Whaa? another Fuzz Face build question?

[Booga]

Yep.  

I've finished my standard PNP positive FF build, using Small Bear supplied trannies and prescribed resistors.  It works FINE, and in many ways sounds totally there, BUT.....

I'm finding the tone to be overtly, and this is a new one , "schwishy", particularly in respect of note decay with the fuzz cranked.  Is this to be expected in view of the gain on my devices?

I have a 2N1305 in Q1 measuring 130, and a 2N404A in Q2 measuring 173.

I'm playing fairly low level, into a DSL 100 through a hotplate, and out of a G12M loaded 4x12.  I tried the FF through an (un-noted) valvle combo at the weekend.   Appart from sounding better overall anyway   , this undesirable aspect of my FF seemed significantly reduced.

I realise that, to a greater or lesser extent, this effect is inherrent in fuzz tones anyway, but it seems a bit excessive here.

Any thoughts?

Cheers.

[RandomRedLetters]

GE transistors are notorious for not sounding good if you dont pick ones with the right measurements (Im sure someone here can tell you values you wanna shoot for)

Best thing to do when using Ge transistors, is to use transistor sockets for them, so if a pair sounds bad to you, you can switch them out easily. Plus it eliminates the possibility of damaging the transistor by solder heat.

[petemoore]

Here i'll whip up a schematic with text...NOPE
 Photobucket won't let me sign in now. Have schematic saved to desktop as GIF, can't post url though.
 It's just some FF tweeks that I find useful, about one or two new twists.
 Another thing is to mess with the gain area, tweeking the gain pot while tweeking a pot that *has been put under the cap to ground, with this mod gain pot can be wired as V/R, with cap, directly to Q2 emitter. It makes for an extra, 'voicing' gain knob.
 Maybe photobucket'll wake up....

[smallbearelec]

The raw Germanium stock that I have tends to run high gain, so most pairs will sound kind of "squishy" and compressed when biased "ideally." I like this sound, but it is not to everyone's taste. You may want to:

--try rebiasing on a breadboard using trimpots. Replace with fixed resistors when/if you get the tone you want.

--Seek out a pair in the "classic" 85/130 gain buckets. I can't guarantee particular gains, because the supply of the low-to-medium gtain devices is just too small.

Regards
SD

[petemoore]

I've finished my standard PNP positive FF build
 Not me. I'm working up yet more !!
 I wish I could show my 'testboard' that can easily enough be 'permanentized', I say easily enough because I don't feel you've achieved a standard of FF that actually meets Your standards.
 The input gain mod can be duplicated by rolling back the volume on your guitar...I could use an IGM, and will on the 'next FF !!!

[petemoore]

..

[Booga]

Thanks for all the input.  Maybe I'll have a 'trim' about with it, or maybe just put up and shut up and get used to the tone.  It's certainly not beyond getting used to, and fundamentaly the tone is good, so.....

Thanks.

[petemoore]

Photobucket works a little bit once in a while, I'll try later to post the FF Tweek schematic.

[petemoore]

my take, everything that's marked can stay as/is
 parts with two values can be around those values
 Parts with no value markings you can start with a FF's values and go +/-about 100% from there
 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/petemoore/tWEEKff.gif
 Hope that helps, woke up, gotta go to work exactly now, the photobucket let me do this...

[Booga]

Some ineresting options on that schemo, maybe I'll have a play, cheers.  For now I've dded a '69 style bias pot that seems to help somewhat.  Hmmm options.......

[petemoore]

The input cap would be the next part in line if you wanted to do it that way .
 It pretty much sets the bass content that is allowed in, moving this parts value up a hair, like I did the other day....right on the switches 1m pulldown resistor structure, I put a 1uf, being parallel to the 1uf I have in the board makes the capacitence from Sw to Gnd .05uf.
 This is a great take the wool out mod, which of course could be switchable with SPST.