Black Keys Fuzz

[Schappy]

Im looking to build a fuzz that sounds similar to what Dan uses for the Black Keys.

Ive heard he uses a Maestro and a Jordan Bosstone just to name a few.

Im also looking at the Fuzzrite.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jacobyjd]

I had a similar request from a friend awhile back--I ended up basing the circuit on a silicon fuzz face--made the fuzz pot a fixed resistor (wide open) and added a gate control (tweaked around with adding a pot in series with the feedback resistor).

IIRC, I tweaked the bias a little too.

Maybe not what you're looking for, but I hope that helps What I ended up with was a raunchy, LOUD fuzz that has some serious character (although it's a little hard to tame).

[John Lyons]

Depends on the song, they used a few different ones.
Post a clip of the tone you want.

[Schappy]

1)Just Got To Be from the album Magic potion

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Potion-Black-Keys/dp/B000GPIPD8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275447402&sr=8-8


2)I Got Mine

http://www.amazon.com/Attack-Release-Black-Keys/dp/B0013K6WLM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1275447402&sr=8-3

I guess Im looking for something wooly but not too crazy that simple chords can still have some character.

[Quackzed]

yeah, sounds like a silicon fuzz with standard 'big' 2.2uf in cap , maybee a little 220p to ground high end rolloff on the output, with  trimmers on the (lowish gain  3904 2222 silicon type transistors) you should be able to get pretty close. bias to the fuzzy compressed side, rather than the blatty side...

[brett]

Hi
The "old" Black Keys fuzz tones were from a Maestro MFZ-1 (Thickfreakness album and more).
It is a high gain, two-stage IC-based fuzz.  You won't get that tone with any Si BJT circuit that I've seen (BMP-style gain stages with different filtering might get part the way there).
The squareness of the distorted signal is limited by the large roll-off cap in the main feedback loop.
Also, the frequency response is flat up to a few kHz.  No DS-1, Tubescreamer or Bluesbreaker mid humps. 

I re-worked the design with some help from RG Keen, and called it the Hidrosis.  It is similar, but less noisey and with a better drive/fuzz control.
cheers

[mmaatt25]

Hi,

Sorry to hijack this thread!! Brett is there a perf layout for your Hidrosis?
I built a triangle Big Muff in an attempt to get that Black Keys Thickfreakness tone, close but no cigar. So read this thread with interest.

Many thanks

Matt

[brett]

Hi
there's a PCB and layout in the Layouts Gallery (link near the top left of this page, next to STORE).  It's in Brett's Bin of Bogus Bits (bad name, I know). (My work filter keeps me out of the gallery, otherwise I'd go in myself and get a link)
I haven't heard of a vero layout.  But it is an unusual and desirable circuit (because it sounds a lot like the MFZ-1), and you'd be thanked for doing a vero layout.
cheers

[raulgrell]

Links to hidrosis...

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/BinOfBrett/Hidrosis+SCH.jpg.html

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/BinOfBrett/Hidrosis+Overlay.JPG.html

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/BinOfBrett/Hidrosis+PCB.JPG.html

Love this circuit, breadboarded it a few months back, absolutely brilliant... I really should box it up...

[jrod]

To me, the tone on the Black Keys clips the OP posted sound like a Tone Bender MKII through a small amp, like a Silvertone or something. But, like Brett said, I have read before that he used MFZ-1 Maestro.

Here is a decent clip of the MFZ-1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk_-MiEazcU

Are there any sound clips for the Hydrosis?

[Caferacernoc]

If you clip the first set of diodes in a Big Muff, which turns it into a Jumbo Tonebender, it gets a lot more Black Keys sounding.

[mmaatt25]

Hi,

I've done a perf layout, I've not built it yet so if someone would be kind enough to check it that would be good.

Here's the link http://www3.truprint.co.uk/truprint/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=5172190011/a=3797017011_3797017011/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=truprint/

I've got to work out how to get it into the layouts gallery??

Thanks

Matt

[mmaatt25]

Hi Brett,

Just looking at the layout overlay and the schematic in the layouts gallery. I noticed that in the layout overlay there is a 33K resistor connected to Pin1 TL072 in the schematic this is a 2K2 resistor.  I've had a search but not found anyone else mentioning this?

Cheers

Matt

[thehoj]

Hi Brett,

Just looking at the layout overlay and the schematic in the layouts gallery. I noticed that in the layout overlay there is a 33K resistor connected to Pin1 TL072 in the schematic this is a 2K2 resistor.  I've had a search but not found anyone else mentioning this?

Cheers

Matt

I was just noticing this.. but also wondered about a few other differences I see.. The "sweat" pot is 1K linear in the schematic, but 10K linear in the PCB overlay. There's also a 1n400x (1n4001?) shown on the pcb overlay at the top middle section. Am I just not seeing something in the schematic?

Regards.

[Schappy]

I just breadboarded Gus's Silicon Fuzz Face.

I have to say this is the best sounding silicon fuzz Ive heard.


http://www.diystompboxes.com/pedals/gusFuzzFace.gif

[thehoj]

Wow, I just built the hidrosis on breadboard, used the 2k2 resistor (instead of the 33k one that's shown in the overlay). And to answer my own question I used the 10K pot instead of 1K for "sweat". I have to say it sounds really amazing. Definitely worth soldering up and putting in a box.

I'm still curious about the 1n400x diode shown in the overlay though..

[mmaatt25]

Is the 1N400x not just protection against reverse polarity?

Matt

[reb]

Just built up the Hidrosis with an 86pf feedback cap.  LOVE it.  Different chips can really give you a distortion if you want it.

[Barcode80]

Yes, the 1n4001 is simply a polarity protection diode. Good practice, but has no bearing on the audio portion of the circuit and can be omitted. I would put it in though.

[dmc777]

I know for a fact that Dan's go too pedal his Green Russian big muff. Pretty sure it's a V6 or V3 of the Big green russians. The one with ridges on side of the box. He's also known to use a good bit off earthquaker devices pedals. Mainly the hoof fuzz and I believe the white light od as well. This is based on live performances on which I've seen though...so what's used on the albums could change a bit. Unless you go back to the earlier albums where they recorded them themselves in their basement. Their earlier albums are the SHIZ.