Can confirm that omitting the 220R + 1n combo (between the collector of Q1 & ground) DOES make it sound better. The sound fattens up in general, and rolling back the guitar's volume knob isn't super ice-picky. I'll take tous over any Fuzz Face that I've tried.
Just built one of these alongside a BC108 Fuzz Face and learned a few things. I tried every mod and didn't keep any. I like the circuit as is, which is def very Hendrix. I did find that Transistor hfe definitely matters. Not that there's a right or wrong, but there's better or worse combinations. Test and match. I did add a 5817 diode on the input tho, just to quiet things a bit. But why stop there? I have a lot of germaniums, PNP and NPN. A CV7003 in Q1 sounds amazing opposite the silicon 3904. More bass and depth, with slightly less fizz, but you can still get the forever sustain. Taking this concept one step further I put a NTE103a germanium NPN in the FuzzFace Q2 and it sounded surprisingly close to the Axis. Slightly less bass, more depth. Probably the one mod I will keep. These are fun old pedals you can learn a lot from and mod a million ways. But they're great as-is too. Happy experimenting!
Hello ... Does anyone know Hfe values of Q1 and Q2 from the original RM?
ReplyDeleteCan confirm that omitting the 220R + 1n combo (between the collector of Q1 & ground) DOES make it sound better. The sound fattens up in general, and rolling back the guitar's volume knob isn't super ice-picky. I'll take tous over any Fuzz Face that I've tried.
ReplyDeleteDid you just take out the 220R and 1nF, or add a jumper in their place?
DeleteNo need, just remove them and thats it
DeleteCool, easy enough. Thanks!
DeleteJust built one of these alongside a BC108 Fuzz Face and learned a few things. I tried every mod and didn't keep any. I like the circuit as is, which is def very Hendrix. I did find that Transistor hfe definitely matters. Not that there's a right or wrong, but there's better or worse combinations. Test and match. I did add a 5817 diode on the input tho, just to quiet things a bit. But why stop there? I have a lot of germaniums, PNP and NPN. A CV7003 in Q1 sounds amazing opposite the silicon 3904. More bass and depth, with slightly less fizz, but you can still get the forever sustain. Taking this concept one step further I put a NTE103a germanium NPN in the FuzzFace Q2 and it sounded surprisingly close to the Axis. Slightly less bass, more depth. Probably the one mod I will keep. These are fun old pedals you can learn a lot from and mod a million ways. But they're great as-is too. Happy experimenting!
ReplyDelete