Russian Fuzz build report!

[jmusser]

Here's the link (and it will be a minor miracle if I get the whole thing correct) http://photobucket.com/albums/v324/caseyseffectpage/Fuzz%20and%20Overdrives/?actions=view&current=innyfuzz.jpg  I finally found the thin cheezy fuzz tone I was looking for! I think it took me 45 minutes to throw this thing together on perf. The only thing this circuit really longs for is a Volume control, because you pretty much have to have the guitar volume cranked the whole time to drive the fuzz. I tried a variety of transistors in here. I really wanted the Russian transistors to work in there (after all, it is the "Russian Fuzz"), but they didn't have enough ummph to fuzz the circuit. I tried 2n5087s in Q2 and 3 and lost focus. The next try, was the now famous OC140 transistor in Q1, while leaving the stock 2N3906s in Q2 and 3 positions. Now we're talking! Oh yeah! I can not only get thin fuzz on the neck pick up, but I can get thinnest fuzz on the bridge pick up, both with very nice break up. If you like the cutting harshness of Si transistors, leave the 2N5088 in Q1. However, you'll loose the fuzz and go to more of a boosty overdrive on the bridge pick up. If you're thinking that a 2N5089 might push it enough to make fuzz happen on the bridge pick up, sorry. The OC140 transforms this circuit, and I feel gets the best out of it, it has to offer. The circuit has very marginal sustain. I would liken it in that respect, to the Optimum Fuzz. It doesn't gate and fart out, but you're going to have to work your B.B. King finger to get the best out of the note. If someone has an idea for a volume control on this beast, let me know. I feel it's good enough to deserve one. Thanks to whomever is the designer of this circuit.

[MartyMart]

You've certainly got the "FUZZ" bug Jeff !!
Couldn't you just go from the 0.1uf out cap to a 100k pot as normal ?
A "Fuzz" control would be say a 10k pot&22uf wiper cap off Q1 rather than
the 6k2 ... right ?

MM.

[MartyMart]

OK, ditch the 1k to ground from Q3
From 0.01 Q3 to 100k log pot "as normal"
3- from circuit
2- to out jack
1- to ground
It's a LOT louder now and has more "bite" near max volume
so I guess there's some treble loss at half vol.
I/O caps I have both 22n, couldn't get an OC140 to bias right
at Q1, so have a 2N4401 and a pair of BC557's
Nice and "Filthy" fuzz, perhaps a bit "splatty" but 7/10 !
Not the loudest circuit, but well above unity.

MM.

[MartyMart]

Perhaps someone will "chime in" and help a little here:
I've attached a 10k pot from Q1's emitter, lug 3 then lug 2
to a 10uf cap to ground and lug 1 grounded also ( typical FF type arrangement)
It's "kind of" working, it certainly backs off the fuzz some, but is also effecting
bias/tone at the same time.
Is there a better way of doing this here ?

MM.

[jmusser]

Thanks Marty. I'll give the volume control a try. The OC140 just plugged right in for me without any problem, so I must have gotten lucky. It's not a type of fuzz you would want to play every day, but I know there are songs that I have heard that type of tone on before. I mess with it this evening, and see if I can remember a song that would have this tone, so I can give people an idea of what it sounds like. It is nasty, and I believe thinner sounding than anything else I've built. The OC140 gave it some nasal honk which I liked over the 5088.

[MartyMart]

Jeff, do you also have a "bit" of a volume issue with it ?
Should be twice as loud, to match, say a Fuzz face output !

MM.

[Fret Wire]

Alot of those old magazine fuzzes are just basic cookbook/datasheet app ckts that usually need biasing and tweaking to sound decent. Not to mention that you have to add on volume and gain controls on most of them to box them up as useable stompers. Problem is, that by the time you have them tweaked and running, you start to realize that most sound alike, and are really nothing special. Sometimes, they sound more unique and interesting when you build them exactly per the schematic and land on a happy combination of misbiasing that sounds pleasing. Those ckts are good practice, however, for learning to build on, and mod a basic framework of a ckt.

