# Fuzzrite



## fraser

after building a few rangemasters, i decided to try something different. although i figured i was doomed to fail, i had to try.
been messing around with some spaghetti western kind of sounds lately, and my french toast fuzz wasnt right for that. so after a bit of research i decided on a copy of the mosrite fuzzrite.
low parts count, but too expensive for me to just go and buy one ready made.
i used a couple of 2n222a's, didnt breadboard it or anything- just slapped it all ptp on a board.
and it worked.
ive seen other folks adding mods to this circuit, and there is a 22k resistor across the volume pots, it is said, on the original- i tried that but preferred the sound without it.
also, i shouldve used all ceramic caps, but i didnt have enough of the correct value the day i did this.
i got some since then, but it sounds great as it is.
used some automotive enamel on the box. baked it in my oven. dumb move, as ive read i should now never cook in my oven again. but i already did. so yeah, this fuzzrite may end up killing me.










you can see ive got a lot to learn about internal layout- but its all there and solid. the circuit board rests atop a piece of foam, and i used some solid core wiring here and there to the outboard stuff to help keep it in place. finally, a little notch on the output jack helps keep it secured. also, i put a block of foam on the bottom of the box that keeps the battery from moving around.
not pretty, and i wasted a lot of real estate with my circuit board- but i just wanted it to work- and it does.










i wont bother with sound clips or anything right now, cause it sounds just like a fuzzrite-
got me exactly the sound i was looking for.
here is the schematic i used-










emboldened by this success, i started on a buzzaround today. we shall see.


----------



## keto

Those .002's? if you change them up to around .01 (I was using .0068) you'll have a much rounder fuller fuzz, stock is rather bright and shrill for my tastes. One of my favourites, funny how the simple ones sound great.


----------



## fraser

hi keto-
yes they are .002's. didnt want to deviate until i heard it work, and when it did i was happy enough to let it be.
the only thing different from the schematic shown is another .002 across the input jack to cut down on noise.
perhaps i could add a couple range pots, with the higher value caps, to make it more versatile-
i do that with my rangemasters, and it works great-
i will be going back in to change those caps to the ceramics at some point, so ill look into it then.
thats another cool thing about these simple circuits- 
(besides the fact that theyre the only ones i can do) 
each component has such impact on the total outcome-
thanks for replying keto!


----------



## mhammer

Try a Shin-Ei FY-2. It has a structure similar to the Fuzzrite; two transistors forming two cascaded gain stages, with a control that essentially pans between the output of the first and second gain stage. Its principal difference is that it includes a passive midscoop filter similar to the Univox Superfuzz that gives it a huge bottom and sizzling top.

BTW, nice build.


----------



## fraser

thanks Mark!
shin-ei fy-2 looks like a good idea- simple enough, and similar to the fuzzrite- should be relatively frustration free!
gonna grab some trannies for it with tomorrows order from small bear.
i only feel energetic enough for this kind of thing on weekends, so its slow going. damned job getting in the way of life again.
started a buzzaround, and should be able to test it at least tomorrow sometime. dont think its anything id currently be interested in using,
but im really enjoying these projects.
theres something so relaxing about it. 
well i do a lot of swearing, and dropping/losing things, and when it doesnt work i get so frustrated that my nose bleeds,
but its still relaxing.
also decided to add a tremolo, since most of my amps dont have that- and i kinda like it for the sounds im creating,
so an EA trem will be attempted soon- ordered a kit though, at the price it seemed worthwhile, since i was prepared to buy a ready made one anyway.


----------



## keto

You'll love the EA Trem, it's the gold standard in DIY. Took me 2 tries to get it but it was worth it. There's a version with a bypass for the trem so you can just use the preamp, it's a realllllly nice clean boost if you are so inclined.

What buzzaround layout did you use? I never did find one that was supposed to be good *with the qualifier of using commonly available transistors*.

Oh, and the shin-ei has a sound like nothing else, real cool too.


