Jordon Bosstone, Aron?

[phillip]

Any experiences with the Bosstone?  I checked out the sound samples at ToneFrenzy, and I was quite impressed with the kind of tone the little circuit's capable of.

Aron, do you know which version of the Bosstone your schematic represents?  ToneFrenzy says that there were two models...the original and then then second version which was made by Music City USA of Nashville.

I was thinking about cascading a pair of Bosstones together in series...that seems like it would make one seriously aggressive fuzz!

Phillip

[aron]

Mine is the original, but ahhh.. better build only 1 before you decide on cascading 2.

:shock:

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
  Yeah, the Bosstone is a neat circuit!  Ammscray has had some experience with original ones.  Anybody swapped trannys around in this??
Brian.

[Mark Hammer]

Haven't swapped trannies as far as I remember, but you'd be surprised how much of an overdrive it still is when the diodes have the ground connection lifted.  Aron is right when he suggests trying out one before you start futzing around with cascading 2.  Yeah, I know it isn't much in terms of parts, and the Double Muff has lots of folks thinking that way, but this is not an effect that is content with being tasteful.  Cascading two would produce aural mush in a hurry.  I would think you'd get more mileage out of it by simply tacking on a single-transistor FET or bipolar input-buffer/gain stage and pushing it just a little harder.  Even a gain of 5 would likely yield some very intense sounds.  Besides, you could use the initial buffer/gain stage to do some pre-clip frequency shaping which would yield a much broader palette of tones.

In mine, I installed a 3-way slide switch that gives the stock circuit, the stock circuit with a .01uf cap (or something like that) in parallel with the diodes, or the stock circuit with a .15 (or .22uf) cap in parallel with the .02uf input cap.

The cap in parallel with the diodes obviously does the same thing it does on the Dist+, which is tame the fizz for a rounder sound.  The extra input capacitance is as per Aron's experiments, and yields more low end growl but also produces some quasi-octaving/Green-Ringer sounds on the lower notes.  Doesn't work reliably or that far up the fingerboard (it isn't octaver-in-a-can, kids), but still worth adding IMO.

[phillip]

Thanks guys!

Mark, for the JFET input buffer, would a wah pedal output buffer (like on the Tonepad Wah Wah pdf file) do the trick?  It does give a small boost...around 3dB maybe.

TIA!
Phillip

[Ammscray]

I've actually seen 3 different ones...same circuit but all with different trannys, and different values for the caps...they all sounded good!

[Mark Hammer]

Philip,

Try one of the simple FET boosters at either Tim Escobedo's site or at generalguitargadgets.  A 3db boost may well be enough to do what you want, but for maximum flexibility (i.e., same degree of fuzz intensity possible no matter what you plug into it) one of those boosters will yield more gain.

While you're pondering this, take a peek at the schematic for the Vox Tone Bender.  You will note that it is basically a Fuzz Face with an extra transistor gain stage at the front.  You'd be surprised how much additional rudeness is added by just goosing the front end a bit.

[Ammscray]

Actually the Vox TB was a 2-tranny circuit, the Solasound TB MK II/Marshall Supa-Fuzz was the 3-tranny version...

[phillip]

Yep, the MKII certainly has more nastiness than the Fuzz Face...but God do I love it so

Phillip

[petemoore]

...[er,.. not so basic FF !!!]
 What will you be having WITH that today? Modded Wah for boost and Q? uh Possibly just another voiced transistor amp or perhaps a simple buffer?
 I think today feels like a Phazer/FF day. I think I'll pull the one out, the one with the input blend/gain controls, and the Pigged out Q1.
 If I had just one battery, I'd pull out the Tonebender to bite off some juicy, vintage sounding, chewy crunch chords with, and singing sustain.
 Enough talk about food, I'll have to give the guitar a taste [more like a 7 course meal] and see what it says, if it laughs or cries.