Building a Fuzz Face - help with transistor question

[shiva77]

Hey all,

First post in here. Was referred through folks on Harmony Central.

I want to build my first pedal, and I chose a Fuzz Face.

http://smallbox.zeonhost.com/projects/fface/

Does anyone have any recommendations to make this go smoothly? I know how to solder, and I have all these parts. For the transistors, I went to a local surplus store and grabbed both a pair of 2n508a's and a pair of 2n527's. I have sockets to try them both out, just in case. Will these give me that 60's buzz sound?

Thanks

[aron]

About the best you could do for yourself is to order a pair of Fuzz Face transistor from Small Bear Electronics. They have been tested for the fuzz face circuit and contains the resistor values necessary to get good sound from them.

You need to measure those ge transistors to see if they will work well with the Fuzz Face.

Here's a good link:

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm

and another one:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=680

[frankclarke]

It will work, but a '60s sound might require germanium transistors. Go ahead with what you have, and consider a pair of germanium transistors from Small Bear Electronics. And transistor sockets.
See http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fftech.htm , many other articles.

You may love what you have, but transistor sockets and a voltage meter will help if you are a perfectionist.

[GREEN FUZ]

Welcome Sir and may I commend you on your choice of starter.

Regarding the transistors I would recommend socketing tham and then trying out different variations. Some people swear by certain Hfe`s for authenticity but your best guide is your ears so I suggest the suck it `n` see method.

[aron]

All good recommendations, but since it's your first pedal, I would go with known good transistors.

[shiva77]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

It will work, but a '60s sound might require germanium transistors. Go ahead with what you have, and consider a pair of germanium transistors from Small Bear Electronics. And transistor sockets...

2n508a's and 2n527's are not germanium? I read in a few places that they were.

[GREEN FUZ]

You`re right, they`re both Germanium. As far as I can make out from the Datasheets the 2N527 has a gain of between 70 and 120. The 2N508A between 100 and 200. This certainly puts them in the ballpark for the 'magic' configuration of a low gain tranny for Q1 and medium gain for Q2.

Check this out for more in depth information.

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm


You will, given that you do everything else right, get a result using those tranny`s. Whether it sounds like an original Fuzz Face is another matter but if you read the article you will realise that not all Fuzz Faces were created equal in the first place. Which makes it a moot point. Good luck.

[smallbearelec]

I went to a local surplus store and grabbed both a pair of 2n508a's and a pair of 2n527's.

If they hit the right gain buckets, those numbers are dynamite for a FF. If they don't hit the right numbers, go back, buy some more and do some sorting. Use the ones that are too high/too low for other projects.

Note: If that store has a large lot of either of these types, I will gladly buy them and pay you a finder's fee in cash or parts. Contact me at smallbearelec@ix.netcom.com

Regards
Steve Daniels
www.smallbearelec.com

[jonathan perez]

i have a big bag of sft363E transistors that really sound amazing with the right gain...

[shiva77]

I went to a local surplus store and grabbed both a pair of 2n508a's and a pair of 2n527's.

If they hit the right gain buckets, those numbers are dynamite for a FF. If they don't hit the right numbers, go back, buy some more and do some sorting. Use the ones that are too high/too low for other projects.

Note: If that store has a large lot of either of these types, I will gladly buy them and pay you a finder's fee in cash or parts. Contact me at smallbearelec@ix.netcom.com

Regards
Steve Daniels
www.smallbearelec.com

If I remember correctly, there were HUNDREDs of them. I'm emailing you about this.