----------



## fraser

good to hear re: the ea trem. i just need a basic fender sounding trem, looks like an economical solution- if it doesnt work i learn something lol.

im just following this schematic for the buzzaround-










i have some nte158's. thats why im building this one- no idea if itll work, and bias properly lol.
but if it doesnt work, im out like $5.


----------



## fraser

well- the buzzaround works.
i mean IT DID work.
sounded really great actually, though the controls are strange.
used it for a day as it sat, with jumpers coming off the board to all the outboard stuff scattered on my desk. definately a good sound.
however once i permanently soldered the pots and jacks up to the board, and stuck it in its box,
it lost about half its power- sounds like a weird, fuzzy, mild boost now.
tried troubleshooting it, but im too tired lol- this kind of shit has happened to me before. 
i expect it.


----------



## mhammer

The original uses big-ass ceramic caps, though I doubt they are critical to the sound. I got my 2SC536 transistors from Honson in Toronto, and A/B-ing an all original FY-2 against a homemade clone reveals no audible difference.

Critical to the stock sound is the midscop filter between the Fuzz and Volume controls. After staring at a Fuzzrite schematic for long enough, I realized that the FY-2 and Fuzzrite weren't all that different from each other once you eliminated the midscoop. The filter does provide a nice huge bottom, akin to what the Superfuzz produces, but at a cost in terms of level. If you want to pummel the amp, this is not going to do it. I've found that if I stick a 1-2k pot between the .1uf cap to ground, and ground, I can vary the degree of midscoop and get a much broader range of tones, and that the ouotput level when the resistance to ground is high is much greater.

Probably the best solution I've seen to thias is the one adopted by Z-Vex for the Octane III pedal. You can find an equivalent schematic here: http://www.madbeanpedals.com/projects/Poindexter/docs/Poindexter_ver2.5.pdf

The part to pay attention to is everything from the junction of R18/C9 onward. If you ignore the diodes, and connect all that stuff on the right to the wiper of the fuzz control of an FY-2, you'll get a nice smooth tone control, volume control, and a gain recovery stage that will produce a hefty output in spite of the midscoop.

That back end and an FY-2 front end would make for a real nice fuzz, IMHO.


----------



## fraser

thanks for the info mark!
havent started on the fy-2 yet, but im getting closer.
i put the buzzaround on the back burner as my tremolo kit arrived, so ive been working on that today.
by tomorrow the paint will be dry on the box, so ill do the final assembly. if that goes well, ill take another look at the buzzaround next weekend, then start on the fy-2.
i think its time to retire and just dick around with this sort of thing full time.largetongue


----------



## fraser

well, the ea trem is a success- works fine, sounds great.
had an issue with intermittent noise, but once i removed all the residual flux from the board i was fine. i dont like the placement of the jacks on the predrilled ggg enclosure- puts them too close to the sides of the box and backs of the pots for my liking- but its cool.
very fendery sounding trem- not a difficult build (painting the box was the most frustrating for me, and ive been painting cars and equipment for a living for some years lol)
i didnt use any of the mods- just the basic tremolo is all ill use.
for anyone interested, right after i bought my kit, they went on sale-
$54 for the month of december.
Improved EA Tremolo Complete Kit










next ill look at my buzzaround, then ill take a look inside this cool, but malfunctioning little fella.


----------



## mhammer

I've made a couple, and you can easily mod them to have an LED pulsing at the rate of the LFO. The only quirk is that it pulses anti-phase (i.e., gets brighter as the volume gets lower) so it can throw you off if you're trying to sync your playing or LFO to something.

The other thing you can do is to throw in things like caps or diode combinations to ground from the junction of R7/R13 to shape the sweep a little differently. Adds a little more personality to it.


----------



## bduguay

Say there MHammer, what is this Hanson in Toronto you speak of?
B.


----------



## mhammer

*HON*SON, Brian, Honson.

They are the old Supremetronic that used to be on Queen, and then moved to the south side of College near Spadina, and then across the street to the north side of College, slightly further west. They are presently situated inside a Home Hardware, at the corner of College and Robert, and are listed online as Honson Computer Corpoation. All this place needs to sell is bratwurst, live bait and porn and it would be the most masculine place on earth.

