Thank you for the layout! I used lower gain transistors as suggested, yet it's still a really high gain Fuzz Face. I was picking up radio stations, but that cleaned up once I housed it.
It sounds so good, but was so noisy, I had to make sure. I just hardwired it into an already drilled enclosure. No doubt the real SMD version has everything laid out well, without wires all over the place!
At the end of the day, It's still a silicon Fuzz Face, but one with good mods. I might add a minimum gain resistor though, so the signal doesn't cut out at lowest fuzz (pre gain).
I used a trio of 2n3904's with gain between 180-200 as that was the max on the datasheet for BC848A's. With the bass cut on, and bias at minimum, it's a very smooth and saturated distortion.
Good to hear it behaved the same, Ben. What do you think of the "fuzz" control? I normally prefer this type, also present on the Sunface and some BJF fuzzes on this blog. This one though cuts the signal at lowest setting, and I read a product blurb saying "useful at all settings.
Easily fixed, but wondering what others think of it. In the future an owner of a real one can report.
I appreciate the schematics being posted on the video "build them, we don't care" is a good attitude.
Sorry, forgot about this. Yeah I noticed that too. I like the range of the fuzz, but i'd prefer it not to cut out at minimum personally. It's rarely down there, but I do use fuzz like that sometimes. Still pretty noisy even boxed up for me, although not as bad. Still sounds like its looking for Radio 1 at times :-))
Thanks for the offerr but I already have those:-). Might post layouts for them as well if there is interest...but those all basically clones of a tubescreamer, a Rat and a Ross Compressor with some simple mods.
you know im not surprised they are variations, just weird he said they were all original designs in his video announcing them, unless i misheard him haha! either way, i'll be building them!!
Is the 100pF cap in the right place in the picture? Shouldn't it be between the base and the collector of the Q2, not between the base and the emitter. I think it was that way in the schematic shown on the youtube video.
A very good sounding fuzz face variant.it was very noisy till i moved the 100pf between C & B. i've used the same transistors as the original with 210hfe..thank you fuzzhead for the layout.
Is this one more "input impedance friendly" than the original Fuzz Face? The original Fuzz Face should be plugged straight into the guitar, and is very picky about input impedance... I am hoping that this one, being much more modern, will accept any kind of input source?
If you have the 'fuzz' all the way up, it's going to react to a buffer almost exactly like a fuzz face. When you turn it down, it's going to introduce some resistance, and that will likely take care of many issues you experience with Fuzz Faces. The Sam Ash Fuzzz has a similar opening pot, and I found I can run it after a buffer if I turn the gain down a tiny bit. I've also found that other circuits improve with adding approximately a 10k resistor in series with the input, and this would do that as long as you don't have it dimed. It could have some issues, and it may not be as responsive as a Fuzz Face, but if you like the way it sounds I think it's worth a try.
Thank you, Michael. I have built the Sam Ash Fuzz (and I love it!), so if the JHS behaves the same, it should be ok. Thank you for the resistor tip : I remember I had to do a similar thing on a Wooly Mammoth a while ago (it was not playing well with the input i fed it with, and adding a resistor helped a lot).
Ok, I built it today : it works. The range of the knobs is indeed very efficient, as advertised.
A couple things :
- If using 2N3904, turn it 180° because the pinout is different.
- I will have to try the input resistor tip, because I think that with active instruments it doesn't sound the way it should.
- Something is strange with the volume pot behavior : it mostly acts as a low pass filter, first removing treble and damping the signal before making it quieter... I checked my wiring (at first I suspected a user error), but it's on par with the layout. Could anyone confirm the way the volume pot behaves on your build?
I don't have a unit to compare it to, and that is strange! I know how you can fix a problem like that (capacitor between lugs 2 and 3 on the volume pot) but I have no idea exactly what is going on. Guitars lose the treble on their volume knobs because of the impedance of the pickups...if I recall, a Fuzz Face has a high output impedance, but that is at least partially from the 500k volume knob, which this doesn't have. It also occurred to me the last stage is like an LPB1, and they lose the treble from guitar impedance, so that could be too. Sorry this isn't more helpful.
