Resistor/Voltage/Q1/Fuzz Face

[polifemo]

Messin' around with a FF circuit on my breadboard right now.
In Q1 I really dig a 2N3440 with a hfe at about 50-60, but the thing is that with a 33k resistor on the collector it sits at about 2v or higher.
With a 47k it lands on about 1.8v and with 100k it reads about 1.5v

I've got a trimpot on Q2's collector, so I can always bias this to 4,5v (or whatever I feel sounds "best") but there is a different sound/feel depending on the voltage of Q1.

Would like some input regarding the voltage/resistor in Q1 just to hear you ideas experience and technical understanding 

[dwmorrin]

The 33k is both a load for Q1 and biases Q2 (in conjunction with Q1).
Changing it will effect the operation of both transistors.
Lowering the resistance lowers Q2's collector voltage (turns Q2 "on" harder), while increasing the resistance increases Q2's collector voltage.
The opposite effect happens at Q1's collector, however Q1's load is split between the 33k and the input of Q2, and Q1 is biased via negative feedback from Q2.  From what I've seen so far, the results of the interaction between the two vary on Si vs Ge, beta, and the forward diode drop of the transistors.
It's something of a balancing act between the operation of the two.

On the other hand, changing the 8.2k resistor on Q2's collector does not affect Q1 so much, as long as Q2 is "on."