New idea

[Yun]

i have a new idea, and i was wondering if it would work:

Take the FF circuit for an example.  Take the Resistors, solder the same values together.  Making The stock value double, you see. Do that with all the resistors.  This would probubly make the effect fuzzier, louder, etc.

would this work eh?

[nirvanas silence]

That would not work at all.  Doubling the resistors off of the collectors would starve the circuit and be extremely gated if it worked at all.  Doubling the resistor 100K resistor would also loose gain.  Why not just tweak and see what amplifies the signal and which attenuates?

[Yun]

That would not work at all.  Doubling the resistors off of the collectors would starve the circuit and be extremely gated if it worked at all.  Doubling the resistor 100K resistor would also loose gain.  Why not just tweak and see what amplifies the signal and which attenuates?

well, i've found that silicon trannies are the best for my tastes (more fuzz)

i use a 10K instead of an 8.2K; 2K pot for fuzz control, etc.  

Do you have any modifications, or any tips, advice, schematics to turn it A LOT more fuzzy eh?

[aron]

To make it a lot more fuzzy you could make the input cap really large for buzz and then add diodes at the end for even more fuzz.

[Peter Snowberg]

The FF circuit is somewhat touchy because the values of the resistors set the bias of the transistors by counter-balancing the resistance of the transistors to bias them to a state where the second transistor amplifies the gain of the first. If you simply double the resistors they will become improperly biased and they won't amplify at all so you'll get no sound or you might get a spattery, and gated sort of sound.

If you want to make it fuzzier, you can add different transistors with different gains or you could try adding some Ge or Si diodes to the output like a Distortion+. To make it louder, adjust the resistor value between +9V and the junction of the resistor going to Q2 & the output coupling cap. You want to keep the same total resistance between +9 and Q2 to keep the bias the same. This will shift the tone very slightly too when you shift the position of the output tap in that chain of two resistors.

If you find the right transistors, you could double the resistors, but finding them might be difficult.

In some circuits you can double one or some of the resistors to increase fuzz. A perfect example of that is the resistance of the drive pot on a tube screamer.

In some cases, if you double every resistor you would not change the gain at all because the gain is set by the ratio between two resistors, but you would be raising the impedances in the circuit which could increase noise, increase high frequency response, or do just about nothing at all.

Take care,
-Peter

[Yun]

Diodes eh?  Hmmmm; does anyone of yous guys have a schematic eh?  

Thanks Mr.Peter, you helped me out Quite a bit.  

i built a Fuzz Face wich happens to be my faveorite fuzz; and i have No clue what i did, but it's like a Buzz Box; it's way more fuzzier than a tone bender.  only thing i did was really was the SI trannies, 10K trimpot, and 2K fuzz pot.  i've made plenty of them that way before, but none of em have the same sound as that one does, so i'm kinda stuck/at a loss here....

[Peter Snowberg]

Take a look at the MXR Distortion+ or the Jordan BossTone (see the schematics section). Both of those pedals use an amplifier stage followed by a passive diode clipper output.

The basic design is to use two diodes with opposite polarity and in parallel, across the output level pot (or the output signal and ground wires). As the signal gets larger than the forward voltage drop of the diode, the diode will clip it. There are plenty of mods for this too. You can place a cap in parallel with the diodes to cut down the highs if they are too much, and you can use different diodes like one 1N34A and one 1N914, or one 1N914 and a 1N4001, or one 1N914 pointing in one direction and a series pair of 1N914 diodes pointing in the other. LEDs will give crunchy additions to the sound and Ge diodes like the 1N34 will be very fuzzy but with much less volume coming out of the pedal.

It sounds like you have a FF "happy accident". Something like 1 in 20 of the production pedals were like this and those pedals are where the reputation for great tones come from. The other 19 pedals were just OK, or sounded bad. It all depends on the gains of the transistors and their internal resistance.

Take care,
-Peter

[stm]

Yun, i have the following suggestions to determine what's going on with your good sounding FF.

First, you should check collector voltages on both transistors, especially the biasing of the second, usually stated at 4.5V. Changing bias voltage does alter sound quality.

Second, which transistors are you using?  You should ideally measure their gain with a suitable DMM. If gains are different, it matters which trasistor goes first.

Third, doube check the values of your capacitors. Perhaps you used a different value than expected with a happy consequence.

Fourth, tell us your circuit and measurements if you please!

[Yun]

Yun, i have the following suggestions to determine what's going on with your good sounding FF.

First, you should check collector voltages on both transistors, especially the biasing of the second, usually stated at 4.5V. Changing bias voltage does alter sound quality.

Second, which transistors are you using?  You should ideally measure their gain with a suitable DMM. If gains are different, it matters which trasistor goes first.

Third, doube check the values of your capacitors. Perhaps you used a different value than expected with a happy consequence.

Fourth, tell us your circuit and measurements if you please!

i don't have a multi-meter, my Nephew blew the fuse in it, man.  

i think i'm using MPSA18 or MPSA13 trannys, Whichever one is PNP.  i forgot  :oops: .  

Oh yeah; i forgot:  i used vintage caps from the early 60's i think.  the values were 2.2uf, .01uf, and 20uf.  

i have all this vintage components, as my grandfather was an early electrician type guy on sub-marines in WW2