They DID have a website, and I don't like the fact that I can't seem to be able to find it right now. If you google "Home Hardware College St Toronto", it lists a "supremetronic" web-page, and indicates its under construction. So I'm not sure of the status, but I was there in late August.

If you're there, and have some parking time left, trot across Spadina to the other side of College and go to Creatron ( http://creatroninc.com/ ). They carry a lot of the same sorts of things, but are a little more microcontroller-oriented. The website gives little indication of the breadth of component inventory.


----------



## fraser

hey Mark-



> The other thing you can do is to throw in things like caps or diode combinations to ground from the junction of R7/R13 to shape the sweep a little differently. Adds a little more personality to it.


actually, i looked around for mods of this variety before i assembled it, but only found the one that makes the depth pot more like the original, with a 1 meg pot and a couple resistor changes.
im a real noob to the use of tremolo, i like the way the trem on my thomas organ vox amp sounds and was using that, but only in places where heavy, obvious trem was nice. so i didnt try the depth pot change, as it seems it only decreases the amount of effect. i guess as i start using it, ill be able to decide where i want to go with it.

also, i gotta say, i dont know how many times ive been out poking around for info on this or that during the last year, and come across a posting or an article or what have you that was helpful and/or educational for me, then seeing your name on it. its funny, just typing some keywords into google, basically asking the great big random internet for an answer to a question, and getting a very well written and understandable answer from a guy who youre already aware of and familiar with.
thanks for that Mark, for all the help youve given me without even knowing it, and also for your input here.


----------



## mhammer

My pleasure, and thanks for the nod. Practice moves you closer to perfect, and after what probably amounts to over 40,000 posts on a handful of forums over the past 15 years or so (that's about 7 a day, right?), you learn a thing or two about writing, and you certainly get better at explaining the same things a little better than you did the previous 30 times (and some topics come up at least 2-3 times a year). RG Keen, whom I've been corresponding with since sometime in 1991, has also gotten quite good at explaining things, and Jack Orman (whose AMZ site is every bit as good as RG's, even if those two get along like Itchy and Scratchy) keeps showing up in electronics and synthesizer mags I come across from the late 70's and early 80's.

The first issue of the EHX Small Stone had an interesting feature, shown here:








At the bottom right, where it says "to all pins #5", you can see a 10k/50uf network. That forms a single-pole lowpass filter, that rolls off "treble" above 0.3hz at 6db/oct. What that means is that whatever the LFO is producing goes to the chips exactly as generated, until the sweep gets fast enough (in this instance 0.3hz), at which point the filter starts to trim some of the "suddenness" of the turnaround at the ends of the sweep. Given that the SS had what is called a "hypertriangular" sweep, that turnaround could be very swift. That type of sweep is great for increasing the dramatic feel of a long slow sweep, but not really appropriate for more vibrato-like trills, where what you really want is something more like a sine-wave.

The Boss CE-1 used two different LFO circuits for chorus and vibrato,. The Small Stone used this trick to essentially transform the sweep as it got progressively faster. Maybe not AS good as a dedicated sine-wave LFO, but for the price of a single capacitor, not half bad either.

That same sort of speed-dependent-sweep can be implemented on just about anything. The way I implemented it on the EA was to take advantage of the junction between the depth pot and the fixed resistor just ahead of it, and run a cap to ground, just like in the Small Stone.

If you run a .47uf cap to ground from that point, it will roll off the "treble" in the LFO (essentially smoothing the turnaround and making it more gentle) above 2.8hz. If you use .68uf, that drops down to just under 2hz.

It's the sort of mod you can easily try out by tacking a cap on the copper side between the relevant pads, just to see if you like it. Note that it will NOT be apparent at all until you start to crank the speed. I think it gives it a slightly sexier feel, but that could just be me, and just be placebo. Let your own ears decide.


