Too many fuzz options! Help narrow it down?

[therecordingart]

I've built a bunch of pedals, and I think a fuzz should be on the short list of what is next. There are WAY too many to choose from so I was hoping you can help me narrow it down a little.

I'd like  to find something that is versatile and can go from mild to completely unusable. Any suggestions?

[nocentelli]

I've been building for a year now and have made mainly fuzz pedals due to the simplicity of the circuits, and the fact that if it sounds a bit messed-up, that's ok.

After going through the usual Coloursound one-knobbers, Bosstones, endless fuzzface variants, endless tweaked big muffs etc, the most useful fuzz I've made is a tweaked silicon Tonebender variation.

I've found the main problem with fuzzes that can do the stupid stuff is that it's often quite hard to dial in a decent "authentic" fuzz sound you'd actually use for any amount of time (hello fuzz factory).

[Gus]

nocentelli
have you seen this?

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DougH/fuzz/hotsi/GS_Tonebender.gif.html

[jacobyjd]

nocentelli
have you seen this?

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DougH/fuzz/hotsi/GS_Tonebender.gif.html

This is all you'll ever need.

[Schappy]

Yes, build it now.

You wont be disappointed. There is a vero layout in the gallery.

[Schappy]

Wild fuzz=Tonebender MkII

Nice Fuzz= Axis Face, Fuzz Face

[Joe Hart]

Yes on the Tonebender!
-Joe

[Brymus]

Or try this and use a 10K for the "fuzz/bias" pot http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/Brymus/Tonebender+MKII+Pro+Si/Si+Tonbender+MKII+Pro+Zep+Version.gif.html
There is a PCB transfer available for it now here http://circuitworkshop.com/forum/index.php?topic=493.0
And another forum member who built it did a demo on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gABsgZ_vLx0

If you want it for the classic rock sound ,do the Tonebender or Doug H's Hot Si
If your into low tunings/doom wait for my BMP varient,I will be posting a schematic for it soon.

[Schappy]

Brymus,
Do you have a schematic for your MKII?

[Brymus]

The layout is the/in schematic form.
But if you look at the second link above there is a proper one at the CW board,that Jack Deville made.

[DougH]

This one is fun & simple:

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DougH/fuzz/OFA/OptimalFuzzAdapter.GIF.html?g2_imageViewsIndex=1

[FlyingZ]

For me a few PNP GE's produced the illusive fuzz tone especially rolled back but work poorly with other pedals and the really good ones are noisy. In my experience all NPN silicone/GE and chip fuzz devices sound exactly the same with slightly different EQing so it really doesn't matter which one you build.