Here is a nice link for Maestro Fuzztone related stuff.

[Bluesgeetar]

Don't know if any of you already have seen this site or not but I thought it was informative.

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/6345/maestro1.html

[brian wenz]

Hello Bluesgeetar--
    Thanks!  More info is  always better!
Brian.

[Bluesgeetar]

Here are some more strange effects sites in Russia you could browse through.

http://www.schemas.narod.ru/another1.html

http://students.uniyar.ac.ru/~geograph/schemes/dist/

This last site here has some sweet preamp stuff on the preamp page.

[brett]

Thanks Bluesfella.
There sure were a lot of variations on a Maestro fuzz.
Will definately have to try this one.

[gez]

I've built a few 1a fuzztones and posted notes on the old forum about transistor selection to get the best out of these beasts...and you thought selecting trannies for the fuzzface was a pain!  :twisted:  

Should be in the archives.

[petemoore]

1.5V supply..[], a very low voltage affair...is that what yer using Gez? 1.5v?

[brian wenz]

Hello Gez--
  Yeah, thanks again for those notes on the FZ-1A......I referred someone to them in another thread [hope he found them in ghis search..]
Brian.

[Rodgre]

Am I wrong? The FZ 1 is NOT the "Satisfaction" circuit. It seems a lot of people claim it is, and I heard that the 70's pedal was a different circuit. Can anyone confirm?

Roger

[petemoore]

any suggestions as to what to look for when choosing actives for this circuit?
 Any soundclips of this one? What does it sound 'like' ...[for lack of better question].

[Bluesgeetar]

FZ1 is "Satisfaction"  fuzz.  I actually prefer the FZ1A.  But then I ain't Keith and this ain't 1964 and I don't have a brand new FZ1 and I don't have an almost brand new Fender Tweed Twin or an almost new Telecaster all of which was built in the golden age of guitar construction.

[gez]

1.5V supply..[], a very low voltage affair...is that what yer using Gez? 1.5v?

Yes, 1.5V supply.  You can use a LM337 adjustable regulator to do this.

If you want cheap and cheerful here's an alternative:



Supply will flatten as the battery does but you can bias it from a -5V micropower regulator if you want it consistent regardless of what the supply is doing.  I prefer this method, I don't like adjustable regs as they waste current as a result of the bias resistors.

Measure the voltage at the source and adjust the wiper from ground until you measure -1.5V.  Any discrete p-channel  MOSFET should work.

[gez]

FZ1 is "Satisfaction"  fuzz.  I actually prefer the FZ1A.  But then I ain't Keith and this ain't 1964 and I don't have a brand new FZ1 and I don't have an almost brand new Fender Tweed Twin or an almost new Telecaster all of which was built in the golden age of guitar construction.

Didn't 'Keif' use a Les Paul in 1965 and wasn't the 1a around then?  I wouldn't know, but Satisfaction sounds more like a 1a to me.  I prefer it even if he didn't use it.

[gez]

From the archives:

"I've built a few of these, all 1a (the ones with the 1.5V supply). I tried out a lot of different transistors and it didn't seem to make much difference so long as they're Ge.

What does make a difference (more than gain in my opinion) is the leakage of each transistor, as it's leakage which biases each device into conduction. I didn't test specifically for collector-base leakage, instead I used RG's circuit as outlined in his fuzz face article to test for both gain and leakage.

For Q1 I'd recommend using a low leakage device (the ones giving best results measured between 58uA and 120uA in my tests). If the transistor is too leaky virtually all the supply appears across the emitter resistor, clipping the signal on +ve swings resulting in a constricted, muffled sound. If you're too lazy to do all that measuring just stick a trannie in there and if the emitter measures somewhere between 0.4 and 0.6V it should sound sweet.

For Q2 you need a slightly higher leakage (my results were between 100uA and 220uA). If leakage is too low the transistor biases towards cut-off, collector current is too low and gain is pitiful, resulting in hardly any fuzz. If leakage is too high it biases towards saturation and the fuzz sounds constricted again. There's a definite 'sweet spot' for collector voltages between 0.75 and 1V with the 'attack' pot set for max fuzz.
For Q3 you can get away with higher leakages (188uA - 367uA for my results). Best results were to be had with the collector measuring between 1.25 and 1.28V. This is the only stage where I found gain made any difference (though only slight) - the higher the better.

Wear rubber gloves when handling the trannies as finger heat will totally distort all measurements. It's best to wait a few minutes to allow the circuit to settle in before making measurements (keep a book on standby)."

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
  Actually, there are quite a few people who claim that the Maestro was NOT the fuzz used on "Satisfaction".   I'm pretty sure that Keith used it when the Stones played the song live, though. [He was also using a Guild "Bluesbird" guitar, too.]
If indeed it was a Maestro it could have been either the FZ-1 or the FZ-1A[both of them had germ trannys].  The later circuits had silicon trannys.
I'm pretty sure that all the Maestro fuzzes were made in Japan for Gibson[by the Shin Ei people......Super Fuzz, Univox, etc.]
Brian.

[petemoore]

 I'm in awe again at the wealth of info...
 Very 'Satisfying' reads !!!
 This build being such LP's count, and I have all the parts...ya know it must by tried!
 I have very  numerous 1.5v cells here PS connections should be N/P, I'll just fabricate a D cell holder/connector.
 Did you try 3v or 9v supply? Is there a reason [besides component voltage ratings, and the difference in the sound] for the  1.5v Power supply? Variable supply might be kinda kool...

[MarkB]

I had an FZ1 for a while (fixed it for a friend) and to my ear - it was definitely the Satisfaction fuzz...  nasty as anything.. in a beautiful way.

are those Leper's old schematics on that site?
"-)

[gez]

Did you try 3v or 9v supply? Is there a reason [besides component voltage ratings, and the difference in the sound] for the  1.5v Power supply? Variable supply might be kinda kool...

I've never tried 9V but they were all Si not Ge.  Yes I tried 3V but prefer the 1a.  With less headroom the fuzz is stronger.  Why did they do this?  Apart from more fuzz perhaps it saved them a battery holder? (wouldn't know, never seen the inside of a FT1).

[zachary vex]

if the maestro fuzz wasn't the satisfaction fuzz, what was?

[Bluesgeetar]

Hey Gez.  No he used a tele.  Read to many interviews with Keith on that one.  He said the riff actaully came to him in a dream!  I wish I had those kind of dreams.  I had a timeline laid out some where that I constructed that showed it to be impossible that Keith used the FZ1A.  I gathered alot of facts on Fuzztone production and stuff and emailed Gibby and all.  
I got piles of old burnt cds with info on it and it would take me a long time to find the info I compiled.  Not worth it just to win an arguement.

The sad thing is that their were alot of really great websites around in about 1999 2000 on stuff.  But for some strange reason alot of them have disappeared.  But like I said I saved alot of them to CDR somewhere in the piles.