Thank you, Michael. At the moment, I am much more enjoying the Mxr Dist+ I built in the same time, and I think I don't like the Fuzz Face circuits that much (it's the third FF-based circuit I build, and I was hoping that this one would be different). I will try also with a couple different transistors to see if that changes the core sound, but if it isn't the case, I'll keep that circuit on a shelf for a while and go back to it later :)
I'm surprised that it biases ( or sounds good) with that 8.2k resistor to the collector of Q2. In my similar FF builds the total resistance to Q2 is more like 5 and a bit. If the resistor in parallel to the capacitor (where the fuzz pot) is normally was 2k then perhaps the other values would work and sound ok. Just from my experiences you understand. Those of you getting spluttery break up might want to try lowering the 8.2k to 2.7k or so. I'd also think that 250K on the input is over the top, the Sunface uses 50K here.
hi all. post this effect. sounds very cool, but there is a problem. very very loud pedal. to play a good fuzz, you need to set the volume of the combo amplifier to almost 0. if you turn down the volume and fuzz on the pedal, the effect becomes almost minimal (maybe I did something wrong. I didn’t quite understand the comments about additional resistors at the input or output. Please explain if there is a picture.
Thank you for the layout! I used lower gain transistors as suggested, yet it's still a really high gain Fuzz Face. I was picking up radio stations, but that cleaned up once I housed it.
ReplyDeleteWut!? You already housed it?!
DeleteBy reading your impressions by it in our email conversation I'm very tempted to build it....
It sounds so good, but was so noisy, I had to make sure. I just hardwired it into an already drilled enclosure. No doubt the real SMD version has everything laid out well, without wires all over the place!
DeleteAt the end of the day, It's still a silicon Fuzz Face, but one with good mods. I might add a minimum gain resistor though, so the signal doesn't cut out at lowest fuzz (pre gain).
Try to put a 100r resistor in series with 9v to see it reduce the noise.
DeleteOut of interest what gain range did you use? Just tried with some BC 208 at 159 and 169 and I couldn't get anything but splutter.
DeleteI used a trio of 2n3904's with gain between 180-200 as that was the max on the datasheet for BC848A's. With the bass cut on, and bias at minimum, it's a very smooth and saturated distortion.
DeleteThanks Alex, that's much better. Looking forward to boxing it now. It's insanely noisy on the tester.
DeleteGood to hear it behaved the same, Ben. What do you think of the "fuzz" control? I normally prefer this type, also present on the Sunface and some BJF fuzzes on this blog. This one though cuts the signal at lowest setting, and I read a product blurb saying "useful at all settings.
DeleteEasily fixed, but wondering what others think of it. In the future an owner of a real one can report.
I appreciate the schematics being posted on the video "build them, we don't care" is a good attitude.
Sorry, forgot about this. Yeah I noticed that too. I like the range of the fuzz, but i'd prefer it not to cut out at minimum personally. It's rarely down there, but I do use fuzz like that sometimes. Still pretty noisy even boxed up for me, although not as bad. Still sounds like its looking for Radio 1 at times :-))
DeleteOwner of a real one reports also getting radio stations.
Deletehttps://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/jhs-3-series-cool-tones-better-value.2189336/page-26#post-31326630
Bloody hell this one came out fast! :-)
ReplyDeletedo you want the schematics for the overdrive, distortion, compressor and reverb?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the offerr but I already have those:-). Might post layouts for them as well if there is interest...but those all basically clones of a tubescreamer, a Rat and a Ross Compressor with some simple mods.
Deleteya they basically are... the reverb is a FV1 and this fuzz is pretty much a fuzzface with mods... lol... all original designs they said
Deleteyou know im not surprised they are variations, just weird he said they were all original designs in his video announcing them, unless i misheard him haha! either way, i'll be building them!!
ReplyDeleteyou are right... he said... "mainly all original designs" and so far none of them are... https://youtu.be/hdJ0ezgQuxU?t=282 ... time stamped
DeleteIs the 100pF cap in the right place in the picture? Shouldn't it be between the base and the collector of the Q2, not between the base and the emitter. I think it was that way in the schematic shown on the youtube video.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I moved the 100pf to the back to test. The unhoused circuit still picks up radio, but it's not as much as before.