----------



## bduguay

mhammer said:


> *HON*SON, Brian, Honson.
> 
> They are the old Supremetronic that used to be on Queen, and then moved to the south side of College near Spadina, and then across the street to the north side of College, slightly further west. They are presently situated inside a Home Hardware, at the corner of College and Robert, and are listed online as Honson Computer Corpoation. All this place needs to sell is bratwurst, live bait and porn and it would be the most masculine place on earth.
> 
> They DID have a website, and I don't like the fact that I can't seem to be able to find it right now. If you google "Home Hardware College St Toronto", it lists a "supremetronic" web-page, and indicates its under construction. So I'm not sure of the status, but I was there in late August.
> 
> If you're there, and have some parking time left, trot across Spadina to the other side of College and go to Creatron ( Creatron Electronics ). They carry a lot of the same sorts of things, but are a little more microcontroller-oriented. The website gives little indication of the breadth of component inventory.


 That's right, Hanson was an all brothers pop band from the 90's
I know the store but didn't know they moved again. That explains why everytime I google them I get the Home Harware website. It reminds me of a place in North Bay that the bands who played up there used to call Omar's Strum and Suck. They sold pet supplies, vacuum cleaners and crappy used knock off guitars.
B.


----------



## mhammer

I don't know if it's still the same now, or has gone all upscale, but when I was an undergrad, living near lower St. Denis in Montreal, Mont-Royal Ave. had a whole string of bizarre-combo stores. One that sold wigs and guns (maybe it was a bank-robber supply store). Another that sold canoes and small appliances.


----------



## fraser

ahh, thanks again Mark!
theres some info i can use and experiment with. will definately try out the cap to ground- 
im finding the trem most useful for me at a pretty high rate of speed, might be just the ticket.
been working outside a lot, and the cold has my body hurting enough to put a halt to all my experimenting for the last week.
in fact im mostly only good for lying on the couch mindlessly strumming weird chords through my fuzzrite and trem lol- keep waiting for one of them to malfunction.
tried troubleshooting my buzzaround on the weekend and my fingers are shot- they just lock up. so im limiting myself to cowboy chords and beer for now- ill report back-
greatly appreciate your input Mark!


----------



## fraser

slapped a colorsound one knob fuzz together this evening- sounds really good!
used a couple of 2n3904's. have to think about what to box it in, ive got a few options here.
crazy simple build, completely painless, and most of the parts were things i had here.
the board i used had writing all over it from an old prototype of something, so i tried to "paint" it black with a magic marker (my good sniffin' marker)
but it wore off onto my fingers as i was populating it lol.
really gotta think about doing some sound samples, but my hands are not feeling good.


----------



## What the???

fraser said:


> after building a few rangemasters, i decided to try something different. although i figured i was doomed to fail, i had to try.
> been messing around with some spaghetti western kind of sounds lately, and my french toast fuzz wasnt right for that. so after a bit of research i decided on a copy of the mosrite fuzzrite.
> low parts count, but too expensive for me to just go and buy one ready made.
> i used a couple of 2n222a's, didnt breadboard it or anything- just slapped it all ptp on a board.
> and it worked.
> ive seen other folks adding mods to this circuit, and there is a 22k resistor across the volume pots, it is said, on the original- i tried that but preferred the sound without it.
> also, i shouldve used all ceramic caps, but i didnt have enough of the correct value the day i did this.
> i got some since then, but it sounds great as it is.
> used some automotive enamel on the box. baked it in my oven. dumb move, as ive read i should now never cook in my oven again. but i already did. so yeah, this fuzzrite may end up killing me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> you can see ive got a lot to learn about internal layout- but its all there and solid. the circuit board rests atop a piece of foam, and i used some solid core wiring here and there to the outboard stuff to help keep it in place. finally, a little notch on the output jack helps keep it secured. also, i put a block of foam on the bottom of the box that keeps the battery from moving around.
> not pretty, and i wasted a lot of real estate with my circuit board- but i just wanted it to work- and it does.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i wont bother with sound clips or anything right now, cause it sounds just like a fuzzrite-
> got me exactly the sound i was looking for.
> here is the schematic i used-
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> emboldened by this success, i started on a buzzaround today. we shall see.


