the whole range...

If you want a DEFINITE octave up, I recommend the old Digitech Whammy I... The older ones don't get that synthy warble from awful tracking that the Whammy II gets...

[peps1]

Its the scrambler that started the idea off........but my one id just too...umm...well....too much like a ampeg scrambler sonic death octave harmonic killing box of doom!

[Scruffie]

How about a BrassMaster, Foxx Tone Machine or Fender Blender?

[glops]

I recently build a Tone Machine.  The octave up is completely insane...

[Mark Hammer]

"Clean" octave-ups are a rare bird.  A have about 6 or more octave-up units, and they all do a couple of things the same:
1) They produce sideband products, and a ring modulator like sound, when doing double stops.
2) They all distort.
3) They all don't really "kick in" until around the 6th to 7th fret.
4) They all prefer unwound strings.
5) They all prefer neck pickups and the treble rolled off at the guitar.

My personal favourite is the aforementioned Foxx Tone Machne.  I find it has the most robust and reliably audible octave.  It does not really need the pair of clipping diodes to ground to either produce the octave or sound good, though be prepared for the substantial bump in volume level that results.

The Scrambler can do some interesting things, but needs a better front end or some signal conditioning to get the maximum tonal palette out of it.

Madbean has a layout for a clone of the Z-Vex Octane, which is a very decent pedal - kind of an improved Univox Superfuzz - though as fuzzy as any of them.

[trjones1]

+1 on the Foxx for all the aforementioned reasons.  It also has one of my favorite straight fuzz tones when the octave is disengaged.

The Fender Blender is a pretty wild pedal, but nowhere near as usable as the Foxx.  I think of it as advanced octave up when you just want to destroy your tone.  You can also make the octave on that switchable and get some nasty straight fuzz.  Very bassy if the tone control isn't maxed, but interesting.

[glops]

For octave up I have only built an Acetone Fuzzmaster, a Tone Machine, and a Scrambler.  The Acetone has a hint of octave, the Scrambler some great octave but not super versatile, and the Tone Machine has an awesome octave sound.  I researched here via the search function and did lots of reading.  I used a pair of matched nos germanium diodes (can't remember what type) for the octave section.  1n34 and 1n60's didn't sound near as good for some reason.  I put a switch to take out or switch in the clipping pair towards the end of the circuit right before the tone section.  I used 914's for these and it sounds great.  When the clippers are switched out I get a less fuzzy and more rockin overdrive sound from the pedal.  I also tweaked the tone section so that I could get a better balance between the octave channel and the regular fuzz channel.  A great sounding pedal.

[petemoore]

  Mini-guitar ! !
  Just kidding unless you wanna...
  That'd getcha clean octave, and anything else effect you add.
   These all Fuzz, as part of the octave makin' business.
  There's a DIY clean octave but...it's worth a look at the EH stuff to see if the EH stuff is what you're after, was for me after I saw some of it...no direct affiliation...might be some other brands for that kind of thing too.
  So DIY we'll just call it fuzzy first, then the square wave is folded into octave tone.
  Transformer Octave: sounds like transformer...under severe test, like it's burnin' and still sparking as well as transferring fuzz to octavated output...kinda hashy and trashy and ring-mod-ish. The transformer is like a bottleneck or something.
  The Green Ringer, [if you're building distort or fuzz the GR needs]. Fed a hot signal, or say pre-squared and boosted by fuzz makes it Ring and octave, otherwise it is 'faint'.
  The concept of fuzz to octave switch makes sense for leaving/entering/bypassing from fuzz on.
  This concept is 1 true bypass from a tychobrahe also, just insert true bypass before the transformer and diodes [include C6 to block fuzz DC output, return to the volume control.   
  The FTM is Marks fave, and I should build another, apparently it behaves with comparitively strong octave over a wide frequency band.
  Try Bridge pickup, volume rolled back a bit, one note at a time.
  Opamp circuits do strong octafuzz too, perhaps a bit less 'anomolous behaviour' than discrete builds, all a matter of taste.
   

[Mark Hammer]

I am convinced the secret to the FTM is that 5-component network in the feedback loop between the emitter of Q2 and the base of Q1.  I gather it plays a role in the selective drive of the signal to the rectifier circuit.  It's actually tempting to want to futz around with the component values and see what difference they make.  Certainly, the resemblance of that circuit to broad notch filters, such as the tone control from the Superfuzz or Shin-Ei FY-2, suggest that sticking a trimpot between the 100nf cap and ground might have some interesting repercussions.

[tuckster]

Tycobrahe Octavia FTW!
But it may sound a bit crazy with all pots cranked up

[petemoore]

  French Toast for breakfast? easy, sweet, cheap, done before lunch !