Fuzz Face has no sustain...

[zachomega]

I have two fuzz faces.  One I built and one is just a blue Dunlop RI. 

The one I built works just fine...and sounds great!

The blue dunlop on the other hand exhibits a strange behavior that the one I built does not. 

Firstly, it sounds great when I'm playing and doing a lot of attack...but if I let the notes sustain out, they sputter towards the end of the decay and almost all of the volume drops out. 

I measured the voltages in the unit:
The Battery measured 8.68 volts under load:
Q1:
B = .11
E = 0
C = .69
Q2
B = .68
E = .56
C = 4.06

As I mentioned, the unit sounds really good, I just wish the notes had more sustain at the decay.  I'm hoping that any modifications will not change the overall character of the pedal too much. 

-Zach Omega

[rockgardenlove]

Looks/sounds like a misbiased transistor.

[zachomega]

Sure does, but what is the most effective way to treat this without putting a ton of trimmers inside of it or replacing every part?  As I said, the thing sounds great up until you let the notes ring out. 

-Zach Omega

Looks/sounds like a misbiased transistor.

[tcobretti]

Trimpots (or sockets so you can swap resistors) on the collectors should be all you need to fix it.

[petemoore]

Sure does, but what is the most effective way to treat this without putting a ton of trimmers inside of it or replacing every part?
  Possibly tack a parallel resistor above board, right across Q2C *Resistor, there may be enough lead length above board to quickly hot solder another reistor parallel to it.
  Choose the added resistor value...carefully clip to only the collector lead/Q2CR lead [wherever accepts the clip best], attach that to the wiper of a pot, say...50k, attach a wire between an outside lug of the pot to the 1k resistor [or is yours a 470ohm..it's the the R between Q1cR and Q2cR]...paralleling a variable resistance of 0k - 50k to Q2CR.
  adjust the bias of the circuit, get Q2C to about 1/2 voltage, take notes on voltages/sound of higher and lower bias voltages, and the resistance which held it at that voltage, set by ear.
  Remove the clip on Q2 lead, measure the pot, if you can piggyback a resistor of the same value as the pot Resistance measured across the Q2CR in the board, your Ge FF will now hold that chosen bias point >? barring moon phase change influences or temperatures below ~48 degrees / above ~72. An Si FF will very closely hold that bias point.
  Probably all you need to do is drop Q2's collector resistor value a notch or two, by building a parallel resistor there.
  Clip a wire on the collector while soldering it's resistor for the utmost in temperature safety.