RM Axis Fuzz: please, any pcb around?

[nooneknows]

Prologue.
Today I was at the music shop, hanging around and I saw 2nd hand Jim Dunlop FuzzFace, one of the newest release. It was mint condition (just 2 months old) and not so expensive. So I said to myself, hey, this round box is cool, if it's bad I'll change the circuit inside. I connected at home to my Marshall and... it sounds so good I really can't believe! My strat seems to nail That Jimi's sound I was looking for. I don't' know if it's a lucky unit but it is THE fuzz to me, totally Are you experienced approved! None of the FF I made in the past get closer to this one. I'm quite happy.

Anyway, I have a Si FF clone on my pedalboard now useless, so I'd like to change the circuit inside trying a RM Axis Fuzz, more Band of Gypsies era (guess who's my favourite player?). Problem is when I try to make pcb I feel myself like a Cro-Magnon man, I can work on a pcb for days but I end up making every sort of mistake.
Is there around a pcb for that kind of circuit? there are two links on Aron's schematics page but they're broken, I'm not able to find it anywhere.
Thank you so much for your help.
Marcello

[tcobretti]

I built the Axis, and while I like it very, very much I wouldn't put it on the same pedalboard as a FF.  They actually sound very similar thru a Marshall, but the Axis is slightly fizzier.  I built a Si FF with PN2369A trannies and a pot to roll between a 6500pf and 2.2 uf input cap.  If you turn the pot away from the 2.2 just a hair, the pedal is virtually indistinguishable from my axis.

Anyway. on topic, I haven't seen any PCBs.  I used this layout



I can't recommend the "Rocket Series" layout because I could never get it to work.

[nooneknows]

Wow, thank you so much!

I built a Si FF with PN2369A trannies

a lot of people loves the PN2369 but I'm not able to find it here (Milan-Italy). I've always used higher gain trannies (2n3904, bc183, bc108 and 109) but they were too fizzy.
I've also used some germanium - like ac128 and 2n327 - but I've never been able to bias them correctly. BTW, I've always found what it looks like a temperature problem (with Ge), each day they sounded different...   I spied inside the dunlop and there are two nkt175 (or 275?), a trimmer  and a thing that seems a thermistor, but I'm scared to unmount the board, it sounds so good... 

Thank you!

[tcobretti]

After typing my previous post I went and played with my Axis and FF, and I will say that I think the Axis is a better fuzz, but you have to use it with the right amp.  With a trebly amp (Fender, Marshall JCM, any Solid State) it is way too bright.  With a Vox or Marshall Plexi it is magical.  I have read that if you have a bright amp you should try running the Axis into a tube screamer or other overdrive to mellow out the treble. 

One of the super cool things about it is that you can turn down your guitar's volume knob and the fuzz turns into distortion then finally gets clean, but it sounds good the whole time.  Amazing! 

It has been described as a love it or hate it pedal, so just bear in mind that you may hate it.

[b_rogers]

i love my axis...i really use it as a fuzzy boost to push my ultravibe..

if i try to use it with the drive really high it just sounds too harsh. although the first one i made sounded really good at any drive setting, this new one doesnt work as well.

it is really picky about the amps it likes. if you set your amp pretty dark with some drive or in front of a od, when you roll down the volume of your strat it gives you a trebly clean signal that overcomes the darkness.

i do think it is  more "jimi" sounding than the Fuzz Face. of course you can nail the "bold as love" solo tone, so if thats the sound you want this is the circuit for you, but maybe not for your particular amplifier.

build it...i have a pcb layout if you want it, let me know

[formerMember1]

hey b_rogers and tcobretti...

how does your wah pedals sound with the Roge Mayer Axis Fuzz?  I mean impedance wise,.. and need a buffer so it doesn't oscillate?  Or is the Roger Mayer fuzz have close to the same input impedance of  DA fuzzface...?

[tcobretti]

I am not that smart and don't quite understand all the impedance discussion involving wah and FF.  However, wah before the pedal sounds ok, but not real good.  No oscillation.  Wah after the fuzz almost sounds like a synth or something.  One of the great benefits of the Axis is that you roll back your guitar volume knob and it cleans up beautifully, so, you roll back and do some wah-ing, then crank it back up for fuzz crazyness.

[formerMember1]

cool thanks... 

i am building this one next... 

[warioblast]

I am not that smart and don't quite understand all the impedance discussion involving wah and FF.  However, wah before the pedal sounds ok, but not real good.  No oscillation.  Wah after the fuzz almost sounds like a synth or something.  One of the great benefits of the Axis is that you roll back your guitar volume knob and it cleans up beautifully, so, you roll back and do some wah-ing, then crank it back up for fuzz crazyness.

What wah are you using ? my DIY clyde wah oscillates like a bad mofo with the axis, but quite handles my Analogman NKT Sunface.

