Fuzz Face-ish question: I want more fuzz!

Started by mr.adambeck, April 18, 2009, 07:13:28 PM

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mr.adambeck

Hey there!
So, I built a fuzz face-style stompbox, mostly because I had all the parts for one lying around the house.   :icon_rolleyes:
I sort of based it off of Run-Off Groove's Multi-Face (but without the multi, since I didn't have any sockets):
http://www.runoffgroove.com/multiface.html

I used Germanium AC128's for the transistors, and 0.1uf's for both the cap's.  This is my first time ever doing anything without a kit/printed circuit board, so on one hand, I'm just glad it does anything!  However, I was really hoping for something with more gain and grit to it.  Something far more fuzzed out/distorted.  Mine just sounds more like just a tiny bit of overdrive than what I think of as fuzz.  Compared to clips on runoffgroove of the multiface, it doesn't even sound like the same pedal.  It could be that my transistors suck, or that something's wired wrong, I don't know.  If I used a smaller red LED as the diode in the circuit, would that help?  I'm also not even sure the LED is working (I had to salvage it from a different, failed circuit attempt) - is it supposed to light up or anything while it's being used?

Any help would be really appreciated...  I'm desperate for a fuzz, but the economy's got me too broke to afford anything!

petemoore

  The schematic shows a neg gnd FF circuit, you have PNP transistors, so, choose a PNP/Pos Gnd circuit or reverse every polarized marking on the Multi Face [ie compare the caps and diodes etc. of a Pos Gnd circuit.
   If I used a smaller red LED as the diode in the circuit, would that help?
I'm not going to chance losing these paragraphs to go take a look...if it's a switched LED indicator, it is outside the FF circuit completely.
   I'm also not even sure the LED is working (I had to salvage it from a different, failed circuit attempt) - is it supposed to light up or anything while it's being used?
  ...not with reverse polarity...
  Notice there's a diode in each transistor [arrow in circle].
  Take an LED>10k resistor in series, complete the circuit by applying 9vDc, notice the LED only passes current and lights when the polarity is correct, there's a flat portion on the round base to help you distinguish between the anode and cathode leads.
Convention creates following, following creates convention.

mr.adambeck

Thanks!  ::)  Every time I find out what I'm doing wrong, it's always so obvious that I feel like an idiot  :icon_redface:

I think what I'm going to do is just order some NPN transistors and jsut replace the AC128's, rather than rebuild/change the whole circuit....  Unfortunately that means about a week of waiting for the parts to arrive!

Thanks again!