Maestro GGG FZ1S vs Ampeg Scrambler

[John M]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all I apologise if there is anything I have missed in the search function, but most threads seem to be of a different version of this fuzz. I built the Scrambler for myself and was very happy with it. A friend then asked me to build the Maestro which I did as per GGG with the only difference being instead of a dual 30 K dual pot for the balance I used two 25K pots. The resultant fuzz seems (in the calmer mode) more sputtery than the Scrambler with the lower fuzz settings useless because of this and in the "fuzzier" mode it lacks bass. So, my question for those of you who have built both.......is this how it should sound or am I likely to have done something wrong? It is usable without being inspirational.

Thank-you

John

[John M]

Apologies for the dual "dual".....this is starting to get a bit surreal, maybe the fuzz discussion has started my sixties flashback, although I was born in '68 so maybe it is my mother's fault.

John

[Mark Hammer]

I have an original at home.  I suspect the use of a dual 25k pot will not ruin anything.  It is simply a panpot that turns the level of one channel up while it turns the other one down.  Given the frequently wide tolerances on pots and the even wider ones on dual-ganged pots, a dual 25k may not be much farther off than a dual 30k.  If you are still concerned, stick a 4k7 fixed resistor on the ground side of each section to get a full 30k resistance.  Note that this will not permit completely fading out each of the channels when the other is up full.

The original uses black "top hat" style 2N3391 and 3392 transistors.  I don't often see the top hat style around, but you can certainly still buy the 3391 and 3392 as new parts.  Certainly verify the pinouts because a 3391 and 5088 do not share the same pinout. 

I can't find any resemblance between the tone I get from my FZ-1s and the tone I get from my Scrambler clone.  Very different beasts.  My guess is you may have a transistor orientation wrong.  Of course, if you built or checked yours from this schematic ( http://hammer.ampage.org/files/Maestroworld.zip ), note that there is an error in it, which is corrected in the GGG version.

[John M]

Thanks Mark

I will go and triple check the transistors. My comparing the sound of the two was just for a reference point for the "sputteryness" as when I built the Scrambler I thought it was sputtery, but the Maestro is even more so. I therefore started to wonder if that is how it should sound or if I should be suspecting something to be incorrect.


John

[Mark Hammer]

The sputteriness of the Scrambler appears to be partly a function of its lack of a gain/sensitivity control.  I recently packaged a modded Dist+ and Scrambler in the same chassis, using the Dist+ output level control as a sort of sensitivity control for the Scrambler.  Some very usable octave-up sounds can be gotten from it when the input level/tone is just right.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your tastes), the Scrambler starts to get VERY chaotic when the input signal and texture control start to get too high.  Lurking inside the Scrambler is a nice octave fuzz, actually.

[John M]

Mark,

I really like the Scrambler and my comment about the sputteriness is by no means negative. I also modded it to have a level control and a tone control which has made it have many more uses than in stock form (in my opinion). Do you find the Maestro to be more sputtery though? What I am trying to establish is if that is what it naturally sounds like, or something is incorrect. I have had some fun with it too and it has useable applications, but maybe expected it to sound better than it does.

Thanks
John

[Mark Hammer]

To be honest, I wasn't blown away by the FZ-1s, which is why I haven't plugged it in for a while and why I can't give much in the way of an opinion about its sputteriness.

[John M]

Thanks Mark,

As you can gather, I am a bit underwhelmed by it too. When my friend asked me to build it for him he said he had read that it was what The Black Keys used. I like their sound too, but can't seem to find it in this pedal (maybe my amp is not as on the edge as it could be, but the neighbours tend to not enjoy that too much).

Thanks for your comments
John

[John M]

I just wanted to add that I have now tried the Maestro with my amp cranked with mixed with a bit of overdrive from the overdrive channel and it sounds cool. Even by itself it is growing on me. I thought I should mention this in case the previous comments prevented anyone from wanting to build one.

John