I used your circuit schematic, ceramic capcitors, 2n2222 Transistors, but got no results. Any suggestions? I even bought a circuit board from General Guitar Gadgets that looked even simpler but nothing. I got guitar but no Fuzz???


----------



## fraser

well, im no expert. i just follow the schematic, so i dont know if i can help in a coherent fashion.
things ive found that go wrong in my builds most often are offboard wiring things- 
i tend to make the board, loosely wire it up to the pots and jacks, only adding the switch when boxing it up.
so thats when things go wrong for me.
but i can read the schematics, check them against my circuit over and over until i spot my mistake.
at the same time im looking at my board to see if i messed up somehow. 
something or other has gone wrong on every build ive done, at some point. but i expected that.
do you have a multimeter, and can you use it? it helps a lot.
can you measure the voltage at each of the trannies leads?
and for that matter- triple check the pinout of the trannies.
do you get just guitar no matter wether the effect is on or off? 

my 1 knob fuzz as it appears today lol


----------



## fraser

> I used your circuit schematic, ceramic capcitors, 2n2222 Transistors, but got no results.


not my schematic. that belongs to phillip bryant.
when i posted this thread, i didnt think it would be used as a reference,
just an example of my weekend fumblings- probably shouldnt have used someone elses schematic, but its what i used to build mine-


----------



## What the???

thanks for reply.
Have Multimeter Will Travel. Not dangerous with it used mostly for continuity checks.
I followed the tranny pin out from the diagram on the bag from Radio Shack.
Off board problems makes sense.
I get guitar when the switch is off and noise when the switch is on.
I'm thinking of introducing it as a new effect.


----------



## fraser

a new effect, why not?
if you could get it to at least pass enough guitar signal for a burst of nasty feedback every once in a while, it might even become popular.......
do a thorough check to be sure nothing on the board is shorting out- i had a weird intermittent short that was caused by residual flux on one build- and more than once ive had to go back and tidy up solder joints that were too close.
can you post any pics of your board and wiring?


----------



## fraser

well Mark- 
did the board for the fy-2 yesterday, following your scoop mod-
got it all hooked up via alligator clips tonite to test it, and geez thats some wild ass fuzz man!
thanks for the tip- sounds like a lot of fun in there!
its an awkward mess of wires and stuff spread all over right now, ill try and get it all sorted out and boxed up to play with this weekend.
:food-smiley-004:


----------



## mhammer

The variable scoop can be 1-2k. I know there are schems floating around where I show it as 50k or 10k; waaaayyyyyy more than one really needs.

As well, after staring at the Orpheum, Fuzzrite and FY-2 schematics, it dawned on me that the cap to ground from the junction of the 100k and 47k resistor feeding the 2nd transistor, can be played with. I described the mod over at DIY Stompbox forum yesterday. I tried perfing one with the mod last night and got most of the way through it but didn't finish. Happily, someone else DID, and confirmed that the mod works and provides a wider range of tonal outcomes.

Since yours is a mess of wires right now, you have the liberty to try this.

Instead of V+ -> 100k -> 47k -> Q2 collector, do this: V+ -> 22k -> 100k pot -> 27k -> Q2 collector. The .047uf cap to ground goes to the wiper of the 100k pot, and each of the outside lugs goes to one of the resistors (one to 22k, the other to 27k). This lets you vary how much resistance comes between V+ and the cap, vs between the cap and the collector. The total resistance and cap value remain the same. All that changes is the "position" of the cap along that resistance string.

This same strategy can also be applied to the Fuzz-Rite and Orpheum.


----------



## fraser

hey- excellent Mark.
im thinking about just breadboarding one up to try these mods of yours- and then applying the changes i decide to add to either my existing one, or just build another. gives me a chance also to try some different transistors-(i used 1815's in mine). 
its really great to be able to see the results yourself and others have been getting this week on diystompbox.
the thing ive been pondering is the fact that i really dont know how this effect actually sounds, aside from my build, youtube videos and some recordings- ive never heard one in person before.
mine does sound really good, so itll be great to be able to have as a reference before tinkering.
interesting about the scoop mod pot- i used this schematic-








so all 50k pots. it does seem to have a usable "range" to it at 50k- but ill try a smaller one 
tomorrow- thanks a lot Mark!