I sent alot of those schematics to Casey when he first put his page up. I tried alot of those awhile back, but I still stick with the Dallas ckt, both with Si's and Ge's (RM mods), Tonebender MKII, and RM Axis. Four distinct flavors of fuzz that I can tweak with my volume knob and cover everything I need.

Keep plugging along on those. You may find a combination of several ckts that really clicks with your gear.

[jmusser]

Well Fret Wire, even though these are text book circuits, thanks for posting them. I like to try different ones just see what they'll sound like. I've built so many, it's getting into the subtleties. It seems like they all have a certain amount of individuality, but it can be only in tembre, break up, sustain, what ones of the six guitar strings it favors, etc. You are correct, that it really only takes a few fuzzes voiced for your rig to pretty much take care of evey fuzz situation. Another thing that's fun, is absolutely nailing a tone on a particular song, like  "Satisfaction" , "American Woman" , "Purple Haze", "Bridge of Sighs", etc. It feels like a real accomplishment, if you've put the time in to make that happen. To answer you question Marty, I really don't have a volume problem with this circuit perse' . It's just that you can't back it off with your guitar volume, or you back off the effect, sort of like the Easy Face, where it needs all umph of the pick up it can get to drive it. So, it needs it's own volume control that's independent of the guitar.

[Fret Wire]

Thank Casey for all the schematics. When he posted that he wanted to put up a page, a few of us sent him all we had. Casey put in all the hard work.

You are correct, that it really only takes a few fuzzes voiced for your rig to pretty much take care of evey fuzz situation.

Not necessarily, I don't voice a classic effect for my rig. I voice my fingers and volume knob to the effect. I'm probably not wording it well, but if you've been playing long enough, you know what I mean. In many cases, a great sound was born from a pedal's uniqueness, because it inspired the player. If you look at enough dist., overdrive, and fuzz posts here, look at the cap changes/mods, you'll start to see that many times the ckt gets always modded to the same general sound, in other words, sameness. Sometimes, an effect's voicing completely disagrees with your amp's voicing. A Rangemaster is an example of an fx that may need to be voiced to your amp, but will still have that unique sound. If I can't mod it to work with my gear, yet still retain what makes it differnt/special, I don't bother. Am I saying don't mod? No, I'm saying don't automatically mod ckt into the "comfort zone". What makes it unique and special? If I adjust it, will it still be unique and have that sound other fx don't? Just like a lot of great Strat players say they like the Strat because you have to fight it, fighting a different fx can yield some nice sounds. A lot of these cookbook ckts start sounding boringly similar when you use a big enough rig to push some air.

Another thing that's fun, is absolutely nailing a tone on a particular song, like  "Satisfaction" , "American Woman" , "Purple Haze", "Bridge of Sighs", etc. It feels like a real accomplishment, if you've put the time in to make that happen

I remember you once said you haven't been playing long or playing rock long, something like that, but you're gonna find that the "effect part"  of "nailing that tone" is the small last step. Where putting the time in counts when you know you've nailed the feel, timing, phrasing, and emotion of the original with a completely clean tone. Yes, you can nail Jimi's fuzz sound or any other heavy sound with a clean tone. You can just feel it in your fingers and you can hear that when you add the fx, it's going to be right. Then, it's just a matter of which fx box gets the actual sound. It's sometimes easier to nail someone's tone on your own rig than the original artist's rig. For example, I can get an mid 70's Blackmore sound with a DOD 250 and a Fender amp. No big accomplishment. If I tried his scalloped neck Strat and 200 watt Marshall, I'd probably sound like shit. The sense of accomplishment for me is when I've nailed their chops, feel, spirit, and sense of adventure. Then I try to incorportate that into my own style. The actual sound part is just the icing on the cake.

[MartyMart]

Hmm, OK I must have got something "wrong" here ...
I have quite a big and brash fuzz tone, but way too quiet !
After checking some other builds, this is just about equal to
bypassed level, no boost at all !
An extra boost stage at the end would do it.
Any ideas ... ?