[formerMember1]

depends on how the sunface is set with fuzz knob and internal trim... good pedal BTW 

you need a buffer for your wah to work with your axis fuzz then if it oscillates... www.fuzzcentral.com or www.generalguitargadgets.com

[tcobretti]

I just went and messed with my crybaby into my axis fuzz, and it does oscillate a little.  I had always thought it was just feedback because I usually practice pretty loud, and the oscillation is nothing like what my FF does with my wah in front of it.  I would call it "managable oscillation." As long as I am playing it's not an issue, but when I stop it starts.  Sorry if I misled you earlier; I should have checked more carefully.

[nooneknows]

With a trebly amp (Fender, Marshall JCM, any Solid State) it is way too bright.  With a Vox or Marshall Plexi it is magical.

I have a Jcm800 with some mod I made, I've never liked so much the brightness of the stock amp so I changed some cap values inside, now it's a bit punchier, imagine a plexi 'dong!' with a bit of raspiness.
Need to build a Axis and see, maybe it is my holy grail, who knows?
thank you!

[warioblast]

depends on how the sunface is set with fuzz knob and internal trim... good pedal BTW 

you need a buffer for your wah to work with your axis fuzz then if it oscillates... www.fuzzcentral.com or www.generalguitargadgets.com

Craig Anderton's buffer with the LM741 chip is on my list; I'm not 100% satisfied with fuzzcentral & homewrecker buffers.
I breadboarded a DOD 250 od in order to try the LM741 this afternoon... I should have ordered more IC's  and more pots. RM Spitfire looks very interesting 

[b_rogers]

my axis is way better behaved with a wah than the fuzz face. it also helps somewhat to put the octavia in between the wah and fuzz.  if you ever notice on later live jimi, he really doesnt use the wah unless he rolls down the volume to almost a clean sound for kind of a quiet wah lead break type of thing. thats where the wah is the best sounding with the axis in my opinion.

[formerMember1]

if you ever notice on later live jimi, he really doesnt use the wah unless he rolls down the volume to almost a clean sound for kind of a quiet wah lead break type of thing. thats where the wah is the best sounding with the axis in my opinion.

'

not to get into another "jimi did this" discussion, but i agree,.. even though i don't have an axis face, from watching Jimi i can see how he turns the knob down on guitar to get no squeals with wah,.. you can't do this if you have a buffer though...  on isle of wight you can hear the oscillation problems though on watchtower,.. and turns fuzz off on machine gun and red house, and uses fuzz and wah on in from the storm together for a narrow sweep that is cool...

btw,.. how far off is the woodstock jimi tone with the Axis face Fuzz?  cuz isle of wight and woodstock both sound slightly different, but supposedly both the axis facefuzz... just wondering...

[tcobretti]

I feel I should point out that Axis Fuzz is what Jimi used hile Axis Face is a Fuzz Central Fuzz Face variant.

Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to your questions.  However, remember that there are many, many variables in a recording.  The live recordings may sound different because the drum kit is a little closer and Jimi's bleeding thru the drum mics.  It's very hard to pin that stuff down for sure.

[formerMember1]

 

I know it is the Axis Fuzz that Jimi used... i made a typo.  Whoops...

*edi*  cuz i built the axis FACE from fuzzcentral months ago,.. and never got a chance to build the RM Axis Fuzz

[nooneknows]

Ok, it ended up in a 'Jimi does' topic...  (Maybe it's steryl discussion, none of us (let's face the true) could obtain his sound, he probably sounded the same playing through a washing machine, but since I LOVE his vibe...)

One thing that I think is not considered enough in these type of conversation about Jimi's setup is the fact his fx probably didn't have a true bypass.
Jimi used the brilliant channel of the plexi (that I know for sure is way , way, way bright, I have one) but, from the guitar, he sent the signal with a SPIRAL cable to a FF that probably loaded the signal, then to a non-true bypass wah, then through a Univibe, another spiral cable (I have some and I can tell they literally eat the sound) to the plexi high treble in.
Are we sure that all the 'transparent' things we make are the correct ones to nail his sound?
Marcello

   

[b_rogers]

i also read when fender dismantled the "woodstock" strat to make the clones of it, it had a .1uf tone cap! that had to roll off quite a bit of the highs. as far as jimi tone is concerned, if you have the right effects,touch and a strat you can get pretty damn close to the live jimi sounds. i can pretty much nail the basic bog, woodstock tones with a 40w roland ss practice amp and my effects. it almost takes away some of the "magic". the studio album tones imo are harder to achieve.

[tcobretti]

One thing that I think is not considered enough in these type of conversation about Jimi's setup is the fact his fx probably didn't have a true bypass.
Jimi used the brilliant channel of the plexi (that I know for sure is way , way, way bright, I have one) but, from the guitar, he sent the signal with a SPIRAL cable to a FF that probably loaded the signal, then to a non-true bypass wah, then through a Univibe, another spiral cable (I have some and I can tell they literally eat the sound) to the plexi high treble in.

And the original Univibe wouldn't turn off; you just brought to foor pedal back all the way so the vibe effect was inaudible.  I agree with you - bulding true bypass pedals is probly not the best way to get the Hendrix sound.