X FUZZ

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

I have this thing on breadboard right now and it's very quiet. I'm loving it so far.  I also built the x fuzz and x rock clipper sections and put them on a switch it works fine and have not noticed any popping.  It switches nicely. If you want try it put everything on the collector side from both clipper sections and leave the cap across collector to base.  Now switch the legs from the clipper sections to base using a spdt.
I am also playing around with different final stages. I have an srpp after the clipper and the original bjt stage. I am switching between them. So far I like both. The original has nice fizzy texture and the srpp is a more rounded sound but slightly fuller tone.  I have some scope shots if anyone cares.

[deadastronaut]

^ cool.  glad your trying/experimenting with it man..

and incorporated both sections too..nice.

soundclips are better..(no scope here)  

[seedlings]

soundclips are better..(no scope here)  

Because then you have two things do dial in.  Sound and wave form...    And I've done this.  The scope also has me chase problems that aren't there.  But, in it's defense, it has tracked down noise very well.

CHAD

[duck_arse]

whiskey mighta come up with the "crossfire fuzz"?

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

I am a total newbie with the scope.  I have made it a point to scope the effects while I'm building so I can see what is happening with th changes.  I just like the pretty lines  .  What I see is the bjt amp at the end is basically carbon copy of the sound it was feed.  The srpp actually it's a mu-valve is doing some neat sandpapering / compression of the all the spiky bits.  It's not better it's just different. I will post a schematic when I get home from work of any body cares to play with it.  I'm still fiddling with a tone stack in Duncan tone stack. I didn't say it before but thanks for the stuff you guys do.  I've been a lurker for 6 months and finally decided to join.

[deadastronaut]

welcome whiskey...

always cool to have others join in man..

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

Forgot to mention that I played with voltage sag and it will run happily all the way down to 3v. It actually doesn't just stop working it just gets quieter as you crank it down.

[bool]

If you just want slightly more "round" but still a bit nasty, easiest mod would be to change the output stage to a mosfet - with only a slight rebias needed. I.e. change the R6 to something like 240-270k (or use a trimpot), R8 to 4k7 and R9 to 1k5 - which should be generally valid for the likes of BS170 or 2N7000.

Note that I didn't test that in this particular fuzz, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work ... I used such a generic mosfet stage elsewhere and it's pretty trivial to get it to work.

[karbomusic]

Kudos!

Just threw this on the breadboard (X ROCK) and it sounds just like DA's video except... it has horrible white noise that is very loud. If I remove the bias pot and send it a separate ref voltage instead, it fixes that but I lose all that killer synthy gain sound as per the video. It sounds great but more like a regular distortion instead of the killer sound I like about this circuit. Just wondering what I might have mucked up or if have a mis-valued resistor somewhere.

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

It is very quiet on my breadboard.  I was surprised because this thing and some gain.  Take it all off your board and move over a few rows and rebuild it.  the process of moving and reconnecting sometimes you can see your error or correct a loose connection on your board that was impossible to find. 

[DDD]

Kudos!

Just threw this on the breadboard (X ROCK) and it sounds just like DA's video except... it has horrible white noise that is very loud. If I remove the bias pot and send it a separate ref voltage instead, it fixes that but I lose all that killer synthy gain sound as per the video. It sounds great but more like a regular distortion instead of the killer sound I like about this circuit. Just wondering what I might have mucked up or if have a mis-valued resistor somewhere.

Maybe the pot is "noisy" because of the poor or worn sliding contact.
Connecting "middle" and "lower" pot terminals together can fix the problem at all or partially. If the problem remains, just take another pot and don't forget to connect "middle" and "lower" terminals.
Also, the RF oscillations can cause the same audible effect. Just shunt the pot terminals with 20-50-100 pF capacitor and listen for the noise change.

[Elijah-Baley]

Reading this topic maybe I could need of a breadboard.
It's just this: http://www.taydaelectronics.com/830-point-solder-less-plug-in-breadboard.html? Or I need somthing else?
Seems pretty tiny... There's risk pay further taxes for shipping?

