Looking for a "spitty", "sputtery" fuzz circuit.

[cthulhudarren]

I've heard lots of fuzzes, but haven't identified one that gets this type of sound. The best example of this sound that I can currently think of is an old Steely Dan tune, "The Boston Rag".

Anyone?

[roseblood11]

My clones of the Catalinbread Merkin Fuzz and the Lovepedal Karl Fuzz can definitely sound like that. I don't know if they are supposed to do so, or if I made a mistake... I once breadboarded Mictesters "Buzzaround-Alike" and it was very similar, too.

[Paul Marossy]

I seem to remember the "Garage Fuzz" as being that way. But that's going back a ways, my memory might be failing me...

[Quackzed]

fwiw, many fuzzez including the fuzz face, CAN exibit these traits, usually it is undesireable.
so actually, mis-biasing a fuzz type circuit intentionally can give a variety of 'gated' or 'sputtery' sounds...
i'd start with a few of the suggested circuits, just keep in mind that you may want/need to adjust the transistor 'collector' resistors...
the resistors that go from each transistors collector to +9v... in the above 'garage fuzz' example those would be the 47k and 2k2(tho in this schem the transistor 2 is flipped witht the collector grounded and the emitter through the 2k2 resistor,still those 2 resistors could be made bigger smaller to taste...

[Tubebass]

AFAIK the guitar tone on "Boston Rag" was obtained by driving the snot out of a Pignose amp.

[Paul Marossy]

The Fuzz Factory will do it with the "stab" control set a certain way.

[chromesphere]

Another vote for the fuzz factory.  Infact you described it perfectly in your title, imo...

Heres a video of mine.  The 2nd half of the video shows some of the 'crazier' sounds you can get out of it.  Really versatile effect.  Sometimes when i find something really interesting i worry i wont be able to find that sound again.

Paul

Edit: if you do go the madbean zombii (fuzz factory) i would recommend expermenting with the volume pot (lowering it i would assume).  As you can see in the video, its way too sensitive.  Never goes above 1 on the dial.

[cthulhudarren]

AFAIK the guitar tone on "Boston Rag" was obtained by driving the snot out of a Pignose amp.

That's interesting, I'll have to google that. The Pignose is a ss amp with distortion, yes? It's probably got some type of fuzz circuit in it.
Thanks,

[cthulhudarren]

Thanks for the ideas so far. I'll take a look at those circuits. And the Pignose.

[Paul Marossy]

Paul

Edit: if you do go the madbean zombii (fuzz factory) i would recommend expermenting with the volume pot (lowering it i would assume).  As you can see in the video, its way too sensitive.  Never goes above 1 on the dial.

Yeah, I like to keep the volume low on all of my dirt/fuzz pedals. I need to get out my FF clone and mess with it, haven't played it in quite a while. I'm just not that much of a fuzz guy...

[cthulhudarren]

Does anybody sell PCBs for fuzzfactory clones?

[Mark Hammer]

The Lovetone Big Cheese (and the Great Cheddar clone) has a mode where it produces a sputtery gated fuzz.

[bwanasonic]

That's interesting, I'll have to google that. The Pignose is a ss amp with distortion, yes? It's probably got some type of fuzz circuit in it.
Thanks,

I think it may have had a diode pair to ground somewhere in there. Mid 70's Zappa featured various Pignose tones, including the famous "Pignose inside a grand piano with the pedal held down" sound. The pignose sound was part of the whole package, and not just the circuit. The little box and speaker contributed a lot to the sound. You could even control the tone by opening the latches and playing it slightly open.

[Mark Hammer]

That was actually a bg part of the appeal of the Pignose, to both Zappa and others - the varying resonances obtainable with open door.

[Paul Marossy]

That was actually a bg part of the appeal of the Pignose, to both Zappa and others - the varying resonances obtainable with open door.

And Zappa loved to play around with resonance a lot.