In Soviet Union, Pedal Fuzz's You!

[Ch0jin]

What do you do when you find yourself with a nice matched pair of NOS germanium transistors just lazing about in their plastic bag, not making anything go fuzzy?

Call me crazy, but I decided to scrounge up some perf, some sockets and pots, and small pile of assorted electronic gadgetry and mash them into a fuzzface inspired dirt box.

I have a most excellent fuzzface I'd built some time ago as a benchmark for tone, but think sabre tooth tiger being suffocated by a mammoth. Yeah, and the tiger is kinda angry ...

Variations on the stock FF circuit are minimal with a gain matched pair of 3AX31C's being fed by a trim pot for fine tuning, and a "smooth/rough" switch that latches in a 470pf across the BE junction of Q2, are the only real changes. Engaging "Smooth" mode shaves a little raggedness off the edge. Great for bright bridge pickups and full gain combinations.

In minimalist style this is a positive ground pedal with no DC socket or reverse polarity diode. There are also no pull-down resistors.

I found a pair of indicator lamps from an old '60's tube amp in my box-o-stuff, so I decided to build one into the design. Obviously I'm not running the 6.3VAC lamps that it was designed for, instead adding a touch of modernity by sliding in a nice jumbo clear LED.

I was feeling a soviet thing after visiting Russia last year so I went for a vaguely soviet military theme when it came time to make up a box.

The controls translate to "Noise" and "Mud".
The ID plate reads "Type: Signal Encryption Element: Germanium Date: 2-10"

The paint had to look military, or at least my interpretation of military, so a couple of coats of green hammertone went on over the primer to give me a less than smooth surface to blast a bunch of coats of glow in the dark green over. Yes, glow in the dark green. Yes, it glows bright green in the dark :)

Over the glow in the dark paint went some clear, then my first ever attempt at a waterslide decal. Came out pretty well I thought, the scratches and stuff in the logo were done in photoshop and I roughed over some of the text before the ink dried so it didn't look too clean.

Then a bit more clear coat, stuff everything inside and rock out :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4384648862_0deb6cf020_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4383886063_b8cb32cbfb.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4383919671_8738cc41d3.jpg

Stay tuned, as I have another drive box, the "Knuckleduster" almost boxed up that I'd like to show ya :)

[SuperSwede]

wow! Nice pedal comrade!

[mainestratman]

That is a beautiful pedal! The glow really adds to it. :-)

[duhvoodooman]

Weddy nize!! :AOK :dude :applause

(Eez next....Russian Green Muff!)

[marnold]

That's awesome.

[sunvalleylaw]

Really, really cool! Clips?

[Tig]

Remember comrade, we of the CCCP invented the Fuzz Face, as well as all things guitar, da?

Seriously, that is a cool creation. I'm glowing just looking at it!

[Blaze]

испытывающий страх ! :socool Awesome !

[FrankenFretter]

That is freakin' cool, Ch0! I love it!

[Ch0jin]

Really, really cool! Clips?

Here we go. Now I'm clearly no guitar player, but this is just from me doing the shakedown run last night to give you a bit of an idea of the sonic mayhem.

Recorded using the mic in my little still camera so it sounds like it's got way more treble than it actually does. It also doesn't exactly sound this thin (it was coming out of a 4x12 cab in fact) But meh...

BB1200 with custom P90 style pickups into the fuzz with volume at half and fuzz maxed. Amp is clean and there's an RC2 looper and a PT80 delay in the FX loop.

The rhythm is just dry fuzz using bridge PU, and for the noodles I backed the guitar volume back to 7, flicked to neck PU and kicked in a tiny amount of delay (11-1-11 clock's)

Like I said, it's 'orrible playing but you can maybe get an idea how it can go from rasping snarly fuzz to a bit more smooth and creamy just by adjusting the guitar volume and PU used.

Anyway.

SOUNDS (http://www.box.net/shared/3yibh99u5m)

[mainestratman]

Yeah. I like it.