----------



## mhammer

STOP THE PRESSES!!

The "scoop" control doesn't really need to be more than 10k, and probably not more than 5k. I get entirely satisfactory variations in tone with as little as a 2k pot.

I also recommend looking at this thread - Not by the cap on my shin-ei, shin, shin.... - for another very useful mod that can be applied to the FY-2, the Fuzz-Rite, and the Orpheum equally. My finger joints hurt from too much typing and mousing this week, so I'll let that thread do the explaining. Useful mod, though.


----------



## fraser

hi Mark- ive been following the diystompbox thread since you posted it, i knew i wouldnt work on mine until the weekend, so i would have the benefit of the results posted there- before i do anything. really cool lol. and re the 50k pot- i simply took the schematic and went with the values it contained. i dont have any pots soldered to my board just yet- was using alligator clips, because im trying to get my wiring a bit neater in the enclosure. im just soldering the offboard stuff as i place it in the box. i have some 10k pots, maybe a 5k or two as well, but no 1 or 2k i think.
in any case, i managed to mess my back up yesterday, and walking is difficult- so i got nothing done today, at least thus far.


----------



## mhammer

In the grand scheme of things, it may well be better to start out with a larger-value pot than you truly need, and use parallel resistors to create the optimum range and taper.

Once your back lets you work on it (and a speedy recovery to ya), try out a 10k pot, and measure the largest pot resistance that, to your ears, makes an audible difference. For instance, it may be meaningless to have anything larger than 3.5k in there. Obviously there are no commercially available 3.5k pots, so you use a 5k or 10k, and shove a parallel resistor in there to set your max resistance to whatever is germane, be it 3.5k or whatever.


----------



## fraser

say Mark, im pretty much out of business here, cant walk really lol, but i did set the fy-2 up in a proto board of sorts and started playing with it. i had originally wired the fuzz pot as you suggested, fuzzrite-like, not as shown in the drawing, so i tried it as per original, and your way is so very much better- much more usable for me.
as for the scoop pot- i tried a 10k, and there was virtually no effect to the sweep- it just had one sound. possibly ive done something wrong- but with the 50k pot, i can go from a very compressed (and lower volume) sound right up to a very full, loud and open sound. seems to be more versatile with the 50k- but again i maybe did something wrong. im just using lots of jumpers, and im on medication lol. 
going to implement your newest mod tomorrow- i see you ended up with V+ -> 33k -> 100k -> 18k -> Q2 collector. ill have to use whatever close values i have available- cant make it the 1/2 km to the local electronic store. thats pretty weak.lol.
i do have 22k and 27k resistors- i can always double other values up perhaps.

for your amusement, heres where im at - btw, it does sound really great!


----------



## mhammer

Not sure what's up with the mid-scoop pot, since 10k works fine for me, and also works fine for Z-Vex on his Octane pedal, that uses a virtually identical circuit.

The precise values of the 33k-100k-18k thing are not all that critical. I'm just trying to get the most usable settings out of that 100k pot. If you get 80% of what's possible, using other fixed resistor values, no big deal.

My wiring of the fuzz pot was not really theory-driven. I originally had it stock (it's an actual original Shin-Ei, though I've made clones too), and when I realized, while staring at the two schematics, how similar it was to the Fuzz-Rite, it just seemed to me that the Fuzz-Rite approach was more sensible. When I tried it out, Fuzz-Rite style, I realized it was. I have no idea why the original was wired the way it was.

BTW, if you pummel this thing with a boosted input signal, it collapses sonically in a beautiful way.

Hope your back gets better soon.


----------



## fraser

alright Mark!
using what i had here, a 22k, a 100k pot, and a 27k, ive got a very usable extra "voice" control.
with 4 knobs this is a very interesting effect. i did also use a 100k for the fuzz, like you suggested, because it makes sense to have control of the nastiness this thing creates.
that extra knob eliminated the box i intended to use for this, so ill have to prepare another- have a 1590s that will work-
everytime i plug this thing in it makes me laugh, such a crazy sound, but very cool.
first time i heard it i had to check this out, to be sure i hadnt made a mistake lol!
video refuses to embed-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK2nJWNgZBA

thanks for the help Mark!