MM.

[jmusser]

Yes, you are correct, I haven't been playing electric anything for very long. I have played accoustic music for about 25 years. I guess that's why I'm pretty easy to please with effects, and the stray lick I get that sounds like a classic lick from a song. I'm sure that as I evolve in playing electric guitar, that I'll find what you're saying to be true. I may be the only bluegrass banjo and dobro player on this forum! Since this is all realitively new to me, I haven't "been there done that" with effects or electric guitar, so everything is all new and different with every effect, or every new guitar thing that I learn. So, feel free to live vicariously through my rock infancy! I know I tend to ramble about the things I build and the tones that develope, but in my heart, I'm still a teenager in my first 70s garage band, and it's ALL a thrill!

[Fret Wire]

So, feel free to live vicariously through my rock infancy! I know I tend to ramble about the things I build and the tones that develope, but in my heart, I'm still a teenager in my first 70s garage band, and it's ALL a thrill!

I hope you don't feel I'm living vicariously through your "electric infancy". I have no urge to relive the painful beginner days, once was enough. I guess some of those glowing, "Harmony Central" type reviews caught my eye.

Actually, the advice I always give acoustic players switching to electric is to avoid effects for awhile. You've got the bug and sound like you're having a ball building and playing, so keep building and enjoy. The point I always make with someone new to electrics is to learn all the tonal possibilities of each pickup, combos of pickups, and volume/tone knobs, plus all your amps sounds before you start with fx. It makes the fx experience more enjoyable already knowing your guitar/amps sound inside out. Pickup adjustment is big also. Improper adjustment can make an otherwise nice ckt sound overly bassy or trebly, causing you to dump it unfairly.

Back when I started, I was taught "learn to get pure tone first". I played for years without fx, only amp overdrive. Then I started using a Dallas fuzz, and later a Dist.+. I still like those ckts today. When you think about it, our 60's idols did this out of necessity, and it paid off. During their learning years, they didn't have fx, when the first fuzz's came out, they already knew their guitars and amps inside and out. Getting good tone with a fuzz and other later fx wasn't that hard.

I feel sorry for kids starting today, there's too many choices, too much info, and too many affordable fx that will distract them from first learning to get a real connection with their guitars and amps. As a seasoned acoustic player, you already know the #1 rule: if you can't play it clean..you can't play it. :icon_smile: That's a huge advantage over some kid just learning with an electric. 25-30 years ago, $300 would get you a decent beginner accoustic and a hardshell case. Today, $300 can get you a Strat copy, amp, and 5 pedals. How's a kid going to learn like that?

Even now, as much as I enjoy building and playing effects, I still look at them with a jaded eye. Used in the right amount and in the right time, they're great tonal enhancements. Overuse them in the wrong place and time, and your tone will stink like ten dollar perfume on a five dollar whore.

[jmusser]

I have to agree with you. The pedals do absolutely nothing for you but butcher your playing. All you have to do, is switch it off when you really think you're doing well, and hear how badly you're playing chords, and not getting the notes clean. When you listen to the guitar players of the 60s you realize how they had mastered their instuments. I mean, your playing an amplified clean guitar, that is going to show absolutely every flaw that you have, and yet it was all clean and pristine. I listen to a lot of Jazz players, and you're thinking man, that's a guitar player right there! No matter how good they are, I just don't care for that tone. I respect and envy their talent, just like I do the twangy Country players. Some of them are some of the finest players on earth but I can only stand about 10 minutes of that, and I'm done with it. For me electric guitar has to at least be overdriven, or it's not electric guitar. If I have to listen to raw electric guitar, I'd really just rather listen to accoustic. I do practice without effects, just to be sure I'm getting the notes clean, but I love electric guitar with effects. Without them, I would have never picked up electric to start with. Maybe no one else in the world has this opinion, I don't know, but if I can't hear overdriven or fuzzed guitar, I'd just rather stick to playing accoustic. To me there's no point in playing electric guitar, if it just sounds like it wished it could be a good jangly booming accoustic.