Build report: Punch in the face

[spinoza]

Just finished my 1st "real" project: a fuzz face clone, the punch-in-the-face to be exact. Took me a while (around 8 hours) to build because I 1st put the triodes in the wrong way... I was amplifying voltage using sound! This mistake was very useful since I learned to use a sound probe and a multimeter.

I used 2 x  2N3904 and it sounds... not so bad. The sound goes from a simple "blues driver" type to very trashy, grunge, you name it distortion. Of course it sounds nothing like the original fuzz face, but it's still an decent pedal. My objective was to get something between a regular proco Rat and a SD-2 and I think it's pretty much what I got.

Of course I'm gonna experiment with triodes to improve the sound. I have a couple 2N222 lying around, might wanna try them. I also have random triodes with no serial numbers (labeled as "Sound Amplifier Triode") that I bought at a surplus store... will give them a try.

More to come in the next few days! Pictures! Casing! Sound samples!

[Yun]

i love this circuit sooo much that i created the "sucker Punch Fuzz" .  Here's my version of the Punch in the face:

[spinoza]

I too realized that the 10k pot was not enough and replaced it for a 100k. Didn't think about the 1meg though, I'm gonna try that right now. Does the diodes to the ground change the sound alot? I might want to try that also.

[petemoore]

  Tacked on or even clipped on the volume pot, those diodes are an easy mod to try out.

[spinoza]

Update: I've been experimenting with my punch-in-the-face.

It's a very interactive pedal. Different combinations of gain / trauma will give completly different kinds of distortion. Some thing for playing with the instrument's volume.

The extremes I get are:
* Lot's of distortion, 70's style, with nice octave harmonics.
* Simple booster, no fuzz.
* Nice overdrive.
* Very dirty, tube-sounding fuzz that reacts alot to instrument's volume.

All of this with a 3-knob box.

[Yun]

Update: I've been experimenting with my punch-in-the-face.

It's a very interactive pedal. Different combinations of gain / trauma will give completly different kinds of distortion. Some thing for playing with the instrument's volume.

The extremes I get are:
* Lot's of distortion, 70's style, with nice octave harmonics.
* Simple booster, no fuzz.
* Nice overdrive.
* Very dirty, tube-sounding fuzz that reacts alot to instrument's volume.

All of this with a 3-knob box.

Depending on what cap values that you use; you can turn it into a Buzz box. 

Here's how you do it (looking at my schematic)

-22K becomes 33K
-10K becomes 22K

-Use a 100K "trama" control. 
-Use 100K for the fuzz control. 

It's my faveorite "Buzz box" i've ever heard.  You get that buzzed out buzz saw tone, etc.  Good for 60's psychadelic leads. 

I've also put an LPB-2 Booster in there as well.....

[soggybag]

It looks like the scheme on Tim's site shows a J201 as Q2. It's funny that you guys like the si instead.

[spinoza]

I've done something similar to the "buzz" mod already. I have 100k pots for trauma and gain, 1.5mega pot for the volume. Also my gain pot is not wired the same way you did. Mine either goes directly to ground, or to ground through a 22 uf cap, wiper is connected to lower leg of Q2. The sound, with the right "trauma", is very psychedelic/stoner rock indeed. It almost sounds like a Hendrix octave fuzz sometimes.

More to come, there's still experimenting to do with this wonderful fuzz! I'm gonna try the diode-to-ground mod today, stay tuned!

[spinoza]

Update: Just added the diodes. Now the maximal fuzz is sligthly more distorted. Maybe it's just my imagination but the tone seems to be more "tube like" with the 2 diodes-to-ground.

[Yun]

Update: Just added the diodes. Now the maximal fuzz is sligthly more distorted. Maybe it's just my imagination but the tone seems to be more "tube like" with the 2 diodes-to-ground.

Well, you won't get the Full Buzz effect without useing 33K and 22K resistors....

yeah, that's why i added the Diode cliping circuit, it gives it more "touch and feel".  That's why i like it the best, because most buzz boxes are Sort of gated, no sustain, and no feel.  This one that i "created", Provides that buzz saw tone, with WAY more sustain than a big muff, not gated, and actually has A LOT o' feel to it....

I might experiment more with this.  i think i'll try it with:

-AMZ's Saturation control  (  http://www.muzique.com/lab/sat.htm  )
-Thickness control (as seen on the bazz-fuss here:  http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html  )   .

Should work out pretty well eh?