For a few electronic components (capacitor, resistor, connector, knobs... and no enclosure) I pay no taxes. 9,17 $ including shipping.

[karbomusic]

Maybe the pot is "noisy" because of the poor or worn sliding contact.
Connecting "middle" and "lower" pot terminals together can fix the problem at all or partially. If the problem remains, just take another pot and don't forget to connect "middle" and "lower" terminals.
Also, the RF oscillations can cause the same audible effect. Just shunt the pot terminals with 20-50-100 pF capacitor and listen for the noise change.

I tried a couple pots, it seems to be resistance related like the noise you would get with too much resistance. However, I'll be looking at it again in the next couple hours. Hopefully, I'll find the problem because the moment I do, I'm going to create a layout and this puppy is going a box then onto the pedal board.  

[pappasmurfsharem]

Reading this topic maybe I could need of a breadboard.
It's just this: http://www.taydaelectronics.com/830-point-solder-less-plug-in-breadboard.html? Or I need somthing else?
Seems pretty tiny... There's risk pay further taxes for shipping?

For a few electronic components (capacitor, resistor, connector, knobs... and no enclosure) I pay no taxes. 9,17 $ including shipping.

I think this is the breadboard I first bought. That or the one from mammoth electronics. It was near impossible to put wire leads in he holes and they always bent.

I'd say spend a little extra and get one of the WISH brand boards from small bear. The boards look the same but it's much easier to place jumpers in all the ones that didn't work on my cheaper board slide right in and stay where I want them.

[deadastronaut]

+1 cheap breadboards are nasty...

invest in a good one, you won't regret it.  

and make it true bypass.

[duck_arse]

Reading this topic maybe I could need of a breadboard.

can I vote this for "understatement of the week"? elijah, you needs to gets yourself a breadboard, for ANY thread. even a cheap crappy one like tayda (with the mid-long rail splits) will open up a whole new world of possibillities. and if you can afford to get a couple, well, there will be no stopping you.

[Elijah-Baley]

I'm from Italy. There's risk further delivery taxes. About smallbear I don't know how much will cost a buying of a breadboard to get in Italy.

On musikding there's a different model.   http://www.musikding.de/Breadboard-640.

So, maybe this? Pretty similar to tayda's one: http://www.banzaimusic.com/Breadboard-EXB-830.html. But more expensive.
Else I have to spend more and more and more   : http://www.banzaimusic.com/Breadboard-EXB-1380.html.

Of course there are some expensive and better models. I have understand how work everyone of that.

PS Someone, perhaps, had suggested me to buy a breadboard (in another topic). But this is my first time I ask about breadboard.


Thanks!

[deadastronaut]

armando is in italy ''arma61''

he may be able to direct you to get one from italy...pm him, he's a cool guy.   

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?action=profile;u=8859

hope you don't mind armando..

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

Rob have you worked on a tone control?  I was playing around with this last night and have something that works but I noticed that bias knob will affect the tone settings.  I'm not an expert so please correct me if I'm wrong. It seems that the common emitter clipping stage is medium impedance and that impedance will vary with the bias setting.  So if you set it and then dial in a tone any changes to the bias will shift your filter points.  I'm using a big muff pi style filter but with a different profile.  In the BMP the clipping stage that feeds it stays at the same bias point so the impedance is more or less fixed.  I could put an emitter follower after the clipping stage or move the tone to the very end right before the volume or I could leave it as is    I'm liking it so far just wished I could dial the bias around without having to readjust the tone.  Does this occur with the SWTC? 

[simplefx]

I love the way you play a guitar DA. Nice really nice. And your EFX are very cool also. i have built your latest fuzz fx and wow is all i can say at the moment.

ttyl
Gday
Vince 

i decided to do a full demo of the 'X ROCK' FUZZ..its really quite versatile...

tweaking the Q2 pot..

guitar-breadboard-DI box-mixer.