DeleteDoh! Ok, moved the 100pF cap but needed to move some other parts around as well. But connections stays the same.
ReplyDeleteA very good sounding fuzz face variant.it was very noisy till i moved the 100pf between C & B. i've used the same transistors as the original with 210hfe..thank you fuzzhead for the layout.
ReplyDeleteCould I know which part to modiyy to cut off some more low end? Sounds too bassy with my rig.
ReplyDeleteHi Could someone kindly post the schematic- I couldn't find it on the video from JHS
ReplyDeleteschematic anyone?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.pedalpcb.com/docs/PedalPCB-TriadFuzz.pdf
DeleteThanks for that
ReplyDeleteIs this one more "input impedance friendly" than the original Fuzz Face?
ReplyDeleteThe original Fuzz Face should be plugged straight into the guitar, and is very picky about input impedance... I am hoping that this one, being much more modern, will accept any kind of input source?
Okay, so closer look at the schematic...
DeleteIf you have the 'fuzz' all the way up, it's going to react to a buffer almost exactly like a fuzz face. When you turn it down, it's going to introduce some resistance, and that will likely take care of many issues you experience with Fuzz Faces. The Sam Ash Fuzzz has a similar opening pot, and I found I can run it after a buffer if I turn the gain down a tiny bit. I've also found that other circuits improve with adding approximately a 10k resistor in series with the input, and this would do that as long as you don't have it dimed. It could have some issues, and it may not be as responsive as a Fuzz Face, but if you like the way it sounds I think it's worth a try.
Thank you, Michael.
DeleteI have built the Sam Ash Fuzz (and I love it!), so if the JHS behaves the same, it should be ok.
Thank you for the resistor tip : I remember I had to do a similar thing on a Wooly Mammoth a while ago (it was not playing well with the input i fed it with, and adding a resistor helped a lot).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOk, I built it today : it works. The range of the knobs is indeed very efficient, as advertised.
ReplyDeleteA couple things :
- If using 2N3904, turn it 180° because the pinout is different.
- I will have to try the input resistor tip, because I think that with active instruments it doesn't sound the way it should.
- Something is strange with the volume pot behavior : it mostly acts as a low pass filter, first removing treble and damping the signal before making it quieter... I checked my wiring (at first I suspected a user error), but it's on par with the layout. Could anyone confirm the way the volume pot behaves on your build?
I don't have a unit to compare it to, and that is strange! I know how you can fix a problem like that (capacitor between lugs 2 and 3 on the volume pot) but I have no idea exactly what is going on. Guitars lose the treble on their volume knobs because of the impedance of the pickups...if I recall, a Fuzz Face has a high output impedance, but that is at least partially from the 500k volume knob, which this doesn't have. It also occurred to me the last stage is like an LPB1, and they lose the treble from guitar impedance, so that could be too. Sorry this isn't more helpful.
DeleteThank you, Michael.
DeleteAt the moment, I am much more enjoying the Mxr Dist+ I built in the same time, and I think I don't like the Fuzz Face circuits that much (it's the third FF-based circuit I build, and I was hoping that this one would be different).
I will try also with a couple different transistors to see if that changes the core sound, but if it isn't the case, I'll keep that circuit on a shelf for a while and go back to it later :)
I'm surprised that it biases ( or sounds good) with that 8.2k resistor to the collector of Q2. In my similar FF builds the total resistance to Q2 is more like 5 and a bit. If the resistor in parallel to the capacitor (where the fuzz pot) is normally was 2k then perhaps the other values would work and sound ok. Just from my experiences you understand. Those of you getting spluttery break up might want to try lowering the 8.2k to 2.7k or so. I'd also think that 250K on the input is over the top, the Sunface uses 50K here.
ReplyDeletehi all. post this effect. sounds very cool, but there is a problem. very very loud pedal. to play a good fuzz, you need to set the volume of the combo amplifier to almost 0. if you turn down the volume and fuzz on the pedal, the effect becomes almost minimal (maybe I did something wrong. I didn’t quite understand the comments about additional resistors at the input or output. Please explain if there is a picture.
ReplyDelete