ColorSound Jumbo ToneBender sustain pot octave/squealing?

[nightingale]

i used the schematic from fuzzcentral,
i am usually a die-hard PCB guy but i built this one on perf just for kicks.
this thing has a really cool BMP-ish tone but i can only get usable fuzz if i have the "sustain" pot all the way down.
from 9:00-1:00 on the pot, it starts to go octave.. [pretty good one too]
then at 3:00 it starts to squeal like a beast!

i subbed the 500pf for a 470pf in the 2nd gain stage?
anyone ever have a similiar experience with this circuit?
curious,

here's the link: http://bryant02.home.att.net/schematics/jumbotonebenderschem.gif

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello Ryan--
     How are you?!!
  I've had stuff like this happen with these circuits.
  1]  Loose connection at one of the jacks  [bad solder joint??]
  2]  Something funny with the fuzz pot [bad solder joint or mis-wired lugs].
  3] Bad tranny??
  4] Too much bloody gain somewhere in the circuit??
  5]  Ground problem somewhere??

Brian.

[nightingale]

brian,
things are good.  i not realize you were i Austin. i would have tried to cross paths with you when er were at SXSW. Have you heard the Black Angels they are from Austin. We might do some shows with them on the west coast.
they have some killer fuzz-tones for sure! sounds like fz1-a to me?
http://www.theblackangels.com/


I found a couple mistakes i made on the ciruit, i forgot a 100k resistor on the emitter of Q3.. but now the early fuzz settings are unusable, becasuse of the strong octave in the 1st part of the pot rotation? and the squaeling is still out of control at about 2:00?

all i wanted was a little BMP type tone tone mix with some echo on a few of our songs.. i probably would have been better off building jack ormans muffer: http://www.muzique.com/schem/muff.gif just a single gain stage to get a little of the BMP tone on top of my allready fuzzed signal. too bad i drilled 3 pot holes in my enclosure!

i think i might go back over some solder joints, but i might have to blame this on my super tight layout. i did it on one of the small small bear perfs..
i can't explain the octave tho? i prefer my green ringer for octave.. lol!

maybe i will make a modded muffer, with fuzz control, volume, and tonestack.. i guess i could just double up on the diodes to keep the ouput high enough for a tonestack?

or what if i was to make a cap blend with a pot in the diode loop?
http://www.muzique.com/schem/muff.gif

how could i splice a fuzz pot into the muffer?

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello Ryan--
      Any new news on the little bugger??  Still squealing?
Nope, haven't heard the Black Angels.  There's a whole bunch of local bands that I haven't seen 'cuz I'm to absorbed trying to "craft" the songs and sound of my own project.  One of my only contacts with outside bands [except my own old records and cd's] is the Underground Garage radio show [every Sunday night 10 - 12 midnight].  Check it out if you don't already know....
 Yeah, too bad I didn't know you were in Austin. How's the gig go???
Brian.

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello Ryan--
       Still there??
Brian.

[nightingale]

my DSL has been on the rocks tonight, sorry!

Any new news on the little bugger?? Still squealing?

i could not get rid of the nasty squeal, or the octave.. my layout was really tight for a circuit with 3 cascading gain stages. sadly, i ended up parting it out..
it had a BMP type tone, but i think that if i ever dabble again in the similiar BMP type circuits, i might try the vox suppa tonebender for variety.

actually i endued up building jack ormans MUFF BOOST: http://www.muzique.com/schem/projects.htm

i wired a 100k pot as a pregain to control the fuzz, and i am messing with an input cap blend in the diode clipping loop. what i get is a good spongey overdrive with hints of BMP type fuzz that sizzle as the note trails away.. sounds killer with some tape echo mixed with it!
i used it all day in practice.. it has taken the spot of my modded od-250 clone i use for my grinding OD tones.

i plan to build the other two BMP gain stages, and the tonestack,  in an enclosure right next to it, so i can get in the full BMP type range for solos and heavy blankets of fuzz..

Yeah, too bad I didn't know you were in Austin. How's the gig go???

our friday show went pretty well.. but we got bumped off of our saturday show..  the venue, had some issues with the law the night before so alot of bands got bumped off of their primetime saturday spots..
it was a bit of a disappointment, but we are all pretty mellow cats and were able to have a real cool time regardless..
the whole SXSW thing was a little overwhelming at times..

what fuzz have you been into playing lately man?

[brian wenz]

Hello Ryan--
      Mostly I've been messing with the Kay Fuzz.   It's pretty much a "Super Fuzz Lite" circuit.  [I've gotta build a Super Fuzz soon.....!]  I love the Shin Ei stuff........great, nasty fuzz!  Had some problems with circuit hiss but it came down to a little bias adjustment.  This thing works pretty good through a clean amp tone [unlike some of the British circuits] so it's fun to go from a nice, full  AC 30 type clean to instant "Cramps" fuzz.
 That's too bad about the TB......sometimes I've had to just start over....
Brian.