extremely low gain/fuzz on a fuzz face circuit -- what's causing it?

[mordechai]

Okay, so I just finished two FF builds.  The first was passing a signal but there was a significant volume loss and the fuzz effect was extremely weak (the transistor gains were 117/250, it was geared to be a pretty high gain circuit).  Thinking I must have messed something up, I just built the circuit, again, in a pad-per-hole perfoboard with point to point contact, following the schematic on Fuzz Central for the Dallas Arbiter Germanium Fuzz.  The substitions include a 1M pulldown resistor, a 2n4402 in Q1 (Hfe 95) with a 47K collector resistor, a 2n404 in Q2 (Hfe 170 and very low leakage) with a 25KB bias pot, and a 2KB fuzz pot.  There was no volume drop this time, but the circuit still would give much of a fuzz response...the signal sounded like a clean signal with just a tiny bit of edge overdrive in the background.  Please advise!

[Greenhill]

I think i've had this problem with a fuzzface once, I believe the problem was the 20µF(22) cap on Q2 emitter...

At least I think so

[petemoore]

  All the things or the thing that causes it except those that don't !
  The FF voltages are easy to take and give online debuggers some tangibles to work with.
  Check every ground is common, the power supply isn't inverted, none reverse polarizations, then, if operational bias voltages are established...with 117/250 transistor gains Q1/Q2, it should be high gain and Fuzzy with the guitar and gain knob cranked.

[Quackzed]

maybee a too small input cap too?

[LucifersTrip]

if those transistors are the correct gains...with leakage measured properly and accounted for, then there is an error in wiring, a wrong or dead component or you didn't get close to 4.5v on Q2's collector

as petemoore  suggested, Q1, Q2 voltages will get you more help here

[brett]

+1 for working/correctly oriented bypass cap. (=low gain)