Tonepad Germanium Fuzz Face build

[rousejeremy]

Positive ground version with 2N404A transistors with a gain on 75 and 126. I breadboarded the circuit and used Joe Davissons fantastic Fuzz Face calculator to find resistor values, http://www.diystompboxes.com/analogalchemy/emh/emh.html 

I adjusted R1 until I was getting 4.5 volts at the collector of Q2. What a sound!

It was a little confusing at first transferring the circuit from breadboard to Tonepads PCB because of the resistor designations. When I finally got it together, it sounded horrible. I was getting 1.65 volts at the collector of Q2 and nothing put spluttery gated crap. It took me two hours to realize I had a 1k Fuzz control on the PCB and had fine tuned the circuit with a 2k Fuzz control on the breadboard. Whoops!

Anyway, now it sounds great. It has a smooth sound that even keeps the integrity of a chord with a third in it even at maximum gain. It cleans up very well with the guitars volume control giving a slight octave up effect on the neck pickup. Here is a soundclip of the pedal.
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/rousejeremy/Germanium+Fuzz.mp3.html
I had an MXR Carbon Copy after the fuzz and added some reverb in Garageband.

It is housed in a Hammond 1590b which I gave a shot at etching using a graphic from the internet.





Thanks to Tonepad and the Analog Alchemy site for the help. Next up is a Silicon Fuzz with BC183's. (I read somewhere one of Eric Johnsons fuzz pedals has those trannies).

[petemoore]

  Yupp, and Holy Batman Smokes !
  Thats' a Tonebender, inclined to distort to some degree or help make Drenched Fuzz !
  Cool lookin' box plays your style very nicely !

[Fp-www.Tonepad.com]

Cool sound sample, sounds great.

[jessej]

Yes really nice, both the etching and the sound!

What amp/speakers/mic are you using in the demo?

[rousejeremy]

Thanks guys. The amp is a Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue. I just sat my Macbook in front of the amp and recorded it into garageband.

Yes really nice, both the etching and the sound!

What amp/speakers/mic are you using in the demo?

[Slade]

Beautiful sound from that macbook microphone!!!! 

Sounds awesome... Congrats.

[jessej]

I have a macbook too and always thought the mic was quite good, but I had no idea it was up to the task of recording guitar. 

Your '65 Deluxe Reverb has an 12" 8-ohm Jensen® C-12K speaker (Ceramic). Very nice vintage tone!

[rousejeremy]

The Deluxe Reverb also has some issues. The Tremolo clicks, the reverb doesn't work and the amp makes an intermittent humming that is activated by the note E.
I wish I could fix it myself, but know nothing of amplifiers. I assume that these new models are PCB as well. I was told that PCB's and tube amps don't like each other very much.