[sunvalleylaw]

Sounds good comrade! And maybe it is because i ended up with this old Fender amph, but I love that lens on the light! :AOK :AOK

[Ch0jin]

Weddy nize!! :AOK :dude :applause

(Eez next....Russian Green Muff!)

I know right? A Russian BMP would have been the obvious choice to go all Soviet on, but I have a hot rodded GGG BMP already (It's got a Conan-esque warrior woman on it...)

I am a fan of BMP's though and have been looking for an excuse to buy the BYOC one for ages now.

Anyway, the next pedal on my bench is almost done and it's a first of it's ilk for me. No gimmick glow in the dark paint, but hopefully it'll deliver the tone I'm chasing and look good to boot.

[mainestratman]

Ch0... if you ever wanna share design specs, schematics, etc., I'd love trying to clone this clone. :-D

[tunghaichuan]

Molodyetz, tovarishch. :)

(translation: great job, comrade)

[marnold]

lrSKG3TS0uE

[Ch0jin]

Ch0... if you ever wanna share design specs, schematics, etc., I'd love trying to clone this clone. :-D


Sure, it's no secret :)

The layout I used is HERE (http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album18/album151/DALLAS_ARBITER_FUZZ_FACE_GERMANIUM_PERF.gif.html) I added a trim pot where R4 would be so my actual layout is slightly different, but close enough for Jazz. It's there so I can fine tune the Q2 collector voltage. I got my transistors from smallbear electronics. They sell gain matched pairs that go well in this circuit.

As far as design and schematics, have a read of THIS (http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/fuzzface/fffram.htm) All you could ever need to know about it :)

Although thats my third germanium fuzz, I'm still really tempted to get a BYOC ESV fuzz too, just to see if it sounds any different.

[SuperSwede]

Here is a excellent backing track suitable for that kind of pedal!

U06jlgpMtQs

[Kazz]

lrSKG3TS0uE


Gorky Park was one of those obscure bands I listened to back in the day.

[mainestratman]

Thanks for the info Ch0. :-) Fuzz is the last stomp box I want to get (except for maybe a delay pedal...)

[syo]

Amazing! That is an almost a perfect replica of the old pre-Stalin era Soviet Army issue fuzz pedal c. 1920. Well done Ch0.

For those of you unfamiliar with Soviet Bloc fuzz boxes you can see Ch0's advertised here:

http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/93434b86832a4fb58.jpg

But seriously, well done!

[duhvoodooman]

....Fuzz is the last stomp box I want to get (except for maybe a delay pedal...)
http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/ESV_fuzz.htm

Just sayin'.... :D

[mainestratman]

http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/ESV_fuzz.htm

Just sayin'.... :D

Jeez.. I don't know... do you have any references? ;-)

[Ch0jin]

Amazing! That is an almost a perfect replica of the old pre-Stalin era Soviet Army issue fuzz pedal c. 1920. Well done Ch0.

For those of you unfamiliar with Soviet Bloc fuzz boxes you can see Ch0's advertised here:

http://www.thefret.net/imagehosting/93434b86832a4fb58.jpg

But seriously, well done!


HAHAHA, A tip of the hat to you sir. That almost made me spray coffee all over the screen I laughed so much :)

[Ch0jin]

http://www.duhvoodooman.com/miscimages/musical/ESV_fuzz.htm

Just sayin'.... :D


Worth saying too! If I was going to get another, it'd be that one, and I haven't mentally ruled it out.

This one really was a case of "lets see what we can find in the old parts box."

[syo]

HAHAHA, A tip of the hat to you sir. That almost made me spray coffee all over the screen I laughed so much :)

Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where countries issued their soldiers guitars instead of rifles and fuzz pedals instead of bullets? And "war" would be a battle of the bands? I'd sign up immediately... :R

[sumitomo]

Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where countries issued their soldiers guitars instead of rifles and fuzz pedals instead of bullets? And "war" would be a battle of the bands? I'd sign up immediately... :R

Private Hendrix used to mow 'em down with his issued Strat!TV74PsUo1dcSumi:D