----------



## mhammer

Excellent! As fuzzes go, it has a _very_ strong personality that tends to override whatever sorts of controls you want to throw at it, but still its nice to be able to tailor the sound to what strikes you as fitting your mood or song. The "voice" control is not revolutionary, but provides one more element to tailor. I'm glad I stumbled onto it.

It will work for the Fuzz-Rite and Orpheum too, the only difference is that the cap in those cases is tied to ground, not V+. Apparently it makes little difference to the suggested mod, or so I'm told.


----------



## fraser

> It will work for the Fuzz-Rite and Orpheum too, the only difference is that the cap in those cases is tied to ground, not V+. Apparently it makes little difference to the suggested mod, or so I'm told.


i put the cap between the wiper of the pot, and to ground (back of pot). perhaps this is not what you meant?- but it does act as a "bumblebee filter".


----------



## mhammer

Same thing. The goal is simply to alter how much of the total resistance comes between V+ and that end of the cap, vs after, without changing the overall V+-to-collector resistance.


----------



## fraser

thanks Mark!
this thing goes crazy with a rangemaster in front of it lol!


----------



## mhammer

Yeah. I love it when they implode.


----------



## mhammer

A long-time friend and former bandmate asked me if I could make him a bass fuzz. Since I had the modded FY-2 sitting around as a spare, I figured I'd mod it up to be more bass-friendly.

The .0022uf cap went to .022uf, and the .0033uf cap went to .047uf. The midscoop circuit got replaced with a simple 2-pole lowpass filter with three different rolloffs (2-pole is a sharper rolloff than 1-pole, so you get fairly distinct voicings with only modest frequency change, with 2-pole).

Sounds great, though I'd like it to have less sensitivity and be capable of less distortion. I posted a query on the stompbox forum about how to reduce the gain. I'll keep you posted when the reply comes through.


----------



## fraser

interesting Mark- was thinking the last few days id like a fuzz for the bass.
the one knob fuzz sounds pretty good, but its not perfect, for this, as it sits.
im interested in seeing what you come up with.


----------



## fraser

i see you mentioned the sustain of this thing- 
thats something that blew me away, because the fuzzrite really has no sustain, and thats cool for what it is.
wasnt expecting all the sustain that the fy-2 has, but it sure is cool for guitar!

love this fuzz sound for bass-
[YOUTUBE]G_WXBkiC1zI[/YOUTUBE]


----------



## fraser

well here it is- fy-2, Mark Hammer 4 knob version.
bad pics, but i painted it in olive drab, like an army jeep. my new favourite colour.
have a metal battery holder to install in that empty space, but forgot my jb weld at work- tomorrow.
its funny, it took me all this time to box it up because im aiming towards cleaner, more organized internal wiring- yet it still became a mess lol.
but it sounds great!
first time ive added a dc jack to a build.



















Mark- earlier i stated that i preferred the 50k pot for the scoop. turns out the 50k and 10k pots i was using were both faulty lol. brand new pots, both of them. the 50k failed completely a couple hours after boxing this up. installed another 50k, and now all the effect is found at the very end of its sweep. i can see clearly now.
thanks for your help Mark.


----------



## mhammer

One of the perennial "faults" with pots is that the rivets that hold the solder lugs on may not be making full contact with the resistive strip. When I get new pots, I always like to pop the back off, apply a little bit of Stabilant to the resistive strip, and give the rivets a gentle pinch with the needle-nose pliers to tighten them, before I put the back cover back on.

Depending on the shape/size of your needle-nose, you may be able to do the pinching without removing the cover. Mine do not let me access the rivets on those little 16mm Alpha pots unless I pop the back off.

But congrats. This is one of those circuits that has a lot of life to it that was never fully exploited during its first go-around.


----------

