Tonebender mkii (2) clone: Just crackling noise instead of sound

[Error!]

Might it be possible that the bias pot (at the collector of Q3) has no effect - at least none on the sound?

[Electric Warrior]

It should change the volume and tone noticeably. How much does it change Q3's collector voltage?

[Error!]

How much does it change Q3's collector voltage?

It does change the voltage quite a bit, from about -6V to almost -9V.
I just left it around 8k (about -8,5V at the collector of Q3), sounds great as is.

Swapping around transistors really is a great activity and it's hard to decide sometimes, but I ended up with the AC125s I started with, sounds awesome.
Maybe I can post a sound clip later on.

Here is a photo of the result (nothing to spectacular, I know):

[Electric Warrior]

Good, it's doing something. That should certainly have an audible effect.

Trying different transistors for Q2 really pays off in my experience. It has great effect on the amount of gating vs clean up/hiss.