Modded Bazz Fuzz Problem

vasilis.narlis · July 25, 2019, 05:21:39 PM

Hello there,
I'm new to the DIY Guitar Pedal World (I've previously built a LPB-1 and a Fuxz Face) and I tried to build the Bazz Fuzz with a modification I saw at DIY Guitar Pedals YouTube channel that adds a "Fuzz" control.

The basic schematic is from this website: http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html.

I've used the v3 and I added a a switch to change between the 1N914 diode and an orange LED. I've drawn the final schematic as well as the perfboard orientation I made.
But when I tested it didn't seem to work. There was the exact same sound of the guitar as without the effect (the volume knob just adjusted the volume) but there was no "fuzz" sound.

Can any of you guys help me??

GibsonGM · July 25, 2019, 05:50:09 PM

Step one: If you've attached the stomp switch and all that already, that would be the first place I'd look - for a wiring mistake!

I always jumper a jack directly to the board input/output, and connect power with a battery snap with alligator clips, to be sure the PCB works. Then later if it does not after wiring it up, I know that is where the trouble is!

Welcome to the forum!

vasilis.narlis · July 25, 2019, 07:28:58 PM

Hello GibsonGM,

I didn't connected the stomp switch yet because, as you said, I wanted to see first if the circuit works. I have just soldered the input/output and DC jacks (because I haven't got any alligator clips yet).

The thing that seems wierd to me is that it just outputs the "dry" sound. I checked the perfboard joints and they seem to be OK.

Something that I didn't mentioned is that I used my electroacoustic guitar because my electric is being repaired. Is there any possibility that the different output of the acoustic pickup (magnetic) may cause this problem?

Thanks for the response

aelling · July 25, 2019, 09:24:37 PM

In the layout it looks like you have the 2N5088's in backwards, flip them around and see if that works.

PRR · July 25, 2019, 10:28:04 PM

Graph paper! Pink! Metric!

If the ground is totally not connected, nearly any circuit will be a pass-through.

vasilis.narlis · July 26, 2019, 02:49:18 AM

Quote from: aelling on July 25, 2019, 09:24:37 PM
In the layout it looks like you have the 2N5088's in backwards, flip them around and see if that works.

That's a mistake I made while I was making the layout. I placed them correctly later.

vasilis.narlis · July 26, 2019, 02:54:31 AM

Quote from: PRR on July 25, 2019, 10:28:04 PM
If the ground is totally not connected, nearly any circuit will be a pass-through.

I'm gonna triple check that but I'm pretty sure that the connections were right.

Edit: I checked and the connections were OK.
Still no Fuzz

antonis · July 26, 2019, 06:18:13 AM

Quote from: vasilis.narlis on July 25, 2019, 05:21:39 PM
There was the exact same sound of the guitar as without the effect (the volume knob just adjusted the volume) but there was no "fuzz" sound.

Quote from: oinsane on July 24, 2019, 08:30:19 AM
When the pedal is on I still hear the clean sound instead of the fuzz, and the knob works as a volume one.

Hmmm... two of the same issues make a crowd..

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=122804.0

vasilis.narlis · July 27, 2019, 06:04:09 AM

Still didn't solved my problem...

I also upload some pics from the build. I've checked the connections for possible "bridges" from one solder pad to another.
At that point I start to wonder if the schematic is problematic (probebly not

)

duck_arse · July 27, 2019, 09:39:58 AM

I can't see what your wires are connecting to, but here's my list - two wires to the battery/power supply [V+ and ground], two wires to the in jack [signal/tip/hot and ground/cold/sleeve] and two wires to the out jack [tip/hot/signal and cold/cold/ground]. as I can only count five wires in yer pics, you MUST have a wire between your in socket sleeve and your out socket sleeve, otherwise, signal will not flow. is this the case? can you measure continuity between your in and out sleeves and your battery ground wires?

and before antonis gets on my case .... welcome!

vasilis.narlis · July 27, 2019, 12:25:06 PM

Quote from: duck_arse on July 27, 2019, 09:39:58 AM
Two wires to the in jack [signal/tip/hot and ground/cold/sleeve] and two wires to the out jack [tip/hot/signal and cold/cold/ground]. as I can only count five wires in yer pics, you MUST have a wire between your in socket sleeve and your out socket sleeve, otherwise, signal will not flow. is this the case? can you measure continuity between your in and out sleeves and your battery ground wires?

Yes I used an additional wire to ground the sleeve of the other jack to the other already grounded sleeve. So the DC jack ground and the two sleeves of the jacks are all connected.

vasilis.narlis · July 28, 2019, 05:57:04 AM

Some measurements of the voltages of the transistors I took.

duck_arse · July 28, 2019, 09:44:05 AM

according to your circuit diagram, the [lower] E is connected to a pot, connected to ground. this means there MUST be a voltage at the [lower] E - if it is 0V, please write 0V. "None(?)" is meaningless and wrong, suggesting that your emitter is not connecting via the pot to ground at all. dis/prove by reading the resistance between the lower E leg and one of the sleeve grounds, there should be less than 1000 ohms.

vasilis.narlis · July 28, 2019, 10:20:11 AM

Quote from: duck_arse on July 28, 2019, 09:44:05 AM
this means there MUST be a voltage at the [lower] E

So what can I do about that?

Quote from: duck_arse on July 28, 2019, 09:44:05 AM
dis/prove by reading the resistance between the lower E leg and one of the sleeve grounds, there should be less than 1000 ohms.

I didn't really understand that part...
Should I measure the resistance between a sleeve and the lower emittter to see if that is below 1kΩ)

Btw, thanks for the response

PRR · July 28, 2019, 11:03:35 PM

> "None(?)"

What exactly is on the meter display? "OL"? "0.00"? "ACK!"? "none"??

bamslam69 · July 28, 2019, 11:12:10 PM

If you've got spare parts (extras of everything) and a breadboard, try hooking up the circuit to make sure it works.
I do it for everything I'm gonna build. If you connect it all and you realise it doesn't float your boat, it's worth the time spent.

vasilis.narlis · July 29, 2019, 07:16:55 AM

Quote from: PRR on July 28, 2019, 11:03:35 PM
> "None(?)"

What exactly is on the meter display? "OL"? "0.00"? "ACK!"? "none"??

It displays 0 Volts.

vasilis.narlis · July 29, 2019, 07:19:39 AM

Quote from: bamslam69 on July 28, 2019, 11:12:10 PM
If you've got spare parts (extras of everything) and a breadboard, try hooking up the circuit to make sure it works.
I do it for everything I'm gonna build.

I don't have a breadboard and I should really buy one. At least I will know if the circuit works before soldering everything together. Probably I'll order one right now.

duck_arse · July 29, 2019, 09:25:58 AM

Quote from: vasilis.narlis on July 28, 2019, 10:20:11 AM
Quote from: duck_arse on July 28, 2019, 09:44:05 AM
dis/prove by reading the resistance between the lower E leg and one of the sleeve grounds, there should be less than 1000 ohms.

I didn't really understand that part...
Should I measure the resistance between a sleeve and the lower emittter to see if that is below 1kΩ)

yes. switch OFF power [always, for resistance measures], set your meter to ohms, black probe to ground/sleeve/0V, red probe to lower E, rotate that 1k pot. you should get a reading from ~0R to ~1000R, showing your emitter really is able to see the ground or not.

when the meter displays 0V, it means 0V. we need to know 0V when it appears.

PRR · July 29, 2019, 04:00:31 PM

By these voltages, your transistors are either miswired or blown.

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Modded Bazz Fuzz Problem